‘We’ll publish those figures soon, so make sure that they’re accurate.’

  ‘We have many sources now, and they all agree on prices, so we are confident. We also have the official house sales registry to compare to.’

  ‘Great, we can alert the country to the ongoing north/south divide, rich and poor, hope and … very little hope.’

  ‘Peterborough is worse than Middlesbrough they say,’ Bill put in.

  ‘So tell Russel to go buy some old houses there,’ I suggested. ‘A feel-good factor for the local homeowners, a few unsightly old houses fixed.’

  Bill informed me, ‘We have the offer of some land in the centre of Birmingham for a city soft prison, the council are keen for us to move in there.

  ‘It could hold a medical bay, hostel and soft prison, and that soft prison could hold a few hundred men and women.’

  ‘I’d say … make it as large as the council will let us, a big hostel as well, split by bad boys and just drugged-up idiots. Bigger the better. But what effect have our soft prisons had on general prisons?’

  David put in, ‘The Home Office has been sending us their end-of-sentence men, two thousand or more, and that makes room for other men to be sentenced and held, the more serious crimes.’

  ‘The old Army camp near Birmingham Airport?’

  Bill replied, ‘Soon be ready, could hold five hundred men.’

  ‘Half to the Home Office, half to local magistrates for short stays, we need to start to get people off the streets and to be seen to do what we say we can do.’

  David asked, ‘You want more holiday camps?’

  ‘Yes, to hold a few thousand men, till we have a new set of prisons a few years down the road.’

  ‘Got two holiday camps up north,’ he told me. ‘So I’ll move ahead with those, could both hold four hundred men.’

  ‘Do so quickly please, we need an optimism around the country, and that means druggies and other idiots off the streets of our cities. But we need to look at London, since people keep telling me that half the nation’s homeless live there.’

  ‘They do,’ Bill agreed. ‘The druggies always head down to London.’

  ‘So start looking for cheap land, because I don’t want to spend a fortune on the land when compared to holiday camps. But Blair did agree that a homeless person be sent back to their home town, no right to be slumming it in London.’

  Bill noted, ‘So we let the police and authorities there send people up to us around the Midlands - if a homeless junky is from the Midlands, saves on buying places in London.’

  Lucas put in, ‘Those holiday camps make a profit.’

  ‘They do?’ I queried.

  ‘Yes, the food and drink, little spent on renovation. If you ignore the land and treat it as an investment … it is a good margin.’

  ‘Good enough for the consortium?’

  ‘I’d say yes.’

  ‘Discuss that with the other Swedish men, and Rolf, and then we’ll look at maybe selling them to the consortium, some money back into the charity.’

  I faced David. ‘Write to the Home Office, and start a discussion on us starting that homeless repatriation scheme very soon.’

  I paused and took in their faces. ‘We can affect house prices in a small local way, we can’t very easily create a million jobs in Britain, but we can create the same optimism that’s now seen here in Leicester, and that comes from cleaning up the High Streets of Britain.

  ‘First, we get rid of the homeless and the minor criminals, then we regenerate the High Streets, and that optimism created has an effect on jobs. We can’t do much about jobs directly, but we can set the mood … to be that of a better environment.’

  Bill noted, ‘More soft prisons and hostels, clear the streets. Can we get government money?’

  ‘Yes, and soon, I’ll take a loan.’

  ‘There’s money left in the charity,’ Bill pointed out. ‘Just that we want to keep some for a rainy day. And if the consortium buys the holiday camps … more money for city soft prisons.’

  ‘Property rental income for the charity?’ I asked him.

  ‘Is good, about a hundred and fifty grand a month less agency fees. And growing.’

  ‘And our property portfolio?’

  ‘Is looking good, and house prices here have shot up this past year. And we bought most with a thirty percent discount to start with.’

  ‘If you want to, you can sell some of the houses to other funds. Discount them, but also make a profit; that way we have more money to play with. Or sell a few on the open market to raise money.’

