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apparently waiting for my reaction. ‘So
how do you all come to know each other?’ he said, when no reaction was
forthcoming.
    ‘Mags and I were best friends at school. We lost touch and
then met up’ – Liz turned to me – ‘golly, when was it now? I can’t quite
remember.’
    ‘A couple of years ago,’ I said, looking at Mike.
    ‘That’s it. We literally ran into each other in Jenners, at
the January sales.’
    Mike continued to watch me. The expression in his eyes was
unnerving. ‘So what’s it like living in Sweden?’ I said, for something to say.
    He shrugged. ‘On the plus side, no-one cares if you’re a
Catholic or a Prot.’
    ‘And on the minus side?’
    ‘Swedes don’t know how to party – I’ve been at better wakes,
to tell the truth – so you have to make your own fun.’ He grinned. ‘Last
Saturday, I hooked up with a group of Yanks. We spent the evening drinking in
hotels. It was a blast. I spent most of Sunday sleeping it off.’
    Harry had been waiting for an opportunity to join the
conversation. ‘Talking of drink, there’s time for a quickie before our tour.
What do you say to a little Bolinger? My treat, of course.’ He got to his feet.
‘Let me see if I can find the barman.’
    Mike nodded at Harry’s retreating back. ‘That feller’s face
looks familiar.’
    ‘Oh, you’ll have seen it on television,’ said Liz. ‘He’s
written a bestseller, The Modern Terrorist: Nature or Nurture? You must
have heard of it.’
    From Mike’s expression, I guessed he hadn’t. But then, I
hadn’t heard of Harry before Liz had introduced us.
    ‘ Nature or Nurture? ’ He pulled a face. ‘Sounds far
too theoretical. I once went to a talk called something like that. It was given
by this university boffin. Had a face as long as a week. The talk was totally
incomprehensible. I’m not even sure the boffin had his teeth in at the time.’
    Liz laughed. ‘Ah, but Harry’s books are different. I took a
module on terrorism when I was at college, and the books on the reading list
were all by him. Jolly good they were, too. And his talks can be hysterically
funny.’
    ‘You must have heard him on the radio,’ I said. ‘Professor
Henry Auchinleck? The expert who advises governments on terrorism?’
    Liz was watching Mike. ‘Not just governments. NATO, the EU,
the UN – you name the initials. He’s a really brilliant academic. He’s got more
medals than Montgomery.’
    ‘Can’t say I recognise the name. But an academic, you said?’
He rubbed his chin. ‘Hardly the fast lane. It’s down there with lawyers and
financiers.’
    ‘Careful,’ said Liz, before I could reply. ‘Maggie’s an
accountant.’
    He leant back, studying me. ‘I took an accountancy course
once. Not exactly rocket science, is it? Just figures on a spreadsheet.’
    I couldn’t let this go. ‘Yes, sweetie,’ I said, forcing a
smile, ‘but I can do it backwards and in high heels.’
    ‘Well, that’s lovely now, Maggie.’ His lips twitched. ‘So
where do you do your sums?’
    ‘ Sums? ’
    ‘We both work for the same company,’ said Liz quickly.
‘Bayne Pharmaceuticals.’
    He straightened his tie. ‘The Scottish drug company? We did
some consultancy for them a couple of months ago, I believe.’
    ‘You believe correctly,’ I said, my smile coming easily now.
‘Our servers haven’t been the same since.’
    His eyes moved over my face. ‘A sense of humour. I like that
in a woman.’
    ‘Mags is Deputy Finance Director, you know. She practically
runs Bayne’s.’
    ‘No, I don’t,’ I said, annoyed Liz was embarrassing me in
front of a stranger. I frowned at her, trying to signal that I wanted to bring
the topic to a close. ‘Don’t believe everything Liz tells you, Mike. I’m just a
pawn in a giant game of chess.’
    ‘Have you found the job difficult?’ he said. ‘The Finance
people at Mane Drew are permanently on the verge of nervous breakdowns.’
    I hesitated. ‘The first six months were