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Otherwise, I would find it offensive. Kingsley International Group is a think tank. Four of my employees have died or disappeared mysteriously within a period of twenty-four hours. We have already started our own investigation.
We have offices in major cities around the world, with eighteen hundred employees, and it is obviously difficult for me to keep in contact with all of them. But what I have learned so far is that two of the employees who were murdered were apparently involved in illegal activities. It cost them their livesbut I assure you, it is not going to cost Kingsley International Group its reputation. I expect our people to resolve this very quickly." Greenburg spoke up. "Mr. Kingsley, there's something else. We understand that six years ago a Japanese scientist named Akira Iso committed suicide in Tokyo. Three years ago a Swiss scientist named Madeleine Smith committed suicide in-" Ta
"As you mentioned, a scientist named Madeleine Smith supposedly committed suicide in Zurich, three years ago. What you don't know is that Madeleine Smith also wanted to leave the people she worked for and come to our company." Greenburg frowned. "What makes you think the two deaths are co
Praegitzer said, "There's something I don't understand. Why would they murder an employee just because she wants to quit? If-" "Madeleine Smith wasn't just an employee. Neither was Iso. They were brilliant physicists who were about to solve problems that would have made the company a fortune larger than you can imagine.
That's why they didn't want to lose either of them to us." "Did the Swiss police investigate Smith's death?" "Yes. So did we. But again, we could prove nothing. As a matter of fact, we're still working on all the deaths that occurred, and I expect that we will solve them. KIG has far-reaching co
Greenburg asked, "Mr. Kingsley, are you working on anything sensitive here?" "You mean are we working on something sensitive enough to have half a dozen people murdered? Detective Greenburg, there are more than a hundred think tanks around the world, some of them working on exactly the same problems we are. We're not building atomic bombs here. The answer to your question is no." The door opened, and Andrew Kingsley walked into the office carrying a stack of papers. Andrew Kingsley bore little resemblance to his brother. His features seemed to be blurred. He had thi
"Here are those-you know-those notes you asked for, Ta
"Andrew, do you want to tell them about your Nobel Prize?" Andrew looked at Ta
Ta
Unfortunately, he became involved in an experiment that went wrong and it-it changed him." His tone was bitter.
"He must have been a remarkable man."
"You have no idea." Earl Greenburg rose and held out his hand. "Well, we won't take up any more of your time, Mr. Kingsley. We'll keep in touch." "Gentlemen-" Ta
CHAPTER 16
TANNER COULD NOT stop brooding about the woman he had thought of as Princess.
And the more he thought about how insolent she had been and how she had ridiculed him, the more incensed he became. We're going to have to improve your line, love. Do you have any idea how trite it is?…
Are you feeling horny, darling?… Get out your little black book and we'll try to find someone who's available for you tonight… It was as though he needed to exorcise her.
He decided he would see her once more, to give her the comeuppance she deserved, and then forget about her.
TANNER WAITED THREE days and telephoned. "Princess?" "Who is this?" He was ready to slam down the phone. How many goddamn men called her Princess?
He managed to keep his voice calm. "This is Ta
I should never have called her. "I thought we could have di
FOUR HOURS LATER, Ta
"I've missed you, Princess," Ta
She smiled. "Oh, I've missed you, too. You're really something. You're very special." They were his words coming back to him, mocking him. Damn her.
It looked like the evening was going to be a replay of their last meeting. On Ta