  Bill noted, ‘You think house prices will rise, so we hoped to keep most of them and make a killing a few years down the road.’

  I nodded at that. ‘But we also want to be the people leading the way on clearing our streets.’

  ‘The soft prison in Grafton Road makes a profit,’ Bill noted.

  ‘How much of a profit?’

  ‘Not much,’ Lucas cut in. ‘But the supply of food and drink helps. If that profit was to be used to cover capital costs, it would take a hundred years.’

  ‘I think, that at some point, we look at the profit made on the large soft prison west of here and sell it to the consortium as well.’

  Lucas responded, ‘The profit margin should be OK, but compared to some of your businesses it is small obviously. Compared to an average British factory … it is an OK profit.’

  ‘We can decide later, when we have accurate figures,’ I told him. ‘But my original plan was for the charity to sell everything. Now it seems that having the government pay us per inmate makes some business sense, and we retain control as well.’

  David noted, ‘If the council take over the soft prisons and the hostels, how long before they’re screwed up?’

  I nodded. ‘A worry, yes, so best we do it. But I’m sure that Blair will throw some money at it sooner or later.’

  ‘Can we use fund money?’ David asked.

  ‘The Regeneration Fund money can be used on warm house mortgage fixes, and key workers in London. The others … not for soft prisons and hostels, no, no great margin.’

  ‘They should be government or council subsidised,’ Bill insisted.

  ‘And Blair did suggest that, so … I’ll revisit the issue at some point. But the council will probably be forced to subsidise us. David, check to see … if charity money can be used to trade the stock markets.’

  ‘It can be used to make investments, yes, active trading – I doubt it, but I can check. Why?’

  ‘We have the experts, and they have an idea where the stock markets are going, and my experts are always right about takeovers and short term moves.

  ‘So if we placed fifty million in the markets one month we could double it a few months later.’

  ‘That would be good,’ Bill approved.

  Lucas cut in, ‘The charity should not trade, that would be taxable income and we would need different oversight and regulation. But the property business is there to trade, and buying a house or buying shares is no different at all.

  ‘There are no rules against that, and the company then makes a charitable donation back to here with the profits.’

  ‘So we can do it,’ Bill enthused.

  ‘Bill, have them create a separate fund, called the Charity Investment Fund, and we’ll open a trading account and … my experts will tell me when the good deals come along. But we can’t buy Barclays stock.’

  ‘Why not?’ David challenged.

  ‘Because if we buy-up the Barclays repos they’ll get a boost from it.’

  ‘Is that a direct link, and is that illegal?’ David challenged.

  ‘I don’t want to take the risk, but check anyhow.’

  ‘I will, yes, because we’re also buying other bank’s repo houses, and not sat colluding with Barclays to bolster their share price.’

  ‘We’re not, but some might suggest we are,’ I pointed out.

  ‘We’re not regulated and under strict rules, and we’re not the only people capable of buying Barclays repo houses, so … I’m not sure that it would be illegal.’

  ‘But there is a clear cause and effect, so check carefully first,’ I insisted. ‘We have a massive fund, and if we bought stock in a small FTSE100 business its share prices would rise. I have no idea if that happens day to day, but we need some clear guidelines.’

  He stepped out and made a call. Back in with us, fresh tea made, and he began, ‘If you trade the markets to make money for a charity, generally no one would give a fuck. Trade for your own profit and they’ll look at the collusion.

  ‘My friend says that Barclays and the FTSE is too big for us to affect, and if we bought Barclays shares and then bought all their repo houses – Barclays share price rising – so what, you tipped the entire country on national TV and in Parliament, there’s no secret and everyone can buy Barclays’ shares!’

  Bill laughed. ‘You did tip them, yeah, kind of. Has their price gone up?’

  ‘No,’ I told him. ‘Bank sector is flat.’

  ‘So your words had no effect on the sharp city traders,’ David noted. ‘And they know what they’re doing, and what we’re doing, and would price it in ready.’

