"And I"ll be querying it," said Matlock. "Taken to drink, have you?"

"It used to be the wine cellar."

They took their places. Matlock a.s.sumed the head of the table. Hector, normally the stubborn technophobe, sat himself on Matlock"s left in order to be in front of a tape recorder and a computer console. And to Hector"s left sat Luke, thereby providing the three of them with a clear view of the plasma screen that the absent Ollie had erected overnight.

"Did you have time to wade through all the material we bunged at you, Billy?" Hector inquired sympathetically. "Sorry to interfere with your golf."

"If all all is what you sent me, yes, Hector, I did, thank you," Matlock replied. "Though in your case, as I have come to learn, the word is what you sent me, yes, Hector, I did, thank you," Matlock replied. "Though in your case, as I have come to learn, the word all all is somewhat of a relative term. I don"t play golf, as a matter of fact, and I"m not enamoured of summaries, if I can avoid them. Specially not yours. I could have done with a bit more raw material and a bit less arm-twisting." is somewhat of a relative term. I don"t play golf, as a matter of fact, and I"m not enamoured of summaries, if I can avoid them. Specially not yours. I could have done with a bit more raw material and a bit less arm-twisting."

"Then why don"t we offer you some of that raw material now, and make up?" Hector suggested, just as sweetly. "I take it we"re still Russian speakers, Billy?"

"Unless yours has gone rusty while you were out making yourself a fortune, yes, I think we are."

They"re an old married couple, thought Luke, as Hector pressed "play" on the tape recorder. Every quarrel they have is a rerun of one they"ve had before.

For Luke, the very sound of Dima"s voice acted like the start of a full-colour film. Every time he listened to the ca.s.sette that Perry the innocent had smuggled in his shaving bag he came away with the same image of Dima crouched in the forests around Three Chimneys, clutching a pocket recorder in his improbably delicate hand, far enough from the house to escape Tamara"s real or imagined microphones, but near enough to scurry back if she yelled at him to come and take another phone call.

He could hear the three winds battling round Dima"s glistening bald head. He could see the treetops above him shaking. He could hear the crashing of leaves and a gurgle of water, and he knew it was the same tropical rain that had drenched him in the forests of Colombia. Had Dima made his recording in a single session or in several? Did he have to brace himself with shots of vodka between sessions in order to overcome his vory vory inhibitions? Now his Russian bark drops into English, perhaps to remind himself who his confessors are. Now he is appealing to Perry. Now to a bunch of Perrys: inhibitions? Now his Russian bark drops into English, perhaps to remind himself who his confessors are. Now he is appealing to Perry. Now to a bunch of Perrys: "You English gentlemen! Please! You are fair play fair play, you have land of law! You are pure! I trust you. You will trust Dima also!"

Then back to his native Russian, but so careful of its grammatical niceties, so prinked and articulated, that in Luke"s imaginings he is trying to rid it of its Kolyma stain in preparation for rubbing shoulders with the gentlemen of Ascot and their ladies: "The man they are calling Dima, number one for money-laundering for the Seven Brothers, financial mastermind to the retrograde usurper who calls himself the Prince, presents his compliments to the famous English Secret Service and wishes to make the following offer of valuable information in exchange for trustworthy guarantees by the British government. Example Example."

Then only the winds speak as Luke imagines Dima mopping away his sweat and tears with a large silk handkerchief Luke"s own gloss, but Perry had repeatedly mentioned a handkerchief before taking another slug from the bottle and proceeding to the full, irrecoverable act of betrayal.

"Example. Operations of the Prince"s criminal organization now known as the Seven Brothers include:"One: importations and rebranding of embargoed oil from Mid East. I know these transactions. Many corrupt Italians and many British lawyers are involved."Two: injection of black money into multi-billion-dollar oil purchases and revenues. For this my friend Mikhail, called Misha, was specialist for all seven vory vory Brotherhoods. For this purpose he also lived in Rome." Brotherhoods. For this purpose he also lived in Rome."

Another break in the voice, and perhaps a silent toast to the late Misha, followed by an exuberant return to fractured English: "Example three: black logging, Africa. First we are converting black timber into white timber. Then we are converting black money into white money! Is normal. Is simple. Many, many Russian criminals in tropical Africa. Also black diamonds very interesting new trade for Brotherhoods."

