The Book of Levi Read Online Free PDF Page B

across the road from his office. He was followed by Mark, who held a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. Protruding from his top pocket was an active Dictaphone.
    Leslie swept back his hair, wet from the rain. With one deft sweep, Mark removed the water from the minimal strands of hair residing upon his cranium. Leslie noted this and thought it to be the one advantage of baldness.
    ‘My apologies, consul,’ said Stefan, advancing on them with two hulking guards behind. He appeared flustered. ‘Please step this way.’
    Stefan closed the door on the guards and approached Leslie and his secretary. Mark had his pen poised.
    ‘I don’t know where to begin,’ said Stefan. He was obviously flustered and far less controlled than he had been in Elizabeth’s office not long before. His thin hair was fractionally askew and his beige suit not quite so impeccably creaseless. ‘Something outside of the ordinary has occurred.’
    Leslie looked towards Mark, who was much more used to such affairs. Mark, back in confident mode, finished scribbling onto his notepad and looked back towards Stefan for further information.
    ‘You see,’ Stefan continued, brushing back his falling fringe and looking nowhere in particular, ‘the second . . . the original manuscript . . . it seems, has also been misplaced.’
    These last words he shunted out in a rush, so as to minimise the negative impact.
    It didn’t work.
    ‘What!’ Leslie exclaimed.
    ‘Now, now, calm down,’ assuaged Stefan. ‘I’m sure there will be some logical explanation.’
    ‘I’m sure there will be,’ Leslie responded, ‘or plenty of people are going to lose their jobs.’
    This struck a deep note in Stefan, ‘No. No, consul, we will sort this out. I promise you.’
    ‘Who the hell is in charge of this ship?’ asked Leslie, outraged beyond the fringes of his usual self.
    ‘I assure you, consul that . . .’
    Fortunately for Stefan the cavalry arrived just in time - in the form of Elizabeth Dawson.
    ‘I’ve just heard,’ she said, leaving behind her one very solid man, apparently her minder. He was soaked but efficiently shook out the umbrella that had protected his boss. She shut him out with the clang of the door. ‘What do you know, Stefan?’
    All eyes were upon the young man.
    He took in a deep breath, ‘It seems that somehow the . . .’ he gulped, ‘the original manuscript, containing the blueprints for the Sciences, has been misplaced.’
    ‘Misplaced?’ echoed Leslie, in disbelief.
    ‘We will find them, I assure you,’ replied Stefan, with closed eyes and a movement of his hand that suggested an imaginary patting down of invisible matter encroaching about his mid-riff.
    ‘What do you know?’ asked Elizabeth, in an emphatic but contained tone.
    He responded with an uneven hoarseness in his voice, ‘We’re currently reviewing everyone who’s had any access to the book.’
    ‘You must be joking?’ replied Leslie, his dark eyes incredulous and searching. ‘How can something like this happen? There must be copies of such vital information elsewhere?’
    ‘It’s not as simple as that,’ Stefan replied. ‘It was expressly stated by our founding fathers that the confidentiality of these documents be kept from those who might seek to use the information they contain for their own ends.’
    ‘That’s all very well,’ Leslie countered, ‘but there must be other copies of such invaluable documents?’
    ‘I know how it seems to you, sir,’ said Stefan, ‘but I am the chief overseer of all information held by the state and I’m telling you, these documents were copied only once for consuls and the originals kept here, under strict guard.’
    ‘Strict guard,’ grunted Leslie.
    ‘When were they last copied, before the copy was given to Consul Woodford?’ asked Elizabeth.
    ‘Not for nearly thirty years,’ Stefan replied, miserably. ‘That was the last time a consul was of scientific expertise. No other consul has needed