‘I have no faith in Nishizaki, Michaela.’

‘I don’t have a whole lot myself. I’m not being naïve about this. I’ve taken some appropriate precautions. But I—’ She was cut short by a ring at the doorbell. She moved past Wada into the hall just as the kettle shut itself off with a discreet ping. Wada watched as she dodged into the lounge, then came back out just as the doorbell rang again. ‘Window-cleaners touting for trade, would you credit it? Like I can’t clean my own fucking windows.’

Something that would become apprehension within a few seconds stirred in Wada’s mind as Morrisette headed on to the front door and flung it open. A tall man in a boiler-suit and a baseball cap was standing outside. ‘Morning, luv,’ he said with a smile.

‘I’m not—’ Morrisette began. But the man had already reached out and jabbed her in the neck with some object hidden in his fist. And Morrisette went down like an emptied sack. The man caught her and supported her in his arms. Then he noticed Wada.

‘Company,’ he called over his shoulder.

A second man, identically dressed, slipped past him and charged along the hall. Wada turned and started towards the back door, which led from the kitchen into a small rear courtyard, enclosed by high whitewashed walls. There was no obvious way out, but it was the only way she could go.

Then she swerved to her right, remembering that her phone and the memory stick holding the Emergence files were in her shoulder bag, looped over the back of a chair on the other side of the table. She grabbed the bag and lunged towards the door, but the man had cut her off, so she dodged round the other end of the table. He followed, then reversed course when he saw what she was trying to do and moved to block her path to the door.

There was a moment when they stood staring at each other. Then he advanced towards her. She saw the kettle to her left, grabbed it off its stand and hurled it at him. A faceful of kettle lid and nearly boiling water sent him recoiling against the table with a bellowed ‘Fuck’.

Wada dodged past him, yanked the door open and plunged out into the yard.