The Excalibur Codex Read Online Free PDF

Quite suddenly he felt the need to unburden himself in a way that hadn’t seemed possible in the past few days and the words poured out. ‘Nightclubs. Up the West End. Three in the morning and still going strong. She didn’t even drink. Could go all night on two glasses of tonic water.’ He shook his head at the memory. ‘Liberating, she called it. “Here,” she said, “we can be whoever we want to be.” At first I didn’t want to be there, all thumping base and techno-whatever, but gradually she got me to relax and I enjoyed it. Not exactly what I’d call music, but it was hypnotic.’
    ‘You’ve never struck me as someone who needed to search for himself, Jamie,’ Steele murmured. ‘I’d say you always knew exactly who you were.’
    ‘Actually, I was just happy to be with her,’ Jamie continued, as if the other man hadn’t spoken. ‘She was so full of life, you see. Bursting with it. I can still see her now, tall and beautiful, waving her hands in theair, and so elegant; like one of those graceful African antelopes you see on safari. Aloof, you might have said – life seemed to flow around her – but I’ve never met anyone who cared more.’
    ‘And the bastards killed her.’
    Jamie’s head whipped round and Adam Steele recoiled from the violence in his eyes. He’d heard stories, just whispers, about certain events surrounding the discovery of a Raphael painting, the provenance of which was still being verified. And more recently something concerning an art-loving Russian billionaire who’d become the victim of a now-deceased serial killer. For the first time he saw a hardness, verging on savagery, in Jamie Saintclair, that convinced him those whispers might be true. As quickly as it appeared, the flame died, leaving just the glowing embers. ‘Yes, they killed her.’
    ‘Al-Qaida.’
    ‘Or one of their spin-offs.’ Jamie’s voice held an almost visceral loathing. ‘According to the news they used the correct code word when they claimed responsibility. ’
    ‘Gloated, you mean.’
    The eyes flared again, and the tone matched them.
    ‘They butchered her in cold blood. Stood over her and pumped three bullets into …’ Jamie shook his head as if he was fighting a knife deep in his guts, ‘… into her face. She was so beautiful. Why would they do that?’
    ‘Because they despise beauty,’ Adam Steele said. ‘Because they’re savages.’
    ‘Abbie wouldn’t have believed that, even if she’d known what they did to her. She wasn’t like that. She always thought the best of people.’
    ‘And you, Jamie?’
    ‘Me?’ Now the green eyes went as cold as an Arctic ice field. ‘If it was up to me I’d kill every last one of the bastards and consign their rotten souls to Hell.’
    They continued on for a while and Jamie was surprised to find they were back at the gate. The photographers and the funeral cars were gone, and the only vehicle in sight was a sleek black Aston Martin sports car.
    ‘Looks like they’ve abandoned you.’ Adam glanced at his watch, ‘Can I give you a lift to the hotel?’
    ‘No thanks, I’ve made my excuses. It will be mostly Abbie’s relatives and her workmates. Warm tea, cold sausage rolls and copious amounts of sympathy. I’m not quite ready for that.’
    ‘Home? Office?’ Steele persisted. ‘Sure?’
    Jamie shook his head. ‘I need a bit of time to myself. I’ll walk to the station, it’s not far.’
    The older man held out his hand and Jamie took it. ‘Look, old son,’ Steele said, ‘take this for what it’s worth. I’m no psychiatrist, just someone who does a little business, enjoys life and collects baubles with sharp edges. Sometimes, though, it’s better to get straight back into the saddle. Give the mind something else to dwell on. When you feel up to it, come round to the flat. I might have something for you. Something that will definitely interest you, I promise.’
    Jamie gave him a look, and Steele laughed as he opened the Aston’s