Lethal Profit (21 page)

‘Fatally?'

‘Not really. Look,' he pointed to the screen. ‘This is the effect that the algae have on the liver. They increase its resistance to insulin, which in turn means the pancreas has to make more.'

‘I'm not sure I understand the significance.'

‘It's basically blocking the message the liver would normally send to the brain to tell it to stop eating.'

‘Eating?' Eva was taken aback. ‘The way Sophie described this information made it sound like a life-threatening situation. I don't understand. What use is a supplement that makes you eat a lot?'

Leon looked at her. Once again he reached past her to the computer and searched the words ‘obesity epidemic'. He pulled up a page from a National Health Service website.

‘The UK diet industry is currently worth more than £2 billion. Obesity is predicted to rise by 70% over the next fifteen years,' Eva read quickly.

‘An enormous rise in the number of obese people creates a brand-new market,' said Leon still leaning over her shoulder, ‘all with one life-threatening problem in common.'

‘Of course. Obesity drugs.' Suddenly something dawned on Eva. She began searching through the other documents on the file and sure enough there was a file labelled ‘forecast'.

She opened one and they read in silence.

‘Look,' said Leon, ‘with this supplement they're going to speed up the “natural” advance of obesity. Look at that profit forecast. It's made on the basis of a 200% increase in the level of obesity over just the next two years.'

‘Create a market by making us sick and make money by selling us the cure. A classic business strategy,' Eva said.

They sat in silence for several seconds before Eva spoke.

‘But what would happen to Bioavancement S.a.r.l. if someone found out this was what they were doing? Is this really worth killing people like Sophie and Jackson for?'

‘It would be the end of their business and I imagine they would be heavily sanctioned, probably imprisoned.'

‘There must be a lot of money at stake.'

‘People have killed for less.'

‘It seems so reckless though. Is it really something that could go unnoticed?'

‘They wouldn't be the first company to make money by manipulating the public into harming themselves. But I see what you mean.'

‘I don't know, I'm not sure I buy it. How can someone have looked at this and thought they would get away with it. And why use algae that you
know
will spread uncontrollably. Surely the whole point of this would be that after the initial launch they try to stay below the radar. It specifically says in that report that they intend to withdraw the supplement from the market after two years to stop any association with it.'

‘When the damage has been done.'

‘But this document says the algae is being shipped to Bioavancement S.a.r.l. sites. When it starts to spread that will draw an intense spotlight on Bioavancement S.a.r.l. and then presumably an investigation into its business.'

Suddenly, a floorboard creaked in the hall.

Eva looked at Leon, heart pounding.

‘Wait here,' he whispered. ‘Take the memory stick.'

‘OK.'

Eva disconnected the stick as Leon disappeared from the room. The flat was not large so there was little time. She wiped all the recently viewed document records and stored the memory stick in her pocket where she could feel it pressed against her hip. Then she waited, listening for any sounds coming from beyond the door.

After several seconds, Eva realised she could hear scuffling along the corridor and the grunts of some kind of muted fight. There was a crash and the sound of glass smashing and Eva's skin began to burn with adrenaline. Then she heard Valerie's voice, speaking low almost in a whisper. She moved closer to the edge of the door. The voices were coming from further inside the flat.

‘I said I'd kill you if I ever saw you again. I should have killed you then.'

‘Do you know what fucking chaos you left behind?'

Eva's skin began to tingle as she listened to the conversation.
They know each other.

‘I was never part of a team.'

‘That was how it worked!'

‘I don't work with anyone.'

‘You signed up to work with a team.'

‘Honour amongst thieves? You know it doesn't work like that, don't be so fucking naive.'

‘You just don't do that, Valerie.'

‘I don't have time for this, Leon. I have to be at the airport in an hour. Let me go.'

‘Fuck you.'

Eva heard a grunt and then the sound of bone crunching on bone. She heard something heavy drop to the floor and then there was silence.

Eva stood beside the door, her entire body rigid. She strained to hear the sound of movement or voices; and then suddenly there were soft steps coming in the direction of the bedroom.

She looked around the room for a potential weapon and settled for a stone Buddha head, the size of a small football. She hefted it with both hands and crept towards the door.

S
UDDENLY
E
VA
FOUND
HERSELF
FACE
to face with Valerie. The Frenchwoman's eyes were aflame and she was breathing heavily. She had a gun in one hand pointed straight at Eva's chest but her face wore an expression of shock. Eva realised Valerie had not expected to encounter her until she was inside the bedroom and took advantage of the slight delay in the other woman's reactions, swinging the Buddha head like a shot put at the gun in Valerie's hand, before dropping it in the general direction of her feet.