Still in English: "Example four: facsimile medicines, made in India. Very lousy, do not cure, make you bring up, maybe kill. Official State of Russia has very interesting relations with official State of India. Also very interesting relations between Indian and Russian Brotherhoods. The one they call Dima knows many interesting names, also English, regarding these vertical connections and certain private financial arrangements, Swiss-based."

Luke the worrier is undergoing an impresario"s crisis of confidence on Hector"s behalf: "Volume all right for you there, Billy?" Hector asks, pausing the tape.

"The volume is very fine, thank you," Matlock says, with just enough emphasis on volume volume to suggest that the content may be a different matter. to suggest that the content may be a different matter.

"On we go then," said Hector, a little too meekly for Luke"s taste, as Dima gratefully reverts to his native Russian: "Example: in Turkey, Crete, Cyprus, in Madeira, in many coastal resorts: black hotels, no guests, twenty million black dollars weekly. This money also is laundered by the one they call Dima. Certain criminal British so-called property companies are complicit."Example: personal corrupt involvement of European Union officials with criminal meat contractors. These meat contractors must certify high quality, very expensive Italian meat for export to Russian Republic. For this arrangement my friend Misha was also personally responsible."

Hector again pauses the recorder. Matlock has raised his hand.

"How can I help you, Billy?"

"He"s reading."

"What"s wrong with him reading?"

"Nothing. As long as we know what he"s reading from."

"Our understanding is that his wife Tamara wrote some of his lines for him."

"She told him what to say, did she?" said Matlock. "I don"t think I like the sound of that. Who told her her what to say?" what to say?"

"Want me to fast forward? It"s only stuff about our colleagues in the European Union poisoning people. If it"s outside your remit, say the word."

"Kindly continue as you are proceeding, Hector. I shall henceforth reserve my comments till later in the performance. I"m not sure we have a requirement for Intelligence on meat sales to Russia, in point of fact, but you may rely on me to make it my business to find out."

To Luke, the story Dima was about to tell was truly shocking. Nothing he had endured in life had dulled his senses. But what Matlock made of it was anybody"s guess. Dima"s weapon of choice is once more Tamara"s English: "Corrupt system is as follows. First First: Prince arranges through corrupt officials in Moscow that certain meat is called charity meat charity meat. To be for charity charity, meat must be for needy elements of Russian society only. Therefore on meat that is corruptly cla.s.sified for charity, no Russian tax payable. Second Second: my friend Misha who is dead buys many carca.s.ses of meat from Bulgaria Bulgaria. This meat is dangerous to eat, very lousy, very cheap. Third Third: my friend Misha who is dead arranges with very corrupt officials in Brussels Union that all Bulgarian meat carca.s.ses will be stamped individually with European Union stamp of certification identifying meat as very top quality excellent best European Standard Italian meat individually with European Union stamp of certification identifying meat as very top quality excellent best European Standard Italian meat. For this criminal service, I, Dima, personally pay one hundred euro per carca.s.s to Swiss account of very corrupt Brussels Brussels official, twenty euro per carca.s.s to Swiss account of very corrupt official, twenty euro per carca.s.s to Swiss account of very corrupt Moscow Moscow official. Net profit to Prince, after deduction of all overheads: one thousand two hundred euro per carca.s.s. Maybe fifty Russian people, also kids, got sick and die from this very bad Bulgarian meat. This is only official. Net profit to Prince, after deduction of all overheads: one thousand two hundred euro per carca.s.s. Maybe fifty Russian people, also kids, got sick and die from this very bad Bulgarian meat. This is only estimate estimate. This information is officially denied denied. The names of these very corrupt officials are known to me, also Swiss bank accounts by number."

And a stiff postscript, sonorously delivered: "It is personal opinion of my wife Tamara L"vovna that immoral distribution of bad Bulgarian meat by criminally corrupted European and Russian officials must be of concern to all Christian person of good heart worldwide everywhere. It is G.o.d"s will."

The unlikely intervention of G.o.d in the proceedings had created a small hiatus.

"Would somebody mind telling me what a black hotel black hotel is?" Matlock demanded of the air in front of him. "I happen to take my holidays in Madeira. There never seemed anything very black about is?" Matlock demanded of the air in front of him. "I happen to take my holidays in Madeira. There never seemed anything very black about my my hotel." hotel."

