Zidarov’s headache got worse. He could feel his grip on things begin to slip. ‘The entire city must suspect it, given how you’ve behaved, but I guess they won’t know the true reason why.’

Udmil’s lips twisted into a sneer. ‘So that’s why you’re here, is it? Revenge, for my little games.’

‘No. Not that at all.’ He concentrated hard, willing himself to stay focused. ‘I know about Ianne. It took some digging – hells, you were careful to erase her – but I found her in the end.’

Udmil stared at him soundlessly, her expression now one of undiluted hatred.

‘And that explained a lot, for me,’ he said. ‘She died, didn’t she, your daughter? When it was just the two of you. And that sent you into your spiral, the one that nearly killed you and wiped out your empire. Grief can do that – I’ve seen it before. And by the time Mordach came along and gave you a way to get your money back, you had to take it, because he could have bought you out anyway, and all he wanted were the contracts and the brands. So even though he kept you alive, you had to hate him for that, every day afterwards, for as long as you were together.’

‘You have no idea why I hated him.’

‘Really? I think I do. She was cell-drained, wasn’t she? They got her, a long time ago, when it was rife. And you never forgot it. Who could? It’s a hellish way to go. So when Adeard started working on it, that useless, hateful boy doing the same thing that killed Ianne, that was it. That was what made you move. Maybe you tried to get him to stop. Maybe you knew that would be futile. Maybe you’d been planning something like this for a long time. I don’t need to know the details – it’s all history now anyway. You got us all running after him, making sure we’d discover the whole filthy scheme and knowing we’d clear it out. And when it looked like it might stall, you even had a sanctioner killed, just to prod us along.’

‘That wasn’t me, just so you know,’ Udmil said, coldly. ‘I thought sending you some evidence of Adeard’s captivity would be enough. It was Avro who ordered the hit.’

‘Yes, I thought so. He likes his shredder rounds, doesn’t he? Still, I’ll make sure Vongella knows.’ He found his thoughts beginning to wander. He had to stay on target. ‘Listen, I know what Ianne meant to you. I heard it in your voice the first time we met. I don’t even know if I blame you for everything you did since, though I can’t approve of the methods.’

‘Then why come here, probator? Just to show how clever you’ve been?’