Smoking Gun (Adam Cartwright Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

his hands. I grinned. “Wow! That is one beautiful ring.” Giving Brian a thumbs-up, I added. “Well done Brian, on all accounts.”
    The next hour or so was spent drinking several toasts and eating a delicious meal of Thai curried vegetables. And talking. Mostly about their plans for the future. It was an easy going evening. I learned that Kate was an accountant and had a younger sister called Christine. Having completed her medical degree in Sydney several years ago Christine was about to complete her medical internship in London. Kate and Brian intended to marry the following February after Christine returned to live and work in Sydney.
    After the meal had been finished, and Brian and I had cleared the table and dealt with the dishes, we sat in the lounge room to enjoy a cup of coffee. Kate was curious about my current life choices and asked, “Adam, I have heard a lot about you from Brian during the past few months. I know that you have Masters Degrees in civil engineering and business and have been offered high paying jobs here in the city. Yet you are living on a yacht in a marina in Cairns even though you own this beautiful apartment. Why? What is the attraction?”
    I wondered for a moment how to best respond. I looked at Brian, grinned and raised an eyebrow. I was asking him for a lead. Should I respond flippantly or should I be serious. He just grinned and said, “I’d like to hear the answer to that too.”
    I shrugged and responded, “Kate, it’s all about experience. I am interested in a longer term career involving business analysis and corporate management. But to be really effective I need field experience. I have an amazing opportunity as construction manager on a major development project. Once this project is done I will seek a position back here in Sydney. I spend most of the week at the project site living in air conditioned, en-suited accommodation. I try to get away and spend as many weekends as possible on my yacht ‘Irish Mist’ in the Cairns marina.”
    Kate had another question. “But what about your social life? What do you do during your spare time?”
    Brian chipped in. “I can answer that. He spends his spare time designing computer programs and sailing.” He laughed and went on, “And fighting off women determined to have their way with him.”
    I laughed in response. “If only that were true. Actually I have little spare time. At the project site I mostly relax by working on programming business oriented software. Mainly financial and physical models. Socially I don’t fit in at the project site as I rarely drink alcohol and never to excess. Nor do I play cards for money. Apart from sailing I have few non-work focussed activities, except for an eight kilometre run most mornings and a swim whenever I can.” I sighed theatrically. “It’s not much of a life, is it?”
    They both laughed.
    A short silence followed before Brian said, “Adam, I told Kate about what you said about someone trying to kill you. Can you tell us the full story?”
    I glanced back and forward between them. I had not intended to get Kate involved but clearly leaving her out was not an option. “Okay.” I glanced at my watch. “Almost exactly twenty four hours ago I was walking along the jetty to ‘Irish Mist’ when suddenly I found myself tied up and laying on the afterdeck of a large launch. Later I was to realize that I had been knocked unconscious and administered chloroform.”
    I then proceeded to describe the events in detail. How I had been dumped into the sea and the five hour swim to intercept my drifting yacht. My amazing luck to make it to safety. I left nothing out.
    When I finished, they were both staring at me momentarily speechless. For once Brian was lost for words. Kate was the first to speak. “But you are okay physically? Are you injured in any way?”
    “The bump on the back of my head seems to be going down already. I’m okay apart from this. Luckily there doesn’t seem to