The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 57

"George, it's Jason Kingsley," Jason replied, leaning forward and flashing a look at Frank, who watched in silence.

"Kingsley," George shouted. "What the hell is going on? You and Chris are wanted for murder? Chris is missing. I've been worried sick."

"George, he's in terrible danger," Jason said.

"What? Tell me what's happened."

"Remember Johan Brunner?" Jason asked.

"Brunner," George breathed into the phone, shock and outrage were evident in his tone. "Johan Brunner." It was said as a curse. Jason's eyes narrowed at the venom in George's voice.

"He's abducted Chris. Brianna too."

"What?" George was incredulous. "Brianna is alive?"

Frank raised an eyebrow. If MacQuery had something to do with this, he wasn't letting on. Or he's just a damn good actor.

"And Michael Blake---or he was, anyway. George, this is all about something called the Heart of the Jungle. Have you ever heard of it?"

George was silent for a moment. Jason tensed expectantly, straining to hear any hint of deception in what George had to say. "Can't say that I have," he finally responded. George's bewilderment sure sounded genuine to Jason.

"It's some kind of diamond---extremely valuable. Brunner thinks that Chris has it."

"That's preposterous," George said. "If Christian had such a diamond, I would certainly know about it."

"Is it possible he doesn't know about it?"

"I'll be damned," George whispered. "I'll be damned."

"What is it? What do you know?" Jason asked, surprised by the cautious discovery in George's voice.

"In the seventies, David, Christian's father, and I jointly purchased a diamond mine in Brazil. We were young and foolish. The mine turned out to be a bust. It made a small profit, but not nearly as much as we were led to believe it would. I sold my shares to David to start my firm."

A note of wonder crept into George's voice. "David never told me about any extraordinary find---but that mine must have produced after all,"

George mused. "Damn."

Jason frowned. He and Frank had already learned about the diamond mine from their investigation into Chris's father. It seemed unusual that George would volunteer this information if he were actually behind everything. Wouldn't it be more likely for him to try to conceal it? Jason cast a quizzical look in Frank's direction, and Frank shrugged.

"Why wouldn't he tell you about it?" Jason asked, trying another angle.

They could hear George take a deep breath before speaking. He seemed to hesitate. "We had a... falling-out over his treatment of Christian after he found out about his sexual orientation---David and Marie were devout Catholics, and they rejected him completely. It was a terrible row. I was outraged---I was very fond of Christian. I always wanted children of my own, and over the years, he became something like the son I never had."

George's voice was soft and remorseful as he continued. "I said some very hard things to David and Marie. I maligned their faith, criticized their parenting, and questioned their moral character. Ultimately, they expelled me from their lives as completely as they expelled Chris."

This seemed reasonable to Jason, and the regret in the man's voice sounded genuine. Maybe he was wrong about MacQuery. Maybe he really didn't have anything to do with this. He knew George, and Jason was reasonably confident he would have been able to tell if he was lying.

In truth, Jason was still struggling with his own suspicions. His gut had never failed him in the past, though.

"George," Jason urged, "Chris mentioned some letters from his father that he'd never read. Do you know where they could be? There might be something about the diamond in them. Something Michael may have discovered and shared with Brunner."

George said, "That's impossible. I have the letters. Christian gave them over to me for safekeeping after his... break. Said he might want to read them someday but didn't want to hold onto them himself for fear the reminder of his loss, of the estrangement from his father, might be too much for him. I keep them secured in a safe in my office."

"You're certain Michael couldn't have gotten his hands on them?"

Again, George was silent. "Michael did have the combination to the safe, but the letters are still there. I saw them not more than a week ago."

"George, I'm going to have to ask you to hand over those letters. I'm hopeful there's something about the Heart of the Jungle in there. Brunner's got big backers with a lot riding on this thing. He's left a trail of bodies trying to get his hands on it. If we don't figure it out---hand the diamond over to him---Chris and Brianna are dead. You, yourself, could be in danger."

"Yes, yes, of course," George agreed. "Anything you need. I'll go directly to the office and retrieve them. Where are you?"

"I'm working with the FBI field office in Las Vegas. I'll need you to open them and fax them to us here."

"Right away," George agreed.

"George, the team has agreed to assign a protective unit to you until this is all over, just in case Brunner decides to come after you."

George said, "I'm grateful, of course, but that won't be necessary. I have my own security. In my line of work---dealing with powerful men who have much to lose---it's imperative you look out for yourself in case something goes amiss in the courtroom."

"If you're sure," Jason said skeptically. His brows drew together.

He would have preferred to have the FBI attached to George. He seemed to be cooperating, but Jason knew that could just be a ruse to throw them off. His compliance could be an attempt to buy some time.

"They know me, how I operate, the way my world works. I'd feel safer with them keeping an eye on me. They'll know what to watch out for."

"Okay, George," Jason agreed. "The letters---"

"I'll have them to you within the hour," he said hastily. "And Jason," he added, "the moment, the second you know something about Chris and Brianna, please, please let me know." There was no mistaking the anxiety in George's voice.

"I promise,"