‘I’m thinking he’s either been involved with protesting for a long time and flown under the radar, or he’s only just started, and I’m not getting the feeling from what you’ve told me that he’s just started. I’ve got some people pulling up media reports on old protests—big ones—to see if we can link him to any of those and then get a lead on him that way.’

‘He’s been around for a long time,’ Jack said with certainty. ‘And there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye.’

‘Other than that, you going okay?’

‘No problems. Except the bed is shit. Can you fix that?’

Dave snorted. ‘First-world problem, you clown. Did I tell you when I first went undercover I slept on the floor of public toilets?’

‘Excellent, one of the “back in my day” stories,’ Jack said, before he took a swig from his beer.

Laughing, Dave said, ‘Sounds like you’re doing fine. What’s the plan for tomorrow?’

‘We’re going to turn up and hold a silent vigil outside the abs.’

‘You going to spice it up?’

‘Play it by ear, I guess, but probably. I’m an angry fucker, remember? I’ve got to prove I’m capable of doing what I say I can.’

‘Just be a little careful,’ Dave cautioned. ‘If he’s told you to stay calm, then you probably should. But you read the play on the day.’

‘Yeah, I’ll do that. Read the play on the day.’ They hung up and Jack walked over to the sliding door that opened onto a small patio, if it could be described as such. It was so tiny it would be a squeeze to fit two people in chairs out there.

He could hear the next-door neighbours arguing again. They seemed to do that a lot. And on the other side of his unit a lady was sitting outside having a cigarette. The smoke wafted into his place and Jack grimaced. Filthy habit. He wasn’t staying outside to smell that. He couldn’t see the stars anyway.

Going back inside, he shut the door and threw himself on the roughly made bed. Staring at the discoloured ceiling, he had an intense longing for the clear air and space of home. Then he reminded himself he had to get that thought out of his head, otherwise he might fuck it up tomorrow. With a burst of energy, he jumped off the bed and grabbed his computer. He didn’t need to leave all the investigative work to Dave. He was pretty good at research too.