Geraint frowned. ‘Surely he wouldn’t take down a plane just to get one woman?’

‘If Frederick has a questionable moral compass and is gearing up for one final payday, I’d rule out nothing.’ Hattie looked round at us. ‘The Committee state the priority is making sure Peng gets clear of the UK alive. As soon as that happens we switch to tracking down Frederick. We will get him. He will be held responsible for everything he’s done.’

We were all silent. Frederick’s greed and treachery may have been responsible for the deaths of several colleagues, but it was Robin we were all thinking of.

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

CHRISTIE’S AUCTIONEERS WAS HOUSED inside an impressively large and beautiful building in Mayfair. This afternoon’s auction was of Asian contemporary art. Peng and the delegation would be there for the auction and to meet the artists whose work was being showcased.

People were starting to arrive; the main auction room was filling up fast. I stood by the door, assessing who was entering.

Daddy Pig walked in. I remembered from his email correspondence how his attendance at this auction had been long planned. He was picking up the keys to a friend’s country pad for a night away with his mistress. I thought of Naomi and her stoic tears. And his cold determination to make her fight him for every penny.

I stopped Daddy Pig with my arm and leaned in. ‘We know you’re having an affair.’

His head whipped towards me. ‘Who the hell are you? What are you talking about?’

‘Just like you, Ronald, I work for a number.’

He frowned. ‘What the hell kind of business do Five or Six have with my private life?’

‘Not Five. Not Six.’ I stared him in the eye. ‘Eight.’

He paled.

‘I . . . I’m not doing anything wrong. I . . .’

‘Your wife might disagree. You treat her right or we might feel the need to intervene.’

‘Come on . . . You can’t be serious.’

‘Do you think anyone in Eight ever jokes about anything? Do you think we’d waste time talking to you unless we had a point to make?’

‘No.’ He shook his head vigorously.

‘Let her divorce you and give her everything she asks for. Remember: we will be watching you. We will be following you. We will know everything. So choose your next move very carefully.’

‘Understood.’ He swallowed. He walked off fast.

‘Oh, and Ronald?’ He turned back to me. ‘She gets to keep the dog.’

The horror on his face made me smile.

*

Jake came up to me.

‘We got to Miss Jenna. I just spoke to Cameron. She tracked her down to Luton and had a little chat with her.’

I could only imagine exactly what that entailed.

‘The Tenebris Network is financed by two fund managers.’