A Choice of Evils Read Online Free PDF

take some finding. It made sense that he would have someone to look after his interests carrying the £50,000.
    At two minutes past midday I saw him. The knuckles of his left hand were tightly white on the handle of his briefcase. He appeared to be his dapper self. Perhaps his hair was trimmed a little closer to the parting. His casual clothes seemed leisurely enough and his gold spectacles reflected in the midday sun. I watched him turn left near to the toilet which is where I met him and shook his hand.
    There was no sign of nerves. A casual observing look at the zoo scenery occupied a few moments of his time. ‘Shall we walk?’ he invited. I agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, two old ladies were sipping an orange juice as we passed them. A tourist photographer was canvassing business nearby. He wore a badge stating he was an official.
    ‘How pleasant it is here,’ Ahmed commented. ‘But I wonder do the animals consider themselves lucky or unlucky?’ I offered a suitable answer. ‘Do they know any different if they are born and raised in captivity?’ We continued to walk.
    ‘Ah yes, captivity is a haunting word,’ he replied. ‘To contain, to hold prisoner. There is a big difference between knowing and not knowing you are a prisoner. Like you Jack, only those who have been a captive will know the difference. We are all hostages of fortune in one way or another. Are we not victims of our genes? Some people are born defective and others more fortunate, but the real enemy to life is man himself.’ I nodded in agreement as we walked on looking at the monkeys and the lions. It was a seductive atmosphere talking about philosophical enigmas.
    ‘I suppose your job is to put right what nature has done wrong.’ I answered. ‘Yes precisely,’ he responded. ‘Science can change the world. Every small advance is a giant step for mankind. If we can isolate the intelligence genes in our DNA, then one day we shall all be a cloned replica of human perfection, but for now there is much to be done. You can understand why the XP42 formula is so important and I am prepared to pay you well?’ My naivety on this subject was without conscience and so I agreed with his sentiments.
    ‘You have brought my expenses Dr?’ I asked. ‘I will need all the information on Dr Bruce that you can give me.’
    He looked at me smugly. ‘Of course, I anticipated your questions. Here inside this envelope are all the details you will need,’ he said. I took the envelope. There was not much more I wanted apart from the cash, but one thing intrigued me. If Ahmed and Bruce had already worked together on the formula for the same purpose, then at what point did their mutual trust disappear? Why not let Ahmed use the formula independently if the benefit to mankind was ultimately going to be universal? Why would Dr Bruce switch to another laboratory in the middle of an important experiment? Was there more to this than met the eye, I thought. However, it was not my place to question why and as Ahmed was my paymaster, it was not for me to reason why, since I was being paid to get the formula not be thinking about it.
    ‘When do you think you will have a progress report for me?’ He asked. I reminded him that I would be meticulous and time was an advantage to do what I had to do. As soon as I had news or needed to get back to him quickly then I would do so.
    He was happy with my answer and indicated we should visit the toilets. ‘Do you not want to see the contents of the briefcase?’ He smiled. I led the way and found a cubical to examine the contents. It was a lovely to see the neatly stacked bundles of £50 and £20 notes. A new life was before me. Dr Ahmed was cool about the handover. Anyone would think it was the sort of thing he did every day.
    As we emerged from the toilets he spoke again. ‘The balance will of course be paid on handover of the formula. I look forward to developments.’ There was now little more for us to say. Our