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He soon found himself lost to the local atmosphere, just happy to watch and listen to the other patrons. After a while, he felt he had soaked up a sufficient amount of such a unique atmosphere he decided to retire to his room. He wasn't ready to adapt to such an environment so quickly, because he didn't want to forget his past so easily.
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Title Page
Mysterious Poet
Blame Ball
Jeremy McHarry
Mysterious Poet / 6th of series: Blame Ball / By Jeremy McHarry
Published 2023 by Bentockiz
e-book Imprint: Calkden Norsh
e-book Registration: Stockholm, Sweden
e-book ISBN: 9789198826753
e-book editing: Athens, Greece
Cover Images created via AI art generators
Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Introduction
Through books we come into contact with everything important that has happened in the past, analyzing also current events and putting our thoughts together to predict the future. The book is a window to the world, acquiring valuable knowledge and sparking our vivid imagination. It is a means of entertainment and is generally seen as a best friend, or as a slave that carries together all valuable information for us. The book is a friend who stays together without demands, a friend you call upon at every moment and abandon when you want.
It accompanies us in the hours of boredom and loneliness, while at the same time it entertains us. In general, a book does not ask anything from us, while it waits patiently on a dusty shelf to give us its information, to get us out of dead ends and to travel us to magical worlds.
This may be the travel mission of our books. Abstract narration, weird or unconscious thoughts difficult to be understood, but always genuine and full of life experiences, these are stories of life that can’t be overlooked easily.
This may be the start of something amazing!
Chapter One
While waiting at the luggage conveyor Stuart yawned. It had been a long day and the cooler Canberra air was now biting at his skin, even though it was summer the difference between Canberra and Jakarta was like walking into a brick wall. Stuart saw his bag come out entangled with the other luggage and stood there watching as the other passengers snatched theirs and stormed away looking for a taxis this being the only obvious means of escaping the terminal.
He wondered where he should go as his travel orders had only taken him to the airport as he half expected someone would meet him, after waiting fifteen minutes it was obvious he was on his own.
Stuart felt somewhat annoyed and walked over to a tourist information stand to look for a hotel and searched the listing for something decent and, finally settled on the Hyatt Hotel just down from Parliament House, which stood on the shore of Lake Burley Griffin.
‘Reservations I would like to book a room for the night. Actually I’ll probably need two to three nights. You have one! Great I’m at the airport. I’ll be there shortly.’
The taxi dropped him off at the front door with the bellboy removing his bag from the taxi then he followed him through the foyer admiring the classical 1920’s type architecture on the way. His long absence from Australia quickly generated a feeling of nostalgia, leaving this place is going to be surprisingly hard . The man on the desk was overly friendly as they tend to be but Stuart enjoyed it and started to think about taking a short holiday not being able to remember his last one.
Once he was showered and changed he strolled down to the dining room and ordered a large tenderloin steak, which was impossible to get in Jakarta. He soon found himself lost to the hotel atmosphere just happy to watch and listen to the other patrons in the dining room. After a while he felt he had soaked up a sufficient amount of the hotel atmosphere he decided to retire to his room.
In the morning he took a taxi, for the ASIS offices having the taxi drop him two blocks before the building. He never liked making it obvious he was going to that place as he always dreaded the idea of someone take his photo.
Stuart found the morning temperature uncomfortably cool which encouraged him to walk quickly in an attempt to keep himself warm until he finally entered the foyer and approached the security check point.
At the desk the young Federal policeman appeared to be in his first year of service looked him up and down while asking for his identification. In reply Stuart pulled out his passport from his coat pocket and watched it being placed on a scanner before being closely examined by the young officer. ‘Your ID card?’
‘Sorry I don’t have it with me. I do have an appointment with Charles Blunt, he knows me’ said Stuart. He was taken to another room to a more senior officer who was already viewing the passport on his monitor.
‘Check his briefcase. Now place your right hand on the scanner.’
Stuart complied and jokingly said ‘I hope you’re not planning a cavity search?’
The senior officer had probably heard it all before them suddenly snapped at the young officer ‘Get the rubber gloves.’
Stuart lost his smile while the younger policeman struggled to hide his smirk.
After completing all his checks the senior officer returned his attention back to Stuart and said very abruptly. ‘You’re lucky Mr McKennzie the boss is waiting for you so we won’t have time for a full search. Please wait over there. Someone will come for you. Just as Stuart walked away he heard the senior police officer call out. ‘Put a hold on the gloves but keep them handy we might need them later.’
Stuart just swore under his breath ‘Bastard!’
Minutes later a tall thin man who was in the process of losing his hair and had all the hall marks of being a typical Canberra bureaucrat arrived in the waiting room. ‘Mr McKennzie, clip this ID to your coat pocket while you’re here. If you would, please follow me, the Director General is waiting.’
Stuart grumbled to himself James Bond would have had a sexy blond as a guide and, all I get is a guy with the personality of a house brick .
Stuart followed the man that led him to the lift after several minutes he finally reached the Director General’s floor noticing very little had changed in his five-year absence. The walls were still painted in public service drab while the parquetry floor was very warn and showed the age of this very tired building. On reaching the director’s office Stuart’s guide opened the door then promptly closed it after he entered obviously to seal off any idea of escape.
The office was large with the same old leather lounge with the same custodian Sigrid, Blunt’s personal assistant. ‘Stuart it’s so nice to see you again. What has it been five years?’ asked Sigrid with her typical charming smile.
Stuart had a lot of time for Sigrid and warmly embraced her as he had known her long before his days with ASIS. ‘You haven’t changed a bit— not a single bit.’
She smiled again and said I hope we can catch up while you’re in Canberra.’
‘We will’ promised Stuart.
