The plane landed and taxied to the small terminal building. Nina wrapped her coat more tightly around herself as she stepped down onto the concrete. “Bit nippy?” Chase asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m used to New York winters. This is nothing!” Actually, it was close to freezing even without the chill wind blowing in from the coast, but now that she’d opened her big mouth she had to endure it.
“Well, we’ll be going somewhere a lot warmer soon.” Nina looked at Chase for an explanation, but he just grinned. “Here’s our ride.”
A white Jeep Grand Cherokee pulled up next to the plane. A thick-necked man with close-cropped blond hair and muscles practically bursting the seams of his tailored dark suit, got out to greet them. “Dr. Wilde,” he said, his accent German. “I am Mr. Frost’s head of security here at Ravnsfjord, Josef Schenk.” He extended his hand, which Nina shook. Although his grip was light, she could tell that if he chose, he could crush every bone in her hand. “Good to meet you.”
“Thank you,” said Nina. Chase and Schenk were eyeing each other up almost like boxers before a fight. They had similar builds; she wondered if they also had similar-or rival-military backgrounds.
“Joe,” said Chase.
“Mr. Chase,” Schenk replied, before opening the Jeep’s rear door. “Please, Dr. Wilde. I’ll take you to Mr. Frost.”
Nina got in. Chase followed her with a slightly sarcastic “Cheers,” closing the door behind him. Schenk glared at him before walking around the SUV to the driver’s side.
“What’s that all about?” Nina asked.
“He’s a company man,” Chase explained while Schenk was out of earshot. “Doesn’t like freelancers, thinks I’m going to rip off his boss.”
“And are you?” Nina couldn’t resist asking.
“I’m a professional,” replied Chase, for a moment completely serious. “I always see the job through.”
Schenk climbed in and they set off. Nina saw several hangars at the runway’s western end. Parked outside the largest was a huge aircraft, the Frost corporate logo-the outline of a trident inside the “O” of the name-only half complete along its flank as tiny figures on cherry-picker cranes painted it. “Wow. That’s a big plane.”
“An Airbus A380 freighter,” Schenk said. “The latest addition to Mr. Frost’s fleet.”
Nina looked back down the long runway. Steep hills rose beyond its distant eastern end. “Hope it’s got good brakes! Those mountains look a bit close.”
“It can only take off heading westwards. It’s inconvenient, but fortunately once it’s in service it will be spending more time flying around the world than here.”
The Jeep left the airport and crossed the bridge. Nina expected them to turn west for the corporate buildings, but instead they headed up a zigzagging road towards the house on the bluff. Close up, its clean, elegant lines looked even more striking.
Schenk parked outside, then ushered Nina and Chase into the house. “This way.”
Nina was hugely impressed by the room into which he led them. Its far wall was curved, a giant window running its full width to reveal the vista beyond, from the mountains framing the airport across the fjord to the corporate buildings below, and, in the distance, the North Sea.
And the view wasn’t the only impressive thing about the room. It was almost a combination of luxurious lounge and art gallery. A Henry Moore sculpture, a Picasso painting in an alcove carefully shielded from direct sunlight, a Paul Klee… and several others she didn’t immediately recognize, but was sure were equally valuable.
“This is an amazing house,” she said, awed.
“Thank you,” said a new voice, a woman’s. Nina turned to see a tall and strikingly beautiful blonde entering the room, glossy hair sweeping down past her shoulders. She looked to be about Nina’s age or slightly younger, the regal way she held herself countered by her high-fashion clothing-a tight white top cut off above her stomach to reveal a perfectly toned midriff, and equally tight black leather jeans with high-heeled boots. As she approached, she looked Nina up and down as if not quite sure what to make of her.
“Dr. Wilde,” said Schenk, “this is Kari Frost, Mr. Frost’s daughter.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Nina, offering her hand. Kari shook it firmly. Chase, Nina noticed with amusement, was trying not to make it too obvious that he was checking her out.
“You too, Dr. Wilde,” Kari replied. “Mr. Chase. I heard your services were needed in New York?”
“Yeah, you could say that. Good job you hired me!” He shot Schenk a smug look. Schenk frowned.
“I’m glad you like the house,” said Kari, turning back to Nina. “I designed it. Architecture is one of my… well, I would say hobbies, but that would be immodest. I have a degree in the subject.” She spoke perfect English with only the slightest trace of an accent.
“It’s beautiful,” Nina told her.
“Thank you.” Kari’s name was familiar, but Nina couldn’t quite recall why.
“So, your dad around?” Chase asked, hooking his thumbs into his jacket pockets.
Kari appeared slightly chilly about his informality. “No, he’s in the biolab. I came to take you to him.”
The memory returned to Nina. “Excuse me for asking, but… weren’t you in the news last year, in Africa? The medical relief in Ethiopia?”
“Yes, that was me,” Kari said. “I helped organize the aid effort.”
“Ms. Frost does more than just help,” Schenk said. “She’s in charge of the Frost Foundation’s medical programs around the world. I don’t think there’s a single country she hasn’t visited in the past five years.”
“That’s one way to rack up the frequent-flier miles,” joked Chase.
“You’re working on disease eradication programs, aren’t you?” Nina asked.
“Yes. The Frost Foundation does whatever it can to make the world a better place. It’s a lofty goal, I admit-but it’s one that I’m certain we can achieve.”
“I hope you can,” said Nina.
“Thank you,” Kari replied. She gestured at the door. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to my father.”
Kari led them downstairs to a huge garage beneath the house. Nina was amazed by its contents; the space was packed with expensive sports cars and motorcycles, ranging from old classics to the very latest Italian supercars.
“My personal collection,” said Kari. “My father doesn’t entirely approve, but I just love the freedom and exhilaration of speed.”
“Nice wheels,” said Chase as he admired first a scarlet Ferrari F430 Spider convertible, then the motorbike parked next to it, a sleek machine in blue and silver.
“Suzuki GSX-R1000,” Kari told him, with more than a hint of pride-the first sign of real emotion she’d shown since meeting Nina. “The fastest production bike in the world. One of my favorites. I plan to take it to Europe to race soon. That is… if my schedule allows. But that depends on Dr. Wilde.”
“What do you mean?” asked Nina. Kari merely gave her an engimatic look, leading them to a Mercedes limousine.
Schenk drove, taking them to the futuristic buildings east of the house that Nina had seen from the plane. As they approached, she saw the complex was actually made up of two sections: the interconnected two-story structures on the ground near the fjord, and other sections above them set into the cliff itself.
“Our biolab,” explained Kari. “The underground section houses the containment area. There are samples in there which are potentially dangerous, so the whole laboratory section can be completely sealed off in case of an emergency.” She pointed at a curved structure protruding from the cliff face. “That’s my father’s office, up there.”
“Your father’s office is right above the containment area?” Nina asked nervously. The idea of going into a building filled with contagious diseases and viruses made her skin crawl.