‘The police will come soon, Miller-san. Before they do, you should call your wife and tell her you are free.’

‘I don’t have a phone.’

‘Use mine.’ She takes it from her bag and offers it to him.

As she does so, it starts ringing. Holgate, she assumes. Will he never give up? But, when she looks at the number, she sees it isn’t Holgate after all. It’s the only other person who knows the number: Driscoll.

‘Hold on,’ she says to Nick, raising the phone to her ear and wondering what exactly she’s going to hear.

It’s a recording. Of Driscoll’s voice. ‘I’m betting you’re at Porthtowan this morning, Wada. I’m also betting everything’s gone according to plan. In which case Nick and Dr Morrisette are free. And Nishizaki and I are on our way to the afterworld. In the end, there was no other way to go. To save Nick, I had to guarantee Nishizaki’s elimination. And this was the only way to do it. There was no reasoning – no bargaining – with Nishizaki. I should have realized that sooner. His son will take over the business, but there’ll be nothing to fear from him. Tell Dr Morrisette Vinod will give her all the assistance she needs to dissociate herself from the Emergence fraud. The evidence he supplies will point the finger of blame at Nishizaki and me. As for Nick, you’ll let him hear this message, won’t you? I want him to know I’m sorry – truly sorry – that I was nothing as a father to him except an absence built on a lie. I’m sure he had a better upbringing with Caro and April than I’d ever have given him. I take some comfort from being able to make sure he has a life to go on with. It’s the least I can do for him. And also the most. I was really looking forward to meeting him, but it wasn’t to be. Nanoq will return the kage-boshi file to you. I don’t think you’ll need to use any of the contents to protect yourself, but, just in case, it’s yours. Try to get Mimori Takenaga released from that psychiatric clinic her family consigned her to, will you? She’s just another innocent victim, after all. Like your late husband, I’m afraid. There’s nothing I can do about any of that now. The only thing I can do … is what I hope I will have done by the time you hear this.’

‘What’s wrong?’