‘Thank you.’ Wada’s heart sank as she rang off. Kodaka was dead, Caldwell might well be dead too and Mrs Takenaga was now under close control. That left Wada alone, vulnerable and poorly equipped to anticipate her enemies’ next move. Her best hope was that they thought her so poorly equipped she wasn’t worth bothering about.

She made another phone call then, to the Hotel Arnarson in Reykjavík. The man who answered sounded slightly friendlier than the man she’d spoken to the night before. She repeated her enquiry about Martin Caldwell without mentioning she’d already been told he’d left.

‘Ah, Mr Caldwell. So many people are asking about Mr Caldwell.’

‘They are?’

‘Yes. We have heard from the police also about him.’

‘Has he done something wrong?’

‘I cannot say.’

‘Do you think he’s still in Iceland?’

‘I guess he must be. The police said there was no record of him leaving the country. But … can I have your name?’

‘I am just a friend.’

‘Yes, but, excuse me, you sound … well, are you Japanese?’

‘Why do you ask?’

‘One of the people who came looking for Mr Caldwell was a Japanese gentleman.’

‘What was his name?’

‘He didn’t give a name. Like you.’

‘Was he … tall?’

‘Yes. He was. Taller than me. And I am not short.’

‘Thank you for the information.’

‘Can I—’

She ended the call there and stared for a moment into the distance. Building work was underway on the land beside the station, as it seemed to be underway everywhere in Exeter. But Wada’s gaze was fixed on the hilly horizon. The tall Japanese man looking for Caldwell in Reykjavík had to be the same tall Japanese man who’d come to Caldwell’s home in Exeter. Something he’d found on the computer he’d taken must have told him where Caldwell had gone. But what was Caldwell doing in Iceland?

By the time she boarded the train, she was exhausted all over again. The effort of leaving the hospital and travelling to the station had taken a lot out of her. Or maybe it was the phone calls that had done it. There was just so much she didn’t know. But she was determined to learn more. And determination had carried her through before. Maybe it would again.

Nick woke early as well. Over breakfast, he debated with himself whether he should do as Mike had suggested. The clincher was the question of what else he could do. It seemed, in the end, there was no other way to get Caldwell out of his head. He’d have to go to Exeter and see what he could find out.

The morning was cold but fine. As soon as the rush hour was over, he set off. There and back in the day was his aim. There and back with the Caldwell issue settled.