She glanced ahead at Joe as they climbed, relieved that he was now an ally and not another enemy who needed to be fooled. This was her last chance to run through her story, although she’d rehearsed until she was confident it was believable and not a work of fiction woven from truth and all her research. She paused on the landing to even out her ragged breath, realizing too late that there were blocked drains as her lungs filled with the overpowering stench.

Joe was ahead of her on the open corridor. A gust of wind drove leaves and litter swirling along the concrete floor, and he turned and motioned for her to follow. There were cracked windows and peeling doorways along one side, and with no walls the building was wide open to the elements on the other. Halfway along, a group of men in little more than trousers and undershirts stood smoking rolled-up cigarettes and fell silent as she approached. They continued watching until she and Joe reached a door that was in good condition except its wooden frame was scored with dozens of marks, as if someone had tried to hammer it down.

Joe locked eyes with her, and she couldn’t see any of her own fear mirrored back.

“Ready?” he asked.

She was torn between bursting with expectation and bolting like a frightened horse, but she took a deep breath and nodded.

“Remember, just stick to what we discussed. You don’t want to find out how unscrupulous they are.”

Alice already knew exactly how unscrupulous they were, and what value they placed on human life.

Then he whispered, “And they can smell fear.” His lips tightened, then he raised a hand and knocked.

It was opened quickly, and the man’s stern expression broke into a smile. “Joe, what a surprise. I didn’t know we had a meeting.”

Alice tried to move her mouth into a placid smile, but her facial muscles wouldn’t respond. It was only Joe’s arm ushering her through the doorway that helped her move at all.

“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced, Sidney. I should have called first, but Miss Jones is only here for the day and, well, I didn’t want either of you to miss the opportunity to meet.”

Sidney’s eyes flicked over to her, and she fought hard not to look away. She could hear Ursula’s voice reminding her to maintain eye contact, that it would gain his trust, but looking this man in the eye took all her nerve. He was Sidney Jardine, the man Rex had identified and whom they’d tried to find.