  Lucas put in, ‘You told everyone on the TV what might happen, so … who can call it collusion? And these city traders are not stupid, they heard you and they wait on the figures published. Every newspaper has run the story, so why is Barclays share price not rising quickly?’

  I noted, ‘Those sharp city traders are waiting to see the buying patterns, and then the actual figures from Barclays.’

  David noted, ‘Barclays will go from a large liability to less liability, but does that mean that their profit is greater and that their share price rockets? Obviously not, because the markets always anticipate ahead of time.’

  ‘My stock market experts, they already have shares in Barclays, they bought them when I first met Barclays. They think that when the bad debt is lessened the price will pick up.

  ‘But it’s summer now, and flat or a bit down - the stock market, no much action seen, people on holiday.’

  ‘So a good end of year for Barclays,’ David suggested. ‘If the property business buys some shares and holds them, so what, no rules or laws broken. It’s not a secret deal when you shout about it on the BBC news.’

  I faced Bill. ‘Send extra money straight away, we’ll buy some shares and hold them, see what happens.’

  Lucas put in, ‘Rolf has seen great successes with his stock trading…’

  ‘I get expert views sent to me, and sent on to Rolf,’ I lied. ‘These billionaires that hang out in Corsica, they all know what’s about to happen with which businesses. If that helps this charity, great, we take from the rich and hand it to the poor. Call me Thieving Hood, not Robin Hood.’

  I faced David Hutton. ‘Chat to an expert anyhow, and on regulations for a charity subsidiary, just in case.’

  He nodded.

  Up in the suites later, I was about to place on the bracelets when Julie appeared in her white dress. ‘I … haven’t put the bracelets on yet?’ I puzzled.

  ‘I can appear without them, but they help.’

  ‘Oh. Well please don’t appear in public, you would be hard to explain.’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘A photograph appeared in my pocket today…’

  ‘Lazahroz, I sensed him.’

  ‘Was the detail in the photograph correct?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes, the man did behave as depicted. Cup of tea?’

  I smiled. ‘Yes please.’

  She started to make the tea, saying, ‘I visited the men of the magistrate arrested, they are now in London, and I altered the minds of several to confess. Others will swear at the magistrate as before.’

  ‘The men from Birmingham?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. They go before the same judges today.’

  Sat on the sofa like a couple, the TV news came on, and the story of the people traffickers in Tunisia and Libya was detailed, as well as the sudden drop in illegal boats setting sail for Europe.

  ‘Good work there,’ I commended, and she smiled, pleased with herself. But I soon lost my smile.

  She began, ‘You worry that I will soon leave, after the final battle with Gabrial…’

  I stared at her for a moment. ‘Is there a way that you can fulfil the prophecy and stay here?’

  She lowered her head. ‘No.’

  ‘Then we … need to enjoy what time we have left.’

  She brightened. ‘Yes. Perhaps a night out.’

  ‘Night out? I’d … have to explain who you were.’

  ‘A model. Few will ask further.’

  ‘You would need to meet me somewhere, not just appear in this building, we have cameras.’

  ‘I can meet you outside, yes, and wearing clothes. And with sandals.’ She examined her bare feet.

  ‘It’s summer, so why not. In Corsica would be best, and I can get you more gold crosses.’

  ‘My energy is good,’ she insisted.

  Grabbing a magazine, I showed her a table layout, which utensils did what. A swish of her hand a table appeared, already set.

  ‘Where did that come from?’ I worried.

  ‘A restaurant in the town.’

  I laughed. ‘Were people sat it at the time?’

  ‘No. It was unused in a corner.’

  I placed chairs and we sat. ‘It’s traditional for the man to pull out the chair for his lady.’

  ‘I am supposed to call you a sexist pig for that?’

  My brow furrowed. ‘Uh … no. Modern women like to be the boss, but we can use the old ways.’

  ‘Yes, better.’

  I imagined starters, and they appeared. ‘We eat a small food, and drink wine, before the main food.’

