I felt a sharp prick of anxiety. Being short of money was one thing, and something I knew a bit about. But bankruptcy was something else. And if what Standish said was true, Malouf hadn't just taken me for a ride like the others but had got personal. When someone gets personal with me I get personal back.

He gave me a Hollywood smile. 'I thought that'd get your attention. To answer your question, there's your motivation. Catch Malouf and some very serious charges can be brought against him. You might be able to make a case of fraudulent dealing on his part that could get you off the hook in respect of the shares. I could help you with that, really help. Worst case scenario-if you can recover the money from Malouf, you could pay the call. The shares will have value in time, although not quite yet, given the GFC.'

'And would you help me with that?'

'What?'

'Recovering the money from Malouf.'

The smile again, broader. 'I wouldn't stand in your way.'

'How do I know you're not lying about the shares?'

He opened a drawer in the desk and slid a sheet of paper across to me. 'I got in touch with Perry Hassan, your trusted friend. He confirmed what I've just told you.'

I read Perry's email to Standish. Somehow Malouf's purchase of the shares, on the positive side of the ledger, hadn't cost enough initially to make a difference to my balance sheet, but Perry conceded that I was facing bankruptcy. We civilians imagine that information about clients held by financial advisers is private and protected, but these days nothing is. At a guess, Standish had some leverage on Perry.

'I have a few questions,' I said.

'Of course.'

'I don't have an investigator's licence.'

'From what I've heard of your conduct as a PEA, the rules you broke and the lines you stepped over, that hardly matters.'