Deadly Diplomacy (7 page)

Jess felt herself stiffen. So why hadn’t Nigel told her?

“And if the
corruption
rumours
are
true,” Derek went on, “it would blow this gas deal out of the water. And if any Australians are involved, the shit will well and truly hit the fan. The real worry is it could have dire consequences for our relationship with the Chinese. So we don’t want the Chinese getting wind of the police investigation until we know more… But this Ellen Chambers’ murder has
really
rattled everyone.” He peered over the seat again. “I’d better get back, or the Chinese will be wondering where I am.” But he didn’t get up straightaway. Instead, he turned and looked her in the eye. “Be careful, Jess. There are some powerful interests involved in this LNG deal. Things are turning really… murky.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Watch your back in Brisbane!” Then Derek was up and walking back to his seat before she could say anything else.

Jess’s brain was in overdrive as she watched him go. Was that a warning? It certainly sounded like one. She frowned. Why hadn’t Nigel told her Ellen Chambers was under surveillance for corruption? And why hadn’t he shown her that intelligence report from the British Embassy in Beijing?
Of course
she needed to know what was in it. Her stomach turned…

Why hadn’t
Simon
told her about it? He must have seen that report. As Political Officer, he saw everything. Didn’t he
trust
her? That thought played on her mind all the way to Brisbane. And the more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. But, by the time the pitch of the jet engines changed and the plane started its descent, she’d become more sanguine. There was obviously a lot going on she didn’t know about. What was it Derek had said?
Things are turning really murky
. So murky, it seemed, that her colleagues had sent her off on a consular case in the dark? Well, the first thing she needed to do was find out what those corruption allegations were all about. But she’d have to tread carefully, and rely on her own instincts. Wasn’t she used to that?

She folded up the newspaper and slipped it into the front seat pocket. Out of the window, the green gardens and swimming pools of Brisbane’s modern, suburban houses came into view. Up ahead, city skyscrapers loomed.

As she started putting her papers away, a sobering thought popped into her head. A day or two ago, Ellen Chambers would have been sitting on a plane, preparing to land. Now she was dead, brutally murdered.

Derek’s words rang in her ears.
Watch your back in Brisbane!

*

On the ground, Jess walked into the cavernous domestic terminal and switched on her mobile to get her messages. Putting the phone to her ear, a loud static noise made her jump, then she heard a faint click on the line. Frowning, she slipped the phone into her jacket pocket and set off for the exit.

As she passed the luggage belt, a group of Chinese men in Western suits caught her eye as they chatted and jostled each other for a spot to haul off their luggage. They had to be the Chinese Delegation. She looked around. Derek Marshall was nowhere to be seen, but striding towards them now was the unmistakable figure of Australian Federal Minister Anthony Harris. Unmistakable, because he stood head and shoulders above any of them, and cut a striking figure in his dark suit, and with his shock of blond hair flopping across his forehead. People stared as if he looked familiar, but they couldn’t quite place him.

Harris greeted the Chinese warmly, as if he knew them well. That didn’t surprise Jess. He
was
the Minister responsible for the mining sector in Australia. She would expect him to be doing whatever he could to help Western Energy secure the LNG deal, even if the Government were publicly saying they weren’t involved in the commercial negotiation.

Jess knew and liked Harris. He was a regular guest at the High Commissioner’s lunches and dinners. She often sat next to him, and found him down to earth and easy to talk to. But today she was in a hurry and didn’t want to get held up. Seeing Harris get into conversation with one of the Chinese, she turned to leave…

Too late.

Harris caught her eye and beckoned.

She had no option but to go over. Getting closer, she noticed how grey and drawn he looked; his crumpled suit gave her the impression he’d been up all night. By contrast, the Chinese man looked relaxed.

“Hello, Jessica.”

“Morning, Minister.” She looked at her watch. “Or is it afternoon? Australian time zones always confuse me.”

“It’s 12 noon,” he said, distractedly, before turning sideways to the man standing next to him. “Can I introduce you to Chen Xiamen, Chairman of China’s National Energy Corporation?”

