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enjoying it?’
    He watched carefully for my response to his formulaic question. I had the impression he never wasted a word.
    ‘Good to have a few days to recover after the exercise – something I guess you know all about,’ I said, and looked up at him through my eyelashes. I saw a half-smile of appreciation and heard a chuckle from Conrad.
    ‘Sorry,’ Andrew said, and smiled. ‘That was rather trite. Seriously, let me know if there’s anywhere particular you’d like to visit and I’ll do my best.’
    ‘Well, thank you. That’s a great offer.’ But I doubted he’d get us into Buckingham Palace, something that would have been pretty intriguing.
    When we’d finished eating, I excused myself, making my way through the frosted glass door and up the narrow red and gold papered stairway to the restrooms. Back down again in the tiny lobby, I stretched my hand out to open the door back into the restaurant when I heard Conrad’s voice, clipped and tense. But strangest of all, his usual faultless English was spoiled by traces of a Latin accent. Only when he was exhausted or stressed out did his accent slip.
    ‘… not a clue. It was hand delivered. As soon as I read it, I stuffed it back in the envelope. Gods, I can’t believe it! The signature just said “Nicola”. Who the hell is she?’
    That got my attention. I froze where I was.
    ‘Let me have the letter, Conrad, and I’ll get somebody at the lab to process it. If there’s anything, even a partial, we’ll find her. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Not a word to Carina.’
    ‘Jupiter, no. She’s as sharp as all hell and can pick up a conspiracy in a breath of air.’
    ‘So I’ve heard,’ came the dry reply.
    What in Hades was that about?
    I shucked off my shoes and crept back up the stairs. At the top I slipped them back on and came down the stairway making light shoe noise on each uncovered tread. I swung through the door, a smile on my face. The two men smiled back equally blandly and we made nice conversation for the rest of the evening.
    *
    Next morning, I woke at the touch of Conrad’s lips on my forehead. Totally relaxed, I enjoyed the soft tingle as it spread through my skin. I smiled before I opened my eyes. But when I did, I was disappointed to see him dressed, and in sweats and sneakers.
    ‘Just going for a run in the park.’ He pulled his glance away a little too quickly, turned and shut the bedroom door behind him before I could say anything.
    That was weird. We ran together whenever we could. He’d recovered so well from his accident earlier this year that he’d now resumed full-on training. The first proper run, he’d scarcely managed a kilometre before collapsing, heaving breath like a suffocation victim. Luckily, we’d kept to the parkland behind Domus Mitelarum but it hadn’t lessened his humiliation and anger at himself. He hadn’t said a word as we walked back, him limping badly. But for Juno’s sake, his leg had been smashed in several places by that truck running him down. I’d reassured him, but his confidence had suffered. Although he seemed fit now, months later, even he had to admit he’d lost his edge.
    If I hadn’t overheard his conversation last night with Andrew Brudgland I would have shrugged it off as quirky, or thought he was letting me rest some more. But not this time.
    I leapt out of bed and frantically pulled on my own jogging sweats and sneakers. Yanking the door to the landing open, I startled the guard and tore down the service stairs. Would Conrad have taken the elevator? At the foot of the narrow stairwell, I hurried past a surprised maid and headed for the staff door leading to the lobby. No sign of him through the shaded window panel. Damn! I edged into the main lobby, sidled along to the elevator doors then stepped out briskly across the marble lobby. Outside I glanced up and down Park Lane. It was only half seven in the morning, but already busy. I peered between the traffic and spotted