Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts 7)

“What breed of dogs are those?” Ellie asked in Croatian, clearly sharing none of Philip’s urgency. “I’ve never seen ones quite like them.”

“And you won’t outside of my country,” Ivan replied. “They’re Croatian sheepdogs, unique to here. They herd animals and people as well.” His eyes twinkled. “Everyone here is hardworking, even the dogs.”

“This place looks huge.” Ellie was looking around, taking everything in.

“It’s one of Ðakovo’s larger dairy farms,” Ivan explained, pointing to the side of the road where the action was taking place. “The dairy operations are underway. The stables are where the cows are kept. And that large tank inside the barn is where the milk is stored.” He raised his voice as the roaring of machinery got louder. “The process becomes very loud. The family can barely hear one another, even if they yell.”

“The family?” Ellie asked.

Ivan nodded. “The farm is family owned and operated. The husband and wife live and work here with their children and grandchildren. I think there are about twenty people in all.”

Despite Philip’s urgency, his curiosity was aroused. “Is there particular training they have to go through, or do they just learn from each other?”

After hearing the question in Croatian, Ivan smiled. “I think I’m going to surprise you. The owner of the farm graduated from Osijek University with an agricultural degree, as did his wife. His children are studying to do the same. This is a very common path to follow here. As for their food production, the farmer supplies milk commercially and meat for McDonald’s.”

Philip blinked, realizing he’d been put in his place—and rightfully so. “I apologize. Thank you for setting me straight.” He glanced down at his Urban Watch—a uniquely Croatian brand that Ivan had loaned him.

Okay, it had only been a ten-minute setback.

As if reading his mind, Ivan made a quick swerve around and reversed his path. “I apologize for the brief detour, but as I said, I wanted you to see the best of my town, not just the worst.” He turned onto the road and continued along toward their destination. “We’ll reach the farms you’re interested in seeing in five minutes.”

24

Jítuán Headquarters

Shenzhen, China

1 March

Thursday, 6:35 p.m. local time

The view from the CEO’s office in the towering modern skyscraper was striking, overlooking a city now often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley.

New technology companies were popping up everywhere, and overseas companies were building subsidiary offices here. Jítuán was one of the original entities, headquartered right here in Shenzhen and having grown from a small business to a thriving corporation.

With the addition of this new, industry-changing acquisition, they would become a corporate giant.

Xu Wei sat at his desk, his fingers steepled in front of him and his mind rapidly assessing his options based on what he’d learned.

He was a hard man who had no tolerance for disobedience. However, he was also a practical man—one who knew that achieving the ultimate goal was all that mattered. There was a great deal at stake here, a groundbreaking technology to acquire and to release prior to any further announcements from NanoUSA. So he had to rapidly assess any potential threats and to deal with them accordingly.

Pennington had involved someone else in the process. By doing so, he had violated his instructions.

That angered Xu—but in this case punishment would do more harm than good. He was well aware that, were he to communicate the situation to the Albanians, they’d kill Pennington’s daughter on the spot. That was not Xu’s intention. He wanted no blood on his hands. He’d made that clear from the onset. Partly because he wasn’t a man who achieved his goals through violence, and partly because, should Lauren Pennington be killed, there was every chance the international investigation might find its way to his company and to him.

No, that was untenable. Which meant another direction needed to be taken—one he would have to determine on his own.

True, Pennington had sought assistance. But the man was desperate. His daughter’s life was on the line. And the help he’d solicited hadn’t been law enforcement. It had been his most trusted corporate source—his personal assistant. Gallagher had the skills required to transmit the photos they’d demanded. And he’d have the skills to complete the job in the requisite amount of time. It was the least egregious violation Pennington could have made—a logical solution to a near-impossible task.

As for Gallagher, the man was being paid for his work and for his silence. He was greedy and he was smart. He’d stay quiet as long as he was receiving his money. He’d gain nothing by alerting anyone else to his actions. And once the transfer of data was complete, he no longer represented a threat. Anything he decided to share with law enforcement would only serve to implicate him.

Time was short. Pennington had under two days to deliver the remainder of the technology. Given that, Xu decided, a mild but outright threat would be enough to frighten Pennington into unassisted and immediate compliance.

Xu reached for his private cell phone.

He had to act now.

The next communication between father and daughter was just a few hours away.