‘Did they put you here because I’m here?’ I was still trying to understand.

‘No.’

‘You didn’t hug me when I came in.’ It occurred to me as I got up. I kissed her cheek, and she stiffened, pulling away from my arms. ‘You’ve been smoking.’ I sat back down.

‘Who told you that?’

‘No one needs to tell me. I can smell it in your hair.’

‘You hugged me because you wanted to see if I smell like cigarettes.’

‘And you didn’t hug me because you know you smell like cigarettes.’

‘You’re nagging me.’

‘I most certainly am not,’ I said.

‘You are. You’re worse than Grans,’ she said.

‘Who is in the hospital because she smoked,’ I said, holding her intense green gaze.

‘Since you know my secret, I may as well light up now.’

‘This is a nonsmoking room. In fact, nothing is allowed in this room,’ I said.

‘Nothing?’ She did not blink.

‘Absolutely nothing.’

‘You drink coffee in here. I know. I’ve heard you zap it in the microwave when we’ve been on the phone.’

‘Coffee is all right.’

‘You said nothing. To many people on this planet, coffee is a vice. I bet you drink alcohol in here, too.’

‘Lucy, please don’t smoke.’

She slipped a pack of Virginia Slim menthols out of a pocket. ‘I’ll go outside,’ she said.

I opened windows so she could smoke, unable to believe she had taken up a habit I had shed much blood to quit. Lucy was athletic and superbly fit. I told her I did not understand.

‘I’m flirting with it. I don’t do it much.’

‘Who moved you into my suite? Let’s get back to that,’ I asked as she puffed away.

‘They moved me.’

‘Who” is they?’

‘Apparently, the order came from the top.’

‘Burgess?’ I referred to the assistant director in charge of the Academy.

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘What would his purpose be?’ I frowned.

She tapped an ash into her palm. ‘No one’s told me a reason. I can only suppose it’s related to ERF, to CAIN.’ She paused. ‘You know, the weird messages, et cetera.’

‘Lucy,’ I said, ‘what exactly is going on?’

‘We don’t know,’ she spoke levelly. ‘But something is.’

‘Gault?’

‘There’s no evidence that anyone’s been in the system - no one who isn’t supposed to be.’

‘But you believe someone has.’

She inhaled deeply, like veteran smokers do. ‘CAIN is not doing what we’re telling him to do. He’s doing something else, getting his instruction from somewhere else.’

‘There’s got to be a way to track that,’ I said.

Her eyes sparked. ‘Believe me, I’m trying.’

‘I’m not questioning your efforts or ability.’