Read Online The Emissary by Patricia Cori - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Cori
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inaccessible, something skillfully buried that she just couldn’t read.
“So please now, just hear me out, before you turn me down. My main research vessel goes out in a few weeks’ time, just as soon as the rough weather passes, and we’re moving up the coast, off Vancouver Island, right out there in the Pacific Ocean. I’m asking if you are willing to go out with my crew for a few weeks and use your powers, or however you want to call it, to look down on the ocean floor and help us find what we’re lookin’ for out there. A few weeks of your life is all I’m asking, Miss Jamie—and you can be sure you’ll be well rewarded for your time, just like you were out there with the Pakistanis. And meanwhile, you have my word of honor … you will have a chance to get to the power players, and we’ll see what we can do to get the military to ease up on those big ol’ whales.”
“What about the whale communities that live in those waters? You’re talking about some of the most important migratory routes for the whales on the whole planet! How can you ask me to help you destroy the ecosystem, by helping you find what you need to start dredging up the ocean floor? It’s out of the question.”
Mat took a deep breath, trying to keep cool. “If you don’t help me—and I remind you, I’m a guy who is determined to protect the environment—then some other group is going to come in there and tear the place to hell. Look here, Miss Jamie—I’m the CEO of one of the leading oil corporations of the world, and here I am, turning to a psychic for help. I’m going completely on trust, not asking for anything more than you just giving it a try. Now that must surely tell you I’m an alternative, out-of-the-box kind of thinker, doesn’t it? You see what happened in the Gulf of Mexico? You don’t want that kind of mindless disaster to happen again. I just know you do not want that.”
Jamie reflected. She couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than what Mat was asking for, and she knew that his purpose for bringing her in had nothing to do with “saving the ecosystem.” It was a ruse that he knew would resonate with her—she knew it. No, there was something more: something hidden.
“I want you to go out on our ship for a four-week study, and see what you can find out there. You’ll be out on one of the most sophisticated, high-tech vessels, with a fully supportive crew, and my crazy-ass captain, Jimbo, who can out-navigate anything and anybody on the water. And we will steer clear of the whales—you have my word on that. As for terms, I’ll have a contract written up for you before you leave in the morning. I hate to talk money over dinner, and with a fascinating woman like you to boot! But I assure you, we will do way better for you than your friends overseas, all around. It’ll be a significant consulting fee for going out and, of course, a monumental one if you bring back the prize.”
“And if I don’t ‘bring back the prize,’ as you say?”
“Well, then, I will be able to put my mind at ease, knowing I was willing to try thinking outside the box of convention, Miss J.” He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his checkbook. “Meanwhile, this here is just a little token of my esteem and support forwhat y’all are doing for the whales,” he said. “Just to help you get your foundation off the ground. There will be more.”
Jamie watched in disbelief as he wrote her out a check for $100,000. He tore the check out and handed it to her. Jamie looked at the amount and asked herself, “Is this a bribe?” She had the impulse to stand up and walk out, but where was she going to go? As she sat there, the heat flooding her cheeks, she heard Martin’s words running through her head like neon lights in Times Square.
“Maybe helping him out will be good for the whales.”
She struggled, but managed to resist the knee-jerk reaction to walk out, grab her suitcases, and catch the next
“So please now, just hear me out, before you turn me down. My main research vessel goes out in a few weeks’ time, just as soon as the rough weather passes, and we’re moving up the coast, off Vancouver Island, right out there in the Pacific Ocean. I’m asking if you are willing to go out with my crew for a few weeks and use your powers, or however you want to call it, to look down on the ocean floor and help us find what we’re lookin’ for out there. A few weeks of your life is all I’m asking, Miss Jamie—and you can be sure you’ll be well rewarded for your time, just like you were out there with the Pakistanis. And meanwhile, you have my word of honor … you will have a chance to get to the power players, and we’ll see what we can do to get the military to ease up on those big ol’ whales.”
“What about the whale communities that live in those waters? You’re talking about some of the most important migratory routes for the whales on the whole planet! How can you ask me to help you destroy the ecosystem, by helping you find what you need to start dredging up the ocean floor? It’s out of the question.”
Mat took a deep breath, trying to keep cool. “If you don’t help me—and I remind you, I’m a guy who is determined to protect the environment—then some other group is going to come in there and tear the place to hell. Look here, Miss Jamie—I’m the CEO of one of the leading oil corporations of the world, and here I am, turning to a psychic for help. I’m going completely on trust, not asking for anything more than you just giving it a try. Now that must surely tell you I’m an alternative, out-of-the-box kind of thinker, doesn’t it? You see what happened in the Gulf of Mexico? You don’t want that kind of mindless disaster to happen again. I just know you do not want that.”
Jamie reflected. She couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than what Mat was asking for, and she knew that his purpose for bringing her in had nothing to do with “saving the ecosystem.” It was a ruse that he knew would resonate with her—she knew it. No, there was something more: something hidden.
“I want you to go out on our ship for a four-week study, and see what you can find out there. You’ll be out on one of the most sophisticated, high-tech vessels, with a fully supportive crew, and my crazy-ass captain, Jimbo, who can out-navigate anything and anybody on the water. And we will steer clear of the whales—you have my word on that. As for terms, I’ll have a contract written up for you before you leave in the morning. I hate to talk money over dinner, and with a fascinating woman like you to boot! But I assure you, we will do way better for you than your friends overseas, all around. It’ll be a significant consulting fee for going out and, of course, a monumental one if you bring back the prize.”
“And if I don’t ‘bring back the prize,’ as you say?”
“Well, then, I will be able to put my mind at ease, knowing I was willing to try thinking outside the box of convention, Miss J.” He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his checkbook. “Meanwhile, this here is just a little token of my esteem and support forwhat y’all are doing for the whales,” he said. “Just to help you get your foundation off the ground. There will be more.”
Jamie watched in disbelief as he wrote her out a check for $100,000. He tore the check out and handed it to her. Jamie looked at the amount and asked herself, “Is this a bribe?” She had the impulse to stand up and walk out, but where was she going to go? As she sat there, the heat flooding her cheeks, she heard Martin’s words running through her head like neon lights in Times Square.
“Maybe helping him out will be good for the whales.”
She struggled, but managed to resist the knee-jerk reaction to walk out, grab her suitcases, and catch the next
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