The Secret Chamber Read Online Free PDF Page B

He was working for
Médecins Sans Fronti
è
res
and the truck he was on just disappeared. No one has been seen since.’ René paused to take a sip from his cup, wincing again as the brandy went down. ‘You know how resourceful Jack is, but he’s tried everything – the UN, the consulate in Kigali, Amnesty International. You name it. He even thought about going to look for Joshua himself, but even he realises that he’s just not up to it any more. I think the drink’s finally caught up with him.’
    Luca shook his head, his eyes resuming their blank stare. Jack Milton. He hadn’t heard his name in over two years, but just the mere mention of it brought his childhood rushing back. It had been Jack, not his father, that had introduced him to climbing. From the very first day, he had recognised something special in Luca and had patiently encouraged it, spending hours with him at the climbing wall, the afternoons bleeding into evenings as they became absorbed in the next climb, then the next.
    Somehow Jack always had enough time for Luca alongside his own nephew, Joshua. There was never a sense of competition between the two boys, but more a friendship that quickly developed into something deeper. They never thought of themselves as brothers, but to everyone else, that is exactly what they were. They were always together; in the same fights at school, chasing the same girls as teenagers. But their friendship had none of the jealousies or rivalry of family. Even when Jack presented Luca with his old climbing gear, including an entire sling full of expensive quickdraws and cams, Joshua didn’t complain. Climbing was what Luca did. Period. And from the very beginning, it was something that Joshua had always understood.
    Luca rubbed his hand across his face, wiping away the last of the rain. He hadn’t spoken to Joshua in a couple of years, but he could still remember the stuttering phone conversation they had had. Joshua had been in Lahore, about to head off with one of the Pakistani relief teams into the Hindu Kush. He could still remember the excitement in his voice. It was his first proper assignment with MSF.
    Luca looked up.
    ‘How does Jack even know Josh is still alive?’
    ‘They found some of his personal effects in the river. I don’t know what exactly, but he certainly thinks there’s a possibility.’ René paused. ‘I’m sorry, Luca. He told me you two were close.’
    Luca nodded, his gaze turning back to the fire.
    ‘Yeah, we grew up together. Went to the same schools and all that, but we lost contact when I started doing expeditions. Funny, Josh was always off trying to save the world, while I was only ever interested in trying to conquer it.’
    The bitterness in Luca’s voice made him almost spit out the words.
    ‘Well, whatever the hell happened,’ René said, levelling his eyes at him, ‘we need your help. Joshua was last seen in the Eastern DRC outside a pissing little city called Goma. By all accounts, it’s a sprawling mass of poverty, run by smugglers and gunrunners.’ He reached across and slapped Luca’s knee. ‘I’m sure you’re going to love it.’
    Luca looked shocked. ‘What do you mean, love it?’
    ‘Are you deaf as well as wet?’ René asked with a mock scowl. ‘It’s a mountainous part of the Congo, full of volcanoes and steep cliffs. No one can get in there because the terrain is so harsh. But you, you’re one of the best damn’ climbers in the world. Be a “piece of cake”, as you used to say.’
    Luca raised his hands as if trying to push Rene away.
    ‘I’m sorry, René, but I don’t climb any more. You’ve got to find someone else.’
    ‘For Christ’s sake, Luca! I wouldn’t have dragged my arse across the Himalayas if there
was
someone else. Do you have any idea how long it took to track you down?’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ he replied, avoiding his friend’s gaze. ‘Really, I am, but I have work to do here.’
    ‘Work? You call this work! It’s like the