‘Oh, right. I’d never seen them before. I thought they were two of your people.’ I added, in case he’d missed the point, ‘You and your goddamm obsession with security! It’s no wonder the poor effed-up world is in the state it’s in, with people like you behind the scenes manipulating policy.’

‘Now, Vicky,’ Schmidt began.

‘Shut up, Schmidt. And you too, Burckhardt. I’ve answered the same questions fifty times and I’m not going to answer any more. And you can tell Karl Feder that when I get my hands on him – ’

‘Yes, yes,’ Burckhardt said quickly. ‘Would you like – uh – perhaps a glass of water?’

‘I am not hysterical,’ I shouted. ‘I am . . . I am leaving! Yes, leaving! Now.’

‘I think no more questions?’ said Tom the diplomat, trying to sound firm and professional.

I rounded on him. ‘Yes, and what about you? You’re supposed to be looking out for my rights.’

‘I am, I am,’ Tom said quickly. ‘Herr – uh – Burckhardt, I don’t believe it would be a good idea to continue. Not at the present time.’

‘Not at any time!’ I informed him. I was beginning to enjoy myself. ‘I am leaving. But before I do, I want to ask Burckhardt a question for a change. Just out of idle curiosity, who was the incompetent jerk who was supposed to be protecting me?’

‘It was not her fault,’ Burckhardt muttered. ‘She obeyed orders. She was told not to – ’

‘She?’

‘Would you like to speak with her? She asked for a chance to express her congratulations and apologies personally, but I did not think that advisable.’

‘You wouldn’t.’ I wanted to get the hell out of there, but curiosity got the better of me. ‘Where is she?’

In the next room, of course. That’s where these people live, in the next room – peeking through keyholes and eavesdropping on private conversations.

I didn’t recognize her at first. I didn’t recognize her the second time I looked either. Close-cropped sandy hair, a tailored suit . . . Not until she flashed that wide toothy grin did enlightenment dawn.

‘Suzi?’

She didn’t come any closer. ‘I wanted to express my regrets personally, Dr Bliss. I failed you, and I feel very bad about that. None of us had the slightest suspicion of Mr Blenkiron; I assumed that when you were with him you were okay.’

Her voice was quicker and harder than Suzi’s, with a flat Midwestern twang instead of a Southern drawl.

‘Criminy!’ Surprise had numbed my brain. Then I remembered something. ‘You were at the hotel that night – with Perry.’

She nodded, no longer smiling. ‘Trying to find you and Herr Schmidt. Foggington-Smythe knew nothing about my real purpose; I took him along as camouflage. You saw me?’