"Can we see the table from here?" I ask.
"No, it’s further back in a separate room."
"Is there a door?"
"Yes, Miss Waverley."
Perfect.
"Then please take me there. I’ll wait outside so I can knock exactly at 9:00." He looks puzzled.
"Mr. Volt insists on it."
By the time I’ve explained, the six minutes are nearly gone and I’ll be late.
"I understand. Please follow me."
I nod and walk behind him. He's careful to make sure I don't have to rush.
We pass several set tables. The women are all dressed up and the servers take their time. Nobody hurries here. It's probably this tranquility that's reflected in the prices.
The server brings me to the door and whispers: "We're here. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thank you."
He nods and leaves.
I look at my watch. Four minutes and fifty-three seconds left. Which I now get to spend standing around here...
Chapter 28
Alexander
A few hours earlier...
With a stone-cold expression, I look at Simon, who gazes at me inquisitively. "Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing," he answers.
I lean back in my chair while he continues spreading out his documents. We’re in my living room, and the hacker I hired is reporting that he found nothing incriminating on London.
"I searched through her emails, monitored her phones, looked at all the websites she visited and..." He glances at his business partner Justin, who nods briefly. "...Justin followed her."
"She always went straight home or shopping. No suspicious meetings. Nothing."
"She had the entire weekend before to meet with someone," I speculate.
"True. But she would have had to make contact. I traced her data back three months, then extended it to six, just to be thorough. Nothing."
I lean forward and examine the printouts. Chat logs, website visits. "Not even an attempt to find someone who could use the data?"
"No. She searched for recipes and..." Simon hesitates before tapping on a stack of paper. "Well. Men."
"Men?"
"Forum posts about men acting strangely after one-night stands. She registered and asked questions. She was more concerned with trying to understand some guy named A., cooking, and searching for music, movies, and good books."
I take the forum pages and skim the first few lines.