Jack knew he needed to get a grip, or things were going to go downhill very quickly. He almost passed out in relief when he heard Dennis say, “Maggie, be reasonable. You are just getting over the flu, and you also just traveled cross-country. Furthermore, when you left, you left with Ted, which meant to all of us that you were going to . . . um . . . spend the night with him. It’s not like Jack or I participated in any kind of action. We pretty much just stood around and watched what was going on. You really didn’t miss anything. I just told you all what happened and showed the pictures we took. There was nothing you could have done even if you had been there. So get over it and let’s move on here and make some plans.”

Slightly mollified because her young colleague made sense, Maggie started to chew on her thumbnail. She nodded, meaning she was okay with Dennis’s explanation. For now. With Maggie, it was always for now.

Before anyone at the table could decide what to do, the elevator pinged. Cyrus was like a black streak of lightning as he sprinted forward to meet Abner and Avery Snowden.

“Well, it’s about time,” Maggie exploded as she took her frustration out on Abner and Avery. “Where have you guys been all this time? You know the rules. You don’t go off the grid for more than a few hours at a time. What’s going on? Why do you look like . . . like . . . someone just died.”

“Coffee anyone?” Fergus asked, just to have something to say.

“I think I could use a cuppa tea, mate,” Avery said.

“Tomato juice,” Abner said.

Charles did his best not to stare at his old friend Avery. In all the years they were in service to Her Majesty, he’d never seen the old spy look like he looked at that moment. Not even during their stint serving in MI-5. He felt his gut start to churn, and then he looked at Abner, who in another minute was going to lose the tomato juice he’d just consumed. “The lavatory is over there to the right off the short hallway. Go!” Abner sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him.

Everyone at the table shouted at once, “What? What?”