Blood Codex

Chapter 4

Landvik leaned back in his expensive leather chair, letting it knock back against the huge mahogany desk as his eyes roamed the gray stone buildings and roofs opposite, visible through the large, multi-paned sash window. Dates and Latin names were engraved into the fascia of the buildings opposite, finely carved statuary stood in curved alcoves watching over the red and white lights of traffic busily moving to and fro through the night below. The hiss and rumble of a red double-decker bus drifted up to him as he ran a well-manicured hand over his ash blond hair, down over a neatly-trimmed salt and pepper beard.

He sighed. What was taking so long?

As if in answer, the phone on his desk vibrated in the quiet gloom of the otherwise deserted office. The tall man turned his chair around and snatched up the phone, tapped the answer button.

The voice on the other end was tight, breathless. “Mr. Landvik, it’s Jeffries. You were right; she’s definitely the one we’re looking for.”

Landvik sighed and shook his head. “So, bring her in.”

“Well, there’s a bit of a problem there.”

Landvik pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes. “A problem? You don’t have her?”

“She fought back at first, but that was no problem, but then some guy came running to her rescue. Big bugger, he was, good fighter. Things were getting loud and messy, so I called the abort and we got out of there before we attracted any more attention. It was just bad luck, really. Before that guy intervened we had it all under control.”

“Stop talking, Jeffries.” Landvik took a deep breath and calmed himself while he considered.

“Yes, sir,” Jeffries said, instantly disobeying the direct order.

Thankfully all Landvik heard after that was Jeffries’ labored breathing. There was an edge of pain to it, and Landvik took some pleasure in that.

“This man who intervened, do you think he was some random white knight or someone she knew?”

“Actually, it was a guy she’d just had dinner with. She walked off on her own, so we took our shot. He must have followed her.”

“Inconvenient.”

“Yes, sir.”

Landvik considered this turn of events. “Have you managed to establish where she lives?”

“Ah, no,” Jeffries admitted. “She took a taxi from the museum to the restaurant, so we decided to grab her as she walked.”

Landvik nodded to himself. It was a mess, but far from a lost cause. There were always hiccups in life and the trick was to move with them rather than let events control the situation. “So find out where she lives,” he told Jeffries in a slow, measured voice. “If she’s not there, grab her when she arrives at the museum for work tomorrow. This is only a short delay, yes?”

“Yes, sir. No problem.”

“One way or another, I want you to bring Rose Black to me in one piece. And soon.”

“So that last bloke wasn't the one?” Jeffries asked.

Landvik let out a harsh exhale. “Just find her.”