He went to the bar, ordered two, brought them back, sat down, took out a pack of Russian cigarettes and lit one.

“So, as nothing incredibly shocking has happened in New York, you must have a story for me.”

“Not a thing,” she said.

“Come on, Greta, GRU handles all things Arabic and Muslim. There has to be something.”

“That’s the point. There isn’t. The President didn’t keep his damned appointment with Senator Black. After the function at the Pierre, he went straight to Washington.”

“And Morgan?”

“Certainly went to Gould amp; Co. as usual. One of our New York associates confirmed this. The only unusual activity was some sort of paramedic ambulance going down into the underground parking lot. It left half an hour later.”

“Did our associate follow?”

“He deemed it unwise.”

“I should bloody well think so. It stinks.”

“Do you think they got him?”

“Sounds likely. But if they have, they won’t let on, and it won’t affect us anyway. There were no direct contacts.”

Greta nodded. “I think they’d want him alive to see what he had to say. On the other hand, our American friends are a lot lighter on the trigger these days and he did have the cyanide tooth.”

“Alive or dead, they won’t advertise the fact. What about the mother?”

“I called yesterday, as you suggested. Brought flowers and a basket of fruit, supposedly from friends at the mosque.”

“How was she?”

“Faded – slightly confused as usual. She told me everyone at the mosque was so kind, Dr. Selim was fantastic. And she mentioned that someone from the Council Welfare Department had visited her. A woman, apparently.”

Ashimov frowned. “Why would the Welfare Department visit her?”

“Because she’s handicapped?”

“Rubbish. Her son’s well enough off. Why would Welfare visit?” He shook his head. “I don’t like it. Did she say if they would visit again?”

“I don’t know.”