‘I’m just wondering what it would take to get hold of a couple of jackets and a stretcher?’ she said, thinking out loud.

Karene’s eyes widened. ‘You think those people weren’t medical?’

‘I know from working with the police that incidents like this are carefully managed by the emergency services. There would have been a commander in charge making sure that the injured were taken to the nearest possible trauma centre. This feels like an unlikely mistake. Which leaves us with conspiracy. He’s missing for a reason.’

‘What reason? What possible reason?’ Karene looked scared now.

Bloom shook her head slowly. She had no idea.

5

Bloom was back at her desk on Tuesday morning in her rented office, located in the basement beneath a glossy PR firm in Russell Square. The office was small: just two desks, a white board and a couple of extra chairs for clients. Not that they had many visitors. The advantage of the underground space was anonymity; Bloom didn’t want some of the characters she dealt with knowing where she spent her time.

Jameson arrived, carrying a bottle of water. He normally had a take-out coffee. He had let his dark hair grow so that the thick curls framed his face and brushed his shirt collar. He strolled to his desk casually, as though nothing had happened in the past few months, as though he’d been here every day. But his eyes, normally alert, looked dull and tired. And he wasn’t smiling.

‘All right?’ he said, taking his seat and unpacking his laptop. There was no jovial accent: no ‘G’day Bruce’ or ‘What’s occurring?’

She’d been desperate for him to return ever since the events of the spring, but had doubted it would ever happen. He’d been so angry. And it hadn’t eased, not at all. But now, here he was. And after just one phone call. All she’d needed to do was find the right problem. It was obvious. She was irritated that she hadn’t worked it out sooner.

‘Welcome back,’ she said.

‘There are ground rules.’ He swivelled in his seat to face her. ‘I don’t want to hear any apologies. What’s done is done. My working on this case is to repay you, nothing more, nothing less. It doesn’t mean I’m back,’ he continued, ‘and I do not want to hear her name mentioned.’