So many questions. They whirled in Wada’s head. She couldn’t corral them into order. A trip to the toilet revealed she was still light-headed and unsteady on her feet. Her head ached dully despite the painkillers. She was irritated by her own weakness. But she couldn’t will it away, try as she might.

She was asleep when they brought her supper. And asleep again soon after eating it. Her body had won out in the struggle with her mind. She was going to rest, whether she wanted to or not.

NINE

WADA WOKE FEELING much more like her normal self. she’d always been quick to recover from injuries or illnesses. Haha claimed Wada had inherited this resilience from her, although there might have been another explanation. ‘Why is Umiko up and about so soon?’ she’d once heard her father ask following a bout of glandular fever. ‘Because I haven’t made the mistake of fussing over her,’ her mother had replied.

It was early morning, the ward was quiet and Wada’s mind was clear. She got out of bed and walked around experimentally. There was less pain and much less wooziness, although sudden movements still needed to be avoided. She dressed and left the ward, telling the nurse on duty she was going out to get some fresh air. The nurse didn’t seem to notice Wada was carrying her bag under her arm. In fact, she barely noticed her at all. Which wasn’t unusual in Wada’s experience.

Outside, there were several people standing at a bus stop. They paid Wada no attention as she joined them. It was a cold morning and most of them were concentrating on keeping as warm as they could.

The bus arrived and, conveniently for Wada, its destination was St David’s station. She clambered aboard with the others and bought a ticket. ‘All the way, please,’ she told the driver.

At the station, she found herself with half an hour to wait for the next train to London. The business day would be drawing to a close in Japan, but it wasn’t too late to call Dobachi. His secretary answered and said Dobachi was out of the office, but she confirmed the despatch of a package to Wada by express international post on Tuesday. ‘It should arrive today, Wada-san.’ But that wasn’t all she had to report.

‘Dobachi-san asked me to tell you if you called that he has made enquiries about Kodaka-san’s client, Mimori Takenaga. She has been admitted to a psychiatric clinic; no visitors allowed. That is all he has been able to establish.’