"OK." "Here we are." "What a great evening." "Thank you." "If you want, I could come in, pour you a drink." "Tell you the problem." "I'm not thirsty." "But I had a great time." "Thank you." "Good night." "'Yeah?" "' No luck." "'Why?" "What happened?" "'" "I don't know why." "I have to try something else." "What's this?" "It's lobster." "I've never had it." "OK." "I don't think my mom wants me to eat it." "Well, then leave it." "Yeah..." "Good, huh?" "Brave man!" "Don't touch me!" "No, I don't want to hear it." "Stay away from me, leave me alone!" "Would you like another beer?" "No, thanks." "Incredible." "We have to go see your mum." "How is he?" "He's fine." "Did you get a job?" "Only two kinds of job on the island, hotel or bank." "Give rich people their lunch, or give rich people their money." "Which?" "Lunch." "How was your lobster?" "Rubbery." "It was kind of you." "Forget it." "I'd rather be with Aldous than be on my own." "I enjoy his company." "You saved my bacon." "If I can return the favour." "Don't worry." "I'll think of something." "Bye, Aldous." "Nice day." "Let's do it again." "Don't you have a car?" "I left it in Cambridge." "Good night." "Hey!" "Hey!" "We know each other?" "Who are you?" "If you know me, you don't need to ask." "I know you, don't I?" "No, I don't think so." "You're bluffing, aren't you?" "I live nearby." "Is that it?" "I'd bet a lot of money you and I have met." "I'm sorry." "I wish I could help." "Yeah?" "'I found your number.'" "So that means you must know my name." "'Come and have a drink this evening." "'There are some people I'd like you to meet.'" "Are you still there?" "'I'm still here." "'If you don't, you'll spend the evening worrying, "What did I miss?"'" "I don't worry." "I never worry." "I'm at the Shelter, you must know it." "'You have reached a machine." "'Please leave your message and we'll get back to you.'" "'You said to get in touch if ever I was in trouble.'" "Well, that's it." "I'm in trouble." "Bell me." "Morning." "'..closing price of 233...'" "You're looking cheerful." "I just had a good workout." "You should try it." "I don't think the Prime Minister wants to play squash with me." "He would if he met you." "No." "My game's not good enough." "Do you ever win?" "Almost never." "He'll play with anyone as long as they give him a good game and he can beat them." "That's Alec." "What are you up to?" "Nothing special." "Fishing for clients." "You?" "Oh." "Planning the future." "Anything urgent?" "Nothing." "OK." "Tom, great you could make it." "Why wouldn't I?" "Only problem with paradise, nothing to do!" "You must find it boring after such an eventful life." "How do you know about my life?" "Please, don't insult my intelligence." "Keep cool, keep calm, don't say too much, OK?" "And now, introductions." "No." "You go first." "Gary, Frank, Dido, this is Tom Eliot." "He's English." "British." "Well, we can spend the next hour debating the difference." "In my book you're English." "Englishman!" "So now perhaps you'll tell me, what's your name?" "Who is this guy?" "Are you serious?" "He comes for a drink, he doesn't know who you are?" "I'm Curtis Pelissier." "Of course you are." "I'm the host." "Gary, remember, I can ask who I want." "At the end of the day, go private, because you want to know something?" "It works out cheaper." "Across the Atlantic, say." "By the time you buy tickets for your kids and the nanny and the wife..." "Oh, Christ, just pay the 50 and travel in comfort." "You don't have to listen to other people." "That's worth 50,000!" "Dido, you're crazy." "You've lost all sense of what's going on." "Oh, have I?" "I don't notice you piling into Jet Blue." "You know, people have this contempt for money because nowadays nobody's allowed to say what everyone knows that money is the best way of keeping score..." "Dido, you're full of shit." "I'm not full of shit." "I'm telling you..." "I don't think we've met." "No, you're right." "Hello." "Welcome." "Thank you." "How do you know Curtis?" "Erm..." "I don't." "Then why did he invite you?" "Interesting, I've been asking that myself." "I take it you're a friend of his?" "I'm a friend of everyone here." "So, who are they exactly?" "Entrepreneurs." "They run a company called Gladstone." "You must have heard of it." "Gladstone?" "Have I?" "What do you do?" "Are you asking me?" "Er...yeah, I just asked." "I'm a financial PR." "Meaning?" "Well, if you haven't heard of Gladstone, then that's my fault." "Once upon a time, back in the old days, it would take a whole lifetime to destroy the reputation of a politician or a banker - but now, as we know, someone just hits send and it can happen overnight." "And usually does." "So it's my job to keep the company's good name." "Does Gladstone have a good name?" "Good enough." "Tom Eliot." "Melanie Fall." "It's a classier idea." "It's about exclusivity." "It's about grabbing the moment." "So, Tom, what do you think?" "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening..." "Clearly." "Frank was saying..." "I was just saying, we're in business, you know, so we want to make something that's popular." "But we also want it to be exclusive." "That's a paradox, that's a challenge." "It's what Stirling always says..." "Stirling?" "Stirling Rogers." "Rogers is a friend of yours?" "He's an associate." "Stirling says, by definition, exclusivity means for the few." "So if we just catered for the few, we don't make any money." "Example." "This is a nice hotel." "But you build 200 of them, all of a sudden people say it's not so nice any more." "So, how do you solve this dilemma?" "How do you solve it, Tom?" "I'm not the man to ask." "I'm retired." "What business were you in, Mr Eliot?" "I was a civil servant." "Where?" "In London." "Which ministry?" "Agriculture and Fisheries." "I know a lot about cod." "Salmon quotas." "That sort of thing." "Answer me this - how can you afford to live here?" "The answer is, I can't." "They probably gave him one of those socialised pensions." "Lives off it for life." "It's modest, actually." "The rest of us poor bastards, we worked every minute on the clock, turns out we were in the wrong game." "Dido, calm down." "Big mistake, should have lived off other people like a socialistic, left-wing dick." "This guy can live on the islands, because he has got gold-plated security." "While we were out there, we were taking risks." "Tell you what happens to people who take risks, they get screwed by people who never took a fucking risk in their lives." "That's the way it is." "There are a few people who lead." "Who innovate." "And then there's the rest." "I'm sorry." "There's no need to apologise, really." "Dido is a difficult man going through a difficult time." "What sort of time?" "The recession." "Oh, the recession, I see." "No recession and he would have been pleasanter, would he?" "I'd say, throw in Asperger's, and it's a dangerous mix." "Be-definitely." "Are you going to stay for dinner?" "Funny, I think I might skip it, if that's OK." "I was thinking you and I could meet up tomorrow?" "Maybe in a less pressured environment?" "You mean less pressured than this?" "I enjoyed meeting you, Tom." "Yes." "So did I." "I'd like to see you again." "'It's what Stirling always says..." "Stirling?" "'Stirling Rogers." "Rogers is a friend of yours?" "'He's an associate." "Stirling says, by definition, exclusivity means...'" "'I don't want to be remembered as someone who just took things out." "'I want to put something back." "'That's why I'm financing my new foundation, the Bridge, which 'will set to work solving some of 'the world's most intractable problems.'" "'Across the UK." "This is BBC Radio 5 Live." "'Welcome to 5 Live news." "The Prime Minister, Alec Beasley, 'visiting his constituency today spoke of the need for everyone 'in the country to keep their nerve." "'This has been a global recession." "'And all the suffering and the sacrifice of the last few years 'is about to pay off." "And this is not the moment...'" "'This is interesting, this is getting interesting." "'Looks like I've lucked into some men we know about, 'but it's dangerous." "'I need your help.'" "'I need to know..." "Are you getting these calls?" "It's urgent." "'I need to hear from you now.'" "Come quickly!" "Help!" "Now!" "Do you know what's happening?" "No idea." "'..big mistake, should have lived off other people like a socialistic, left wing...'" "Yes. 