Read Online James Acton 01 - The Protocol by J Robert Kennedy - Free Book Online Page A

nightly news was a habit his father had drummed into him years ago that he hadn’t been able to break, and since he worked at the White House, he felt it his duty to keep up on world events.
    His stomach rumbled. He patted it and looked at his watch. Forty minutes. Yes, he could have ordered from a thirty minute pizza place, but quality took time, and a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was worth the wait. But forty minutes? The doorbell rang. He flew at the door then gathered himself, trying not to appear too excited. Checking the peephole, he saw the deliveryman tapping his foot and eyeing his watch. He counted to three then opened the door.
    “Hello, sir,” said the teenager as he handed over the box. “That’ll be twelve-fifty.” Billy handed him fifteen bucks.
    “Keep the change,” he said, feeling good about the decent tip, the events of earlier rapidly disappearing from his mind, replaced by the aroma of Italian sausage and onions. The kid smiled and took off down the hallway toward the elevator. Billy closed the door and sat down on the couch in front of the television, his stomach growling in anticipation. He grabbed the remote to un-mute the television. His jaw dropped. On the screen was a picture of the same man he had seen in the file.
    “ –developing story. CNN has been able to confirm that Professor James Acton was not among those found dead in Peru. A State Department source is quoted as saying that Acton was not among the bodies found and his whereabouts are currently unknown. We will keep you posted–”
    He paused the TiVo, the image of the man staring back at him. His face blanched, his pizza forgotten.
     
    Somewhere on the Pacific
     
    Acton made his way along the dark hallway, toward what looked like natural light coming from a stairwell at the end. He reached the steps and looked up, seeing a door open to the outside and nobody around. As he reached the top of the stairs an announcement came over the PA system that they would be docking in half an hour. He gingerly touched his head and winced. He knew he would have to evade the crew as his assailants would surely be discovered soon. Racing across the deck, he again hid amongst the containers. He went as far into the maze as he could and sat down to rest.
    He closed his eyes for a moment, but fell asleep, exhaustion and the mild concussion taking over. He awoke to the sound of the ship’s horn as it was towed into dock by the relatively tiny tugboats. He looked around to make sure he was still alone, then took up a position where he could monitor the gangplank for a chance to escape unseen. It took almost half an hour to dock, but once the all-clear sounded, the crew departed quickly, probably heading directly to the nearest whorehouse to catch or spread some new disease. His two attackers were nowhere to be seen. They must still be tied up. He took one last look around then, as calmly as he could, walked off the boat with no one questioning him.
    On every dig he always placed his passport, credit cards and a stash of cash in a local safety deposit box for safekeeping. This time had been no different. When he had first arrived in Lima after leaving the camp he had immediately retrieved his belongings from the bank. Now safely in Mexico, he drowned himself in as much bottled water as he could stand at a local Internet café, then began Googling the skulls. He soon found who he was looking for. I guess I’m going to England.
     
    St. Paul’s University, Maryland
     
    “You really think he’s going to be dumb enough to call?” asked Lambert, leaning back in his chair with his feet up. Jasper, who was doing the same, opened his eyes.
    “Why wouldn’t he? This is his school, his best friend from all accounts, and if he’s innocent, he’s got nothing to hide.”
    “ If he’s innocent,” emphasized Lambert. “Are we sure of that?”
    “I hardly think a university professor is going to kill his entire team with multiple AK-47s, leave dozens