Fired by a need to protect the subdued Hector, Luke appointed himself the somebody who would tell Matlock what a black hotel was: "You buy a bit of prime land, usually on the sea, Billy. You pay cash for it, you build a five-star luxury-hotel resort. Maybe several. For cash. And throw in fifty or so holiday bungalows if you"ve got the s.p.a.ce. You bring in the best furniture, cutlery, china, linen. From then on your hotels and bungalows are full up. Except that n.o.body ever stays in them, you see. If a travel agent calls: sorry, we"re fully booked. Every month a security van rolls up at the bank and unloads all the cash that"s been taken in room rentals, bungalow rentals, the restaurants, the casinos, the nightclubs and the bars. After a couple of years, your resorts are in perfect shape to be sold with a brilliant trading record."

No response beyond a raising of Matlock"s avuncular smile to maximum strength.

"It"s not only resorts either, actually. It can be one of those strangely empty white holiday villages you must have seen them, trickling down Turkish valleys to the sea it can be, well, scores of villas, obviously, it can be pretty well anything that"s lettable. Car hire too, provided you can fudge the paperwork."

"How are you today, Luke?"

"Fine, thanks, Billy."

"We"re thinking of putting you up for a medal, courage beyond the call, did you know that?"

"No, I didn"t."

"Well, we are. A secret one, mind, nothing public. Nothing you can flash on your chest on Remembrance Day, mind. That wouldn"t be secure. Plus it would fly in the face of precedent."

"Of course," said Luke, totally confused, now thinking a medal might be the one thing that would get Eloise over her depression, now that it was yet another of Matlock"s wiles. Nevertheless, he was about to say something appropriate in reply express his surprise, grat.i.tude, pleasure only to find that Matlock had lost interest in him: "What I"m hearing so far, Hector, if I cut away the guff, which I like to, is in my humble view straight international crookery. All right, granted, the Service has a statutory interest in international crookery and money-laundering. We fought for a piece of it when times were hard, and now we"re landed with it. I refer to that unfortunate fallow period between the Berlin Wall coming down and Osama bin Laden doing us the favour of 9/11. We fought for a piece of the money-laundering market the same as we fought for a larger slice of Northern Ireland, and whatever other modest pickings were available to justify our existence. But that was then then, Hector. And this is now now, and as of today, which is where we are living, like it or not, your Service and mine has better things to do with its time and resources than get its knickers caught in the highly complex wheels of City of London finance, thank you."

Matlock broke off, expecting Luke knew not what, unless it was applause, but Hector, to judge by his stony expression, was a long way from providing it, so Matlock drew breath and resumed.

"As of today, furthermore, we also have, in this country, a very large, fully incorporated, somewhat over-financed sister agency that devotes its efforts, such as they are, to matters of serious and organized crime, which I take it is what you are purporting to be unveiling here. Not to mention Interpol, and any number of competing American agencies falling over each other"s very large feet to do the same job while careful not to prejudice the prosperity of that great nation. My point is, Hector wait till I"m finished, please my point is, I"m not seeing what I was brought here for at extremely short notice. We all know that what you"ve got is urgent urgent, though to whom I"m less sure. Maybe it"s even true true. But is it ours ours, Hector? Is it ours?"

The question was evidently rhetorical, for he rolled on.

"Or could it be, Hector, that you are trespa.s.sing, at your peril, on the highly sensitive preserves of a sister organization with which, over painful months, I and my Secretariat have thrashed out very hard-won lines of demarcation? Because were that to be the case, my advice to you would be this: package up that material you have just played to me, and any other material of the same ilk that is in your possession and, with immediate effect, pa.s.s that material to our sister organization with a grovelling letter of apology for trespa.s.sing on its sanctified areas of competence. And when you have done that, I suggest you award yourself, and Luke here, and whoever else you"ve got tucked away in your cupboard, two weeks of well-deserved sick leave." Had Hector"s fabled nerve finally run out? Luke wondered anxiously. Had the strain of bringing Gail and Perry to the water taken too much of a toll? Or was he so driven by the high purpose of his mission that he had lost his grasp on tactic?

Lethargically reaching out a finger, Hector shook his head and sighed, and fast-forwarded the tape.

