Corona was named after the outer layer of the sun’s atmosphere that only becomes visible during an eclipse, when everything else is black. Given how handicapped American intelligence gathering had become, it was an apt moniker. The research team, now led by Dixon, was given a new, dedicated lab at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. They were also told that, when it came to getting Corona working, money was no object and failure was not an option.

‘Powers was a fluke,’ Murphy continued. ‘But intelligence says Russian missiles are more than capable of hitting the U-2’s cruising altitude now.’

‘I thought that was just Khrushchev banging his shoe.’

‘For once it seems the old man isn’t lying through his teeth. The Air Force is working on a new plane with a higher ceiling, but it’s taking time.’

‘Everything takes time.’

‘Not for us. We’re magicians, remember?’

‘How could I forget?’

Dixon hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and wondered, for what felt like the thousandth time, why he’d ever left his tenured position at MIT and joined NASA. Of course, he knew the answer. He wanted to help America win the space race. But right now it felt like they were losing, and because of him.

He picked up a sheet of paper from his desk, hoping to find inspiration in its scribbles and half-finished calculations. It didn’t come.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

There was no Watcher at Knox’s front door when he got back to Kemp House. But someone was waiting for him.

He found Peterson sitting at his dining table, leafing through the three bundles of papers from Bianchi and Moretti’s flat that Knox hadn’t taken with him to Cambridge and Holloway.

‘What are you doing here?’ Knox demanded. He didn’t appreciate the invasion of his private space. He was also still irritated about his trip to Cambridge—guilty that he’d dragged up an old man’s demons, and embarrassed that the whole thing had been a waste of time—and frustrated that Sandra Horne hadn’t given him anything useful.

‘Manning wants a progress report,’ Peterson replied, eyes still skimming through the papers in front of him.

‘He can wait.’

Knox could tell Peterson wanted to say something more, but he wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of asking what. So they just stared at each other across the table while Knox took off his jacket.

Peterson blinked first. ‘Find anything interesting in Cambridge?’

‘You had me followed?’ Knox said, slamming his jacket down on the table for dramatic effect.

Of course I had you followed,’ Peterson said. ‘In four days London will become the biggest intelligence target since the Paris Peace Conference. The last thing I need is a rogue element running around the place.’ He picked up the address book and flicked through it.

‘I’m not a rogue element,’ Knox replied.