Dan took a gulp of the ice-cold beer and set the bottle down on the small table in front of them. ‘So,’ he said. ‘You didn’t say what you were doing over here. How come you’re taking an interest in tonight’s press conference?’
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ said Mitch, watching the other people in the bar.
‘I asked first.’
Mitch smiled. ‘After I was shipped home, there wasn’t much I was good for so the army pensioned me out. I just couldn’t face doing a desk job for the rest of my life with them. Not to mention not wanting to have to be the one sending out people like you and me to do my old job.’ He paused. ‘We were bloody good you know.’
Dan scowled. ‘Not good enough.’
Mitch shrugged. ‘Anyway, like I said, I’m no good at sitting on my arse so I applied for a couple of jobs over here. Security and the like.’
Dan stared at him. ‘Security? Like what? Guarding Delaney?’
Mitch shook his head and put his hand up to placate Dan.
‘Keep your voice down, will you? Christ, you wouldn’t believe who that man has in his back pocket.’ He took a gulp of his beer and began to pick the label off the side.
Dan watched him. ‘You know, one of my old army shrinks would point out that’s a clear indication of someone evading the truth or stalling for time.’
Mitch stopped what he was doing and rolled his eyes. ‘So speaks the expert.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I’m just saying. I’ve hung out with enough of them over the last couple of years.’ He picked up his beer and rubbed his thumb through the condensation collecting on the glass. ‘Get on with the story, Mitch.’
Mitch looked around the room, then leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He lowered his voice. ‘Secret Service,’ he muttered. ‘I help them with surveillance and stuff.’
Dan raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’
Mitch nodded.
‘What’s it like?’ asked Dan.
Mitch pointed down to his clothes. ‘Beats a proper job,’ he grinned.
Dan burst out laughing. Standing up, he pointed at Mitch’s beer bottle. ‘Another of those?’
Mitch nodded. ‘Go on. Then we can compare notes.’
Dan walked over to the bar, handed over one of the red coloured dollar bills and took the beers back to the table in the corner. He handed one to Mitch and looked ruefully at the change in his hand.
‘I thought beer was meant to be cheaper over here?’ he said.
Mitch grinned and held up his bottle. ‘Not if you drink these. And not if you drink here.’
Dan pocketed the loose coins and sat down. ‘Okay. What have you found out about Delaney so far?’
‘I’ll keep it brief – most of it you probably know.’ Mitch shuffled, trying to get comfortable in the armchair.
‘Delaney owns several large-scale mining operations in Australia. The government here isn’t allowing anyone to build any new coal-powered generators, however they are allowing organisations to build clean-coal power stations – the ones that store excess carbon dioxide underground. It’s a bit of a balancing act – it keeps the mining companies happy – someone’s still burning their coal – and it helps fend off the environmentalists by touting it as “green energy”. At the end of the day though, it’s just a case of politicians sticking their heads in the sand – coal, oil, whatever, is going to run out and from here on in, it’s going to become expensive. You can only open-cut so much coal before you have to go underground to get more – which costs more money.’
‘So, you have mining operators like Delaney pushing through their clean-coal projects as fast as they can while no-one has a better alternative on the table – sort of a last hurrah and bank the billions – before it all disappears.’ Mitch paused and took a gulp of beer before continuing. ‘Add to the fact that all over the world, people are experimenting with the properties of super-conducted precious metals. Of course, the oil and mining companies let them – until it threatens their own existence. Then they’ll destroy whoever gets in their way, whether it’s by discrediting the research or something more sinister.’
Dan put his beer bottle on the table and sat back in his armchair.
‘That’s pretty much what I thought,’ he said. He told Mitch about what he and Sarah had managed to uncover to date.
Mitch nodded. ‘I could use some help if you’re interested,’ he said.
‘What’s in it for you?’ asked Dan.
‘Share what you know with me and I’ll watch your back,’ suggested Mitch. ‘Plus I could probably get my hands on the sort of information you’re going to need without putting up a flag.’
