For the first time, Nishizaki came close to smiling, though in essence it was no more than an ironic twist of the lip. ‘I see now why Driscoll chose you to represent him. He must have advised you to ask me for an assurance that I will not pursue you after this matter is settled. Yet you have not asked. Why?’

‘Either you will pursue me. Or you will not. Whatever you say here today.’

‘You are a perceptive woman, Wada.’

‘Will you accept Driscoll-san’s offer?’

Nishizaki sat back in his chair, then leant slowly forward again. He rested his elbows on the table and steepled his hands. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘I will not.’

Wada said nothing. A few moments passed in silence.

‘I will not be made a fugitive by Driscoll. How could I trust him not to reveal my whereabouts to my enemies? And, even if I did trust him, how could I be certain they would not force the information out of him?’

‘Is that what you wish me to tell him?’

‘Tell him his offer is not good enough.’

‘What would be good enough?’

‘I will release Dr Morrisette and Mr Miller if he surrenders himself to me in person. If not, they will die. He must do so within forty-eight hours’ – Nishizaki consulted his gold-braceleted watch with an elaborate cock of his wrist – ‘of now.’ He sat back and gazed along the table at Wada. ‘He can choose where and when in those forty-eight hours. I will give him that. But it is all I will give him. Is that clear?’

Wada nodded. She couldn’t find the breath to speak.

‘You should say it is clear, Wada.’

She summoned her voice. ‘It is clear.’

‘Good. Now you should call him and get his answer. There is a roof terrace. You can speak to him from there.’ He glanced towards the windows. ‘I think it has stopped raining. If not, there is shelter. So, I suggest you go and report to him. And then return with his answer.’

Wada took the lift up to the roof terrace, where, to her surprise, she found a Japanese tea garden, complete with a bamboo teahouse and an array of trimmed shrubs screening the part of the roof given over to air-conditioning units and ventilation ducts.

The rain hadn’t in fact stopped, but the sun was out to the west and the clouds were moving fast. Wada took shelter under the eaves of the teahouse and called Driscoll’s number.

As before, he answered instantly. ‘Wada-san?’

‘I am sorry, Driscoll-san. He has rejected your offer.’

‘Ah. He has, has he? Well, it was to be expected.’ Certainly, Driscoll sounded as if he had been expecting it. ‘It was worth a try. Thank you for trying. What are his terms?’