Dima calm. Dima reading, whether Billy Boy likes it or not. Dima powerful and dignified, orating from script in his best ceremonial Russian: "Example. Details of very secret pact in Sochi 2000 between seven bonding vory vory Brotherhoods, signed by the Seven Brothers and called The Understanding. Under this pact, personally brokered by usurper b.i.t.c.h Prince with arm"s-length connivance of Kremlin, all seven signatories agree: Brotherhoods, signed by the Seven Brothers and called The Understanding. Under this pact, personally brokered by usurper b.i.t.c.h Prince with arm"s-length connivance of Kremlin, all seven signatories agree:"One: to avail themselves and make communal all proven and successful money routes designed by the one they call Dima, henceforth number-one money-launderer for all seven Brotherhoods."Two: all communal bank accounts will be conducted under vory vory code of honour, any deviation will be punished by death of guilty party, accompanied by permanent exclusion of responsible code of honour, any deviation will be punished by death of guilty party, accompanied by permanent exclusion of responsible vory vory Brotherhood. Brotherhood."Three: corporate respectability will be created in following six financial capitals: Toronto, Paris, Rome, Berne, Nicosia, London London. End destination of all laundered monies: London London. Best centre of respectability: London London. Best outlook for long-term banking ent.i.ty: London London. Best prospect to save and conserve: London London. This is also agreed."Four: the task of obscuring origins of black money and directing its pa.s.sage into safe havens will continue to remain the primary and sole responsibility of the one they call Dima the one they call Dima."Five: for all major movements of money, this Dima will have first-signature rights. Each signatory to The Understanding will appoint one clean envoy. This clean envoy will have second-signature signing rights only."Six: to effect substantive alteration to above system, all seven clean envoys will be simultaneously required to be present under vory vory law. law."Seven: the pre-eminence of the one they call Dima as master architect of all money-laundering structures agreed under The Understanding of Sochi 2000 is hereby acknowledged."

"And amen, as we might say," Hector murmurs, and once more switches off the recorder and glances at Matlock for a reaction. Luke does too, to be greeted, of all things, by Matlock"s indulgent smile.

"D"you know, Hector, I think I could have made that up myself," he says, shaking his head in what must pa.s.s for admiration. "Beautiful is all I can say. Fluent, imaginative, and puts him right at the top of the heap. How can anyone possibly question the veracity of such a magnificent global statement? I"d give him an Oscar for a start. What does he mean by clean envoy clean envoy?"

"Clean like cleanskin, Billy. No previous convictions, criminal or ethical. Accountants, lawyers, moonlighting policemen and Intelligence officers, any made brother who can travel, sign his name, owes his allegiance to his Brotherhood and knows he"ll wake up with his b.a.l.l.s in his mouth if he robs the till."

Appearing to Luke more like a careworn family solicitor than his irrepressible self, Hector consults a bit of battered card on which he had apparently scribbled himself a march route for the meeting, and again fast-forwards the tape.

"Map," Dima barks in Russian.

"b.u.g.g.e.r it. Too late," Hector mutters, and runs back a stretch.

"Also conditional upon reliable British guarantees, will be very secret, very important map map."

Dima resumes, reading rapidly, as before, from script in Russian: "In this map map will be recorded international routes of all black monies under control of the one they are calling will be recorded international routes of all black monies under control of the one they are calling Dima Dima who is speaking to you." who is speaking to you."

At Matlock"s bidding, Hector yet again pauses the tape.

"What he"s talking about here isn"t a map, it"s a link chart link chart," Matlock complains, in the tone of a man correcting Dima"s inadequate vocabulary. "And I"ll just say this regarding link charts link charts, if you"ll bear with me. I"ve seen a few link charts link charts in my time. They tend to resemble multicoloured rolls of barbed wire leading in no direction known to man, in my experience. in my time. They tend to resemble multicoloured rolls of barbed wire leading in no direction known to man, in my experience. Useless Useless, in other words, in my judgement," he adds with satisfaction. "I put them in much the same category as p.r.o.nouncements regarding mythical criminal conferences on the Black Sea in the year 2000."

You should see Yvonne"s link chart, it"s absolutely wild, Luke wants to tell him in a fit of miserable hilarity.

Matlock on a winning streak does not lightly let go. He is shaking his head and smiling ruefully: "You know something, Hector? If I had a five-pound note for every piece of pedlar material from untried sources that our Service has fallen for over the years not all in my time, I"m glad to say I"d be a rich man. Link charts, Bilderberg plots, world conspiracies, and that old green shed in Siberia that"s full of rusty hydrogen bombs, they"re all one to me. Not rich by the standards of their ingenious fabricators, maybe, or your standards either. But for the likes of me, very comfortably off indeed, thank you."

