The Ghost in the Doll (Fox Meridian Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

‘It’s nine here. I’m running a little late, actually. It must be… eleven at night in Tokyo so I assume this is important.’
    ‘I have determined, with little doubt, that the Fukui-kai is employing Doctor Hummel.’
    ‘That sounds like good news, but–’
    ‘My evidence came in the form of a polite request from Taro that I cease looking for him.’
    Helen raised an eyebrow. ‘A polite request, huh?’ She finished drying herself, mostly, and reached for her panties. ‘I assume he was working on the giri thing?’
    ‘Nothing was mentioned, of course, but the implication was clear. It also seems clear to me that Taro would not have done this if I were not getting anywhere.’
    ‘Agreed, but what do we do about it? You’re not going to get much further with your contacts if Taro knows what you’re after. Back off for now. We need to figure out a new strategy.’
    ‘We need more information, Helen-san. I am afraid that I have failed in my first major investigation.’
    ‘No, you haven’t. When a major criminal organisation decides it has to warn you off, you haven’t failed: you’ve pissed them off.’
    Topeka.
    The river at the bottom of the Meridian farm was more of a creek really, but it was a valuable resource. Jonathan used drought-resistant crops like everyone else, but even so, it was not always viable to get a good crop from rain alone.
    So, Jonathan had a fairly basic irrigation system which took water from the river when required, and the semi-porous pipes needed checking to make sure they were not too porous, the pumps needed checking to make sure they pumped, and the remote sensors needed to be checked to make sure they were sensing. It had taken a couple of hours, but it had all been done and now it was time for another part of small-scale farming: breaking for coffee.
    Fox was drinking to be sociable, mostly. There was something of a psychological effect from drinking the stuff, but deep down she knew it was not really doing anything to her. ‘Maybe I should just take up sniffing coffee,’ Fox commented, lying back on the bank of the creek in the sun. ‘I mean, it never really tastes as good as it smells.’
    ‘Sad, but true. When did you get that belly piercing?’
    Fox pushed onto her elbows and looked down at the anodised purple metal barbell in her navel. ‘Not long after I got skin. I kept talking about it before this happened. I was accused of having a mid-life crisis. Now… It took an hour before the skin healed around the metal.’
    ‘It normally takes a while, I guess.’
    ‘A couple of months to heal properly. You know, I figured Mom would ask about that before you did.’
    ‘Well, she noticed it. She was asking whether I thought it looked good.’
    ‘And you want ammo to stop her having it done too?’ Fox lay back down and closed her eyes.
    ‘Well, I’m not saying yours doesn’t look attractive, and I’m not saying it wouldn’t look good on her, but… Yes, I was looking for ammo. Sometimes she tries a little too hard to be younger.’
    ‘I noticed she’d gone for shorts and a cropped top this morning.’
    ‘You’re a bad influence. Um…’ Jonathan’s tone shifted, becoming more serious, and Fox wondered what was coming. ‘We saw on the news that Reginald Grant had turned up dead, on the Moon.’
    ‘Uh-huh. I’d heard they ruled it an accident.’
    ‘That was what the reports said.’
    Fox considered for a second. ‘I’m sure he didn’t mean to punch holes in his habitat while trying to shoot me, but he was a lousy shot. I didn’t kill him. I just didn’t do anything to save him either.’
    ‘I’d have happily shot him myself.’
    ‘That’s why I didn’t take a firearm with me.’
    ‘Probably a good choice. And matter closed, opinions expressed.’
    ‘Okay. What’s up next?’
    Jonathan grinned. ‘Contemplating the wonders of nature for a little while longer…’
    ‘Yeah, I’m contemplating the bugs thinking about taking residence in my