White Gold Read Online Free PDF

preceded a small man, buttoning up his jacket and straightening his tie.
    Delaney waited until the door was shut. Glaring at the other man, he walked around his desk and sat down, the chair creaking under his weight. He left the other man standing nervously in the middle of the room, shuffling uncomfortably on the carpet.
    ‘Who have we got in Europe at the moment, Ray?’
    The other man visibly sweated as he wracked his brains. ‘Um, that would be, um, Charles, Mr Delaney. That is, er, if we’re talking about someone you need to kill .’
    Delaney pressed his fingers against his lips. ‘Shhh, Ray. Never mention that word in here, or anywhere else in my presence.’
    Ray nodded, sweat patches beginning to show under his arms, despite the air-conditioning. ‘Right, Mr Delaney. Of course.’ He changed his weight from leg to leg.
    ‘Where is Charles at the moment?’ asked Delaney.
    Ray pulled out a palmtop computer and ran a sequence of numbers. ‘London. Just arrived from Berlin.’ Ray put the device away and nervously played with a ring on his left hand. ‘He’s the source of the information you’ve just received from us,’ he added.
    ‘Is he trustworthy?’
    Ray nodded again, more enthusiastically.  ‘Oh yes. Loves his work. That is, he’s very dependable. Tidies up nicely too.’
    Delaney smirked. ‘Perfect. Tell him to get to Oxford. There’s a conference there I want him to attend tomorrow. One of the presenters is starting to become a bit of a pain. Tell Charles to get a feel for what this guy’s movements are.’ He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Ray. ‘Tell him to phone me on this number once he’s had a chance to speak with Doctor Edgewater and be ready to accept orders directly from me.’
    Ray almost ran across to the desk and took the note from Delaney. Retreating to the middle of the room, he opened his mouth to speak then thought otherwise.
    ‘What is it, Ray?’
    The other man looked at the piece of paper, then at his boss. ‘There’s a ten-hour time difference between here and London at present, Mr Delaney.’
    Delaney glared at the small man. ‘Wake him up.’
    Ray nodded and retreated as quickly as he could from the room. As the door closed, Delaney got up and turned, looking out the window. He closed his eyes, replaying the plan in his mind.
    Nearly three years of extensive research in a remote area of central Queensland followed by six months perfecting the sequence. Only two months remained until everything fell into place. He opened his eyes and glared down at the protestors.
    It couldn’t come soon enough.

Chapter 4
    ‘Someone is buying and, moreover, stockpiling the world’s gold supply. In the current climate and demand for oil, gas and uranium, the sale and purchase of this valuable commodity is overlooked by analysts again and again. We must ask ourselves, why? Why is this not being highlighted, pursued, or investigated? Here, today, we seek to rectify this.’
    Extract from lecture series by Doctor Peter Edgewater, Oxford, England
     
    Oxford, England
     
    Peter closed his eyes and tilted his head back, stretching his neck muscles, glad to be home. He felt he could smell the history of the building surrounding him while, in the next room, he could hear the audience finding their seats, the soft clink of wine glasses as they greeted colleagues, calling to each other, laughter.
    ‘It never loses it, you know.’ The voice broke his reverie.
    ‘What?’ He opened his eyes, and looked around for the source of the interruption.
    ‘Sorry – didn’t mean to startle you.’ A man leaned against one of the pillars, smiling. ‘I meant the atmosphere of the place – it’s always here.’ He walked towards Peter and held out his hand. ‘Charles Moore.’
    Peter shook it, then looked around him once more. ‘You’re right.’
    ‘I take it you were a student here?’ Charles enquired. He took his glasses off and began to polish them.
    ‘Yes. Although it