The Legacy Read Online Free Page B

sake of her friends, Lucy made an effort to be interested in what these potential boyfriends had to say but, most of the time, they were just very dull and rather full of themselves. Lucy’s only real concern was what her friends must think of her if they felt she would be a good match for any of the endless succession of men that they arranged for her to meet.
    After twelve hours the pilot announced that they were beginning their descent into Kathmandu International Airport. As she strapped herself in, she looked up and caught a glimpse of the straggly blond man as he reached up to put something in the overhead locker. His movements were fluid and his stomach, when the t-shirt lifted up, looked flat and hard. ‘Probably a climber,’ she thought to herself, ‘wonder if he’s going to Annapurna?’ She was lost in thought as the plane came to a standstill. She looked out of the window and could see the mobile stairs being positioned against the side of the aircraft. A few minutes later, passengers were thanked for travelling with Air India and were asked to leave the plane using the front and rear exits. Lucy collected her belongings and walked towards the front of the plane and then out onto the top of the stairs that had been attached to the exit. As she started down towards the tarmac, she squinted her eyes against the bright sunshine and breathed in deeply. The smell of the Kathmandu Valley was distinct and just as she remembered it from her last visit twelve months ago. She loved Nepal. The people were friendly, the mountains were just incredible and the food was fantastic. She’d been five times in the last ten years and she was starting to pick up some of the language, enough at least to order a beer and find the nearest toilet.
    â€˜Namaste,’ she said in greeting to the Nepalese official at the passport desk.
    â€˜Namaste,’ he replied, smiling as he handed her passport back to her, ‘Enjoy your stay’.
    Lucy smiled back and went to reclaim her luggage. The blond man was standing by the carousel waiting for his bag to arrive so she stood back, waiting to see whether he collected a rucksack or a suitcase. If the former, then she might go over and strike up a conversation with him; if the latter, then she would go to the other end of the carousel to wait for her bag. After five minutes, the man bent down to pick up a bag similar to hers. Lucy started to smile as she watched him lift the big bag easily onto his shoulder and then turn and start walking towards the main exit. Lucy was keen to follow but her bag didn’t arrive for another ten minutes. By the time she’d picked it up and walked out to the front of the terminal, the blond man had gone. Lucy sighed for what might have been. Kathmandu was a bustling city with a population of nine hundred and ninety thousand people. The chances of bumping into the man again were slim indeed. A taxi pulled up and Lucy climbed in, dragging her bag after her. She gave the driver the address of Isobel’s hotel and sat back to enjoy the journey through one of the world’s most interesting cities.

Chapter 7
    It was Thursday morning and the assassin had just showered after a long run round Arthur’s Seat. He never tired of the view from the top of the mountain. It overlooked the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Royal Mile as it climbed its way up towards Edinburgh Castle. He pulled on jeans, a t-shirt and old loafers and headed out of his flat and into the street. He knew Richards would be in Edinburgh by now and that he was probably watching him to make sure that the meeting hadn’t been compromised. He had learnt that the best thing to do was to go about his normal business, knowing that Richards would contact him as and when he wanted to. The assassin therefore went into the Costa Coffee on Queen’s Street and ordered a black Americano and a Danish pastry. He found a table overlooking the gardens at the foot