The heavy stone, empowered by gravity, immediately hit Valerie's hands and the gun went skittering across the floor. Valerie let out a scream as the stone landed on the edge of her left foot before she could move it out of the way, crushing the bones beneath it.

Eva leapt past her, out of the bedroom door and veered to her left, making a dive for the gun, which had landed underneath a small side-table in the hall that held an ornate antique lamp and a small potted plant. As she fell, she hit the table, which began to pitch over. On all fours, she managed to touch the gun with her fingertips but suddenly she was being dragged away from the tipping table, by hands pulling her ankles.

She twisted onto her back and made a grab for one of the table legs behind her with her hands as she was pulled in the other direction. She missed but managed to get hold of the light cord and pull it, bringing the antique lamp smashing down onto the floor above her head, where the thick glass shade shattered into five pieces, leaving jagged edges reaching upwards from the bulb.

Then Valerie was above her with the Buddha head in her hands, apparently not slowed at all by the broken bones in her foot. Eva rolled away just as Valerie smashed the heavy stone to the floor where Eva's head had been. As soon as she had released the stone head Valerie threw herself at Eva, pinned her to the floor and began trying to strangle her. Eva, flat on her back now, gasped and struggled as her eyes met Valerie's, a frightening shade of green only a few inches from Eva's own.

‘Stop!'

‘Shut up,' Valerie hissed, spitting at Eva as she continued trying to strangle her.

‘Why… ?' gasped Eva.

‘You would not understand.'

‘But Jackson… '

‘Unfortunate,' said Valerie and then began to tighten her grip so that Eva could no longer speak.

From the other room there was suddenly the sound of glass smashing and Valerie looked up briefly. Eva wondered what she had done to Leon; he was obviously still alive. Then the pressure of Valerie's stranglehold began to make her see stars. She knew that soon she would lose consciousness. She had to do something. Bringing her hands up in a move she had seen in a film, Eva slammed the flats of both her palms against both of Valerie's ears as hard as she could. Valerie screamed as her eardrums burst, released Eva's throat, pushed herself into a crouch and stumbled back, disorientated and unbalanced.

Eva quickly shunted herself upright and then sideways in the other direction, kicking out at Valerie who dropped to a sitting position on the floor as she rocked away in pain. Eva began struggling to her feet, gasping loudly as she recovered from having her throat crushed, but Valerie, recovering inhumanly quickly, snarled and made a grab for Eva's left leg, locking her hands around her shin and trying to twist it at the knee to break it. My God, thought Eva, breathlessly, this woman is unstoppable.

Eva stumbled to the floor, landing on her left side, instinctively reaching for the shattered light that had fallen from the table with her left hand, the only weapon she could see. She yanked the stem of the light, trying to pull the plug out of its socket but it held fast. Eva cried out as she felt the pressure Valerie was putting on her leg almost reaching breaking point and then with an almighty tug, the lamp was free from its plug.

Eva used all her strength to try to kick Valerie wildly in the head with her free leg and one blow landed square on her temple. As soon as Valerie reacted, releasing the pressure on her leg enough for Eva to move, she leaned forward and sliced the shattered glass lamp into one of Valerie's arms as it held tight to her leg. Blood spurted from a deep cut she had made in the forearm and Valerie howled and jumped backwards. In that split second, Eva was on her feet and running towards the living room, still holding the shattered lamp.

Behind her, Valerie was no slower and she made a grab for Eva's ponytail, yanking it backwards so that she could get an arm around the crook of her neck. Her arms were strong, much stronger than Eva would have anticipated for someone who looked so very feminine, and try as she might, she couldn't break Valerie's stranglehold.

Now with a clear view of the living room, Eva could see Leon lying on his back on the floor; hundreds of glass shards from a smashed coffee table he seem to have collapsed on were all around him. He wasn't moving.

