Alan looked at Mario, a faint smile on his face, but his eyes were guarded. He knew Mario’s reputation, and wondered which side of the family war he stood on: Donna’s or Stephen’s. Then he noted the way Mario crossed his legs delicately and half-smiled to himself. At least he knew which side of the bed he slept on anyway.

‘Mario, what can I do you for?’

Mario stared into Alan’s face for a few seconds before replying. ‘I am here to ask your advice, and also to ask for your help.’

Alan spread his arms wide. ‘Ask away, son. I can’t promise you anything, but I can listen.’

Mario lit a small cheroot and said slowly, ‘Donna has gone to Sri Lanka; she left this morning. Stephen is also out in Sri Lanka. Now I don’t know how much you know, Mr Cox, but from the amount of time you’ve spent with my sister-in-law, I’d say it’s a lot more than I do. I do not trust my brother Stephen as far as I can throw him. I don’t like the idea of her being out there while he’s there either. If I go, it’ll be all over the Smoke in no time. Now if you could send someone out there, not only would I be grateful, but Georgio would be as well.’

Mario was gratified to see the look of utter astonishment on Alan Cox’s face. From it he could tell that Donna’s so-called ‘holiday’ was as much news to Cox as it had been to Mario and his mother.

‘She’s gone out to Sri Lanka, you say?’

Mario nodded, saved from answering by the young waiter arriving with their drinks. Once the door was shut Alan spoke again.

‘Listen, Mario, I want to know what you know, and I want to know what you suspect. Then we’ll try and make some sense out of it all, and see what needs to be done.’

Mario sipped his white wine daintily and nodded.

‘All I know, Mr Cox, is this. If Stephen’s out there it means trouble. I know Georgio has dealings out there, and in Thailand as well. Now between you and me, Georgio is as crooked as a London financier, always has been. I think he was into something very big before he went down. That’s why he stripped his businesses. Knowing my brother like I do, he will still be involved, and whatever it is he is involved in will be dangerous to Donna. She is not equipped to deal with people like Stephen. Oh, she thinks she is, but then usually she has Georgio behind her here. Out there anything could happen to her, and no one would ever be any the wiser. You do get my drift, don’t you?’