Deputy Serrador was seated behind the desk when Aideen entered. Darrell McCaskey was sitting on the sofa. Both men rose when she entered. Serrador walked grandly from behind the desk, his arms outstretched and a look of deep sympathy on his face. His brown eyes were pained under his gray eyebrows. His high, dark forehead was creased beneath his slicked-back white hair and his wide mouth was downturned. His soft, large hands closed gently around Aideen's.

"Ms. Marley, I am so, so sorry," he said. "Yet in my grief I am also relieved that you are unharmed."

"Thank you, Mr. Deputy," Aideen said. She looked at McCaskey. The short, wiry, prematurely gray Deputy Assistant Director was standing stiffly, his hands folded in front of his groin. He was not wearing the kind of diplomatic sympathy that was all over Serrador: his expression was grave and tight. "Darrell," she said. "How are you?"

"I've been better, Aideen. You all right?"

"Not really," she said. "I blew it, Darrell."

"What do you mean?"

"I should have reacted… differently," Aideen said. Emotion caused her to choke. "I saw what was happening and I blew it, Darrell. I just blew it."

"That's insane," McCaskey said. "You're lucky you were able to get out of the way at all."

"At the expense of another man's life-"

"That was unavoidable," McCaskey said.

"Mr. McCaskey is correct," Serrador said. He was still holding her hands within his. "You mustn't do this to yourself. These things are always much clearer in-what do you call it? Hindsight."

"That's what we call it," McCaskey said with barely concealed irritation. "Everything is always much clearer after the fact."

Aideen gave McCaskey a questioning look. "Darrell, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing except that Deputy Serrador is disinclined to hold any discussions at the moment."

"What?" Aideen said.

"It would be most inappropriate," Serrador stated.

"We don't agree," McCaskey replied. He looked at Aideen. "Deputy Serrador says that the arrangement was made with Martha. That it was her experience and her ethnic background that enabled him to convince the Basques and Catalonians to consider possible U.S. mediation."

Aideen regarded Serrador. "Martha was a respected and highly skilled diplomat-"

"A remarkable woman," Serrador said with a flourish.

"Yes, but as gifted a negotiator as Martha was, she was not indispensible," Aideen went on.

Serrador stepped back. His expression was disapproving. "You disappoint me, seńorita."

"Do I?"

"Your colleague has just been murdered!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Deputy," Aideen said, "but the issue is not my sense of occasion-"

"That is true," said Serrador. "The issues are experience and security. And until I'm convinced that we have both, the talks will be postponed. Not canceled, Seńor McCaskey, Seńorita Marley. Merely delayed."