  She tucked in as I grabbed a white wine from the fridge and poured.

  ‘White wine with chicken, red wine with meat,’ I told her.

  After the starters I imagined the plates gone, they vanished, and I imagined a chicken korma with rice, but the plates appeared too quickly. ‘You did that?’

  ‘Yes, from the Indian restaurant you like. They now puzzle where it went.’

  I laughed loudly. ‘OK, some rice on the plate, the chicken on top, then some sauce.’

  She tried some and smiled. ‘A delightful taste.’

  After chewing, I noted, ‘It seems cruel that you were in The Ark that long…’

  ‘It was my purpose, I knew nothing else,’ she said with a shrug before stuffing down more chicken.

  I saddened some. ‘Do something for me. Look at Katerina Mary in Milan, Italy, and then at Michelle’s baby in Corsica.’

  ‘I have seen both, and they are the same.’

  ‘The same exactly, genetically – the blood?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘You are concerned?’

  ‘There cannot be two alive.’

  ‘Three.’

  ‘Three!’ I hissed. ‘There are three?’

  ‘One is an old lady, white hair.’

  Images flashed up, my first day at work, the lady with white hair. ‘I saw her, years ago.’

  ‘She watches you, and she made sure that the house in Sweden had the treasures ready for you. She is very old now.’

  ‘Laz never said anything…’ I puzzled. I stood, and imagined Laz before he appeared. He bowed at Julie and took in the meal.

  ‘Thanks for the timely photograph,’ I began. ‘The woman that organised the treasure and house in Stockholm…’

  ‘She was blocked to me, till recently, when I figured out who she was. But I also sensed that she had been due to die many years ago. Oddly enough, she is still alive.’

  ‘Three fucking Katerina Marys at the same time!’

  ‘The old lady will not last long, and it is a puzzle as to how she is alive now, and after you rescued her as a baby from the burning plane crash. There have never been three versions of a reincarnated soul before.’

  ‘Is she totally blocked to you?’ I pressed.

  ‘Yes, more so than you.’

  I faced Julie. ‘Is she blocked to you?’

  ‘Mostly, yes.’

  ‘Mostly?’

  ‘She is due to die soon, she knows that.’

  ‘That leaves two babies, and … one will die,’ I noted.

  Laz agreed, ‘There could not be two at the same time.’

  I asked Laz, ‘Is she waiting the final battle with Gabrial?’

  ‘That … may be possible, yes. If you are killed then … all of her preparations would have been for nothing.’

  I turned away, saddened and frustrated. ‘A hard thing for her to face, a very hard thing, to start over and do it all again.’

  ‘Your people will continue your commerce,’ Laz noted.

  I faced him, a glance at Julie as she sat concerned. ‘Yes, they can do it without me, and make a difference. Am I supposed to die soon?’

  ‘That I cannot see,’ Laz stated. ‘But I would assume that this lady kills Gabrial.’

  ‘No, I don’t want that,’ I told him. ‘There are other ways.’

  Laz frowned at me. ‘Which ways?’

  ‘That’s for me to know, I’m the chosen one remember, set for a battle.’

  ‘The prophecy seems clear -’ Laz began.

  ‘You admitted that it’s not clear, the future.’

  He glanced at Julie. ‘Not clear, no, but she is here for a purpose, and with a limited amount of time.’

  Julie lowered her head.

  ‘I have a plan in mind, we’ll see if it’s the right plan or … if I’m killed. Julie, you are not to kill Gabrial. I don’t know if you’re supposed to follow my orders, but I ask that you not kill him.’

  She glanced at Laz and again lowered her head.

  With Laz thanked and gone we finished our meal, the mood off a little, and with the table returned to the right restaurant - the dirty plates sent back to the Indian restaurant, we sat on the sofa like a normal couple, a movie watched.

  After quiet sex, which felt like we were an ill-fated couple on the Titanic, we hugged, and she finally seemed to be sleeping.

  Summoned