Читать книгу Legacy - Jeff Edwards - Страница 8

The premises destined to become known as the Save the Country Fund consisted of a run-down shop, with a flat above, on a street lined with similar premises, all exuding a look of long neglect. The government had acquired the building in lieu of back-taxes and had held on to it with no fixed idea what it might be used for. To put it to good use would have cost money, so it had been left vacant and neglected.

Unlocking the door, Sam and Bree pushed their way in.

Cobwebs covering most of the open spaces attested to how long it had been since anyone had dared to enter. A counter divided the room in two. Behind the counter they found a desk and an enclosed office. Behind the office were a storeroom and a galley kitchen that led out to a rear lane.

Upstairs, were two single bedrooms, a bathroom/toilet and small sitting-room.

‘Luxurious,’ commented Sam.

‘Barely adequate,’ responded Bree, thinking of her two-bedroom apartment with large bathroom, kitchen, lounge and balcony, which she had to share with no one. ‘There’s not even room for a decent sized double bed.’

‘I thought we’d have separate bedrooms this time,’ responded Sam with a grin.

‘Piss off! You know what I meant,’ she said, giving him a friendly slap on the arm. ‘What do you think?’

‘Well I’m not going to spend my precious time getting this place fit to live in. We’re supposed to be conducting an important investigation. You can play mother if you like. I’d like to see you doing tai chi with a mop and bucket.’

‘I’m not the janitorial type. I pay a perfectly good cleaner to keep my flat clean.’

‘I vote we pay some poor idiot a lot of the government’s money to come in here and clean up while we go down to Walton Village and check out Jade Green.’

Bree brushed a cobweb from her hair: ‘Sounds like a plan to me. We’ll lock the documents away in the boot of my car and when we get back we’ll be able to move in.’

A check of the local phone book revealed a cleaning service, to whom they turned over the key to the shop with instructions that they would be back in three days.

A further listing was found for a furniture rental firm. The agents called to their showroom, placed an order for sufficient furniture to outfit the premises and told them they would be ready to receive the furniture on their return, leaving a sizable deposit from their Save the Country Fund.

They were finding it remarkably easy to spend the government’s money.

Using Sam’s car, they called to their respective home units and collected their flight bags, which were always packed and ready to go, as well as their laptops and Sam’s digital camera and telephoto lenses. Weapons were considered and rejected.

Speeding down the expressway, they soon found themselves in the country and, not long after, reached the turn-off to Walton Village.