‘Stay out of his way. And out of Nishizaki’s. That really would be the smart thing to do. Think you can manage that?’

Wada looked at Espersen across the table. And said nothing.

The evening drive to Þorlákshöfn took them south from Reykjavík along empty roads. Little was said, there being little to say. Wada was leaving Iceland. The investigation Kodaka had begun and which she’d foolishly tried to continue was over. Kodaka was dead. So was Martin Caldwell. And Mimori Takenaga was beyond her help. She should count herself lucky to be alive. And she should concentrate on staying that way. As Espersen had said, it was the smart thing to do.

Þorlákshöfn wasn’t much of a place. They seemed to arrive at the entrance to the docks almost as soon as they’d passed the sign welcoming them to the village. Wada could see a large cargo vessel at the quayside: the Horisont, obviously.

She expected Espersen to drive straight to the quay, but he pulled up just short of the dock gates and out of range of the nearest street lamp. He turned off the engine and wound down his window to let in the chill night air. There was the sound of a crane operating ahead of them and occasional shouted exchanges between deck hands and dock workers.

‘The Horisont is a Danish-owned vessel,’ Espersen said quietly, handing her her passport. ‘But the skipper and the first mate are the only Danes on board. The crew don’t speak much English. And you shouldn’t try to speak to them anyway. You’ll be allowed out of your cabin when they’re at sea. But until the ship sails tomorrow and during a stopover in the Faroe Islands, you’ll be kept below decks. Understood?’

‘I understand.’

‘The only ship-to-shore communications are on the bridge. Stay away. OK?’

‘I will not try to use their radio, I promise. And since you have my phone, I will be completely out of touch with the world until the ship docks in Rotterdam. That is as you want it, I assume.’

‘Correct.’

‘Are you taking me any further? Or do I have to walk the rest of the way?’

‘No. I’ll take you aboard. In a moment.’

A moment passed. Then several more.

‘What are we waiting for?’ Wada asked.

‘This.’ He took a computer memory stick out of his pocket and handed it to her.

‘What is this?’

‘The Emergence files. The whole lot. Everything.’

‘How did you get it? When Kristjan and I tried to download those files, we were blocked.’