Dan sipped his beer and thought hard. It made sense – he and Sarah would only get so far before hitting a dead end, that much was clear. And to have access to the sort of secure information Mitch could lay his hands on would certainly be useful.
‘We’ll have to talk to Sarah, explain what we’re doing,’ said Dan. ‘Only fair, given it’s her ex-husband who got us into this in the first place.’
‘Makes sense,’ Mitch nodded. ‘I wouldn’t mind seeing those notes of his.’
Dan put down his empty bottle on the table. ‘Well, she’s probably got her nose stuck to the computer screen as we speak, so you may as well come back to the hotel with me,’ he said, standing up.
Mitch drained his beer, stood up and stretched.
‘Let’s do it.’
Dan stepped through the automatic glass doors into the hotel reception area and walked across the polished wooden floor.
Mitch followed, glancing around at his surroundings. ‘You’re doing all right if you can set up camp here,’ he said.
Dan glanced over his shoulder, smiled and shook his head. ‘Not me. Sarah’s planning on running a story on our findings so she reckons her editor will cover the expenses.’
Mitch caught up with Dan, grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him to a stop. ‘No-one said anything about her printing this, Dan.’ He looked around to make sure no-one could hear them. ‘Some of this stuff you say Peter’s notes include could be highly classified, you do realise that, don’t you?’
Dan shrugged. ‘Well, we haven’t got anywhere with it yet, have we? Let’s just see what we find out first, yeah? Then let’s talk about what does and doesn’t get published.’
He began to walk away from Mitch but then turned back. ‘And, Mitch? Friendly word of advice – don’t go saying things like that to Ms Edgewater. There’s a very real chance that if you do, you and I will never see those notes again.’
Mitch nodded. ‘Fair enough. Just be very careful who knows the content of them – no flashing them around, okay?’
Dan nodded. ‘Come on. I’m betting she’s still working away on one of the computers in the business centre down here.’
Mitch followed him to the end of the corridor. A frosted glass double door blocked their way. The outline of a figure could be seen, sitting at a low desk.
‘Stay here,’ murmured Dan, and pushed the door open.
‘Hey,’ he said, taking off his jacket and strolling over to where Sarah sat, her face illuminated by the light of the computer screen. ‘They ran out of canapés.’
Sarah glanced up and smiled. ‘If I relied on you to feed me, I’d be ten kilos lighter by now.’ She held up an empty plate. ‘Luckily, they make half decent sandwiches here.’ She put the plate back down on the desk and went back to work.
Dan pulled out a chair next to her and watched. ‘Are you having any luck?’
Sarah scrolled through the latest search string she’d entered, hit a key and sighed. ‘I just wish I knew what half this stuff meant – I feel like we’re going round in circles.’
‘Maybe not,’ said a voice behind them.
Sarah turned and saw a thin, wiry sun-tanned man with a gold stud in his left ear, wearing board shorts and a surf t-shirt. He leaned against the door frame, looking fed up.
Sarah looked at Dan. ‘Does he belong to you?’
The tall man wandered over. ‘I know – I got bored.’ He stuck his hand out to Sarah. ‘Mitch Frazer.’
Sarah glared at Dan, and then shook Mitch’s outstretched hand. ‘And you’re here because…?’
Dan interrupted. ‘He’s our secret weapon. There are only so many websites you can access before a flag’s going to go up with Delaney’s security. You should’ve seen them crawling over that press conference – god knows who he’s got on his payroll. Mitch here is what we call, shall we say, a back-door man.’
Sarah smiled at Mitch, who grinned and sat down at her computer, and then she turned to Dan and pulled him over to a corner of the room.
‘Where exactly do you know Mitch from?’ she asked in a low voice.
‘Army days,’ he said, not wanting to elaborate and not sure why. ‘I bumped into him outside Delaney’s press gig. Turns out he’s working here for some people who want Delaney monitored very closely. I figured we might as well use him.’
Sarah folded her arms and stared at Dan. ‘What’s the trade-off though? We tell him everything we know so far?’