'Hi, Tom." "It's Melanie Fall.'" "Melanie." "Did you hear the news?" "I can't believe it." "We'd spent the whole evening telling Dido how offensive he was being." "'Does that mean you went to dinner?" "'" "I did." "Then I got bored and left them arguing." "'Really?" "What were they arguing about?" "'" "Where are you today?" "I'm at home." "'Do you want to get together?" "'" "Melanie, forgive me, I'd love to meet up but I have visitors." "This is nice." "Good afternoon." "I'm Jim Carroll." "This is Little Harry." "Harry." "Tom Eliot." "We're both policemen." "This morning a man was murdered." "He was hit on the head and thrown in the sea." "Was it definitely murder?" "I saw what happened." "I don't mean..." "OK." "Dig yourself out." "I don't mean I saw the murder but I did see the body being pulled up onto the beach." "And you recognised the victim?" "I met him last night." "For the first time?" "How did you meet him?" "I was asked for a drink by Curtis Pelissier." "Is he a friend of yours?" "As a matter of fact, not." "Then how does he know you?" "As I say, I don't think he did." "Then why would you go?" "Why would you go for a drink?" "I'm going to throw this back at you, Jim." "Believe it or not, it's unusual to be approached by someone who claims they know you when they don't." "That's why I went." "I was intrigued." "If I'd known one of the party was going to be killed," "I wouldn't have gone." "I dare say neither would he." "And people say you and Dido got into some kind of violent dispute." "Violent?" "No." "What then?" "By simply existing I seemed to offend his politics." "You work in public service?" "You're right." "You're well informed." "Even so," "I've never heard of anyone killing anyone else because they were a civil servant." "Are you going to mind if I take a look inside?" "Be my guest." "You've been here a month or two?" "You had some work done?" "It's a small island, Mr Eliot." "You can't build a steel security unit without everyone knowing." "I wouldn't call it a security unit." "Wouldn't you?" "What would you call it?" "Oh, it's just my personal stuff." "OK..." "I'm going to show it to you, and then you can put your mind at rest." "First time in my life I've ever seen clothes locked away." "Some people keep their money in claret, I keep mine in shirts." "Of course, all of mine have a little crocodile sewn on." "Makes me wonder what you'd build if you had something really valuable." "I'm going to say goodbye to you." "I wonder, before you go, could I ask you a question?" "What was Dido Parsons doing on the island?" "Gladstone International's based here, remember?" "For tax purposes." "That was his only reason?" "In a few days, there's going to be this international colloquium." "This place will be crawling with rich and powerful people." "The world's leading business people and politicians." "What, four days in the sun and they conclude that global recovery depends on them making more money?" "They're rich men, they can waste their time any way they want." "I think Dido came here early because he and his friends are planning a new hotel." "As if what belongers need are more hotels." "What do you need, Mr Carroll?" "I'll tell you what." "Belongers need regular jobs for regular people." "Isn't that what a hotel would bring?" "So far, all it's brought is a bunch of doubtful-looking men from New Jersey and a body on the beach." "Here she is now..." "Well, we didn't know if you were going to make it." "Why wouldn't I make it?" "We thought you might have taken to your bed." "And you gentlemen, how are you coping?" "Managing to contain yourselves, I see." "Have you seen the police?" "Not yet." "Have you?" "They took away our passports." "I'd like a large Scotch." "Certainly." "Frank and I were wondering - who's the new one?" "The one called Eliot." "We've already got Pelissier to deal with, now there's an Englishman as well." "I like the Englishman." "Can I ask you something else?" "Go ahead." "Ask whatever you like." "Where'd you go last night?" "After you left us?" "Melanie, in about half an hour I'm going to have to call Mrs Parsons and tell her what happened." "If there's anything you can add, I need to know." "Well?" "Well, what?" "What do you want me to say?" "If you can find the right Mrs Parsons, Gary, then good luck to you." "Because I have met at least five women who have had that honour." "There was one that was running a dry-cleaning business in LA." "And wasn't there one that was temping in pest control?" "If you can remember which one is which, then you have a better memory than I do." "So, please, don't tear at my heart-strings about some woman who just won a game of musical chairs." "Because, frankly, I don't think Dido cared any more than I do." "Or you." "Ah, good." "Is that my Scotch?" "Excuse me." "I'm looking to have a word with the manager." "I am he." "Then I want to ask if it's still possible to buy a pavilion." "I think there may be one or two left." "How are they priced?" "They're priced at 15." "15 million?" "That's in American dollars." "Of course it is." "Plus running costs." "You own it, we rent it out for you in the weeks you're not using it." "I'll get the key." "Thank you." "Am I mistaken or did I see you here having a drink the other night?" "You're very observant." "With Mr Parsons." "Large bathroom." "Shower." "Jacuzzi." "Dido was telling me about a rival hotel he was planning." "Have you heard about it?" "Only rumours." "Does it bother you?" "For a start, we own a large chunk of the island." "We have the best beaches on Turks and Caicos." "Who are "we"?" "I'm talking about our investors." "Ah, yes." "My friend wanted me to ask who those investors were." "Well, it's a very good question." "You don't know who owns the hotel?" "I know who owned it yesterday, but I don't know who owns it today." "How come?" "Because that's the way of things now." "Mr Eliot, I used to be able to open the bonnet, take out a wrench and fix my car." "Now I'd need a degree in electronics." "Even easy things are difficult now." "Perhaps you'll stay for a Bellini on the house?" "I have to get going, the police are going to release" "Mr Parsons' room." "Do you have someone staying there tonight?" "It may sound heartless, but that's the hotel business." "I'm only as good as my occupancy rate." "In the door and out?" "You're going to get me sacked." "I won't get you sacked, I'll get you promoted." "Follow me at a distance, like you don't