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the bills. I knew it would make her explode. I hoped enough to try and find you.’
    ‘But who did you target specifically?’
    ‘Tacita.’
    Tacita? Shit.
    A knock at the door. The next second, the handle moved and the door started to open. I grabbed the pyramid, stuffed it in my pocket and quickly replaced the perfect roses in the centre of the perfect table.
    I picked up the cell and smiled at Aidan. ‘Thank you so much, dear, for stopping that awful whine. You have no idea, it was driving me mad. Is there any chance I could have a glass of water now?’
    ‘Of course, Catherine.’ He smiled. ‘Yes, what is it, Sextus? You know I’m with a client.’
    ‘Of course, Aidan Hirenses, I apologise for interrupting you, but there is an urgent call from your afternoon appointment. He insists on speaking to you now.’
    ‘Well, I’m not finished with my client. I’ll have to call him back.’ Aidan was childishly defiant. So was this Sextus one of the minders? If so, Aidan couldn’t afford to rile them.
    ‘Don’t worry, dear,’ I said. ‘I’ll wait outside while you take your call; then we can finish afterwards. You must look after your important clients. Your Uncle Brian always said so. And he was forty-five years in business! Your young man can find me a drink while I’m waiting.’
    Sextus looked more than annoyed, but he was in a corner with no escape. In the reception area, he stomped over to the water machine.
    Five minutes later, Aidan emerged, paler and shaken. He gave me a quick, nervous smile. ‘Catherine, I’m so sorry, but we’ll have to finish for today. Let me book you in for tomorrow.’ With his back to Sextus, he gave me a pleading look.
    ‘We’re rather busy tomorrow, sir,’ said Mr Helpful.
    Aidan pulled the screen round so he could see for himself. ‘Does eleven o’clock tomorrow morning suit you, Catherine?’
    ‘Well, that would be wonderful, if you’re sure that’s convenient.’
    ‘It is. Let me see you to the door. That’s the least I can do.’
    Sextus rose and tried to intervene, but Aidan was already walking me downstairs. He paused in the tiny lobby before the street door, breathed ‘Thanks’ and pressed my hand. He glanced at the door, then back up the flight of stairs. Sextus was standing at the top, arms crossed like a parent when a child comes in past midnight. Aidan’s face closed, his shoulders dropped, and he dragged himself back up the stairs.
     
    But Tacita?
    Tacita – silent, or clever – was her nickname. In true life, she was Major Marcella Aburia. We’d recently gotten to know each other; I’d introduced her to my battle practice group at Mossia’s gym. Although not a natural action woman, she’d surprised herself, and me, by enjoying it. At least, that’s how I’d interpreted her huge grin and bright eyes at the end of the session despite her gasps to recapture her breath.
    At the big meeting yesterday, she’d looked nervous, almost brittle as she’d walked up to the lectern. Her notes wavered in her hands. She wasn’t tall, or commanding, but she’d spoken in a clear voice and kept her poise. She was a bright cookie and, when describing her new Intelligence section in detail, she’d thrown out a few challenges. I’d seen thoughtful looks on several faces.
    No, not Tacita.
     
    After leaving Aidan’s, I trudged down to the station and caught the next suburban shuttle. I couldn’t see a tail but, two stops later, I left the train and made for the public library where I fussed around the fiction shelves for a quarter-hour. Nobody was following me that I could see. I glanced around and headed for the connecting door into the local curia office. In the bathroom, I released my hair, changed into jeans and tee, stuffing everything else into a nylon backpack. It was the last layer of my disguises for today. A scruffy-haired teenager, rucksack on back, trotted down the steps of the curia main public entrance, across to the shuttle and was soon in