Whiteout

"They got away with samples of a dangerous virus."

Stanley spoke through smashed lips. "So that's what's in the perfume bottle… Are you people mad?"

"Carl Osborne reports from the scene."

The screen showed a photo of Osborne with a phone to his ear, and his voice was heard over a phone line. "The deadly virus that killed laboratory technician Michael Ross only yesterday is now in the hands of gangsters."

Stanley was incredulous. "But why? Do you imagine you can sell the stuff?"

Nigel said, "I know I can."

On television, Osborne was saying, "In a meticulously pla

Stanley said, "But, Kit, you didn't help them do this, did you?"

Olga spoke up. "Of course he did," she said disgustedly.

"The armed gang overcame security guards, injuring two, one seriously. But many more will die if the Madoba-2 virus is released into the population."

Stanley rolled over with an effort and sat upright. His face was bruised, one eye was closing, and there was blood down the front of his pajamas; yet he still seemed the most authoritative person in the room. "Listen to that fellow on TV," he said.

Daisy moved toward Stanley, but Nigel stopped her with a raised hand.

"You're going to kill yourselves," Stanley said. "If you really have Madoba- 2 in that bottle on the table, there's no antidote. If you drop it and the bottle smashes and the fluid leaks out, you're dead. Even if you sell it to someone else and they release it after you've left, it spreads so fast that you could easily catch it and die."

On the screen, Osborne said, "Madoba-2 is believed to be more dangerous than the Black Death that devastated Britain in… ancient times."

Stanley raised his voice over the commentary. "He's right, even if he doesn't know what century he's talking about. In Britain in 1348 the Black Death killed one person in three. This could be worse. Surely no amount of money is worth that risk?"

Nigel said, "I won't be in Britain when it's released."

Kit was shocked. Nigel had not previously mentioned this. Had Elton also made plans to go abroad? What about Daisy and Harry Mac? Kit himself intended to be in Italy-but now he wondered if that was far enough away.

Stanley turned to Kit. "You can't possibly think this makes sense."

He was right, Kit thought. The whole thing bordered on insane. But then, the world was crazy. "I'm going to be dead anyway if I don't pay my debts."

"Come on, they're not going to kill you for a debt."

Daisy said, "Oh, yes, we are."

"How much do you owe?"

"A quarter of a million pounds."

"Good God!"

"I told you I was desperate, three months ago, but you wouldn't listen, you bastard."

"How the hell did you manage to run up a debt- No, never mind, forget I asked."

"Gambling on credit. My system is good-I just had a very long run of bad luck."

Olga spoke up. "Luck? Kit, wake up-you've been had! These people lent you the money then made sure you lost, because they needed you to help them rob the laboratory!"

Kit did not believe that. He said scornfully, "How would you know a thing like that?"

"I'm a lawyer, I meet these people, I hear their pathetic excuses when they're caught. I know more about them than I care to."

Stanley spoke again. "Look, Kit, surely we can find a way out of this without killing i

"Too late now. I made my decision, and I've got to see this through."

"But think about it, lad. How many people are you going to kill? Dozens? Thousands? Millions?"

"I see you're willing for me to be killed. You'd protect a crowd of strangers, but you wouldn't rescue me."

Stanley groaned. "God knows I love you, and I don't want you to die, but are you sure you want to save your own life at that price?"

As Kit opened his mouth to reply, his phone rang.

Taking it out of his pocket, he wondered whether Nigel would trust him to answer it. But no one moved, and he held the phone to his ear. He heard the voice of Hamish McKi

Kit ended the call and looked at Nigel. "The police are coming here-now."

7:15 AM

CRAIG opened the side door of the garage and peeped out. Three windows were lit in the gable end of the house, but the curtains were drawn, so no casual observer could see him.

He glanced back to where Sophie sat. He had turned out the lights in the garage, but he knew she was in the front passenger seat of Luke's Ford, her pink anorak pulled close around her against the cold. He waved in her direction, then stepped outside.

Moving as quickly as he could, lifting his feet high as he stepped in the deep snow, he went along the blind wall of the garage until he came level with the front of the house.

He was going to get the Ferrari keys. He would have to sneak into the lobby at the back of the kitchen and take them from the key box. Sophie had wanted to go with him, but he had persuaded her that it was more dangerous for two people than for one.

He was more frightened without her. For her sake, he had to pretend to be brave, and that had made him braver. But now he had a bad attack of nerves. As he hesitated at the corner of the house, his hands were shaking and his legs felt strangely weak. He could easily be caught by the strangers, and then he did not know what he would do. He had never been in a real fight, not since he was about eight years old. He knew boys of his own age who fought-outside a pub, usually, on a Saturday night and all of them, without exception, were stupid. The three strangers in the kitchen were none of them much bigger than Craig, but all the same he was frightened of them. It seemed to him that they would know what to do in a fight, and he had no idea. Anyway, they had guns. They might shoot him. How much would that hurt?

He looked along the front of the house. He was going to have to pass the windows of the living room and the dining room, where the curtains were not drawn. The snowfall was not as thick as before, and he could easily be seen by someone glancing out.

He forced himself to move forward.

He stopped at the first window and looked into the living room. Fairy lights flashed on the Christmas tree, dimly outlining the familiar couches and tables, the television set, and four oversize children's stockings on the floor in front of the fireplace, stuffed with boxes and packages.

There was no one in the room.

He walked on. The snow seemed deeper here, blown into a drift by the wind off the sea. Wading through it was surprisingly tiring. He almost felt like lying down. He realized he had been without sleep for twenty-four hours. He shook himself and pressed on. Passing the front door, he half-expected that it would suddenly fly open, and the Londoner in the pink sweater would leap out and grab him. But nothing happened.

As he drew level with the dark dining-room windows, he was startled by a soft bark. For a moment his heart seemed to bang against his chest, then he realized it was only Nellie. They must have shut her in there. The dog recognized Craig's silhouette and gave a low let-me-out-of-here whine. "Quiet, Nellie, for God's sake," he murmured. He doubted whether the dog could hear him, but she fell silent anyway.

He passed the parked cars, Miranda's Toyota Previa and Hugo's Mercedes-Benz station wagon. Their sides as well as their tops were all white, so that they looked as if they might be snow all the way through, snow cars for snowmen. He rounded the corner of the house. There was a light in the window of the boot lobby. Cautiously, he peeped around the edge of the window frame. He could see the big walk-in cupboard where anoraks and boots were kept. There was a watercolor of Steepfall that must have been painted by Aunt Miranda, a yard brush leaning in a corner-and the steel key box, screwed to the wall.