know me, but you'd like to." "This guy Pelissier gives nothing away." "I've been cleaning his room three days, you wouldn't know he was here." "Huh." "Girlfriend?" "Celibate?" "Celibate, sure." "If celibate's a kind of fish." "If I were a detective, I'd say the way there's nothing suspicious is very suspicious." "You should leave." "I don't want you caught." ""Curtis Pelissier" indeed!" "Yes." "'Good morning, it's your old friend Rollo.'" "Rollo, I don't believe it." "You got my messages." "'I couldn't miss them." "I can smell panic at 3,000 miles.'" "It's not panic, it's opportunity." "OK, it looks like I have been identified by an American colleague." "That's not an opportunity." "That's a disaster." "'It could be a disaster, yes, but I'm planning to play him along.'" "To do that you would need to be cleverer than he is." "Do you think that's possible?" "We're going to find out, aren't we?" "Can't you just make a run for it?" "'If I were you, I'd run for it." "In a few days, there's this thing called the Island Colloquium, run by a man called Stirling Rogers." "You must have heard of him." "Everyone's heard of him." "Private equity." "Buying up most of England." "Not just England." "Turns out he's a business associate of the men we're interested in." "The men from New Jersey?" "'Yes.'" "'What do you want me to do?" "'" "Margot." "'I'm sorry?" "'" "Margot works for Rogers." "After she left Millbank." "Shit smart, too clever to be a spy." "That's where she went." "Johnny, is this a good idea?" "Rollo..." "Shouldn't I decide that?" "Look, if you stay where you are, the CIA are going to be bringing you home...in a cage." "That's a chance I'm going to have to take." "I need you to find Margot." "I want everything she can tell us about Stirling Rogers." "'The next station is London Bridge." "'Change for the Northern Line and National Rail services.'" "Well, I thought it was you." "I was worried you might remember me." "Of course I remember you." "And I spotted you way back." "I spotted you at Aldgate East." "You did not..." "When I got on?" "Yeah." "You did that backward thing." "Did no-one ever teach you?" "It's much more effective to tail someone by going ahead." "Margot, I taught the fucking course!" "Always go in front!" "I know, I just never believed it." "It's counter-intuitive." "Well, now you're paying the price." "You don't look good." "That's because I've been clubbing till an hour ago." "It's almost nine o'clock." "Yeah." "Unfortunately there's a new bylaw." "Men under 25 not permitted to fuck older men until six o'clock in the morning." "What do you do, take a book?" "A book and a pillow, yeah." "So, how is Johnny?" "It's a long story." "As it happens, we're both discredited and we're both disgraced." "What do you do now?" "I work for the Financial Times." "But anyway, the point is this - Johnny asked me to get in touch." "By the way, he said to say sorry for how long it's been." "Four years." "Really?" "Four years, three months and four days." "You're not counting?" "And if it's so important, why didn't he come himself?" "He couldn't come." "Couldn't?" "Why not?" "Because he had to leave the country." "Had to?" "I'm surprised." "Johnny was a good man." "And much the cleverest in the building." "He's still a good man." "It's the building that's changed." "Rollo, I really have left that world." "I don't want anything to do with it." "I quite understand." "I work for Stirling Rogers." "But you probably knew that already." "That's what Johnny needed to talk to you about." "Go on." "Everyone reckons Stirling Rogers is completely legitimate." "He certainly is." "He plays squash with the Prime Minister." "People question his methods." "Sure." "He has a reputation." "He's tough." "He has to be." "He's private equity." "He buys a failing business, he makes it work." "The chariot goes at a certain speed." "Peasants fall under the wheels." "That happens." "I'm sure it does." "Johnny thought you might be able to give him the inside track." "On what?" "On his links." "On his links to some people who might not smell as savoury as he does." "You're shocked." "I'm not shocked, I'm just unwilling." "I'm not in the business of betraying my boss." "It's the international side that interests us." "In particular?" "The American side." "I saw a flicker in there." "No." "You saw no flicker." "Margot, I cannot tell you how serious this is." "It may be a life-saving thing." "Saving Johnny's life, you mean?" "What happens to mine?" "Remember, I have a good job." "Security." "Incredible salary." "Family?" "Normally, when a man asks you to risk everything, he does it in person." "Did he ever give you the talk about trust?" "What talk's that?" "Oh, Johnny used to always say that life was about trust." "Trust isn't always rewarded, but on the other hand, if you make decisions based on trust, then they'll have a sort of rightness to them." "Does that mean you're in?" "Morning." "Good morning." "Morning." "Morning." "You all right?" "Yes, I'm fine." "Good morning." "Anything you need to talk to me about?" "Nothing urgent." "Well, there is something I wanted to ask." "Ask." "What exactly is happening with the Bridge?" "So perhaps you'll tell me what you're doing here." "You went into my room, I thought I'd go into yours." "Next stop, the Credit Bank of Panama." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't you?" "If your things are no longer in that safe, the only place they can be is the bank." "Unless you got that little boy to bury them in the sand." "What little boy is that?" "Didn't I see you the other day - you were eating lobster." "What's that line of Eliot's?" "Remind me." "I don't know." ""I should have been a pair of ragged claws," ""scuttling across the floors of silent seas..."" "Sounds to me more like a crab, not like a lobster." "So that's why you took Eliot's name." "Because you like his poetry?" "I didn't take the name, I was given it." "Were you?" "My parents never read a line of poetry in their lives." "What were their names?" "Oh." "Jean Eliot." "Clifford." "Why?" "Do you need a glass of water?" "Look, this is Turks and Caicos, nobody's who they claim to be." "It's a home for dirty money, which, as TS Eliot would observe, is a tautology, because there isn't any other kind these days." "I think you're fishing, Pelissier." "Curtis." "I'm a retired civil servant and that's it." "If you were a retired civil servant, you wouldn't come for a drink." "I haven't agreed to come for a drink tonight." "No." "But you will." "Be-definitely." "It's an interesting place, isn't it?" "It certainly is." "Nowadays, people will go anywhere to avoid paying tax." "A quick visit to Liechtenstein, Monaco, maybe Jersey, empty the vaults of private wealth and you could write off the world's debt in a day." "In an hour." "In a minute." "Three quarters of the world's cash is hidden away in places exactly like this." "Turks and Caicos?" "21 trillion dollars." "It exists - an entire alternative economy, and the only entry qualification, the services of a good tax lawyer." "Whatever happened to the idea of shame?" ""Shame"?" "Went the way of honour, didn't it?" "So, what do you think about the murder?" "I'm sorry?" "What was it?" "A mugging?" "That's what his friends are saying." "I'm afraid I assumed he was knocked off by an acquaintance." "Maybe someone we had a drink with." "Is that what you think?" "But then you know those people better