‘Come through,’ said Shah, leading her towards the sliding glass door that gave entry into the reception area of his security firm. ‘We shall have some tea, and get properly reacquainted. We have had no chance to do so yet, with the rush of the day. And then we shall set ourselves to determining whether this Cesky creature truly is behind the attempts on our lives and what we might do about it.’

Jules followed him inside, where he was immediately besieged by members of his staff, all with urgent demands on his time. At least in here the air was noticeably cooler and drier.

‘Okay. I could murder a cup of tea,’ she said, more to herself than anyone else.

But beyond that, she had no idea of how to proceed. Henry Cesky might be a crazed revenger, but he was smart, rich and increasingly powerful. He was also a major and very public supporter of the President of the United States.

24

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Jed Culver was surprised to find himself nervous. Not wetting-his-pants nervous, but more anxious about attending a meeting than he had been in a long while. He was not the sort of man who was prone to unproductive worry and doubt. When he found himself without information, he sought it out. In a situation where he lacked control, he would fight and scheme and work away until he had it. That was why James Kipper valued him as a sword and shield. He did not blanch from the hard necessities, yet as he hurried down the hallway, flanked by his aides, a feeling not unlike indigestion gnawed at him. He recognised it for what it was. Anxiety.

He told no one, of course. Allowed no sign to show on his face or interrupt his stride along the corridors of Echelon’s headquarters in Vancouver. The office was unremarkable, resembling any other civil-service facility. The accents were mainly Canadian and American, although leavened by occasional British and Australian voices and once the unmistakable strangled vowels of a New Zealander.

He was satisfied to see that some standards were maintained here, at least. Like him, everyone was dressed in proper business attire, the men in suits and ties, the women in a wider selection of smart office wear. Kip’s well-known preference for casual clothing hadn’t made much of an impact here, apparently, even though Vancouver and Seattle had grown so close as to become one, in many other ways.

‘Mr Culver.’

Jed looked up from the briefing paper he’d been skimming. One of the reasons Echelon ran such a tight ship was standing in front of him, waiting outside a conference room. Wales Larrison, Deputy Director, Special Clearances and Research.

‘Ah, Director Larrison.’

‘Glad you could make it, sir,’ said Larrison. ‘We don’t get many visitors from so far up the food chain dropping in on us.’