EQUITY & INVESTMENT 12

It was mid-summer, but the sun declined the invitation to come out. A rather cool breeze ruffled his thinning hair as he shivered across the street and into the American Express club.

“Why was it always so damn cold in England?” he muttered to himself as he felt the last draught biting his heels before the door closed behind him.

There was more than the weather irritating him. He knew that something must be wrong when his Lieutenant had summoned him so unexpectedly from the summer residence. He hurried upstairs to the library, where his Lieutenant was waiting with a Jack Daniels to warm him up.

They greeted each other in the customary fashion, patting each other on the back like brothers before settling down to business.

“So what’s the score?” he said, looking at his companion quizzically.

The grey-haired man pulled a face. “Disintegration is moving faster than we