than me." "Correction." "I've spent five painful days trying to get to know them." "In fact, I was just getting close to Dido when somebody whacked him on the head." "Here we are." "What was your mother's name again?" "My mother's name?" "Jean." "My father's, Clifford." "That's right." "Yes." "I remember now." "You're doing that thing." "What thing is that?" "That thing of pretending to drink." "I've had three, you've had none." "I'm counting." "Is that because you think of this meeting as work?" "OK." "Is this the moment?" "You go first." "I think you're CIA." "CIA?" "In one." "What makes you think that?" "Because you don't exist on the internet." "And because you had my phone number in 30 seconds." "Not hard to get on this island." "I could pay your maid." "I don't have a maid." "Just like you got my maid to help search my room." "OK, I'm going to ask you a favour." "Whatever else you do, please don't involve any maid." "What is this?" "Old-fashioned gallantry?" "What's her name?" "Natalie?" "And now for the first time I see a human being." "You're vulnerable, aren't you, Tom?" "You don't like to see women get hurt." "I don't like to see anyone get hurt." "Do you know the story of St Augustine and the seashell?" "Do you know, I don't." "I keep thinking of it." "St Augustine saw a child on the beach trying to empty the sea with a shell." "If you want to know what my work feels like at the moment, then that sums things up." "Tell me more." "The people you had a drink with are first-class crooks." "In fact, they're more than crooks." "They're contractors." "But you know that, don't you?" "Do I?" "Somebody told me they were here to build a hotel." "They build hotels." "Yes." "When they're not doing other things." "I came down here to take a good look at them." "I couldn't believe my luck when I saw you sitting on the beach because it wasn't the first time I'd seen you." "Really?" "Yes." "I don't remember." "I saw you, you didn't see me." "Where?" "I was behind glass." "Langley?" "Even more interesting," "I got sent an alert just a couple of months ago." "We all did." "What sort of alert?" "When you left England." "Congratulations." "You're Public Enemy Number One." "Your Prime Minister hates you with a passion." "Something to do with a file?" "A file you stole!" "I mean, Johnny, I don't want to blow smoke up your ass but in my opinion you're the only man who comes well out of the war on terror." "Two more, please." "Why, yes, it's been a fascinating few years, you could say, since 9/11." "Do you know how many Americans now work in intelligence?" "I don't know." "Over 200,000." "In 16 different agencies." "With 30,000 private contractors in 170 countries at a grand cost to the taxpayer of 75 billion a year." "And they still call it the intelligence community." "I don't think so." "A new president came in, and he made a promise." "No more torture." "Close Guantanamo." "Right." "Only guess what?" "It didn't happen." "So." "Here I am, passing the time pretending to be a businessman." "Is this with company approval?" "Remember?" "Only a few years back, America was rich." "We could go to war." "We could fight all the wars we wanted, and nobody counted the cost." "You got ripped off?" "Royally." "Now it's dusk in America and people are sore." "It's time for us to get our money back." "And I'm guessing that prospect might interest you too." "All right, I'm going to propose a deal." "Whatever it is, it's not going to be good enough." "How do you know?" "Johnny, you're dealing from an empty deck." "Tall, thin Englishman with good manners in a good suit." "Not many of those." "You're going to be spotted wherever you go." "And let's face it, there's nothing in the world so blown as a blown spy." "OK, I'm going to help you pull in these crooks." "That's what I was hoping." "And in return you're going to let me go." "Why would I do that?" "I'm a patriotic American." "You're not going to call London, you're not going to call Langley." "We're going to do the job and you're going to give me 24 hours to get away." "You do well out of it, I do better." "Is that a deal?" "There is something's wrong with Melanie Fall." "She's damaged." "I want you to find out why." "'In his memoirs, Shostakovich asks his readers 'if they know the line from a Russian children's story 'about how hard it is to pull a hippo from a swamp." "'Well, says Shostakovich, I'm pulling a hippo from the swamp of my memory." "'The hippo's name is Glazunov.'" "Madam, if I may?" "Thank you." "We don't do this often enough." "Not for want of trying." "On my part, at least." "Are you going to have wine?" "I certainly am." "Give me a moment, I'm going to choose something serious." "I, er...felt it was time we addressed fundamentals." "Fundamentals are good." "I suppose I've been trying to understand the pattern." "Pattern?" "Of what businesses we buy." "And why we buy them." "You know this stuff." "Any business which presents a market opportunity." "Yes, but in practice, it's not quite as simple as that, is it?" "There's got to be some ethical dimension." "I wouldn't buy a brothel because I thought the whores could do more tricks to the hour." "Exactly, this is what I'm interested in." "I'm old-fashioned." "I like to think that if I do well, maybe achieve a certain style of life, then I can raise the level around me." "As I go up, so do others." "It's a great idea." "This morning, you asked about the Bridge." "Well, this is what the Bridge is about." "We're putting something aside." "Yeah." "But to what end?" "Specifically?" "How's it going to work?" "Tell me, is this what you want to know?" "Sorry, I'm not sure I've ever quite known what drew you to us in the first place." "Haven't you?" "You never actually told me why you left Millbank." "We had you checked out, of course we did, if not by the best background checkers in England, certainly the most expensive." "What did they say?" "A personal issue." "A man." "Well, then your money was well spent." "Did they give you his name?" "If so, I chose to forget it." "You do brilliant work for us, Margot, but remember your job is analysis." "On every project you're first in and you're first out." "You stay back at HQ." "I'm not there for the rougher stuff, is that what you're saying?" "We believe that efficiency generates prosperity." "We lean companies." "We cut the fat." "That's what we do." "But we both know that comes at a human cost." "Sackings." "Families out on the pavement." "That's why the Bridge is important to me." "I like to believe there's a contribution to the social fabric at the end of all this." "Stirling, why only you?" "You're trying to make some moral sense of what we're doing." "Don't you think the rest of us think about these things?" "Of course you do." "I know that." "Look..." "There are only so many paper cup companies I can turn around." "If the Bridge is doing something to make a difference... ..I'd like to be part of it." "Silly, isn't it?" "You work with people, you like them - and you so easily forget they're as complicated as you are." "Yes, you do." "I'll take you through the Bridge tomorrow." "Thank you." "Dinner?" "Yes, please." "Oh, one more question." "The man at M15, you're over him, are you?" "Oh, yes." "Long over." "There you are, I was thinking you might be overworked." "I am overworked." "I've been reading company reports." "I was wondering perhaps if you'd like to take a trip round the