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interviewed was talking about a scan – about running some kind of scanner over a person, to get his exact measurements for a digital double. You couldn’t do that with Prosper unless he was in the room with you.’
    ‘I guess not.’
    ‘You’re probably right, though. About this bug being engineered to distract us. Prosper might want us to think he’s in Sydney so that we won’t look too hard at what he’s
really
doing.’ Saul seemed to be thinking out loud. ‘I wonder if we’re getting too close for comfort? There’s a whole team of investigators on this case. It’s a global effort. I wonder if he feels like somebody’s closing in on him?’
    Cadel grunted. He could see the Barker Street intersection coming up, and didn’t want to discuss Prosper English any more. Prosper had a tendency to dominate your life, if you let him. He was hard to shake off even when he wasn’t around.
    Cadel knew that he shouldn’t be speculating, or theorising, or drawing conclusions about Prosper’s activities. The trick wasto appear
perfectly harmless
– and that would be impossible if Prosper ever deduced that Cadel was helping the police.
    ‘Did you tell Judith to switch off her security cameras?’ Cadel asked, changing the subject as Saul turned left.
    The detective nodded.
    ‘Yeah,’ he rejoined. ‘Don’t worry about that. It’s covered.’
    ‘Are you going to pick me up when I’m done?’
    ‘No.’ Saul explained that Gazo would be giving Cadel a lift home. ‘He’ll stay with you there until I get back. Just make sure you check all the entry points before going in.’
    ‘But what if you don’t get back until late?’
    ‘Then he’ll have to eat dinner with you.’ Catching sight of Cadel’s troubled expression, Saul tried to reassure him. ‘You don’t have to worry about Gazo. He’s fine with this. He’s taken the week off.’
    ‘Is he being paid?’ Cadel demanded, hoping that the answer would be ‘yes’. Saul, however, didn’t reply; he had already spotted Gazo, who was up ahead, waiting under a kerbside tree. The kerb itself was lined with vehicles, so there was no point trying to park. Saul simply braked when he reached Gazo, instructing Cadel to hop out.
    ‘If there’s a problem, gimme a call,’ the detective continued. Then he addressed Gazo, who was approaching the car. ‘Thanks for this. You’re really helping me out, here.’
    ‘That’s okay.’ Gazo sounded embarrassed. Instead of his usual overalls, he wore black jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, buttoned at the wrist. His workboots had been replaced by sober black lace-ups, and he had shaved off his wispy goatee. As he leaned towards the driver’s window, a strong smell of aftershave hit Cadel like a siren blast, or a runaway cement truck.
    It was clear that Gazo had tried to dress in a manner appropriate to someone burdened with a grave responsibility. He had even slicked back his hair and slapped on a pair of sunglasses. Cadel didn’t think that the result was entirely successful. If Gazo was trying to look intimidating, his long neck, receding chin and spotty complexion undermined his efforts.
    There could be no doubt, however, that outdoor manual work had done wonders for Gazo’s physique. His weedy frame had expanded, since his days at the Axis Institute. And now that he was sporting a tan – instead of a ghostly English pallor – his spots weren’t nearly as noticeable.
    From the shoulders down, he made a pretty convincing bodyguard.
    ‘Hi, Gazo,’ Cadel muttered. He pushed open the front passenger door, clutching his computer bag. ‘Sorry about this.’
    ‘Nuffink to be sorry for,’ was Gazo’s generous response. ‘
I
don’t mind.’
    ‘You’ve got my number, haven’t you?’ Saul asked him. ‘And the campus security details?’
    ‘Oh, yeah.’
    ‘If you’re worried about anything, don’t hold back. Don’t think, “I wouldn’t want to bother him for no reason.” Just call.’
    ‘Okay.’ Gazo