Spyder Web

43

Kang found no difficulty moving about London this afternoon, but he didn’t allow a false sense of security to develop around his apparent good fortune. He met the head of Chinese intelligence in the UK in a public park, where he gave the man detailed instructions for bringing the hostage to London. Security for that part of the operation was critical and Beijing would have to make the necessary arrangements.

After that meeting, Kang kept moving about the city until evening, when he arrived at Canary Wharf. The late-afternoon rain finally dissipated around sunset, when Kang joined several other people out for an evening stroll on the river walk. The Thames shimmered with the lights from the buildings that lined its shores.

Kang already assumed that Axton and British Intelligence were aware of his contact with Parnell and would be taking steps to determine why. If he was in Axton’s place, he would keep his teams loose, but well placed around Parnell’s building. He would also have taps on Parnell’s phones and listening devices planted in Parnell’s office and home. That was why he risked a surprise, direct contact with Parnell.

Kang carefully studied the other strollers, looking for anything that would signal a surveillance team.He found none. He waited until the river walk cleared in both directions before closing in on Parnell’s building.When the walk was deserted, he slipped over the railing and dropped down onto the dock jutting out from the marina beneath the building where Parnell lived and worked. He passed by several boats tied up in the protected marina on his way to the stairs. Kang easily defeated the door lock and moved inside.

He didn’t see any surveillance teams working within Parnell’s building, nor did he expect to. Surveillance that’s too tight runs the risk of alerting the subject before you’re ready, he thought. Fifteen flights of stairs later and he was on the level of Parnell’s flat. Peering out of the stairwell, he saw nothing but an empty corridor. Parnell’s flat was on the other side of the elevator core, facing the river.

Parnell had just served dessert to his attractive dining companion when he heard the knock at his door.

‘Bloody hell.’ Parnell hissed with disgust at the interruption. ‘Pardon me, Vanessa. It’s probably a neighbor wanting to borrow some coffee.’

‘Do hurry back,’ she cooed in a sultry voice.

Vanessa was fantastic in bed, an acrobat between the sheets, and he often fantasized about her long wavy black hair cascading down on him as they made love. Tonight, her tan, provocative figure was clad only in a shimmering red dress that hugged the contours of her body as it descended from the thin straps on her shoulders to a hem some eight inches above her knees. Her ample cleavage was displayed like an invitation and, with each breath, her breasts challenged the tensile strength of the cloth that contained them.No undergarment telegraphed its presence through the fabric of her dress, and that thought excited him greatly.

Thus aroused, Parnell felt an intense annoyance at the disturbance that now took him away from her company. He’d even toyed with the idea of taking her to the islands once he’d closed up shop in London. He opened the door and, at first, didn’t recognize his visitor.

‘Parnell, are you just going to stand there, or will you invite me in?’

The voice made the connection for Parnell instantly — the forceful tones belonged to Ba Xan. The man’s medium-length gray hair was now cropped short and colored black as India ink. The look was severe and disturbing.

‘I am entertaining a guest right now. Could we talk at a more appropriate time, perhaps?’

‘No, we must talk now,’ Kang demanded. ‘Give your apologies to your guest, as I require a private conversation with you — immediately.’

Parnell did as he was told, leaving Vanessa with another glass of champagne and his sincerest apology for the interruption. It would only be a moment, he promised. With Vanessa barely suppressing her annoyance, he joined Kang in the study. Kang had tuned the stereo to a BBC broadcast of the London Philharmonic and aimed the speakers toward the windows.

‘I hope you like classical music. I find that it soothes my nerves.’

‘What do you want?’ Parnell, who had always prided himself on his emotional control, bit back on the irritation that was beginning to seep through his well-built facade.

‘You know what I want,’ Kang replied, enjoying Parnell’s discomfort. ‘I’m here to provide you with the tools to get it for me. Next Friday, the computer containing the cipher files will be connected to Moy’s network for a software transfer to the U.S. government. Several electronic file transfers will take place that day. One will be ours.’

Kang reached into his coat pocket and handed Parnell a cassette tape.’These instructions will allow you to access Moy’s network safely during the transfer window.’

‘If you have the codes to Moy’s computer, why do you need me at all? You can buy a computer with a modem down the street and do it yourself.’

‘True, but I lack your experience with Moy’s network. You are familiar with that environment and have penetrated it successfully in the past. I want that measure of security for this project.’Kang had no intention of letting Parnell off the hook so close to the end. ‘The instructions on that tape will only get you into the network. Once there, you will require an additional set of passwords to authorize the transfer of the cipher files.’

It seemed strange to Parnell that Ba would have everything but the passwords required to get the ciphers.What kind of game was he playing? ‘Where are the passwords?’

‘I will have them when the time comes,’ Kang assured him. ‘We will meet in your office, next Friday at five o’clock.’

‘I’ll see that all the necessary preparations are made. What about my money?’

‘Once I have the ciphers, I will authorize the final payment to your Cayman account. When we have concluded our business, destroy that drive,’Kang advised. ‘After Friday, it will be little more than a dangerous souvenir.’

Parnell studied the USB flash drive warily. In the hands of a prosecutor, it would be more than enough to convict him of espionage.

Kang rose and straightened his jacket. ‘You will not hear from me again until Friday. Do you have any questions before I leave?’

‘No,’ Parnell replied, pleased that this impromptu meeting was at an end.

‘Good. Until Friday, then.’ Kang walked out of the study, gave a polite nod of apology to Parnell’s dinner guest, and left.

‘What was that all about, Ian,’Vanessa asked, ‘that odd Chinese fellow and the loud music?’

‘He’s a client, dear, and a bit of an eccentric,’ Parnell lied, though his exasperation with the visit was genuine. ‘He wanted to talk some business, and everything is urgent in his mind. He pays well, so I put up with his quirks. With his needs addressed, I can now focus my attention on more important matters.More champagne, love?’

‘Afterward,’ she murmured as she slipped into his waiting embrace.