They found a quiet table in the corner.

“Ugh. Stewed coffee.” Shaw pushed his cup away. “And cheese rolls. No wonder only the sociologists come here.”

Carter sighed. “Then why this place?”

“Discretion. Things have been happening. Odd.”

“That vanishing girl? So, she spared you the awkward morning conversation.Very decent of her, I’d say.”

Shaw leaned across the table. “Pip, she doesn’t exist.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I checked with registry. No such student.”

“Another of your bad dreams, then.”

Shaw shook his head, stared into his coffee.

“Sorry, Harry.”

“No, you’re right. Maybe I am going crazy. Paranoid. But ever since I brought that thing back from Kufrinja…”

“Hmm.” Carter nodded. “But we should know more, in a day or two. Your mass spec chap collected it this morning.”

Harry stared at him.“What?”

Carter tutted. “Get a grip Harry. Your email? Lucky I picked it up, otherwise there’d have been nobody at the lab .”

Coldness washed over Shaw. “I didn’t send any email. Pip – what have you done?”