Deathly Confessions

Charles Carrington lays suffering from the terminal effects of cancer in an English hospice. His audience is part-time journalist Tony Mansfield, who has been researching the internal combustion 'Discus' engine invented by Charles in the 1970s, which is now having a renaissance in America as a potential power plant for American military drones.
Tony discovers that two Americans believed by Charles to have stolen his design have recently been shot dead in similar circumstances in two different countries. Tony suspects that Charles is somehow connected with these deaths and contacts Charles' sister, Mary, for permission to visit him. During Tony's visits Charles gradually reveals the secrets of his past and the ingenuity behind them.
Almost by accident Tony becomes the possessor of dangerous knowledge; he seeks to discover why Charles did the things he did and why he has been chosen as the holder of the secrets. But did Charles' murderous tendencies start with the theft of his engine design or has he had sinister tendencies since childhood? And how much does Mary really know?