"I wasn't going to object," Greg said. "Just make sure he's briefed not to interrupt."

"He won't."

"One more thing, have you had any luck with the analysis of Tentimes' burns?" Greg asked.

"If you mean is there a single beneficiary, then the answer is no." Walshaw paused, looking concerned. "But seven manufacturing companies have gone under because of O'Donal; and some of the financials are on a sticky wicket, although they'll never admit a thing. And now we know what to look for, the researchers have spotted several similar victims outside O'Donal's list. It looks like all eight of Wolf's hotrods are very active; they've caused a lot of damage in the last year. It prompts the question why?"

"Yes," said Philip. "If that kind of disturbance is being repeated by others like him I'd hate to think of the long-term consequences."

"Perhaps that's Wolf's goal," Greg said. "Trying to sabotage Event Horizon's long-term prospects."

"I don't mean just us, boy. I've run my own analysis on the burns and their fallout. They're totally indiscriminate. If that sort of thing isn't halted soon it'll add at least another couple of points to inflation, and that's already running too high as it is. A further rise would blow the Chancellor's budget to pieces."

"You mean even Kendric would suffer?"

"Everybody suffers," Walshaw said bluntly.

"Could it be another government? If England's industrial output goes down, who'd step in to make up the shortfall?"

"Just about everybody," Philip concluded miserably. "Bloody Pacific Rim would be the biggest beneficiaries, of course."

Julia saw the connection without having to kick in her processor nodes. "A finance house," she said firmly. Both men looked at her. "A finance house would benefit from a change of interest rates, if they knew for sure it would happen."

"That's right, they would. Good girl, Juliet."

"The di Girolamo house?" Walshaw mused.

"Why worry?" she said brightly. "Greg can do his word-association thing with Ellis to find out the details. You'll have it all solved for us by tonight, Greg, won't you?"

Greg sat back in his chair, a tired smile playing over his battered face. "How much do you want to bet on that?"

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Greg kept a cautionary eye on Julia as she walked out to the car with him. There was a confidence about her which had been absent before; she'd always had poise, but it'd been stilted and formal. This was a natural grace. No doubt Adrian had a lot to do with it. The kind of stability he offered putting her at ease with other people.