Harry paused halfway to his chair. ‘What?’
‘Yeah, I know. God knows what he got himself involved with this time.’ Dan took a sip of the drink. ‘She’s upset, obviously – and angry. I don’t think the police are taking her seriously.’ Dan sat down with a grunt and looked at Harry. ‘How are you keeping?’
The older man sighed, shifting in his chair. ‘Oh, you know, the garden keeps me busy. The grandchildren visit occasionally, although less now they’re growing up and creating lives of their own.’
‘Do you miss the teaching?’
‘Not to reprobates like you, no,’ Harry chuckled. ‘Of course I do – that, and being out in the field.’ He paused, contemplating his drink. ‘How long is it since you left the army?’
‘Just under three years.’
‘Done anything with yourself since?’
Dan glared at Harry, then softened his gaze. ‘No, not really. I don’t really know what to do. I’ve done a couple of feasibility studies overseas, travelled a bit in between jobs. It took me a while to get over, well, you know.’
Harry nodded, contemplating his drink. ‘I can only imagine. What on earth made you decide to join up and go into bomb disposal anyway? You had a promising career ahead of you in geology.’
Dan shrugged. ‘I don’t know – I guess since I was a teenager I’d just been on this pre-ordained track. You know, follow Dad’s footsteps – get a geology degree then get out in the field working in mineral exploration. After graduation, I just felt there would be more exciting things to do while I was still young.’ He took a sip of his drink.
Harry looked over at him. ‘Most people at that age would have thought a round-the-world trip and a spot of bungee jumping would suffice.’
‘Yeah, well in hindsight that probably wouldn’t have been a bad idea either. But at the time, I wanted to get involved and help.’
Harry shuffled in his seat. ‘I have a sneaking suspicion you didn’t come here today to talk about old times. What’s on your mind?’
‘I’ve been looking through Peter’s research notes and something keeps cropping up in them. What can you tell me about white gold powder?’
Harry contemplated his drink, turning the glass in his hand. ‘Why?’
‘Because I think that’s why Peter’s been killed.’
Chapter 11
Harry took a swig of his drink, swallowed and put the glass down on the table. ‘What do you know about super-conducted precious metals?’
Dan shrugged. ‘Not being a chemistry expert, very little. From what I can work out from Peter’s notes, super-conducted metals are already used in car manufacturing but from a commercial perspective, that’s about it. Any search on the internet seems to point towards health tonics and strange spiritual claims rather than anything industrial.’
Harry nodded. ‘Several interested parties have already lodged claims with patent offices around the world. That includes government agencies. Covertly, everyone’s trying to come up with a way of being able to commercially produce white gold powder – or any other super-conducted precious metal – at a viable cost.’
‘What are they planning on using it for?’ Dan pulled out a piece of crumpled paper and a pen, and began to write notes.
‘That depends on who you ask. Some say aerospace companies, especially those which have big defence contracts with governments, are trying to produce the next super-jet – this stuff has enormous potential for travelling faster than anything we’ve seen so far because somehow, once produced, it supposedly defies gravity,’ Harry paused. ‘I see your method of taking notes hasn’t improved since I taught you.’
Dan scowled. ‘Is there going to be an exam on this?’ He paused. ‘No? Okay – carry on.’
Harry chuckled. ‘Imagine what you could do with this knowledge in the public sector. No-one’s done anything about the future of air travel since Concorde was grounded.’
Dan reached over and flicked through Peter’s notes. ‘He says here some people believe it has spiritual powers and there are companies selling this stuff already though.’
‘Well, I don’t know about the spiritual claims – I’m only a scientist. And they’re only producing it in small quantities.’ Harry considered the contents of his glass. ‘No – you need to be looking for someone who’s already mining gold and has easy access to this stuff – not to mention a lot of money to throw at such a project. It would have to be in a remote location as well, to be able to keep it secret. That has to narrow the search down.’
Dan paused from his note-taking. ‘Is it just the expense that’s holding people back?’
Harry shook his head. ‘Not always. They’re dealing with a very unstable substance. I’ve heard of at least one big accident in the United States which has put production back by years. Then you’ve got governments trying to claim the technology for themselves. What else have you found in those notes?’
Dan passed the bundle over to Harry. ‘I’m still learning at the moment – why don’t you take a look and see what you think?’
Harry picked up some of Peter’s notes and began to flick through them. ‘The other thing of course is, this stuff has the potential to solve the world’s fuel problems. Once created, it’s clean, doesn’t pollute and after the technology is perfected, you’ve got another potential supply through volcanic ash, not just precious metals. You’re going to have to consider the possibility of coal, oil and gas companies trying to block the research. Look at what they did to the electric car.’
Dan chewed the end of his pen. ‘How serious do you think those guys could get?’
Harry picked up his glass and peered over it at Dan, then took a sip before speaking. ‘Well, I’m sure Peter would tell you, if he could, they can be extremely serious.’