Why the h.e.l.l doesn"t Hector cut Bully Boy down to size? But Hector appears to have no stomach left for retaliation. Worse still, to Luke"s despair, he doesn"t bother to play the last section of Dima"s historic offer. He switches off the tape recorder, as if to say "tried that one, didn"t work", and with a chagrined smile and a rueful "Well, maybe you"ll be better off with some pictures to look at, Billy", takes up the remote control for the plasma screen and switches off the light. But Hector appears to have no stomach left for retaliation. Worse still, to Luke"s despair, he doesn"t bother to play the last section of Dima"s historic offer. He switches off the tape recorder, as if to say "tried that one, didn"t work", and with a chagrined smile and a rueful "Well, maybe you"ll be better off with some pictures to look at, Billy", takes up the remote control for the plasma screen and switches off the light.

In the gloom, an amateur video camera shakily roams the battlements of a medieval fort, then descends to the sea wall of an ancient harbour crowded with expensive sailing boats. It is dusk, the camera is of poor quality, unequal to the failing light. A ninety-foot luxury yacht in blue and gold lies at anchor outside the harbour walls. It is dressed overall with fairy lights, its portholes are lit. Distant dance music reaches us from across the water. Perhaps someone is celebrating a birthday or a wedding? From its stern hang the flags of Switzerland, Britain and Russia. At its masthead, a golden wolf bestrides a crimson field.

The camera closes on the bow. The ship"s name, inscribed in fancy Roman and Cyrillic gold lettering, is Princess Tatiana Princess Tatiana.

Hector is providing a flat, dispa.s.sionate commentary: "Property of a newly formed company called First Arena Credit Bank of Toronto, registered in Cyprus, owned by a foundation in Liechtenstein which is owned by a company registered in Cyprus," he announces drily. "So a circular ownership. Give it to a company, then get it back from the company. Until recently she was called the Princess Anastasia Princess Anastasia, which happens to be the name of the Prince"s previous squeeze. His new squeeze is called Tatiana, so we may draw our conclusions. The Prince being presently confined to Russia for his health, the SS Princess Tatiana Princess Tatiana is out on charter to an international consortium called, funnily enough, First Arena Credit International, a different ent.i.ty entirely, registered, you"ll be surprised to hear, in Cyprus." is out on charter to an international consortium called, funnily enough, First Arena Credit International, a different ent.i.ty entirely, registered, you"ll be surprised to hear, in Cyprus."

"What"s wrong with him then?" Matlock asks aggressively.

"Who?"

"The Prince. I don"t think I"m being stupid, am I? Why"s he confined to Russia?"

"He"s waiting for the Americans to drop some thoroughly unreasonable money-laundering charges they levelled against him a few years back. The good news is, he won"t have to wait long. Thanks to a spot of lobbying in Washington"s halls of greatness, it will shortly be agreed that he has no case to answer. Always helpful when you know where influential Americans keep their illegal offsh.o.r.e bank accounts."

The camera leaps to the stern. Russian-style crew in striped shirts and matelot hats. A helicopter about to land. Camera returns aft, descends uncertainly to sea level as the picture darkens. A speed-launch pulls alongside, pa.s.sengers aboard. Busy crew in attendance as pa.s.sengers in their finery cautiously ascend ship"s ladder.

Go back to stern. The helicopter has landed but its blades still slowly rotate. Fine lady in billowing skirt descends red-carpeted steps, clutching hat. Followed by second fine lady, then a bevy of fine men in blazers and white ducks, six in all. Fuzzy exchange of hugs. Faint shrieks of greeting over dance music.

Cut back to second speed-launch pulling alongside, delivering pretty girls. Skin-tight jeans, fluttery skirts, many bare legs and shoulders as they ascend ladder. A brace of fuzzy trumpeters in Cossack uniform sound halloos of welcome as pretty girls come aboard.

Pan awkwardly on guests a.s.sembled on main deck. There are so far eighteen. Luke and Yvonne have counted them.

Film freezes and becomes a series of clumsily advancing close-ups, much enhanced by Ollie. Caption reads SMALL ADRIATIC PORT NEAR DUBROVNIK June 21 2008. It is the first of many captions and subt.i.tles that Yvonne, Luke and Ollie in committee have superimposed as an accompaniment to Hector"s spoken commentary.

The silence in the bas.e.m.e.nt is palpable. It"s as if everyone in the room including Hector has drawn in his breath at the same time. Perhaps they have. Even Matlock is leaning forward in his chair, staring fixedly at the plasma screen before him.