Dan nodded. ‘We have to stop Delaney, Sarah – no matter what it takes. We’ve been looking at this for over a week now and we’re no closer to working out what he’s really up to, are we?’
Sarah’s shoulders slumped. ‘I know… really, I do. It’s just, well, I was sort of looking forward to breaking the story myself.’
‘Sarah, this isn’t just about a news story, you know better than that. Delaney’s dangerous. We have to try to stop him.’
‘Anyone fancy going to a party?’
Dan and Sarah turned round to look at Mitch.
Dan frowned. ‘What?’
Mitch grinned and inclined his head towards the computer screen. ‘Party. At Delaney’s. Tomorrow night.’
Sarah glanced sideways at Dan. ‘Shall we?’
Dan shrugged. ‘Probably – but how the hell are we going to get in?’ He looked at Mitch. ‘What’s the occasion?’
Mitch looked at the computer screen. ‘It says here he’s celebrating the launch of the new joint venture. It’s probably just another way of persuading the right people to provide financial backing after they’ve consumed copious amounts of free alcohol.’
Dan walked over to the screen and looked at the news report. ‘Where did you find this?’
‘More to the point,’ said Sarah, ‘I thought you were supposed to be helping us with our research, not bumming around on the news sites?’
Mitch grinned and turned to the computer. He scrolled up the web page until Dan saw a familiar banner across the top of the screen.
‘ABC website,’ he murmured, and looked more closely. He glanced up at Sarah. ‘It says Hayley filed this story half an hour ago.’
Sarah smiled. ‘And you want me to find out if she can get us in there, right?’ She had already pulled out her mobile phone from her bag. ‘I just hope she doesn’t think we’re after invites to every event in town.’
Dan grinned and slapped Mitch on the back. He lowered his voice, aware that Sarah was chattering away in the background on her phone. ‘It’d be a perfect opportunity to have a look around.’
Mitch nodded. He glanced out the corner of his eye at Sarah. ‘It’s going to be heavily guarded, you realise that?’
Dan smiled. ‘I always did like a challenge.’
‘Good grief, Mitch – where’d you get the suit?’ laughed Dan.
Mitch looked hurt and pointed at Sarah. ‘She made me do it.’ He looked down at his outfit. ‘I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t see my legs.’
Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, propelling him towards the elevator. ‘There’s no way I’m letting you walk in there wearing board shorts. We’re trying to blend in, remember?’ She waited until they were all in the elevator car then pressed the button for the underground car park.
Mitch looked at Dan, who just shrugged.
‘She’s the boss. Better do as you’re told,’ he said and stepped out into the basement parking area.
‘Help me,’ pleaded Mitch as Sarah dragged him out of the elevator and towards the car.
Dan drove the car north, and within half an hour they had left the bright lights of the city. The dual highway narrowed and Dan checked the GPS – they were now heading westwards, away from suburban civilisation. Large properties lined the roads, mailboxes at the end of long hidden driveways providing the only indication anyone lived in the area. He took a left fork in the road and slowed down, wondering what sort of damage a wallaby would do to a car out here. He didn’t talk, just drove and listened to the banter between Sarah and Mitch go quiet as they settled in for the ride. The adrenaline was beginning to kick in. Dan had no idea how Delaney would react if he found out they were at his house.
Mitch began to snore contentedly on the back seat. Dan smiled. Sleep whenever you get a chance. It appeared Mitch hadn’t forgotten the old rules either.
Dan spotted the house from several miles away. It was huge, even at a distance. It sat perched on a promontory carved out of the volcanic landscape, overlooking the valley and its distant neighbours. He wondered what the views were like and tried to guess how far up the coast he’d be able to see from there.
He slowed, turned on to a minor road and spotted the gates to Delaney’s property after a couple of kilometres. Tall granite pillars supported a wrought-iron security gate, guarded by two hired hands. Ornate lanterns fixed to the pillars bathed the entrance in a warm yellow glow, moths and bugs fighting for position on the light bulbs.
