‘Relax, Sarah,’ said Jed. ‘Because as a matter of fact you can. I could’ve brought it up during the meeting, except it wasn’t strictly an agenda item. Even though I think it is related to some of the problems we were discussing.’

Humboldt managed to look both intrigued and relieved at the same time. She smiled at James Ritchie as he slowed down to pass by, reassuring him that she didn’t seem to be in trouble with the Chief of Staff. From the open doorway of the Oval Office, Ritchie and McAuley said their goodbyes and left to see whether their drivers were able to get them back to their respective offices, across town.

The snowstorm had evolved very quickly into a reasonably intense blizzard. The President had no immediate responsibility for organising Seattle’s defences in such circumstances, but Jed could see the former city engineer’s mind already turning back to small-scale crisis management: clearing roads, keeping the power on, making sure all the kids who’d been dropped off at the city’s schools in the cold, if comparatively mild, weather that morning were going to be okay. It wasn’t the man’s job anymore, but for once Culver was happy to leave him to the distraction as, across the room from them, Kipper picked up the phone to check on the snowploughs.

‘Everything all right, Jed?’ he asked, standing up at his desk.

He had picked up on the interchange between the two, but his attention was really focused on the storm. He just wanted to get on with sticking his nose in where it wasn’t really needed. President James Kipper could be quite the micro-manager where Seattle was concerned. The city authorities resented the interference, but happily accepted the federal government resources it delivered to them as well.

‘We’re fine, Mr President,’ said Jed. ‘There’s a few things I need to discuss with Sarah about this new job you’ve given us.’

‘Sarah, is that okay?’ asked Kipper.

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine, sir,’ replied Humboldt. ‘I don’t think he’s going to throw me down an elevator shaft, and we do have a lot to talk about.’

Reassured that he wasn’t about to lose one of his top civil servants to Jed Culver’s legendary reputation for payback, Kip was already nodding and dialling out before she’d finished speaking.

While the President’s private secretary fussed around them, clearing up the debris from the meeting – china cups, sandwich plates and some leftover cookies – Jed shepherded the Immigration and Customs Enforcement boss out through the anteroom, snaffling a couple of Barbara Kipper’s choc-chip and peanut butter heart stoppers as he went. Ronnie gave him the stink eye as he scavenged.

‘In case we get completely snowed in,’ he told her. ‘Emergency supplies.’