‘Thought I’d come check on you in case you forgot about tonight,’ she replied, squeezing past me and surveying the oriental wallpaper and gold-and-red striped furnishings of my living room. ‘Nice,’ she said drily. ‘Doesn’t it hurt your eyes, seeing this every day?’

‘Surprisingly, you get used to it.’

Nadia shuddered. ‘Well, I’m here to rescue you. Time to meet the rest of your neighbours, Jerry-boy.’

I wandered back through to the bedroom, pulling on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of cargo trousers left behind by the previous owner. When I came back through, I found Nadia standing by the bookshelf, flicking through one of my diaries.

‘Hey. That’s private.’

She looked at me in surprise as I swiped the notebook out of her hand and pushed it back into its place.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t realize it was yours.’

I studied her. ‘Did you read any of it?’

‘Maybe a little.’ She bit her lower lip. ‘Sorry. Was I being intrusive?’

‘It’s . . .’ I swallowed my anger. There was no real reason for me to be upset, after all. ‘It’s personal. Okay?’

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I get it. No touchey. Now let’s go meet the rest of the crew.’

Someone had strung fairy lights around the entrance to the Hotel du Mauna Loa, and I could hear music mingling with the murmur of voices from the direction of the pool. The scent of barbecuing meat triggered a sudden, ravenous hunger in me.

I followed Nadia inside and saw Kip Mayer chatting with Yuichi and Randall Pimms, another Pathfinder, although I noted Mort Bramnik himself was not present. But then, I’d gained the distinct impression that he preferred to rule from a distance, so perhaps his presence was unlikely.

I saw more Pathfinders inside. Oskar Boche was propping up the bar, his enormous bull mastiff Lucky curled at his feet like Satan’s own lapdog. To my surprise Selwyn Rudd was there, despite his earlier words. He was seated in a corner, deep in conversation with Winifred Quaker and Haden Brooks, who glanced my way with his strange, silver-flecked eyes. Lastly I saw Rozalia and Nadia by the bar, their hands touching and their heads close together as they talked quietly.

All of the Pathfinders, like me, were stationed here on the island between missions. While they waited to find out where the Authority would next send them, they spent their time at the Hotel du Mauna Loa. It wasn’t, after all, as if there was anywhere else to go.