CASH & CREDIT 28

The rain splattered against the window of his office, ten floors up in a City skyscraper. Lost in his own thoughts for a moment, the Chief abstractly watched the pattern of the beads of water as they rippled across the dark glass. Beyond the window, it was a grey and hazy morning. Far below, the red buses, black taxis, and assorted cars, obscured by the rain, wound their way through the City, the noise below reduced to total silence by the double- glazing and the distance. A host of umbrellas seemed to scurry like termites, threading their way through the almost stationary traffic.

With a heavy sigh, the Chief turned at last to face the rest of his team, sitting there silently, watching him, their faces almost as long as the desk. They knew how he felt. The gloom lay heavy in the air.