‘Wake up, Mitch. Party time,’ he said.
Mitch stirred on the back seat. ‘Ready when you are.’
Dan stopped the car, left the engine running and lowered his window. He took the invites from Sarah and handed them to the security guard who approached the car.
The man used his torch to read the invites, then shone the light into the car, careful not to shine it right in Dan’s face and blind him. He nodded, handed the invites back to Dan, then turned and walked back towards the gate. He hit a switch and the gates slid open silently. He waved the car through and stood back to let them pass.
Dan steered the car carefully up a paved driveway which had once been an earth path cut between tall eucalypt trees. The driveway continued to wind its way up the hill. It had been widened so cars could pass each other. A procession of sports cars and luxury sedans lined the driveway, their owners parking over to one side so others could pass.
Dan pulled over and switched off the engine, then turned to face Sarah and Mitch. ‘Right, there are a few rules tonight,’ he said. ‘First, no risks. Absolutely none. Second, use your real names – might as well. People can tell when you’re lying and if Sarah bumps into someone she knows from the media, she’s going to have problems if she’s using a false name.’
Mitch and Sarah nodded their assent.
‘Lastly,’ said Dan. ‘I’m going to be the only one searching Delaney’s property.’
Sarah opened her mouth to protest and Dan put his hand up to stop her.
‘That’s the rule. Otherwise we turn around now. If anything goes wrong and I get caught, I need you two to get back to the car and get out of here. Mitch – try to keep an eye on the security guards for me once we’re in. I might need you to distract them while I get away from the party and take a look around.’
Mitch nodded. ‘Sure.’
‘Okay,’ said Dan. ‘Let’s go party.’
They got out of the car and Dan handed Mitch the keys. ‘Look after them.’
They began to walk up the driveway to the house. Ornate pots containing exotic plants lined a gravel path which led to a wide stone staircase that swept upwards towards the double front doors which were open, guarded by two more security men as wide as rugby players.
Dan could see holsters strapped to their waists. They looked capa
ble of using them if they had to. As he glanced behind him, he realised more security guards probably prowled the grounds, watching from a distance, and he wondered if they’d shoot first and ask questions later.
The house was extraordinary. It loomed up over the gardens. Built from sandstone brick, two storeys high, a wide deck began at the top of the front steps and wrapped itself around the whole building. The railings were painted to complement the natural stonework of the house. The front doors were open, so as they walked up the front steps they were confronted with the enormity of the hallway. A polished wooden floor gleamed from the lights which swung from the ceiling. It was stylish, Dan had to admit.
The beat of a sound system greeted them as one of the security guards at the door held up his hand to stop them and checked the invites, before motioning them towards a reception room. The gorilla of a doorman stood to one side and Dan led Sarah and Mitch through to the crowded room. An eclectic crowd laughed, drank, and swayed to the music. A few people stared as they walked towards them.
Dan smiled, giving the impression that, like them, he belonged there. He nodded to a man as he stepped out of the way to let them pass, then turned to a passing waiter and took drinks from the proffered tray.
‘Here,’ he said to Sarah under his breath as he handed her a glass of wine, ‘this will help steady your nerves.’
He turned to Mitch and they clinked their beer glasses together.
‘Well,’ said Mitch, ‘you’re in. Now make it count.’
Dan left Sarah and Mitch and began to walk a slow circuit of the room. He smiled at people when he passed, and made occasional small talk, while he glanced around and checked his surroundings.
Once all the guests had been accounted for, the two security guards on the front door made sporadic forays into the room, checking on their employer while they tried to maintain a low-key presence.
Dan looked out onto the terrace. A few guests lined the ornate railings, while another security guard appeared to be walking a regular circuit around the enclosed deck and patio area, keeping an eye on the guests. Several couples had taken advantage of the pool facilities – the sound of splashing water and laughter carried through the open windows and cut through the music playing in the background.
White Gold: (A Dan Taylor thriller) Page 10
