Private Sydney (Private 12)

‘Oh my God, Craig. I know where my father is.’

Chapter 118

‘DAD’S AT THE Chinese Embassy. He has to be.’

I didn’t need proof. Eliza’s revelation made complete sense now. So much so, we were quickly back at the Private office. I stopped Eliza from mentioning our destination in the car or in the office. We had no idea who could be listening in. First, we needed to know if Darlene could extract any useful data. She put it straight in her computer.

‘I can’t see anything else on here apart from the kids’ book,’ she admitted, defeated. ‘Not even encrypted or corrupt files.’

I had been sure there was something else on the USB. Otherwise, Eric Moss could have sent his daughter a card or note making reference to the text. I hid the USB in a zippered compartment in my belt, something Becky had bought me for when we travelled. At the time I’d humoured her by wearing it. Now it might just come in handy.

We needed to get to Canberra asap. If Eliza’s hunch was right, her father could be preparing to leave the country with the help of the Chinese. And after the fiasco with his supposed funeral, he couldn’t afford to wait much longer. Thanks to us, the police, ADIA and CIA now knew he hadn’t died in that boat explosion. He could have already gone, but I believed the only reason he’d left the letter and USB was to give Eliza a chance to find him.

There were two major operative rules, both of which Mos

s had broken. Adopting Eliza was a complication he was supposed to avoid. He’d also failed to walk away and not look back when he had the opportunity.

But how to get to Canberra? Three hours on the road was too dangerous. We’d be followed for certain. I contacted Geoff Andren and explained the situation. Within half an hour Eliza and I were seated behind Geoff, in one of his friend’s private planes.

‘I just wanted to thank you for everything.’ Eliza leant over towards me. ‘I couldn’t have had this chance to find Dad without you.’

‘We haven’t found him yet, and we may be too late. Not to mention the trouble we could be in if we try to get into a foreign embassy.’

The engine started and I placed my palms flat on the armrest. Not knowing what we’d face, Eliza seemed keen to talk.

‘I loved seeing the variety of architecture among the embassies. Weird, for a child, but hey, I’ve always been different.’

I smiled. ‘I see you more as a stand-out. For all the right reasons.’

She looked down and pulled a section of hair behind her ear. I had to admit, from someone so confident and accomplished, the action was more than a little endearing.

‘We’ve got about forty-five minutes,’ I said. ‘We should rest while we can.’

Within minutes she was dozing. I watched her, wondering what the next few hours had in store. Eliza had made it clear that no matter the consequences, she’d seize any chance to see her father again. I consciously hadn’t asked what she would do if Eric wanted her to join him.

When the wheels finally hit the tarmac Eliza opened her eyes and stretched her neck. ‘Are we here already?’

‘Better grab your things. We don’t know when we’ll be back.’

The keys to a rental car awaited us at the terminal and we were soon headed north-west towards the city. Extensive road works slowed us. I obeyed every speed zone to avoid unwanted attention.

Within a few kilometres, it became apparent – two cars were tailing us. One was a marked police car. I accelerated, it accelerated. I slowed, it slowed. The Feds already knew we were here, and had to be still after Eric Moss.

We passed the Royal Military College on our right. Neither car turned off.

I had two choices. One was to drive somewhere else and throw them off the scent. But that may cost Eliza the only chance to see her father.

I took the second option.

Chapter 119

‘HOLD ON,’ I WARNED Eliza as we approached the Kings Avenue exit ramp.

Seizing the opportunity, I slammed the accelerator to the floor. The Commodore engine screamed to life, letting us overtake an elderly couple in a Mazda.

The police kept pace as we sped across the bridge. Without sirens, they were likely to follow us all the way. Traffic ahead pulled to the left. I capitalised on the extra lane space and wove between lanes, gaining some distance.

The Chinese embassy was only minutes away. Once we were inside its walls, we would be safe – temporarily. The problem was, Eliza couldn’t make it out of the car quickly and the Chinese didn’t know who we were, or that we were coming.