Chen?
So this was the man under surveillance with Ellen Chambers, she thought, as she held out her hand. “Jessica Turner, British Consul.”

At first, Chen reacted like most Chinese by inclining his head and avoiding eye contact. But then he surprised her. Shaking her hand with a firm grip, his eyes bore into hers as if trying to read her thoughts. Jess met his glance coolly. His skin felt soft, and his manicured nails caught her eye, along with the expensive Rolex on his wrist. He was obviously well-heeled. She couldn’t tell his age, but looking at the fine wisps of grey hair above his ears, she guessed he must be in his 60s.

Chen gave her a broad smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Harris intervened. “Are you here about Ellen Chambers, Jessica?” His breath seemed to catch in his throat.

She nodded. “Terrible, isn’t it?”

Chen tried a tragic smile this time, but it seemed contrived. Not only did he seem cold and distant, she got the impression he didn’t want her around. And that was fine with her. “Well, you must excuse me,” she said to Harris. “I have to go.” She turned. “Enjoy your visit, Mr Chen. Goodbye.” She started walking towards the exit and had almost got away when she heard Harris call out her name. She stopped to wait for him to catch up.

“Sorry, Jess, but can you tell me what the police are saying… about Ellen Chambers, I mean?” Harris coughed. “Sorry, bit of a sore throat.”

Glancing over his shoulder, she could see Chen talking on his mobile. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything more than the media have reported,” she said to Harris. “You will know the police believe she was murdered?”

Harris nodded. “What time do they think it happened?”

“Between 8pm and midnight last night. But I’m only telling you what I’ve heard second hand.”

He pressed on with his questions. “Do they know who killed her?”

She shook her head. “I hope to find out more when I see the police later.”

He dug his hand into his breast pocket and pulled out a business card. “Could you ring me on my mobile when you’ve spoken to them?”

She looked at him. Why would an Australian Minister ask
her
to report what the police had to say? “Of course.” She took the card politely. But as she turned and walked away, she could hear Nigel’s words ringing in her ears. “Do everything by the book, Jessic
aah
!” And she was quite sure a personal call from her to an Australian Federal Minister would
not
be in Nigel’s book.

*

Stepping outside the terminal into warm Queensland sunshine, Jess held her face skywards, like an exotic flower opening to the sun.
Lovely!
Her mobile rang. She fished it out of her jacket pocket, but it stopped before she could answer. She looked at the caller ID. Blocked. That
had
to be Susan Chambers again, she thought.

Spotting the hire cars lined up in gleaming rows under the sun, she crossed the road to the car park. Next to her name on the electronic board, she read her car was parked in bay 76. Finding her white Holden, she pulled the keys out of the ignition and threw her cabin bag and briefcase into the boot. She got into the driver’s seat and put her jacket and handbag on the passenger seat.

Exiting through the ID security gate check, a grey jeep slowed to let her into the traffic. She waved her thanks to the driver, and drove out of the airport. Turning onto the Bruce Highway, she headed north, in the direction of the Sunshine Coast.

At first, small, squat trees and tussock grass lined the freeway. Then ghostly gum trees flashed by. Everything looked green and lush in this sub-tropical climate, unlike the dry, brown earth in Canberra. Soon, city pylons and electricity cables petered out to green fields and grazing horses. She was beginning to enjoy the change of scenery when her mobile started bleeping. She counted three text messages arriving. She pulled her mobile out of her pocket and scrolled to the first message.

Call me immediately with an update, Jessica.
Nigel was chivvying her, and she’d only just got off the plane.

The second text was from Sharon.
I’ve spoken to the Queensland Police. Call me back when you can please.

The third was from Simon.
I need to talk to you, Jess.

She felt a prick of anger, or was it hurt? Yes, and I need to talk to you too, she thought. Why the hell didn’t you tell me about that intelligence report and the corruption allegations? How can I do my job in the dark?

