Necropolis

that so far he was disappointed. They were driving through a wasteland of blank, modern warehouses and unwelcoming hotels — the sort of places that always surround airports — and Matt wanted to tell him that this wasn't London at all.
    Then, twenty minutes later, they turned off the motorway, and suddenly they were in the city itself, passing the Natural History Museum in Kensington — it was still closed for repairs following Matt's last visit there — then the Victoria and Albert Museum, Harrods, and Hyde Park Corner. Jamie stared, openmouthed. He had spent much of his life in the desert landscape of Nevada, and he wasn't used to seeing anything that was actually old. For him, London, with its monuments and palaces, was another world. He saw red buses, pigeons, policemen in blue uniforms, taxis — it was like falling into a pile of picture postcards. His one disappointment was that Scott wasn't with him. The two brothers had never been so far apart.
    The driver took them to a hotel in Farringdon, a quiet part of London with narrow streets and a meat market that had been around when the animals were driven there in herds rather than delivered from Europe, prepacked in boxes. The Tannery, as it was called, was small and anonymous — Richard and Matt had stayed there before. It was just a few minutes away from the private house where the Nexus met. By the time they arrived, it was eleven o'clock. A meeting had been arranged for half past seven that evening, giving them the rest of the day to relax and unwind from the long flight.
    They made their way into a reception area that was like the front room of someone's house, with thick carpets, flowers, and the comforting tick of a grandfather clock. The receptionist was a tight-lipped woman who took care not to give too much away. She glanced disapprovingly at Richard — still in his Hawaiian shirt, looking more like a beach bum than ever — and the two boys who were with him, then asked for their passports and slid forward some forms for them to sign.
    "How many nights?" she asked.
    "We're not sure," Richard said.

    "Two rooms. I see they've been prepaid…"
    The telephone rang. The receptionist plucked the receiver as if it were an overripe fruit and held it to her ear. "The Tannery Hotel," she said. A moment's silence. Her eyes fluttered and she handed the phone to Richard. "It's for you, Mr. Cole."
    Richard took the phone. Whatever he was hearing, it wasn't good news. He muttered a few words, then put the phone down.
    "What is it?" Matt asked.
    "Scarlett Adams…She's leaving London."
    "What?" Matt couldn't believe what he had just said. "Where's she going?"
    "We can still catch her." Richard looked at his watch. "She's going to Hong Kong. She's booked on the three-thirty flight…"
    "Not back to Heathrow!" Jamie groaned.
    "No." Richard weighed up the options. He was finding it hard to concentrate. He needed a shave more than ever, and his eyes were red with jet lag. "We can't intercept her at Heathrow," he said. "It's too public. She's never met us. She might not even want to talk to us. But her taxi isn't collecting her until midday. We can reach her before she leaves."
    The decision had been made. The three of them dumped their luggage with the receptionist, turned round, and walked out again. Fortunately, the driver was still waiting. Richard went up to him and told him where they wanted to go. The driver didn't argue. Matt and Jamie got back in again.
    They hadn't even seen their rooms. The next moment they were off again, threading their way through Farringdon and down to Blackfriars Bridge. It was now approaching the lunch hour, and London had changed. Although they had made good progress from the airport, the traffic had snarled up. Every traffic light was red. It felt as if the entire city had turned against them.
    "Who was it on the phone?" Matt asked.
    "Susan Ashwood. She's already in London."
    Miss Ashwood was a medium who also happened to be blind. Matt had first met her in Yorkshire, and it had been she who had introduced him to the Nexus.

    "How did she know?" Matt asked.
    "The Nexus are still bugging Scarlett's phone. They had two people following her too…"
    It didn't look as if they were going to make it. The whole of South London had become one long traffic jam. The car crossed Tower Bridge — giving Jamie a quick glimpse of the River Thames and St. Paul's
    — but after that, the city just felt drab and overcrowded with an endless