island." "This place is rather beyond my pay grade." "Do you have a car?" "I have access to a car." "Do you want to have a swim before we go?" "I don't have any trunks." "Shame." "If you really want to know, Frank was a friend of my father's." "So was Gary." "I see." "They only half need me on this trip, they more brought me here as a reward." "A reward for what?" "For being a good girl." "A glass of beer?" "I'd like that." "Two, please." "What happened on the night that Dido was killed?" "Why do you ask?" "You rang me, remember, you wanted to talk about it." "So I did." "But first, tell me why did you come to Turks and Caicos?" "Shitty little tax-dodge islands." "I went to an airport in London and took the first flight." "Believe it or not, I'd never even heard of them." "Frank's convinced you're from Inland Revenue." "I wonder what makes him think that." "Oh, and about what happened that night?" "Well, let me tell you..." "Dido was in an obnoxious state." "I remember." "It got even more so as the evening went on." "One thing I've noticed about rich people is they're angry most of the time." "Maybe they're frightened someone's going to come and take their money away." "Dido was an unusual man." "I'd known him my whole life." "We were sitting there saying "It's a beautiful night," ""you've got a drink in your hand, you've just bought a hotel, how's life going to get better?"" "He bought the hotel?" "Yeah..." "Sure." "They all had." "The one you're staying at?" "Dido just kept complaining then sort of staggered off into the distance." "Who with?" "Who did he go with?" "Let's talk about something else, shall we?" "You have to eat." "You have to eat something." "Do I?" "Why?" "Look, these men, they're family friends, if that's what you're asking." "I grew up in New Jersey, people coming round, doing deals, family business, shaking hands, then disappearing." "There's always a hunt for advantage." "I was always alone." "I was an only child, with only one parent... ..in a big, gloomy house on a hill." "Just me and my dad rattling around." "Is your father still alive?" "No, he's dead." "So I got used to being on my own." "I was pretty... ..and my father's friends liked to be with me." "Dad liked it too." "You understand what I'm saying?" "Have you talked to anyone about this?" "I'm talking to you." "Have you ever known anyone who didn't hurt you?" "I need to go to the bathroom." "Too much beer." "I've upset you, I'm sorry." "No, it's not your fault." "There's something wrong with me." "There's nothing wrong with you." "Trust me, there is..." "There is something deeply wrong me." "I know more about it than you." "I've lived with it longer." "I won't tell anyone, I promise." "Thank you." "Shall we go for a walk?" "You don't think I'm fooled, do you?" "I'm sorry?" "You and Pelissier." "Oh." "You don't fool me for a minute." "Is everyone in British intelligence as charming as you?" "I assume you're working with Curtis." "Well?" "It's not quite as simple as that." "It never is." "But he has asked me to help him, yes." "Help him get something he can't get for himself?" "Well, I've made a decision, Tom." "I don't want to spend the rest of my life in witness protection." "I promise you it won't come to that." "And are all your promises made so easily?" "Yeah, well..." "I have an idea." "I have an idea how we might all get out of this thing alive." "But there's a problem." "What's the problem?" "You're going to have to trust me." "You're good at this." "It's a simple game." "You just got to be fast and accurate." "And have a talent for display." "If you play like that, you're going to get arrested." "Whose going to arrest ME?" "And I'll see you and raise five..." "Thank you, Tom." "I enjoyed my day." "You're a nice man." "We'll talk again tomorrow." "Can't we talk tonight?" "You ought to be careful, because if you're not, these people will kill you." "Six to you, Curtis." "Hello, baby." "Hey." "Hey, Melanie." "Nice day?" "I'll see you." "You have GOT to be kidding me!" "I'm happy to show you this, but bear in mind, it's confidential." "The Bridge is a charitable foundation." "We will file but we haven't filed yet." "We're not in that position." "I see." "Any reason for that?" "Money's always happiest when it migrates." "There it is - marching across the page." "There's nothing more beautiful, is there, than money going to work?" "See this?" "Consulting." "Consulting?" "Exactly." "We put it aside." "It's like a tithe." "Exactly." "It's a tithe." "On everything we do." "Business doesn't interest me, philosophy does." "That's why I have the colloquium." "It's for architects, not plumbers." "It's for people who want to re-design the system, not just make it work." "You're one of those people?" "Come to the colloquium." "Why don't you?" "We can hang out on the islands." "Islands?" "Turks and Caicos." "Remind me?" "An hour away from Miami by air, and a universe away in spirit." "Sir, the Prime Minister's waiting." "Don't worry." "I'll put it away." "Stirling..." "Alec, I'm sorry, I had no idea you were early." "No problem, I love being kept waiting by you." "So where are we going to go?" "My shout, wherever you want." "Do you want Japanese?" "No." "There's a good steak house in Hoxton." "You go to all these official dinners, you never get a decent piece of meat..." "I'd forgotten about this." "About what?" "What fun it is." "The first sheet is like a trap door." "It gets us into the catacomb, but it doesn't get us through." "10% on everything goes to the Bridge." "Rogers is charging for his services." "Then..." "Then what?" "I don't get it. "Future projects."" "Can you go back?" "Can you get any more?" "This is good, but it it's not good enough." "Did Johnny tell you what happened?" "You remember, we were together for a long time." "And we thought we'd be together for the rest of our lives." "You could put up with the jazz?" "I could put up with everything." "Except being a spy." "I decided two spies wasn't a good idea." "Together." "Too many secrets." "Too many lies." "It was you who left?" "Johnny's promised me." "Whatever happens, he's going to protect you." "How exactly is he going to protect me?" "I don't even know where he is." "Margot?" "Yes?" "He's on Turks and Caicos." "Well, I had a feeling he might be." "I have to congratulate you, Rollo." "You've done well." "'Have I?" "' Of course." "'Not just dragged her back in, but ruined her life as well?" "Just when she thought she was rid of you.'" "She's going to thank you for that." "'Is she?" "Is she really?" "'" "Yes." "In the long run." "What about the other thing?" "Yes, there is a new boss at the CIA, a new broom, and, yes, it's true, he wants to make a fresh start." "Whatever that means." "And the man who calls himself Curtis Pelissier?" "In your description, six foot two, 160 pounds, cultured, striking..." "'That's the chap.'" "We don't have a match." "I'm sorry," "I know you don't want to hear this, but he could be anyone at all." "Ah, there you are." "I've been looking for you." "I'm a man of regular habits, Mr Eliot." "I take coffee here every morning." "Harry, another cup." "So, how may I help?" "Oh." "I've been wondering how the investigation was going." "Have you?" "What's your interest?" "Well, if you remember, I was briefly a suspect, I believe." "It was done with an oar." "Really?" "Yeah." "Wham!" "Across the face." "Two people out in a boat, only one slugged the other