Читать книгу Dangerous Deception - Sandy Curtis - Страница 4

The glare of headlights in the drizzling rain distracted Professor John Raymond as he pulled out into the traffic. A delivery van screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding impact with the rear of the professor's small sedan.

Normally he would have berated himself for such a lack of concentration while driving, especially in such hazardous conditions. But this was no normal night. What should have been the culmination of many years hard work had turned into a disaster even greater than that he had experienced fifteen years ago. And he had made it happen.

Now he hoped that what he had set in motion could be stopped. His one chance to salvage his reputation depended on it. He patted the tiny computer pen drive in his pocket. The scientific world would have to believe this. And he'd made sure that the irrefutable proof was now safe.

With that thought, he tried to subdue the demon in his gut. The detached, analytical part of his mind could visualise the acid chewing into his stomach lining, the pressure in his veins pounding faster with each beat of his heart. He'd known the risk he'd been running for the past few years, hadn't needed his doctor to tell him, but it was impossible for him to ease off. He was already past normal retirement age. No, he didn't have enough time left to take it easy.

The rain lessened as he turned left into South Road, one of the main streets in Melbourne's North Hampton. The traffic, while heavier, was also faster, and he accelerated to keep pace.

The first symptom was so mild he didn't notice it. A slight tremor and weakness in his left hand. A moment later he realised he was having trouble holding onto the steering wheel. His right hand was also losing its gripping power. He willed his hands to work, but it was as though his body was refusing to obey the instructions.

Realisation dawned.

'Noooo …' the word oozed from his slackening mouth.

His hands fell from the steering wheel and he slumped forward, horribly aware he'd forgotten to secure his seat belt.

With disbelieving eyes he watched as his car veered into the path of an oncoming truck.

He heard the sound of impact like an explosion, felt a brief searing pain, then nothing.

As the professor's body flew from the mangled wreck and rolled across the road, the pen drive fell from his coat pocket and slid into the gutter.