The Key to Midnight

Marlowe, because both his phone and the one in London were equipped with state-of-the-art scrambler devices, which made it nearly impossible for anyone to eavesdrop.
        Marlowe said, 'A couple of hours ago Joanna Rand called British-Continental to ask about the payoff on her father's life insurance.'
        'You spoke to her?'
        'Someone else. And a few minutes ago I was finally told about it, as if it wasn't terribly important. We have some idiots here.'
        'What did your idiot say to her?'
        'He told her we hadn't any files that old. He used the Phillips name, of course. Now what do we do?'
        'Nothing yet,' Carrera said.
        'I should think time is of the essence.'
        'It's not actually necessary that you think.'
        'Obviously the whole charade is crumbling.'
        'Perhaps.'
        'You're damned cool. What am I to do if she comes calling?'
        'She won't,' Carrera said confidently.
        'If she's beginning to question her entire past, what's to keep her from popping up here in London for a closer inspection?'
        'For one thing,' Carrera said, 'she carries a posthypnotic suggestion that makes it impossible for her to leave Japan. When she attempts to board a plane - or a ship, for that matter - she'll be overwhelmed by fear. She'll become violently ill. She'll need a doctor, and she'll miss her flight.'
        'Oh.' Marlow considered that information for a moment. 'But maybe a posthypnotic suggestion won't have much force after all these years. What if she finds a way around it?'
        'She might. But I'm getting daily reports from Kyoto. If she gets out of Japan, I'll know within an hour. You'll be warned.'
        'Nevertheless, I simply can't have her nosing around here. Far too much is at stake.'
        'If she gets to England,' Carrera said, 'she won't stay long.'
        She can cause irreparable damage in just a day or two.'
        'If she gets to London, she'll be seeking an unraveled thread of the conspiracy. We'll provide several she can't overlook, and all of them will lead to Zurich. She'll decide this is where the mystery can be solved, and she'll come here. Then I'll deal with her.'
        'Look here, if she does slip past your people in Kyoto and out of the country, if she does show up in London by surprise, I'll make my own decisions about how to handle her. I'll have to move fast.'
        'That wouldn't be wise,' Carrera said with a softness that was more ominous than any shouted threat could have been.
        'I'm not just part of your game, you know. In fact, it's little more than a sideline to me. I've got a lot of things going on, a lot of interests to protect. If the woman comes knocking at my door without warning, and if I feel she's endangering my entire operation, then I'll have her terminated. I'll have no choice. Is that clear?'
        'She won't arrive without notice,' Carrera said. 'And if you harm her without permission, she won't be the only termination.'
        'Are you threatening me?'
        'I'm merely explaining the consequences.'
        'I don't like to be threatened.'
        'I haven't the authority to whack you,' Carrera said. 'You know that. I'm just telling you what others will surely decide to do with you if you make a wrong move with this woman.'
        'Oh? And who would pull the trigger on me?' Marlow asked.
        Carrera named a singularly powerful and ruthless man.
        The name had the desired effect. Marlowe hesitated and then said, 'Are you serious?'
        'I'll arrange for you to receive a phone call from him.'
        'For God's sake, Ignacio, why would a man of his position be so intently interested in one of these relocations?'
        'Because it's not simply another relocation. She's special.'
        'What makes her different from the others? Who is she?'
        'I can't tell you that.'
        'You can, but you won't.'
        'That's right.'
        'I've never seen her,' Marlowe said. 'She's liable to show up on my doorstep, and I wouldn't even recognize her.'
        'If the need arises, you'll be shown a photograph,' Carrera said impatiently, eager to end the conversation and return to his exercises.
        A moment ago Marlowe had been securely wrapped in that false but unshakable sense of superiority that came from pride in lineage, from years at Eton and then Oxford, and from the upper-crust, old-boy circles in which he moved. Now