than Olympic Advantage,’ Veronika replied. ‘They weren’t the same nationality, the same sport, or the same age.’
‘The first thing we need to do is collect the facts. What’s really going on at Olympic Advantage?’
‘Whatever it is, someone would kill for it,’ Veronika added. ‘We should divide and conquer. I can take Krantz. He’s due to come by and watch the tennis tomorrow.’
‘I’ll speak with Phillips,’ Jake said. ‘I can pretend I want to know more about these branding grants. Let’s meet up at the track-and-field exhibition tomorrow afternoon.’ Jake paused, suddenly unsure if getting Veronika involved was such a good idea. ‘If we’re going to do this, we have to be careful, OK? We can’t trust anyone.’
‘Except each other.’ Veronika turned to face Jake. ‘Give me your hand.’
Jake did as she asked. She grabbed a pen from her handbag and scribbled ten digits on his palm. ‘You might need this.’ She closed his hand and smiled her stunning all-American-girl smile.
A day ago, Jake would have been pleased to have scored the phone number of such a beautiful girl, but under the circumstances it felt more like a business transaction. ‘I’ll text you so you have mine.’
‘Guess we’re a team now,’ Veronika said, and spun the wheels as she accelerated out of the parking lot. They drove back to the complex in silence. Jake let the reality sink in. Was there really a killer on the loose at Olympic Advantage?
Tan was asleep when Jake finally got back to his room. Jake had a shower to get rid of the stench of death that seemed to cling to his skin. But when he crawled beneath the sheets, he couldn’t sleep. Every time he shut his eyes, he saw Coach Garcia’s mangled body and imagined those moments after he’d crashed into the swamp. Jake hadn’t liked the guy, but he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. He only hoped Garcia had been dead or unconscious before the alligators got to him.
Next morning Jake was up with the sun. His morning session was circuit training. Half the footballing group was teamed up with athletes from other disciplines, including Tan. They went through two hours of high-intensity, multiple-repetition exercises in Olympic Advantage’s state-of-the-art gym studio. Their tutor was an ex-marine called Sandy, who seemed capable of only two things: shouting and blowing a whistle loudly.
The mood among the others was grim, partly because of the gruelling training, but also because the news of Garcia’s death had seeped across the complex. No one seemed to know exactly what had happened, or that Jake and Veronika had been involved. That suited Jake fine.
As the marine was winding down with a few stretches, Jake saw Phillips passing the window in a golf cart. He made some excuse and left the studio. He jogged along the tracksearching for Phillips’s buggy, but couldn’t see it anywhere. He was about to turn back when he saw the cart pulled up alongside the rear wall of the medical centre.
Jake watched Phillips walk round the back of the cart and take out a full crate of Olympic Edge. Laden under the weight, he staggered out of sight again. That was weird: how come the head of marketing was acting as a delivery boy?
Jake walked over, ready to offer his help, but as he rounded the corner of the building he saw Dr Chow holding open the back door. Something about the way she was standing, nervously glancing this way and that, made Jake retreat out of sight.
What’s she so worried about?
He peered round again, and saw Phillips emerge from the open door. As he did, he slid his arm behind Dr Chow’s back, and they leant together, kissing each other passionately.
Jake backed off again.
Hadn’t Dr Chow been seeing Pedro Garcia?
Jake wondered. If so, she was over him quicker than a common cold.
Maybe Jake had got it wrong. Maybe it wasn’t Garcia on the phone that day during the physical making Dr Chow act like a teenager; maybe it had been Phillips. Garcia
‘The first thing we need to do is collect the facts. What’s really going on at Olympic Advantage?’
‘Whatever it is, someone would kill for it,’ Veronika added. ‘We should divide and conquer. I can take Krantz. He’s due to come by and watch the tennis tomorrow.’
‘I’ll speak with Phillips,’ Jake said. ‘I can pretend I want to know more about these branding grants. Let’s meet up at the track-and-field exhibition tomorrow afternoon.’ Jake paused, suddenly unsure if getting Veronika involved was such a good idea. ‘If we’re going to do this, we have to be careful, OK? We can’t trust anyone.’
‘Except each other.’ Veronika turned to face Jake. ‘Give me your hand.’
Jake did as she asked. She grabbed a pen from her handbag and scribbled ten digits on his palm. ‘You might need this.’ She closed his hand and smiled her stunning all-American-girl smile.
A day ago, Jake would have been pleased to have scored the phone number of such a beautiful girl, but under the circumstances it felt more like a business transaction. ‘I’ll text you so you have mine.’
‘Guess we’re a team now,’ Veronika said, and spun the wheels as she accelerated out of the parking lot. They drove back to the complex in silence. Jake let the reality sink in. Was there really a killer on the loose at Olympic Advantage?
Tan was asleep when Jake finally got back to his room. Jake had a shower to get rid of the stench of death that seemed to cling to his skin. But when he crawled beneath the sheets, he couldn’t sleep. Every time he shut his eyes, he saw Coach Garcia’s mangled body and imagined those moments after he’d crashed into the swamp. Jake hadn’t liked the guy, but he wouldn’t wish that on anyone. He only hoped Garcia had been dead or unconscious before the alligators got to him.
Next morning Jake was up with the sun. His morning session was circuit training. Half the footballing group was teamed up with athletes from other disciplines, including Tan. They went through two hours of high-intensity, multiple-repetition exercises in Olympic Advantage’s state-of-the-art gym studio. Their tutor was an ex-marine called Sandy, who seemed capable of only two things: shouting and blowing a whistle loudly.
The mood among the others was grim, partly because of the gruelling training, but also because the news of Garcia’s death had seeped across the complex. No one seemed to know exactly what had happened, or that Jake and Veronika had been involved. That suited Jake fine.
As the marine was winding down with a few stretches, Jake saw Phillips passing the window in a golf cart. He made some excuse and left the studio. He jogged along the tracksearching for Phillips’s buggy, but couldn’t see it anywhere. He was about to turn back when he saw the cart pulled up alongside the rear wall of the medical centre.
Jake watched Phillips walk round the back of the cart and take out a full crate of Olympic Edge. Laden under the weight, he staggered out of sight again. That was weird: how come the head of marketing was acting as a delivery boy?
Jake walked over, ready to offer his help, but as he rounded the corner of the building he saw Dr Chow holding open the back door. Something about the way she was standing, nervously glancing this way and that, made Jake retreat out of sight.
What’s she so worried about?
He peered round again, and saw Phillips emerge from the open door. As he did, he slid his arm behind Dr Chow’s back, and they leant together, kissing each other passionately.
Jake backed off again.
Hadn’t Dr Chow been seeing Pedro Garcia?
Jake wondered. If so, she was over him quicker than a common cold.
Maybe Jake had got it wrong. Maybe it wasn’t Garcia on the phone that day during the physical making Dr Chow act like a teenager; maybe it had been Phillips. Garcia
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