Jack watched the two men shake hands. His emotions were mixed. Elated that he had been hired … and sickened that the man who stood up for him could soon be targeted for murder.

“Welcome aboard,” said Oskar, turning to shake Jack’s hand. “The company and the Corporate Asset,” he added, with a smile.

“There is a question of timing,” said Barfoot. “I will need a couple of months to get my affairs in order.”

Jack breathed a sigh of relief. A couple of months might be all he needed.

Oskar nodded and looked at Jack. “I have several companies in Asia that need scouting out.”

“I’m your man,” said Jack enthusiastically.

“A couple are high-priority,” continued Oskar. “I’ll be flying over there myself to check out a company in China that Mr. Yu has a vested interest in. Two other companies are in Myanmar, two are in Thailand, and one is in Malaysia.”

“I understood there were trade sanctions with Myanmar,” said Jack. “Due to the human-rights violations.” Thank you Commercial Crime for your help …

“There are, but Myanmar recently held their first democratic election in over twenty years. If things do get moving again, it could be an economic opportunity.”

“I see,” replied Jack.

“I presume, however, that you will need to give at least thirty days’ notice before coming over?” asked Oskar.

“I have a lot of holiday time coming to me,” said Jack. “I could give my notice, use my holiday time and start working for you in two weeks.”

“Told you he was eager,” smiled Barfoot.

“Yes, I am,” replied Jack. Eager to save your life … and my own.

Chapter Twenty-Four

That afternoon, Jack got off the ferry from Victoria and drove directly to a meeting being held at the Major Crime Unit in Inspector Dyck’s office.

Rose, Laura, and Connie Crane were present when Jack arrived. He had already called Rose to let her know he had been hired, but now he gave a detailed account of what had happened over the weekend, including his meeting with Barfoot and Oskar on the boat that morning.

“China, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia,” said Rose. “That is going to be a lot of countries to liase with. With his real office in L.A., I expect the U.S. will be involved as well.”

“I know, but it wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter,” replied Jack.

“So where does it stand now?” asked Dyck.

“As of the fifteenth of June, I will be officially working for Oskar,” replied Jack.

“The fifteenth?” said Dyck. “For what’s required in preparation, isn’t that rushing things a little?”

“I agree, it is. I could have easily delayed being hired until the end of June, but I want to have the investigation wrapped up before Barfoot joins the company. I didn’t feel that we had the time to stall.”

“Good point,” said Dyck. “Are you expected to be working out of his office in L.A., then?”

“No, that is one good thing. He said he anticipated I would be going to L.A. a couple of times a year, but other than that, I could work from home. According to him, I will be on the road most of the time.”

“Hopefully not under the tires of some semi-truck,” said Connie.

“That’s a cheery thought,” replied Jack. “I’ve already signed the NDA and —”

“What’s an NDA?” asked Connie.

“Sorry, I’m already starting to sound corporate,” smiled Jack. “An NDA stands for a non-disclosure agreement. It is to ensure that I won’t be spilling any company secrets to other corporations.”

“Think murder is one of those secrets?” said Laura sarcastically.

“Oskar also informed me, as nonchalantly as he could, that he would carry the standard corporate-owned life insurance policy on me.”

“Did you say anything when he told you that?” asked Dyck.

“I acted a little surprised and he said the COLI was simply a matter of routine. He explained that in the unlikely event something happened to me, it was to compensate the company for the costs incurred in recruiting and training someone of my high calibre.”

“High calibre?” snorted Rose.

“His words, not mine,” said Jack, returning Rose’s smile.

“I’m surprised he told you about it,” said Connie.

“In the U.S. they are required by law to do so. I had to sign a written consent and acknowledge that Oskar would be the sole beneficiary. For your info, effective June 15, I will be worth one million U.S. dollars to Oskar if I die.”

“You really better look both ways when you cross the street,” said Rose. “I don’t want Oskar to be able to collect on it.”

“That would tick me off, too,” said Jack, frowning. “And I would take it real personal if my murder wasn’t proven and he got to collect.”

“Talk about laughing all the way to the bank,” said Dyck, bitterly.

“I also received some background information from the Americans on Ben Pike while you were gone,” said Laura, gravely. “Turns out he was a former U.S. Marine, but to make matters worse, he is an expert in martial arts and used to instruct the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program in hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat. Incidentally, the MCMAP logo is one mind, any weapon.”

“Wonderful,” said Jack lamely.

“There is little doubt that he can kill quickly and silently with his bare hands,” noted Laura.

“Like breaking a guy’s neck and tossing him over a balcony in Moscow,” said Rose.

Jack thought about Max Romanov’s response when he had asked him if anyone had heard any yelling or fighting before the alleged suicide. Nobody hear nothing until big splat …

“There is still no indication of who Pike’s friend is,” said Rose. “The one you referred to as Killer Rabbit.”

“You nicknamed someone Killer Rabbit?” asked Dyck.

“It wasn’t me who first came up with that,” explained Jack. “It was a friend of the first victim. A guy by the name of Tom Donald met them at a Christmas party with his buddy the night before his buddy had his jugular slashed on a windowpane. Tom told me he had heard that the two security guys were trained killers.”

“I think Pike has already proved that,” said Laura.

“Tom referred to them as Pike the Spike and Killer Rabbit,” added Jack.

“Killer Rabbit?” said Connie. “Sounds comedic.”

“The guy apparently tends to bounce as he walks,” replied Jack. There is nothing comedic about it. If I go up against either of these guys in hand-to-hand, I’m dead.

“I don’t suppose you noticed any so-called security types when you were in Victoria?” asked Rose.

“No.”

“When this starts, I’m going to want a cover team with you at all times,” said Rose. “Twenty-four-seven.”

“Sounds good, but it could be problematic,” replied Jack. “To start with, it is expected that I will be travelling alone, or if not, with someone connected to the company. My first assignment is to go to Myanmar to check out a rice-export company.”

“Rice paddies … don’t forget to bring mosquito repellent,” said Laura.

Jack nodded. “I have already been given the contact names, phone numbers, and email addresses. There are lots of tourists in Thailand, so blending in there is not a big problem, but Myanmar could be a problem if I were to end up in the countryside. I doubt that many Caucasians go there.”

“Then you’ll have to stay out of the countryside,” said Rose, firmly. “There is no way you’re going anywhere without protection.”

“The place I am suppose to go to is a city called Yangon.”

“Yangon? I’ve never heard of it,” said Dyck.

“It is also known as Rangoon,” said Jack. “The military junta changed the name when they took over. The same for the country. They tried to change the name from Burma to Myanmar, but outside of Myanmar it goes by both names. Yangon used to be the capital and has over four million people. I’m sure they get enough tourists there that a cover team could be utilized. It is only if they want me to go look at the rice fields that we would run into a problem.”