with an oar." "Smashed the cheek." "Parsons fell in the water?" "Are you some kind of professional investigator, Mr Eliot?" "I'm a civil servant looking for somewhere pleasant to retire." "And what's Pelissier?" "The lost prince of the Romanovs?" "If you want to know, I'd put my money on an angry woman." "Yes?" "Why?" "It's a crime of passion, isn't it?" "Passion?" "Yes." "If it's a woman, have you have a suspect?" "Better than that, we have her passport." "And in 24 hours we'll have her DNA." "You weren't thinking of telling her, were you?" "Do you understand the constitution of these islands?" "Did you know Turks and Caicos is a Crown Protectorate?" "I think I do, yes." "And the currency is American but the jurisdiction is British." "We trade in the dollar and kneel to the Crown." "Yeah." "What you might call the worst of both worlds." "Down at my level, you keep coming across people who think that murder is a minor crime." "I've noticed that." "They don't seem concerned about it at all." "When the CIA wants something, the rest of us have to step out the way." "Consider yourself fortunate." "I happen to like you." "Personally, I mean." "Why on earth do you like me?" "Family reasons." "I like the way you've treated my sister." "Your sister?" "And you've been good to my nephew." "Yeah." "Aldous needs a man in his life." "He's a good boy." "I like him." "I know you do." "It's a shame." "I don't imagine you'll be sticking around." "Hello, how are you?" "Welcome back, Mr Rogers." "Nice to see you again." "Great to see you too." "This is Margot Tyrell." "Welcome, Miss Tyrell." "Thank you." "Please, help yourselves." "How's your business?" "Business is great, we're comfortable." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Like it?" "What do you think?" "Wow!" "I just think wow, that's what I think." "Oh, by the way, shout if you need a room of your own." "Hey, stranger." "What can I get you?" "Can I pour you a drink?" "It's a little early for me." "Do you know what I like best?" "I like lying on the bed." "I can see everyone else's lives." "It's so much more fun to watch other peoples', don't you think?" "Anything's better than living your own." "Melanie, time's come, we're going to have to level." "Yeah, I had an idea we might." "I had a talk with Pelissier." "Did you?" "He told me some of the things your friends do for a living." "Had you already guessed?" "I was in the general area." "I had them down as foot soldiers in the war on terror." "No, Tom, they're not foot soldiers." "They're quartermasters." "You wouldn't know the world was suffering, would you?" "Look at these guys, how do you think they're doing so well?" "You tell me." "Gary, Frank, Dido, they did a thousand things." "Some good, some bad." "According to what was needed at the time." "Then they saw an opening." "Not so much a coalition of the willing, more of a coalition of the billing." "Frank and Gary build detention camps." "Yes." "Among other things." "Give me a cigarette, would you?" "Senator, welcome." "Prisons, cages, fences, watchtowers." "Electronics." "Security systems." "The camps had to be built and nobody had to know it was happening." "Do you have any idea of the scale of the thing?" "Yes." "I think I do." "Think about it, camps sprouting up all over the world." "It was a growth business like no other." "And the best part, there isn't any rate." "How much do you charge for building a detention camp?" "Not as much as you charge for keeping quiet about building a detention camp." "The boys, they just took what they liked." "But now everyone's starting to ask questions." "So, everyone's rushing to get their money re-invested." "Re-invested how?" "Look around." "This place?" "Exactly." "It's laundry." "It's good, isn't it?" "You could say it's perfect." "Selling off those places, buying up these." "Prisons for the poor, prisons for the rich." "And that's how the world goes round." "Curtis is looking for proof, isn't he?" "Proof America's been swindled." "Yes." "That's what he wants." "Yeah, well, tell him if he wants it, I've got it." "Or rather I know someone who does." "It has to be on paper." "Oh, it's on paper." "Good." "Tell him the person he needs is flying in today." "Today?" "I told you." "I've been planning this thing a long time." "Will you close the blinds?" "I'm sleepy." "Melanie?" "Yes?" "There's an Englishman, isn't there?" "An Englishman?" "Is that who you're after?" "Not the Englishman." "The Englishman's friend." "How long are we going to sit here?" "Until she arrives." "How are we going to know her?" "Ah." "I'm glad to see you." "Have you had a good flight?" "Couldn't have been better." "Melanie sends her best." "Well, I should hope so." "This is Curtis Pelissier." "Curtis, meet Clare Clovis." "Clare's an accountant." "Is that all you've got?" "What else should I have?" "I'm not planning on staying long." "Curtis is the man you'll actually be dealing with." "He's the money?" "You're right." "Then who are you?" "Oh, you know." "Home help." "How many copies are we going to need?" "I think we all need our own, don't we?" "Does that mean three?" "I think it does." "Oh, and one for safekeeping." "Where's safe on this island?" "Good." "We put the figures in here, and now they're safe." "Are you going to lock?" "When do I get my three?" "You get three million each, you and Melanie, just as soon as the deal goes through." "Then why do I need to stay for the meeting?" "Because they need to see you." "They need to know what I've done?" "They'll know that already." "But they'll need to know you're not going to change your mind." "Do you trust this man?" "I'll tell you in 24 hours." "Hello." "I'm picking up accreditation, my name is Tom Eliot." "I'm a guest of Mr Pelissier." "Of course, Mr Eliot, it's here." "Thank you." "Come this way, please." "Good grief, look at you." "You've never seen me at work." "This is how I am." "It's an act." "It's very convincing." "Well, it should be." "It took me my whole life to get it down." "Let's go outside and share a cigarette." "Sure." "Do you have my tickets?" "You've got my money?" "Yes, I do." "Did you take a look to see where I was going?" "As a matter of fact, I did." "Is there even a shadow of a chance I might see you there?" "I need to ask you a question." "Did you kill Dido?" "Either they did or you did and I don't want to believe it was you." "That would take some nerve, wouldn't it... ..to kill a man, and then call you up the next morning and joke about it?" "What sort of person does that?" "What sort of person?" "We had a nice day, didn't we, Tom?" "It was a nice day." "Drinking beer by the beach... ..shooting pool." "It was a nice time." "We're not going to see each other again, are we?" "After this thing blows." "I don't think so, no." "So, can I ask you a favour?" "Of course." "What is it?" "Will you tell me your name?" "It's Johnny Worricker." "Nice." "A warm welcome to this beautiful island." "As we all know, this could hardly be a more threatening moment." "We meet at a dangerous time when a setback in the financial markets has been misrepresented as a crisis in the engine room of capitalism itself." "We all remember how quickly the Berlin Wall came down." "It vanished, as if it had never been." "Well, our system is much more robust." "So, let's all gather round the bed, plug in the IV, turn on the monitor, and try to bring this ailing patient back to life." "Thank you." "Well, goodness