Time of the Assassins Read Online Free PDF Page A

spritzer in front of her. She waited until he was out of earshot before continuing. 'She was caught buying drugs in Times Square. I don't know what it was, Rachel didn't say.'

Whitlock sighed deeply and shook his head sadly. 'I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised.'

'And what exactly is that supposed to mean?' she demanded.

'Come off it, Carmen, you know damn well what I'm talking about. They've hardly been the best parents in the world, have they? Rachel had that affair with her boss and Eddie's drinking has been getting steadily worse these last couple of years - '

'She had that affair as an escape from Eddie's drinking,' Carmen cut in quickly.

'That's irrelevant. Look at it from Rosie's perspective. Can't you see? This is her way of escaping from them.'

'Will you talk to her?'

He shook his head. 'No; it's up to Eddie and Rachel to talk to her.'

'Rachel asked if you would.'

'Where's Eddie?'

'He went to an all-night poker game last night. She hasn't seen him since.'

'Some father,' Whitlock muttered.

'Talk to her, C.W. You're the only person she's ever listened to in the past.'

'I'm not using UN AGO to pull any strings, Carmen. Let's get that straight right from the start.'

'Just talk to her,' she replied softly. 'Please.'

' O K,' he replied at length. 'Where is she?'

'At home. Rachel put up the bail - '

The bleeper clipped to Whitlock's belt suddenly activated and he was quick to silence it. He shot Carmen a despairing look. 'This is all I need right now. I have to answer it, Carmen.'

'I know,' she replied and squeezed his hand gently.

'I will talk to her, I promise you. But when I don't know. It all depends on what's come up,' he said, patting the bleeper.

'Would you like to use this phone, Mr Whitlock?' the barman asked, having heard the bleeper from the other side of the bar.

'No, but thanks anyway, Rick,' Whitlock replied

then turned back to Carmen. 'I've suddenly lost my appetite.'

'I lost mine when I heard about Rosie,' Carmen replied.

'Come on then, let's go.'

Sarah Thomas had been Philpott's secretary for the last five years. Her sparsely furnished office on the twenty-second floor of the United Nations building was an antechamber to the UNACO headquarters. The wall opposite the door, constructed of rows of teak slats, contained two seamless sliding doors, invisible to the naked eye, which could only be activated by miniature sonic transmitters. The door to the right led into the UNACO Command Centre, a soundproofed room where teams of analysts worked around the clock to monitor the fluctuating developments in world affairs. The door to the left led into Philpott's private office.

Kolchinsky sat behind Philpott's desk, his eyes riveted on Whitlock and Sabrina. He had just broken the news to them about Philpott.

'Will he be alright?' Sabrina asked anxiously, breaking the sudden silence.

'I spoke to the doctor before I left the hospital. He's optimistic that the Colonel will make a complete recovery. They're keeping him in hospital for another few days to carry out more tests.'

'Unless he discharges himself first,' Whitlock said and eyed Kolchinsky knowingly. 'He'll want to be back at work as soon as possible. You know the Colonel.'

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'I've already been in touch with the Secretary-General. He's going to see the Colonel tonight to tell him to take a month's leave after he's been discharged from hospital.'

'I wish him luck,' Whitlock said. 'You know just how stubborn the Colonel can be when he wants to get his own way.'

'I don't think he'll put up much resistance this time,' Kolchinsky replied then paused to light a cigarette. 'He's been overworking and he knows it. The next attack could be fatal.'

They lapsed into silence again.

Whitlock got to his feet and crossed to the dispenser against the wall. 'Coffee anyone?'

They both shook their heads.

'Where's Mike?' Whitlock asked, pouring himself a coffee.

'That's a good question,' Kolchinsky replied gruffly. 'The last I heard was that