Under Fire: (A Dan Taylor thriller) Read Online Free PDF Page B

sometimes use. There’s a secure line connected, a small office – you’ve got exclusive use of it for the duration of this investigation. The pass code for the door is your birthday. Change it after you enter the building. Put these documents in the safe once you’ve finished reading them. Make sure you’re at the Select Committee hearing an hour before the press is due to arrive so we can avoid a scene.’ He reached into his coat and drew out a plain manila envelope which he handed to Dan. ‘Your credentials for the conference centre tomorrow night are in there. Mitch will be in touch – Philippa sorted out his travel arrangements so I don’t know when he’s going to get here. I want you two to work together to find out what’s going on.’
    Dan grinned. Mitch Frazer was another member of the bomb disposal team he and David had belonged to during the British operations in Iraq at the turn of the century, and another acolyte in David’s shadowy new world of politics and espionage.  
    ‘Just like old times then.’ He took the key. ‘Who stayed there last?’
    David shook his head. ‘Can’t say. He didn’t stay long – he insisted on moving to a friend’s house south of the river. He left that one in body bags.’
    Dan raised his eyebrow. ‘Plural?’
    David nodded. ‘Plural. Housekeeping said it was a bitch to clean. Needless to say, we arranged for that property to be sold. I think some sort of retired rock musician lives there now.’ He shrugged.
    Dan shook his head in disbelief, took the briefcase and climbed out, collecting his kit bag from the trunk. As he slammed the lid shut, the car sped off and flashed its brake lights as it turned left, away to Downing Street.
    Dan scanned the street for any signs of trouble. He pulled up the collar of his jacket and walked away from the kerb, head down against the sleet, his eyes flicking left to right as he searched for anything that seemed out of place. He walked quietly, listening for the sound of footsteps behind him.
    At the end of the street, he turned into the avenue and repeated the exercise. He passed the house and continued to the end of the street before he stopped and leaned against the wall of a large square brick Georgian building on the corner. He glanced back up the street, then to his left towards the main road.
    A bus splashed past, Dan catching a glimpse of only three passengers on the lower level of the red double-decked vehicle. The inside of the windows were steamed up, with the people inside mere shadows.
    He turned and began a slow walk back to the house.
    ‘Home sweet home,’ he muttered, jogged up the concrete steps to the front door of the house, turned the key and punched in his security number.

Chapter 5
    Closing the front door behind him, Dan heard the locking mechanism click back into place, and began to explore his new temporary home.
    The building was three storeys high, typically Georgian in design, with a basement sectioned off from the street outside by heavy wrought iron bars. Hitting a light switch to the left-hand side of the front door, Dan glanced around at his immediate surroundings. The hallway and lower level of the house had been decorated in neutral tones with carpeted floors. A staircase to the right of the hallway led up to the next storey.
    To the right of the front door, he found a large study with a mahogany desk, a leather chair each side of it, and a window that faced out to the street. Net curtains provided privacy from the street. Dan strode over to the window, glanced out, then pulled the thick velvet curtains closed and turned to face the room. A laptop computer and printer sat on the desk. He noticed a modem near the wall behind the desk, its red light blinking in anticipation. A three-seat sofa stretched along one wall, facing a fireplace, while the back wall housed a large bookshelf that bowed slightly in the middle from the weight of the books lining its shelves.
    He smiled when he saw the