me, isn't life full of surprises?" "You probably don't remember me, my name is Margot Tyrell." "Miss Tyrell, haven't we met before?" "Do you know, I believe we have?" "I used to work in the security services." "Well, snap." "How did you get here?" "I flew." "Private plane." "Did you?" "And how are you planning to get back exactly?" "Good question." "I work for Stirling Rogers." "He's a man I'd very much like to meet." "Well, I'm sure that can be arranged." "After all, isn't that what the colloquium is about?" "Making contacts?" "Exchanging ideas?" "This is for you." "Why don't I call him over?" "Why don't you do that?" "Stirling." "Yeah." "There's somebody here who wants to meet you." "We have an acquaintance in common." "Say who." "Not to name-drop, but the Prime Minister's always taken a personal interest in my well-being." "I'm sure he has." "Alec's a very close friend of mine." "So I've heard." "Why don't you and I get together to catch up?" "At cocktail hour." "I missed your name." "I didn't give it." "I'm afraid six o'clock, I can't." "I'm busy." "Frank and Gary are coming." "Frank?" "Yes." "And Gary." "I've also invited a friend from the American intelligence community." "Why don't I try and make myself free?" "Yeah." "Why don't you?" "Mr Rogers." "I have a deposit box." "Name of Eliot." "Please step through." "Good morning, Mr Eliot." "Hey, Tony, how are you doing?" "Beautiful." "Yeah." "So beautiful." "Sorry to drop in," "I was hoping you might be able to take care of some stuff for me." "What is it?" "All my earthly possessions." "OK." "Paintings mostly." "Also some cash." "You're leaving me cash?" "Just for now." "I'm hoping to be back by midnight but it's possible I may have to make a run for it." "If I do, the stuff is yours." "How am I going to know?" "The clue is, I won't be here." "Also, I brought one of these." "It's for Aldous, now he's got the hang of them." "Is he around?" "He's at a friend's house." "Hand him the spiny thing and, erm... ..tell him from me he's a wonderful boy." "What, and give him a big head?" "Risk it." "You in trouble?" "You thought this was a nice little island, didn't you?" "That was your fault." "I thought they were all like you." "Get out of here." "Oh, and I meant to say, there's a woman." "She may arrive." "She's got your address." "Do you think you could possibly take her in?" "Margot." "Are you alone?" "You look rested." "Did you get some sleep?" "I did." "Are you ready?" "More than ready." "Good evening." "I trust you're both rested." "We are." "I took a short sleep myself." "So, whatever happens, remember, stick to the script." "Well, gentlemen, I see sour expressions all round." "I knew it would be you." "It had to be me." "After all, I'm the only one who knows the facts." "Do you?" "Do you really?" "Why don't we all sit down?" "Curtis Pelissier." "Stirling Rogers." "Margot Tyrell." "Pleasure." "The boys don't want to tell you, but they're not very happy." "You got that right." "Is that orange juice fresh?" "They took a beating at cards." "It's fresh." "I made 10,000 dollars the other night." "And now we're going to play for higher stakes." "Let's cut the crap, Pelissier." "You're not as smart as you think you are." "You've had CIA written all over you from the day you arrived." "I don't know whether to be flattered." "And your sidekick is some kind of fairy English cop." "Close." "You won't be so happy when we tell you the next piece of news." "Go ahead." "You underestimated us." "We spoken to your boss." "We know him." "We know him extremely well." "We've worked closely together in the past." "Have you?" "Yes." "I don't see it makes much difference." "Whatever happens, you're still going to have to pay." "Be-definitely." "You know as well as we do the CIA is split down the middle." "Half the people that work there approve of this stuff, half don't." "You're going to have to tell me what this "stuff" is." "I'm guessing detention without trial." "Torture." "Rendition." "Gladstone builds the camps." "It's not our business what goes on in them." "No, but it is mine." "If I can just say a word." "Go ahead." "Curtis asked me to take a look at the figures." "What figures are those?" "As provided by Ms Clovis here, who works as your accountant." "Or did, until yesterday." "We've made an arrangement." "These figures are being sent all over the world - newspapers, television stations - in half an hour, unless you make your payment." "The practical details of how to effect the payment are on the other sheet." "Go ahead." "Publish." "What do we care?" "You think people are shocked by this kind of thing?" "As a matter of fact, I do, yes." "It happens all the time." "High prices?" "Since when is that an indictable offence?" "If overcharging were a crime, the whole world would be behind bars." "I've timed my computer, they'll go off automatically unless I stop it." "I don't believe it." "I don't believe a fucking word!" "Whoa, whoa." "Let's just keep it civilised?" "Please?" "Gary, sit down." "After all, isn't that your interest?" "Civilisation and its values?" "Isn't that what the colloquium's about?" "I swear I'm going to deck this guy." "I wouldn't advise it." "There's been one murder already." "And, what's more, we all know who did it." "Something to do with Dido's sense of ownership." "She hit him in the face with an oar." "Fair enough, I don't blame her after a lifetime of abuse." "We're all tired of old men who think they're entitled." "How do you know?" "Because she told me." "No." "She wouldn't say that to anyone." "She said it to me." "That really is something you don't want to see played out in public, isn't it?" "Do you want the details in court?" "I heard there was a name." "A sort of joke name." "Only the joke isn't funny." "You called yourselves the syndicate." "Melanie won't go to court." "You see, if you take a look at the figures..." "We know the figures." "Gladstone provided a ton of wiring and metal cages worth 50 million bucks, and charged 500 million." "Use the words "national security", you can get away with anything." "Times are changing." "It's a recession." "We want 200 back." "That's fair." "How are we supposed to get our hands on 200 million?" "It's in one of your accounts right now." "I know which one." "I'm the accountant, remember?" "You still get out with a good profit." "And no criminal convictions." "No." "We're not buying." "You have to buy." "Melanie looks after herself." "And as for the rest of it, we tough it out." "Your word against ours." "Truly, I wouldn't recommend it." "Going to war with the company is never a good idea." "We'll take our chances." "Oh, goodness, I'd almost forgotten, there is something else." "I forgot to tell you, Curtis, I do have another document." "From another source." "Um, "escrow"?" "I'm sorry?" "Is that the word?" "An "escrow account"?" "I mean, I had to take advice on what exactly that means." "Did he get this from you?" "Margot, did he get this from you?" "Doesn't it mean the money just sits there?" "And nobody can touch it?" "That's what it means." "Until someone needs it?" "And when, I wonder, is that going to be?" "Please explain." "You see, Curtis, we live in a rapidly changing world." "Downing Street used to be the height of a man's ambition, but now it seems to be only a stepping stone." "I don't think the Prime Minister has any urgent plans to stand down... if that's who you're talking about." "Ah, but