Suddenly Eva felt Valerie start trying to force her down to floor level from behind, whilst still keeping her choking hold around Eva's neck. She resisted the downward pressure but Valerie was stronger. Eva realised Valerie was going to try and get them both onto the floor so she could reach the gun that had fallen under the tipped side-table. She gasped, straining for breath, taking in as much air as she could through the tiny space left as Valerie's arm crushed her windpipe. Then, as Valerie reached for the gun, rocking them both in the direction of the fallen table, the grip loosened, just enough to allow Eva to breathe. She gasped in two large breaths, waited until they were almost on the ground and then jabbed an elbow back as hard as she could into Valerie's torso. She heard Valerie grunt but her arm remained locked around Eva's neck as if it was made from steel. She tried another jab but this time Valerie was prepared and moved her torso slightly away so that the force of the blow was wasted.

Crying out with frustration, Eva looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Valerie still had her in a headlock and when they reached the ground she would be within the reach of the gun.

Eva was still clutching the base of the shattered lamp in one hand and was about to throw it to the floor when she realised she could use it. As Valerie lowered them both right to the ground and reached out for the gun under the wreckage of the table, Eva reversed her hold on the lamp so the base of it was now facing forwards and the points of the jagged glass shards backwards towards Valerie behind her. At the same time as Valerie jerked forward, Eva shoved the lamp backwards where she could feel Valerie's body against her. She heard a gasp as the sharp ends of the lamp stuck in flesh and then she shut her eyes, gritted her teeth and shoved the dagger sharp shards further back. Immediately, Eva felt the hold around her neck loosen. She bit down hard on Valerie's forearm and, as the other woman let out a shuddering shout, Eva was released completely.

She pulled away and threw herself forwards, making a grab for the gun and clasping her hands around it at the same time as did Valerie, who had thrown herself in the same direction, reaching for the weapon even with the lamp stuck fast in her side. Eva felt Valerie try and pull the gun towards her from behind, lifting both their arms up over Eva's head as both held on to the gun.

Valerie succeeded in destabilising them so that they fell backwards, each refusing to release the gun and submit to the certain death that would follow. Then the Frenchwoman cried out; Eva's weight was pressing down on the flat base at the end of the glass shards embedded in Valerie's chest, pushing them even deeper into her body to pierce her organs. Positioned uncomfortably close to Valerie, their hands locked together around the gun, Eva suddenly felt Valerie's fingers release as the other woman screamed in pain and her body went limp. Tearing the gun from Valerie's fingers, Eva scrabbled forward into a sitting position and then up onto her feet, turning immediately to face her opponent. As she spun around she shakily raised the gun and pointed it at the spot on the floor where Valerie lay.

The glass shards of the lamp were buried in Valerie up to the bulb and by the looks of it had emerged on the other side of her torso as she was holding herself slightly off the floor behind, trying to wrench the light fixture from her chest.

‘Help me… '

She looked appealingly at Eva, large green eyes widening, shining with tears. ‘Please, I don't want to die.'

Eva's heart suddenly went out to her. She kept the gun trained on Valerie but hesitated for just a second. In that tiny moment, sensing Eva's hesitation and with a show of inhuman strength, Valerie wrenched the lamp out of her chest and propelled herself at Eva, blood spraying from her open mouth and the wound in her chest. Terrified and taken by surprise, Eva pulled the trigger.

Don Porter's meeting at the Environment Agency was dragging on and on. He glanced at his watch once again and realised that the meeting would soon have to break for lunch, which would give him an hour's respite at least and time for a cigarette and some more strong coffee. Once again his wife had insisted on making him sandwiches to bring for lunch – limp, white-breaded affairs spread with paste out of a jar. He shuddered. Frankly he would rather put himself through the ordeal of the leaden jacket potatoes in the canteen than risk one of those. But this lunchtime he would just have to eat what he had in his office because there would be no time for anything else. During his meeting he had received details on his Blackberry about the company that had taken over the Sunbury site in west London, without any heed at all to local environmental and planning regulations. His officers had once again been down to the site and taken photos showing large oval ponds filled with a dark liquid. Without any official sanction, they couldn't break in or take samples and there appeared to be no one there for the whole five hours they had watched the place. They already knew the company was called Bioavancement S.a.r.l. from the official documentation that had been submitted when the company first applied to use the site, but that was all they had to go on. Despite the fact that the company was all over the papers, all the contacts Bioavancement S.a.r.l. had provided connected to dead phone lines and no one could explain why the company had suddenly decided to use the site before permission had been given. It was such reckless behaviour. Don's lunchtime would be spent trying to get hold of someone with some authority at the company that he could give an earful to. He glanced again at his watch before his attention was drawn away from the table of suits to the door, which suddenly burst open to reveal Fred Humphries. What the…