‘Ah. That’s where we come to your role in all this, Wada. You must have been asking yourself why I’ve been willing to tell you so much I’ve kept secret for so long – why I’ve confided in you so completely this morning.’

‘I have been asking myself that, yes.’

‘The answer is that Nishizaki has agreed to let me send an authorized representative to meet him on my behalf. I’d hardly be safe in his company in the present circumstances, so he must have assumed I’d never agree to meet him face to face, knowing he’ll be surrounded by his personal security staff. The venue is to be Quartizon’s London offices, tomorrow morning at nine. Nishizaki’s lawyers have scoured the terms of the sub-lease and obtained a court order seizing the property. I imagine they’re ransacking the place and burrowing into all available records in search of the missing money even as we speak. I need hardly tell you they won’t find it. As a result, Nishizaki isn’t likely to be in the best of humours, I’m afraid.’

‘And you expect me to agree to meet him?’

‘It’s actually in your own best interests that you do. Under stress, he tends to lash out in all directions. And he is under stress right now. More so than he’s been in many years. When he finds a spare moment to consider the part you’ve played in bringing him to this pass, he won’t just dismiss you as small fry and move on. That isn’t the way he works. He’ll come after you. And your mother. And your brother. Yes, I’ve done my homework on you. Just as Nishizaki will have done. He’ll spare no one.’

Wada didn’t want to believe what Driscoll was saying. He might be exaggerating in order to obtain her agreement. But the ugly truth was that she didn’t think he was exaggerating. ‘How can I avert that outcome by meeting him as your representative?’

‘It gives you the opportunity – which you shouldn’t squander – to negotiate an amnesty for you and your family as part of the deal I hope to strike with him.’

‘And what is the rest of the deal?’

‘In return for the safe release of Nick and Dr Morrisette, I will surrender to Nishizaki the retirement package I put in place for myself. He can safely disappear and live well for the rest of his life, albeit not in Japan and not in continuing control of his criminal interests.’

‘What about the fraud victims?’

‘Well, in his absence, those of us left behind to answer for him … will just have to take our chances.’

‘Surely you will become a target.’

‘Very probably. But Nick will be safe. So will Dr Morrisette. And so will you, if you play your cards right.’