it's not me going to decide, is it?" "Or you, Mr Rogers." "No, that's the one last decision that still lies with the British electorate." "If you're going to make allegations against Alec Beasley, then I suggest you make them privately." "Why?" "Are you recording this?" "No." "Are you?" "Last time I saw my recorder, swear to God, it was sitting in an ice-box." "Where's yours?" "It's perfectly clear, the so-called Bridge is partly a holding account." "So what?" "In the name of Stirling Rogers." "But there's another partner, isn't there?" "Call him a sleeping partner." "You'd better be careful." "Oh, I forgot." "Alec Beasley isn't a politician." "He's a statesman." "Quite right." "An altogether more profitable line of work." "After all, he's going to have to do something after he leaves office." "Is there any territorial dispute in the world he's not qualified to settle for a large salary from the luxury of a suite in a five-star hotel?" "Lucky, isn't it, that he has a fund, waiting for his global good works?" "I said no politicians." "Why get politicians involved?" "The profiteering from building the camps is going to finance the Prime Minister's future career." "It's as simple as that." "It's in black and white." "On the table in front of you." "It's him, isn't it?" "That's who it is." "The man you told me about." "The man you loved." "Forgive me, Stirling." "You'll find me in our room." "We need to get out." "We need to get out of this." "Strange, isn't it?" "People want the world to change, but they don't think about providing the means to do it." "Money flows, that's what it does." "Who cares where it comes from?" "The question is where it goes." "That's why we have islands like this." "They're...safety valves." "Yeah." "Or sewage farms." "The rest of the world is struggling along, and for some reason you guys think you can cut yourselves off." "Who declared you immune?" "200, did you say?" "Yes. 200." "Let's be clear." "The money is paid and we never hear of this business again." "Good decision." "I was told you were decisive." "Do you own the police?" "I wouldn't say we own them." "They're British." "Well, then you own them." "Can you fix them?" "Can you fix them?" "Then Melanie leaves the island tomorrow." "No charges." "Agreed." "And our passports?" "Thrown in." "Returned as soon as the money is paid?" "In your hands." "Is it a deal?" "Well done." "Successful operation." "The money's gone through." "Better still, your friend Melanie's killed one of them, she can kill the other two as far as I'm concerned." "Clare, if you go to my room, I'll join you." "I'll give you cash." "Really?" "Really." "Trust me." "So I guess I have to thank you." "You pulled a trick in there." "You're as good as they say you are." "Am I good?" "We got what we wanted." "Yes." "You did." "I won't." "It's a shame, really, Curtis, you're such a low-life, given that you do have a certain lizard charm." "I don't know what you're talking about." "Don't you?" "No." "Then what's that thug doing over there?" "He was there when we went in." "He's following us now." "Yeah, even a fairy cop knows when he's being sold out." "Look, old man, I'm sorry about this, really I am." "I'm sure you are." "You can't imagine the pressure I've been under." "Oh, I think I can." "I've never known anything like it." "I always knew you weren't a rogue." "You don't think like a rogue." "You think like a company man." "London's desperate." "They want you back." "They're insisting." "They want you badly." "You made a promise." "You promised me!" "Johnny, you know how it works." "One day I'm going to need a favour from M15." "I bet you will." "I'm going to need it." "Do you think I'll get my favour if I let you go?" "Johnny, you know what happens to whistle-blowers." "They turn into lonely old men with bad breath... ..and computers." "I'm going to go." "You don't have a chance at the airport." "I know that." "They're waiting for you." "I'll meet you at Chico's." "Buy me a whisky." "I'll be there in half an hour." "And this time I'll drink." "But I have to say one goodbye." "He goes where you go." "Ah." "Fine." "I wanted to bring you some flowers." "Thank you." "That's kind." "It's just things that grow by the seashore." "The island's interesting for its flora and fauna." "I'd like to see it." "Yes." "I'd like that, too." "What did Rogers say?" "Oh, he didn't say anything." "I climbed out the bathroom window." "That was very...grown-up of you." "Yeah." "Wasn't it?" "It was clever of you to connect Rogers with Beasley." "It was clever of you, too." "How did you do that?" "Oh, I had help." "You?" "Oh, I had help too." "I knew Stirling would leap to defend his friend Beasley." "He seemed to trust you completely." "You're right." "What was the reason for that?" "All right, you don't have to tell me." "Why?" "Would you rather not know?" "That reassures me." "I'm pleased." "After all, it means you can still be hurt." "Oh, I can be hurt." "Good evening, sir." "You're on private property." "You're going to have to show me your papers." "That's not a problem." "At the station." "I can't come to the station now." "I'm afraid you don't have a choice." "Listen, erm...one way or another, I've got bad news." "Well, you wouldn't be Johnny if you didn't." "I don't think we'll be able to stay on the island." "How long have we got?" "Maybe...three minutes." "Because you're English, they don't actually kill you." "But they do make your life unliveable." "Can I say something?" "Of course." "Just so we're clear?" "Please." "I didn't give up everything because of you." "I know what this is about." "It's about British collusion in torture." "Isn't it?" "Partly." "And the corruption of intelligence." "It's about all the lies of the last ten years." "It's about the lying." "Yes." "I am against torture." "So am I." "And I'm against it being covered up." "So anything I choose to do isn't just because of you." "It's also because it's time it was done." "We're going to have a go on the run..." "Looks like it." "We both know what that means." "We do." "Hand-to-mouth is putting it mildly." "One day to the next, never being secure." "Margot, I've seen the price people pay." "We'll pay that price." "An awful lot of things went wrong, didn't they?" "Between us?" "They certainly did." "This time it's going to be different, I promise." "I'm going to give you no reason to leave." "None whatsoever." "I'll hold you to that." "Do we have too much luggage?" "No." "There's two of us now." "'This is the final call for Jet Blue flight 856.'" "That's us." "Well, what do you think?" "Give him a few minutes." "Are you sure?" "Sure." "He'll come." "Face it, it's an island, there's nowhere else he can go." "Hey." "Hey, man." "How was your lobster?" "Oh." "It wasn't for me." "It was a gift." "Er, you haven't met." "This is my friend Margot Tyrell." "Hello." "This is Jim Carroll." "He's a policeman." "Show me your passports?" ""Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests" ""and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may" ""concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without hindrance, and" ""to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary."" "These are British islands." "And you're holding British passports." "You're free to go." "Thank you." "Thank you." "No, really." "Thank you very much." "Come back soon." "Goodbye." "Another?" "Thank you." "Two more." "Well?"