of antibiotic-resistant bacteria around in hospitals these days,’ Zara explained, as James hacked chewed-up steak into a serviette. ‘She’s got less chance of picking up an infection on campus, so they want her off the ward as soon as possible. I’m going to have her placed in a room in the medical unit.’
‘Fantastic,’ James grinned. ‘Everyone will be able to see her and that.’
‘It certainly is,’ Zara smiled. ‘I actually need to talk something over with you regarding Gabrielle and Michael’s mission. Do you mind if I sit down?’
James shrugged. ‘I’ll probably get called Chairwoman’s pet if I’m seen sitting with you, but I’ll just thump ’em.’
‘Well don’t thump ’em too hard,’ Zara said as she sat opposite James, her smile turning into a huge yawn. ‘I was up until one-thirty this morning with the ethics committee.’
‘That does sound like fun,’ James said, as one of the kitchen staff placed Zara’s coffee on the table.
‘I’ve barely slept,’ Zara continued. ‘And when I did get home, Joshua was playing up and insisted on sleeping in our bed. He’s got his arm in plaster and he gets really frustrated when he can’t do something.’
‘Poor kid,’ James said. ‘If I get a chance I’ll pay him a visit.’
‘Oh please do,’ Zara grinned. ‘You’re still his hero.’
‘I’m due a week off after helping out with training, so I’ve got loads of spare time. And what’s this you said about the mission?’
‘Last night’s meeting was to determine the future of Gabrielle and Michael’s mission. We had all six ethics-committee members there, and to start with they were split down the middle: three in favour of pulling the plug because the gang war had gotten too hot; three who accepted my argument that all CHERUB missions are inherently dangerous and that you shouldn’t give up because one bad thing happens.
‘We also had the Intelligence Minister on a conference call from London. Surprisingly he sided with me, and after a couple of hours we got a five-to-one vote in favour of continuing the mission. And that’s where you come in.’
James was taken aback. ‘I’ve just got back from Malaysia.’
‘Don’t worry about your week off,’ Zara smiled. ‘It’ll take time to set everything up. But we’re trying to infiltrate a gang known as the Mad Dogs and you’re uniquely placed to pull it off.’
‘How come?’ said James, confused.
Zara pulled a black-and-white mug shot out of a cardboard file and slid it across the table. The head-and-shoulders shot showed a lad of about fifteen. He was a touch smaller than James with a stocky build and a daft goatee beard. The boy had matured since James had known him and he took a couple of seconds to catch on.
‘Is that Junior Moore?’ James gasped.
Zara nodded. ‘Son of drug baron, Keith Moore. You two got pretty friendly when we were in Luton two years back.’
‘Yeah,’ James nodded. ‘We went to Florida together and we had a total laugh – well, at least until the drug dealers started shooting at us.’
‘Junior’s had a rough couple of years. His mother sent him to boarding school, but he kept running away and was eventually expelled for smoking cannabis. He moved back in with his mother and siblings near Luton, and despite her attempts to keep him under control, he’s been in and out of trouble ever since. Last October he was caught behind the wheel of a stolen car. He was over the alcohol limit and there were two kilos of cocaine under the front passenger seat.
‘Junior got off on the more serious drugs charge because the police couldn’t disprove his claim that the drugs had been in the car when he stole it, but he still got six months’ youth custody. He was sentenced before Christmas and released on a good behaviour bond two weeks ago.’
James sucked air between his teeth. ‘Sounds like he’s turning into his old man.’
‘Anything but,’ Zara said pointedly. ‘Keith Moore was a professional criminal who ran KMG like a business. Junior Moore has drug and alcohol problems and is going the right way about spending serious time in prison.’
‘Junior’s dad stashed millions in a trust fund though,’ James said. ‘Why’s he risking his neck for a few grand’s worth of cocaine?’
‘Junior can’t access any of his dad’s money until he’s twenty-one. And like a lot of teenagers, I suppose he’s testing the limits and trying to make a name for himself by associating with the Mad Dogs.’
‘So the plan is that I go undercover, link up with