Jeff Edwards is a long-term resident of the Penrith area on the outer fringes of Sydney, New South Wales, and he and his family have developed strong community ties through their business and sporting activities.

      Jeff joined the CMF at age eighteen as a radio operator and was later conscripted into the regular army as a keyboard operator where he served in Canberra at Army Headquarters.’

      Today he runs a commercial agency supplying Process Serving and Investigation services to the local legal community.

      Photography and gardening were Jeff’s main pastimes until he chanced to sit down one quiet day to write a few paragraphs, fully believing that no one would ever see those words. However, the characters he created took over and demanded to be heard.

      Ultimately those first few words grew into Watching, the first in the Jade Green series of novels. This was quickly followed by a second novel Legacy, and The Fund continues that saga.

       Published in Australia by Sid Harta Publishers Pty Ltd,

       ABN: 46 119 415 842

       23 Stirling Crescent, Glen Waverley, Victoria 3150 Australia

       Telephone: +61 3 9560 9920, Facsimile: +61 3 9545 1742

       E-mail: [email protected]

      First published in Australia 2011

       Digital edition published 2012

       Copyright © Jeff Edwards 2011

       Cover design, typesetting: Chameleon Print Design

      The right of Jeff Edwards to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to that of people living or dead are purely coincidental.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

      Edwards, Jeff

       Fund, The

       ISBN: 9781921829031 (Paperback)

      Digital edition published by

       Port Campbell Press

       www.portcampbellpress.com.au

       ISBN: 9781742981758 (ePub)

       Conversion by Winking Billy

      A young girl who worked in a parking station that I use in Sydney came up to me one day and shyly told me that she had read Watching and had enjoyed it greatly.

      I was extremely pleased with the compliment, but she then shocked me by admitting that she had never read an entire book in her life. For her to have actually picked up a book of over 700 pages much less to have read it all must have taken a mighty effort on her part.

      I should have asked her name but was busy at the time and when I returned for my next visit I was told that she no longer worked there.

      I hope she gained courage from her first effort and will pick up another book. From there I am sure she will go on to discover the world of literature and experience the subtle effects reading may have on your life.

      This book is dedicated to her.

      Also, I’d be nothing without the support of my wife Lyn, and I’d like to thank the other readers who took the trouble to tell me how much they enjoy my novels. Reviews are nice but hearing from the actual readers is what writing is all about. Even negative comments can be helpful.

      I’d love to hear from anyone else who has read my work and may be contacted on: [email protected].

      Prologue

      ‘You murdered my unborn son,’ Harry Soh snarled as his strong fingers closed tightly around the elegant neck of the latest in a long line of lovers.

      Unable to cry out, Lindsay Sung’s brightly coloured nails flailed at her attacker in a vain attempt to make him stop, but surprise had robbed her of any chance of success.

      She knew that she was about to die.

      * * *

      Just a few short hours later, Harry Soh leaned on the balcony rail, the smoke from his cigar sending wisps of blue up from the corner of his mouth as he keenly watched the scene below.

      A cacophony of noise rose from row after row of the sewing machines which were spread across the floor of the factory. Despite it being the middle of the night, the women operating the machines worked quickly, their heads down, oblivious of time and their surroundings as they strived to meet the harsh quotas demanded of them.

      Other women rushed up and down the aisles collecting the garments and delivering them to the women performing the next part of the garments’ assembly. Here they sewed on a row of buttons or a collar, until the garment was completed and they were pressed and folded. Then they were sent to the warehouses in the compound outside, prior to being dispatched to the world of fashion conscious consumers.

      Enormous air conditioning units kept the temperature to an almost comfortable level in the steamy Hong Kong summer, while lint, a byproduct of the cotton being handled below, was removed, avoiding the risk of fire.

      This was the part of Harry’s empire that he was most proud of, and which he showed to his many clients, unlike the much older factories at the rear of his vast series of manufacturing compounds where conditions were not nearly as modern. Clients would never be permitted to see the working conditions there.

      Harry smiled in satisfaction. Everything was fine now. His problems of the last few days had now been solved.

      It had been a long night, but Harry Soh was still fully alert with the adrenalin pumping through his veins from the excitement of the last few hours.

      After a meal at one of their favourite restaurants, Lindsay Sung and Harry had driven to the docks where a speedboat driven by Harry’s head of security and his only true friend, Lee Sang, had been moored, waiting for their arrival.

      Harry had cast off the lines and soon the trio were speeding off into the hectic night traffic of Hong Kong harbour. As Lee Sang steered between the ships making their way to their berths, Harry checked on the box that Lee Sang had brought aboard earlier and which was now stored behind Lee Sang’s seat. Lifting the lid, Harry caught sight of the lights of a passing floating restaurant being reflected back from the ingots of gold.

      Harry smiled at Lindsay Sung as he replaced the lid and made sure the box was well secured. It could prove dangerous to have the heavy container sliding around the deck as they sped out to sea.

      Lindsay settled back in her cushioned seat in the stern and watched Harry, her lover. They had been seeing each other for some time now and she was certain that now his wife had found out, he would divorce her old school friend and they could finally be together.

      After all, Harry had told her often enough just how much he loved her and how Wendy had been neglecting him.

      As the tiny boat cleared the harbour, the darkness of the open sea enveloped them. The ocean swell was higher out here and made it necessary for Lindsay to hold on to the boat’s railing for support as spray was whipped up and blown over them. Lindsay hoped that the ship they were meeting was not far off. She couldn’t wait to get back to dry land so that she could change into dry clothing.

      Harry sat down beside her and she gratefully snuggled into the crook of his arm, seeking protection from the cold. Harry smiled down at the beautiful woman while stroking her upturned lips in a gesture of true affection, the tips of his fingers gently caressing the sides of her face, tracing the outline of her classic Asian features before moving down the exposed