The Malthus Pandemic

by Terry Morgan

CHAPTER 32

  That I hadn't been given a clear enough starting point and that there were large gaps in what I felt I should have been told by Charles Brady at Virex was beginning to gnaw at me.

  I felt there was something particularly wrong in the way Charles Brady had, in effect, sent a sidekick in the form of Amos Gazit to Bangkok to meet me. It was partly my fault I suppose. I should have refused until better briefed, but returning to Bangkok to resume the long weekend I'd planned for myself with Anna had also been a factor. So I blamed myself a bit. By early evening in Bangkok - early morning Boston time - the feeling had become too strong to ignore any longer and I phoned Virex HQ in Boston and asked to speak to Amos Gazit.

  "Daniel Capelli, Amos, alias Doctor Michael Stevens from the Bangkok conference."

  I was building up to a confrontation but didn't yet want to completely ruin the relationship. I had to be careful. Amos Gazit joined in with a few early pleasantries about the conference. Then: "Any news? Charles asked me if I'd heard from you yesterday."

  "Well, let's say I'm still following some leads. It’s not easy you understand. There wasn't much to go on to start with. I just wanted to report in so to speak. Any more staff gone?" I half joked and then began on the confrontation. I'd decided to start with Gazit and then, hopefully, be told I needed to speak to Charles Brady.

  "Frankly speaking," I said, "I think you could do a lot more to help me. Why send me to that Conference? Was there a reason? Are you sure there's not more you can tell me?"

  There was a definite pause from Amos Gazit.

  "You should speak to Charles Brady. Why didn't you call him? I told him to expect a call."

  "I needed something before I phoned him. I've now got a few possible leads but I'm still not sure if it's relevant. Is he there?"

  "He's in Chicago. Can I get him to phone you?"

  "No, I'll phone him, Amos. In the meantime, can you pass a message? Tell him I need more to go on. You can also tell him I think he could make my job easier if he was a bit more up front with me."

  It was pushing a client a bit hard but no harm would come of it. I decided to phone Brady later. Perhaps, by then, Brady might have had time to think about it.