Free Hot Zone (Major Crimes Unit Book 2) by Iain Rob Wright Page A

thought she was dead.”
    “Me too. Looks like everything we assumed was wrong. She’s
working with someone and they have Krenshaw.”
    “It’s her daddy,” Jessica blurted out, her southern state
accent more prevalent when she wasn’t speaking slowly.
    Howard unlocked the Range Rover and got in behind the wheel
where it was warmer and quieter. He adjusted the mobsat against his ear and
then continued the conversation. “Her father? How do you know?”
    Jessica told him. “The men in the back of the vans were
wearing balaclavas, but I got a clear view at the driver who wasn’t wearing a
mask of any kind. I ran his face through the Interpol and military databases
and it came up as a wanted war criminal, Major Jonathan Stone.”
    Howard flopped back against the leather driver’s seat. “That
makes no sense. Sarah’s father is a Major in the Army. Isn’t he SAS?”
    “He was,” said Jessica, “but he went AWOL with a group of
his men almost a year ago. He was last seen in Syria, taking out an ISIS
leader.”
    “Well, that’s good. He’s still on our side by the sound of
it.”
    “No. He killed the ISIS leader on behalf of a Saudi Prince
who lost a cousin in a rebel attack. He was paid to do it.”
    “He’s a mercenary.”
    “Looks like it. He’s been off the radar since he
assassinated that ISIS leader, and Interpol had assumed he’d gone into hiding.”
    Howard rubbed at his eyes, feeling exhauster. “What has
Sarah got herself into?”
    “I don’t know, but if her daddy has Krenshaw, it’s because
somebody else is paying for him.”
    “Any background on Krenshaw yet?”
    “Not much. I’ve requested his work records from World Health
Alliance who employed him during his time in Africa. They haven’t gotten back
to me yet. He’s been back in the country for two years and has held senior
posts in the NHS the entire time. There’s nothing to suggest he’s dangerous.”
    Howard huffed. “Believe me, he’s dangerous. I stood there
and watched him inject an innocent woman with HIV.”
    “My Lord.”
    “Yeah,” said Howard. “We need to get this guy, Jessica.”
    “I have Mandy and Mattock checking out Krenshaw’s home and
his office at Whiteknight, to see if we can find any clue as to what his next
move might have been. I’ll keep working on Sarah’s daddy, see if I can figure
out where he might be operating out of. I ran the plates on one of the black
vans, but it came back as a stolen Nissan. They’ll probably shed the plates as
soon as they get chance.”
    Howard cursed. “I swear, if I get a hold of Sarah...”
    “Don’t assume she’s on the wrong side of this. We don’t have
the facts yet.”
    Howard sighed. “No, you’re right. At least Krenshaw is out
of action for now. I would hate to think he was still at large with a dirty
syringe full of whatever he planned on unleashing next. Whiteknight hospital is
a nightmare, Jessica. Two hundred people dying in agony, dozens already dead.
Krenshaw planned on infecting a children’s hospital with HIV. The man is
capable of anything when it comes to his mission. He wants the UK to see the
suffering of Africa first-hand. He thinks his work will result in money and
effort being diverted to finding a cure for all of these diseases.”
    Jessica moaned. “He’s a martyr. There’s no worse kind of
madman.”
    “I know. He doesn’t want anything but to carry out his
mission. If he manages to get free, there’s no limit to what he might do.”
    “Then let’s just hope that whatever Sarah is doing works out
for the best.”
    Howard thought about Sarah for a moment. He had worked with
her for less than a month, but he knew that as much as she was aggressive and
unhelpful, she was a good person deep at heart. She had a strong instinct to
protect the innocent, but she also hated the United Kingdom for what it did to
her. If she was with her father there was no way of knowing what she was
involved in or what she was thinking. If they were