I snort. ‘You tricked a mentally impaired woman into killing her own sister.’

‘I did nothing of the kind.’

‘Why don’t I believe you?’

She shrugs. ‘I’m a neurotechnologist. I work to improve people’s lives, not end them. Daphne did what she did. I didn’t ask her to, and I don’t know why she did it. Don’t try to assuage your own guilt by blaming me, Charlie. O has put us both in deep trouble, even in dying. According to your friend Roman she was a manipulator and a serial killer by proxy. Were you going to stop her?’

I don’t have an answer for that. Well, the answer is no, but I’m not about to admit it.

‘The point is, we’re safe now,’ she says.

‘We’re not safe! A lot of people are dead and it’s still not clear why or who is to blame. There’s a dreamhacking bot sitting somewhere on the BigSky server and it can make people sleepwalk, if so instructed. I’d say our work is just beginning.’

‘Yeah, about that. Now the phone calls are starting to make sense.’

‘What phone calls?’

‘Today. Security people from Sweet Dreams calling and wanting to talk to me, but it was all Bernard’s department. I couldn’t answer their questions. They are convinced that people using Sweet Dreams are vulnerable to being hacked, and they’ve just released the beta version of The Dark Side.’

‘How do they know about the dreamhacker bot?’

Even as I ask, I know the answer. Roman and Donato told them, either for some sort of payout or for conscience – it doesn’t matter. I can’t even blame them. If BigSky are going to expand liminal programming, then they’ll need to know about the problems – not least of which is the possibility that someone is exploiting the Dream City, someone calling themselves the Agency. And for all the people I’ve suspected of being the Villain, for all who are dead, I can’t be sure we’re done yet. Not until I find out who gave the order to kill O.

I don’t think it was Meera, but who knows? She and I are the ones left holding the baby.

Meera only shrugs. ‘Does it matter? They were bound to find out, and now BigSky realise they’ve got a big problem. They want me to consult. They want us to consult – we’re partners now, as you say.’

‘Here’s the thing, Meera. You know me. But I don’t know you.’

She folds her arms, tilts her head. ‘I’m a doctor, Charlie. I swore an oath and I have a responsibility to serve the well-being of others. That’s all you need to know about me.’

‘Here’s what you need to know about me: I don’t believe anything anybody tells me any more. Also, I snore.’