‘Don’t worry, Uh Integrity,’ Bob said, more cheerful now. ‘This isn’t my first secret mission. I worked with Kim Philby, you know. If it wasn’t for me, he’d never have been a double agent for the KGB.’

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel. There wasn’t much petrol left in the tank so I hoped Byron wasn’t planning a long expedition. ‘So what you’re saying is that you aided and abetted a traitor.’

Bob pursed his lips. ‘I’m helping you. You’re a traitor too.’

‘It’s hardly the same thing.’

‘Depends whose point of view you’re looking from.’

I was liable to toss Bob out of the window if he didn’t stop talking soon. I did the only thing I could think of to shut him up. ‘What do you call a traitor with a lisp?’

‘Is this a joke?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘Judith.’ I grinned.

‘Uh Integrity…’

‘What do spies do when they get cold?’

He dropped the martini in favour of putting his hands over his ears. ‘Stop it,’ he moaned. ‘I’ll tell you whatever state secrets you want to know. Just please stop the torture.’

‘Then I’m going to need you to be quiet. Not one word out of your mouth unless I ask for it. Got that?’

He nodded vigorously. ‘Sure. Sure. Sure.’ He drew his finger across his lips.

I beamed. ‘Great.’

Bob dropped his hands and sighed ‒ but at least he didn’t say anything.

‘Oh, one more thing,’ I added casually. ‘Cold spies go undercover.’

His cheeks went bright red. It was quite possible that Bob was about to explode.

***

We tracked Byron for several miles. He wasn’t speeding and he didn’t seem in any hurry, though he wasn’t driving at snail’s pace either. It wasn’t until we passed a road sign that I got an inkling of where he might be heading. It made even less sense than Bob’s theory about Byron swimming across the Atlantic so I kept my mouth shut and continued, grimacing when the last car between us turned off the road and away. The only saving grace was that it was dark and the glare from my headlights would prevent Byron from seeing inside the car. All the same, I slowed down slightly and let him pull away from us.

When we reached the next turn off, I swung towards it. Bob opened his mouth to question my action then remembered his promise and snapped it shut again.

I brought the car to a stop and waited until Byron’s headlights were little more than pinpricks in the distance. Then I killed my lights, did another U-turn and headed after him again, making sure that this time I didn’t even begin to get close. From this distance we’d be all but invisible. I smiled. Who needed magic when you had a bit of nous?

It wasn’t long before Byron’s car also turned – and when I saw where he was going, I realised that my suspicions were correct. Bob gazed round, his expression as flummoxed as mine, as we tailed Byron down the first part of the driveway which led to the Moncrieffe Lands.