‘I should have just about digested my Big Mac by then. By the way, here’s a message for the senator, when you talk to him next.’

Peter took the memo and quickly looked it over. Then he read it again, more slowly, and frowned.

‘Three forty-five?’ he asked. ‘Just a couple of minutes ago?’

That’s right.’

‘And is this all he said? Nothing else?’

‘That’s all,’ shrugged Karen. ‘The blight is some kind of a virus, and it’s spreading. Kind of creepy, isn’t it?’

Peter forced another grin. ‘Just one of those crackpot messages you always get when this kind of thing happens. I won’t be surprised if we get more in the next few days. Viruses… death-rays from Mars… punishments from Heaven… you’ll get used to it.’

‘It frightened me, as a matter of fact,’ said Karen. ‘The man sounded so sane.’

They always do,’ Peter assured her. ‘Now – do you think you can put me through to Senator Jones?’

‘Whatever you want. Particularly since you’re buying dinner. And particularly since I seem to have escaped two hours of solid dictation.’

‘Okay,’ said Peter. ‘I’ll take it in my office. And – well, I’ll see you later.’

Karen picked up the phone and dialled through to Senator Jones’s office. It was almost a minute before anybody answered, and then she heard Della McIntosh’s voice, slightly out of breath. ‘Yes? Senator Jones’s office?’

‘Mrs McIntosh? I have Peter Kaiser for the senator. I think it’s pretty urgent.’

‘Hold on,’ said Della, and Karen heard her put the phone down on the table. In the background, she picked up the distinctive rumble of Senator Jones saying, ‘What does that frosty-faced asshole want now? Right in the middle of—’ Then Senator Jones, louder and closer, said, ‘Yes? Is this Peter?’

‘I’ll put you through. Senator,’ said Karen, and she connected him to Peter; but at the same time she held her hand tightly over the mouthpiece of her own phone, and listened in.

‘Peter?’ growled Senator Jones. ‘I hope you realise you’ve called me at a goddamned awkward time.’

‘I’m sorry. Senator, but I’ve had an urgent message from Ed Hardesty, in Kansas. I thought you’d want to hear it straight away.’

‘Hardesty? That blackmailing son-of-a-bitch? His daddy’s whelp, that’s all he is. What the hell has he got to say that justifies your interrupting my personal rest-period?’