He supposed it was. It hadn’t occurred to him that anyone might see the setting-up of Daniel in this way as an ethical issue, albeit minor. Where deceit was a vocational requirement rather than a deformation as in business or finance or religions or other professions – even lawyers could be deceitful, he had found – it was easy to take it for granted as the common currency of daily life. If Daniel was not involved in terrorism, as Charles believed, he would never know his house had been searched, no harm would come of it and it would go a long way towards clearing the cloud of suspicion that hung over him. On the other hand, if he was found to be planning an atrocity it was better for him and for the world if he were prevented. Also, if he agreed to do the joinery work, he would earn some presumably much-needed money.

Daniel answered Charles’s call immediately and they had a stilted but satisfactory conversation. Daniel was surprised and Charles awkward, conscious of injecting a note of false bonhomie. They agreed to meet at the house for half an hour the day after next.

Shelley was pleased and flustered when he told her. ‘Thank you so much, CSS, that’s most helpful. But it’s very soon and I’m not sure we’ll have time to get the warrant through.’

‘Well, I’m afraid you’ll just have to. I can’t do it next week because I may be travelling and if we leave it until the week after there’s more chance that what you fear might happen.’

‘It’s fixed,’ said Sonia when she came up to Charles’s office that evening. ‘Timber Wolf’s agreed to meet at the Rosticceria Fiorentino in the EU quarter, whatever that’s called, at twelve-thirty on Monday. They’ve used it before. I’ve booked at table in Gareth’s name.’

‘But they’ll realise it’s not him when I turn up.’

‘Get there early and they won’t realise he’s not joining you. You must have done this sort of thing before, surely?’

He had, with an East German in Athens during the Cold War. It hadn’t worked; the East German walked out. ‘Better shut the door in case Gareth’s still in the building. Don’t want him to walk in and see you here. He’ll put two and two together and make – in this case – what they usually make.’

‘He’s gone home, as has his secretary. I checked.’

‘Wine, whisky, G&T?’

‘G&T, please, lemon, no ice.’

Charles pulled open the large lower desk drawer. ‘No lemon, no ice.’ While he poured the drinks she talked him through the latest round of negotiations with the EU. ‘They seem to be making as much a meal of it as they can. The EU, I mean.’