Masters And Lovers 1-4

Richard

James steps out of the elevator looking…

What?

Harassed?

Worried?

“James?”

He looks to me then jerks his head towards his office. I follow him in. Silently, he offers me a small padded envelope, still sealed. “This was waiting for me down in the lobby. Special delivery.”

“A packet?”

“Look at the addressee.”

I look, extract spectacles from my top pocket and look again.

And the hair rises on the back of my neck.

Michelle Kimberley, c/o James Alexanders.

“Klempner?”

“Who else could it be? Conners wouldn’t know where to find her. Michelle’s brothers would probably send it to her direct. So, who else?”

“James, before anyone opens that envelope, could it be a letter-bomb?”

thought that was Klempner’s style… If he wanted her, he come after her

parted… amicably… from

not sure that amicably is the right word, but yes, I had no feeling he held me any ill-will. Or Mitch. And he was the one with a gun in his hand. Still…” He strides to

“On it now, James.”

Michael doing?” I

giving him a lot of support and I think that’s

desk buzzes. “Mel Winters for

to use your x-ray facility for a few minutes. Yes, right away if that’s possible.” He checks his watch. “I could be there for 10am

*****

room quite like it, and for the first time I wonder if James chose a more interesting career path than I

a woman in a white coat peers at a monitor displaying the x-rayed image of some gizmo, examining it for about half a minute before moving to the

and the safety, of the item in question. This…” He gestures around the room… “is a test centre for military components. It’s the job of these people to see

women, the display on her screen: an x-ray of something that looks like the lovechild of a mad clock-maker.

to check that all the components are in place and in the

explode when

more importantly, don’t explode when they

They only look for about thirty seconds.” The woman looks back over her shoulder at me,

you. You’d be amazed what they can pick out and how fast they

“Can you do it?”

It’s a special

Winters, enters. “All set

an image pops up onto

doesn’t look like any bomb I ever

say. “And that looks like

straightens up. “I think we can give Mitch