‘Okay,’ I said, ‘I guess that’s it. We’ll take all this to Bramnik and he can figure the rest of this whole mess out. I don’t think we’ll need to worry about the Patriots once the dust settles.’ I glanced towards the window and caught a glimpse of the moon shining dully through the storm clouds. ‘What time is it, anyway?’

‘Not much past midnight,’ said Rozalia. She blinked tiredly. The window rattled fiercely, gusting rain against the panes.

‘I don’t think that storm’s in any hurry to be gone,’ she said.

‘We can wait it out,’ I said. ‘My mind’s whirling as it is.’ I nodded towards the stove. ‘Is there any coffee left?’

‘You can have it,’ said Chloe. ‘I think those pills are starting to wear off already. I’m going to try and sleep for a little while.’

She pulled herself to her feet and lay down on the narrow cot, her coat pulled up around her shoulders, much as she’d had it on the drive up. She closed her eyes, and within moments seemed to have slipped off into a deep sleep, her shoulders rising and falling with a steady rhythm.

Rozalia glanced at her, then back at me. ‘Hell of a lot for anyone to take in,’ she said quietly, and moved in closer to me. ‘So Casey wanted revenge. Any ideas why?’

‘Beats me,’ I said. ‘Maybe we should go and ask Wallace ourselves.’ I got up and poured myself some more coffee.

‘Sounds like a good idea,’ said Rozalia. ‘Much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to feel some sympathy for Bramnik, if Greenbrooke’s gunning for him this hard.’

‘Listen,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry about taking my frustration out on you after Kip Mayer talked to us all at the Mauna Loa.’ I’d been more than a little upset over the revelations of domestic violence in my predecessor’s diary and had taken it out on Rozalia, believing the entries to be true.

She shook her head. ‘And more than a little hungover, maybe?’

‘Yeah.’ I scratched my chin, suddenly embarrassed. ‘That, too.’

Her shoulders rose and fell in a sigh. ‘You know, you weren’t entirely wrong in what you said. No apologies are necessary. You were right – we should have ignored the pencil-necks and just told you the damn truth at the start. I know I’m not the only one who regrets playing along with them.’

‘I’m sorry, anyway,’ I said. ‘I lost my temper.’

‘So would anyone, with the same information at hand.’ She cocked her head to one side and gave me a quizzical smile. ‘So we’re good, right?’

I nodded and sipped at the warm liquid, my own head buzzing from fatigue and caffeine. ‘We’re good,’ I said.