Forcing herself to settle back in the seat, she tried to concentrate on the road. But her mind kept coming back to Simon. It seemed he was never far from her thoughts these days. Of course what Sharon had said about him was true. He
was
kind, reliable, and clever; and they did get on well. But did
he
realise just how much baggage
she
came with?

She still felt guilty about brushing him off on the stairs earlier. But that episode last week had really unnerved her. It wasn’t so much that he put his arm around her while they were sitting on the sofa watching TV, although that
had
been a surprise; nor even that he fleetingly brushed his fingers across her breast and nipple. No, it was more
her
reaction that had shocked her. That delicious tingle in the pit of her stomach, the overwhelming desire to move closer to him and rest her head in the nook of his shoulder. Even now she could feel the warmth of his hand radiating through her arm, through her entire body. She had
so
wanted to lean into him. Instead, she’d excused herself like a nervous teenager, and disappeared into the bathroom.

She cringed just thinking about it.

Eventually, she’d gone back and sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened. Simon had just smiled and said nothing, which was typical of him. But the more she replayed the evening in her mind as she drove along, the more uncertain she became. Had she got it all wrong? Misinterpreted his actions?

Then her whole body seemed to droop. What was she thinking anyway?

Oh, Jack!

She could see him so clearly; his smiling face, soft brown eyes, and sun-bleached hair. He’d been like sunshine to her, the light and warmth in her life. As she drove along, cocooned in a world of her own, her mind drifted to that wonderful morning in South Carolina all those years ago when she woke up to sunshine flooding through her window. Jumping out of bed, she’d left the hotel for an early morning jog and swim, something she only ever seemed to do on holiday. Pulling her cotton joggers over her swimsuit, she set off along the stretch of fine, muddy brown-coloured sand. It hadn’t looked that inviting, but the sea had pummelled it flat which made it easier to jog on.

Enjoying the freedom on that sunny morning, she’d run a long way before realising how hot she was. Pulling off her joggers, she started running towards the surf until frantic shouting made her stop. Someone was tearing up the beach, pointing vigorously out to sea.

Oh my God!
That single black fin gliding in the waves, just a metre from shore.

She could feel the goose bumps even now. If Jack hadn’t stopped her…

Ah, but what a wonderful time she’d had with him on that holiday. As a marine biologist, he knew that shoreline like the back of his hand. And they’d spent long, hot days out on his boat, monitoring and tagging the marine life.

They’d slipped so easily from friends to lovers.

The sound of a car horn jolted her back to the present; and she blinked to get rid of Jack’s image. Sighing, she looked up at the sky. The sun had disappeared now, and the clouds hung low and heavy. She glanced in her rear-view mirror and sat bolt upright.

The grey jeep from the airport was still there.

She couldn’t see who was driving because the driver’s sunshade was down. She took her foot off the accelerator to let the jeep pass, but it slowed too. When she accelerated again, it accelerated.

Her heart started thumping and she gripped the steering wheel tight. Seeing a picnic rest area looming, she swerved in at the last minute and stamped on the brakes. The car tyres skidded to a halt on the soft gravel-like surface, throwing up a cloud of dust all around her. She slouched down in the seat while the jeep sailed past. Her eyes stayed glued to it until its tail-lights had disappeared into the distance.

Feeling ridiculous, she flopped back into her seat, and pushed the gear into park. What was wrong with her today? She was so
jumpy.

Her mobile rang and she fumbled to answer.

“Hi, Jess. Where are you?”

“
Sharon!
” She could hear the relief in her own voice. “I’m on the road to The Palms. And before you say anything, I
know
Nigel wants me to ring.”

“He’s tried phoning.”

“I’ve been driving. I’m parked up at a picnic spot at the moment.” Should she mention that grey jeep? No, Sharon would think she was as paranoid as Susan Chambers. “Have the police confirmed our murdered woman
is
Western Energy’s Ellen Chambers?” she asked, voice business-like.

“Yes, and the media are running the story. Simon’s handling the Aussie media, and London the UK lot. I’ve forwarded his updated press lines to your laptop. He wants you to do media interviews at The Palms once you’ve had a chance to talk to the police and Susan Chambers.”