Two well-preserved, expensively tailored men of affairs are in conversation. Behind them, the bare neck and shoulders of a middle-aged woman with lacquered white bouffant. She has her back turned to us and wears a four-row diamond collar and matching pendant earrings, the cost anyone"s guess. At left of screen, an embroidered cuff and white-gloved hand of a Cossack waiter is offering a silver tray laden with gla.s.ses of champagne.

Close on the two men of affairs. One wears a white dinner jacket. He is black-haired, heavy-jawed and of Latin appearance. The other wears a very English double-breasted navy blue blazer with bra.s.s b.u.t.tons or, as the British upper echelons prefer to have it Luke should know, they"re where he comes from himself a boating jacket. By comparison with his partner, this second man is young. He is also handsome in the way that young men of the eighteenth century were handsome in the portraits they donated to Luke"s old school when they left it: broad brow, receding hairline, the haughty sub-Byronic gaze of sensual ent.i.tlement, a pretty pout, and a posture that manages to look down on you however tall you are.

Hector has still not spoken. The committee"s decision was to let the subt.i.tles say what anyone would know from half a glance: that the double-breasted boating jacket with bra.s.s b.u.t.tons belongs to a leading member of Her Majesty"s Opposition, a Shadow Minister tipped for stratospheric office at the next election.

It is Hector, to Luke"s relief, who ends the awkward silence.

"His remit, according to the Party handout, will be to put British trade into point position in the international financial marketplace to put British trade into point position in the international financial marketplace, if anyone can tell me what that means," he remarks caustically, with a slight resurgence of his old energy. "Plus of course putting an end to banking excesses. But they"re all going to do that, aren"t they? One day."

Matlock has found his tongue: "You can"t have business business without making friendships, Hector," he protests. "That"s not how the world works, as you of all people should know, having dirtied your hands out there. You can"t without making friendships, Hector," he protests. "That"s not how the world works, as you of all people should know, having dirtied your hands out there. You can"t condemn condemn a man just for being on someone"s boat!" a man just for being on someone"s boat!"

But neither Hector"s tone nor Matlock"s implausible indignation can ease the tension. And it is no consolation at all that, according to Yvonne"s subt.i.tle, the white dinner jacket belongs to a tainted French marquis and corporate raider with strong ties to Russia.

"Anyway. Where did you get this lot from?" Matlock suddenly demanded, after a spell of silent brooding.

"What lot?"

"The film. Amateur video. Whatever it is. Where d"you get it?"

"Found it under a stone, Billy. Where else?"

"Who did?"

"A friend of mine. Or two."

"What stone?"

"Scotland Yard."

"What are you talking about? The Metropolitan Police? The Metropolitan Police? You"ve been tampering with police evidence, have you? Is that what you"ve been doing?" You"ve been tampering with police evidence, have you? Is that what you"ve been doing?"

"I would like to think I have, Billy. But I very much doubt it. Would you care to hear the story?"

"If it"s true."

"A young couple from the London suburbs saved up for their honeymoon and took a package holiday on the Adriatic Coast. Walking the cliffs, they happened on a luxury yacht at anchor in the bay and, seeing that there was a spectacular party in progress, filmed it. Examining the footage in the privacy of their home in let us say Surbiton, they were amazed and thrilled to identify certain well-known British public figures from the worlds of finance and politics. Thinking to recoup the cost of their holiday, they sent their prize hotfoot to Sky Television News. The next thing they knew, they were sharing their bedroom with a squad of uniformed gun-toting policemen in full-body armour at four o"clock in the morning, and being threatened with prosecution under the Terrorism Act if they didn"t hand over all copies of their film immediately and forthwith to the police, so very wisely they did as they were told. And that"s the truth, Billy."

Luke is beginning to realize that he has been underrating Hector"s performance. Hector may appear b.u.mbly. He may have only a bit of scruffy old card in his hand. But there is nothing scruffy about the march route he"s put together in his head. He"s got two more gentlemen to introduce to Matlock and, as the frame widens to include them, it becomes evident that they have all along been party to the conversation. The one is tall, elegant, mid-fifties, and of a vaguely amba.s.sadorial demeanour. He dominates our Minister-of-State-in-Waiting by nearly a head. His mouth is open in jest. His name, Yvonne"s caption tells us, is Captain Giles de Salis, RN, retired.