‘You’re not decrepit and you know it. Apparently you nodded off, and then you got up and tried to walk in your sleep. That’s what Lorraine said, and I’m more inclined to believe her than you.’

‘Thank you very much, darling, for being so frank. But then, you always have been. Does every single thing you are thinking actually come out of your mouth, or could there possibly be more that you haven’t broadcast to the world – yet?’

How can I convey just how scary O is? She’s superior to me in every way but I adore her, and when she disapproves of me I just want to crawl under a rock. But she doesn’t realise how vulnerable she is. If I don’t stand up to her, something terrible could happen and I’d never forgive myself.

‘I was not sleepwalking,’ she insists. ‘I hope you haven’t come here with the intention of hovering over me watching me sleep, because I assure you, I’ll have none of it.’

‘O, I don’t think you understand. People have been killed. Someone tried to kill me. You know the thing with the lorry and the Peugeot? If it hadn’t been for Stack—’

‘Which is exactly why I put Stack on point in the first place. I am well aware that you’re in danger. What I am saying to you is that I did not sleepwalk. So you must focus on what is really important, namely your own safety. Maybe I should get Muz to escort you back to the flat.’

‘No, I’m fine, don’t be silly.’

‘Well, you can’t stay here.’

‘Why not?’

We sound like a couple of biddies bickering. Then I thump my hand on the table and the holographic chess game quivers.

‘Damnit, O, there’s something else I have to tell you but I don’t know how to do it.’

She folds her hands in her lap. Cocks her birdlike head. Raises her eyebrows and waits.

‘It’s about Daphne.’

O smiles. ‘She thinks she’s a secret agent.’

‘How so?’ She quirks an eyebrow and waits for my answer. She knows very well how I hate confrontation; she’s not making this easy. I stifle a yawn. My body would love to give up and go to sleep. But I’ve got to tell her.

‘Your sister was in Bernard’s dream. A whole gang of . . . I don’t know what to call them. People with dementia, elderly people. They were all there, accusing Bernard of making them sleepwalk.’

‘Wow. He must have been feeling guilty to dream that.’

‘No, you don’t understand. She was really there. Daphne hacked Bernard’s dream.’