But now he had to lose this unwanted visitor at the storage facility. He crawled to a spot where he could see the entrance. Someone was there locking the door from the inside. He was dressed like a farmer. He wore a broad straw hat so he wasn’t recognizable from above. He had a two-wheeled market trolley that held a cardboard box. Dom crawled to the edge of the stack where there was an uninterrupted view of the ground. The visitor had moved a small table into the space and placed it beside a large white industrial refrigerator. He opened the box and took out a compact movie projector. As there was only one of its kind in the country, Dom recognized it as the one he’d brought from Australia. The newcomer unreeled a long extension cord and plugged it into a socket on one concrete post. Dom remained silent, unseen but fascinated as the man turned on the projector and pressed a switch that produced a neat rectangle of light on the side of the fridge.

“Dom, I have some good news for you,” shouted the man. The voice was familiar but a little distorted in the windowless chamber. Dom was shocked to hear his actual name.

“I should have realized earlier where you’d be,” the man continued. “You could probably live here for the rest of your life. Plenty of survival rations to eat. Lots to entertain you. You won’t be able to see the picture from up there but the volume’s probably loud enough,” he said. “Of course you’d know, seeing as it’s your equipment, right? Hope you don’t mind us borrowing this and the camera. If you do want to watch, feel free to come down. I’m not armed. All you’ll see on the screen is a couple of drunks in a bar alcove talking. You should recognize both of them. One of them I think you took a shine to when you met her here. Our pretty blonde. The other’s changed a lot since you last saw him but it should be quite obvious who he is.”

The intruder pressed play, walked to the wall by the door and sat down on the concrete floor. He took off his hat.

Dom couldn’t believe his eyes. The audacity. Dr. Siri—uninjured, unarmed and alone—was no more than thirty meters from him. It was as if the old man was giving him a second shot.

“You’re either brave or stupid,” said Dom.

“Bit of both really,” said Siri. “I didn’t tell anyone I was coming. I doubt they’d have let me be here alone if I did. All I ask is that you watch the film before you shoot me. You’ve got plenty of time. And it’ll make things easier the closer to me you are, right? You’re not much of a marksman. No offence.”