I wasn’t surprised he knew where I lived. It was still raining. ‘I’ll get your bags,’ Hoagy said. He got out and shut the door. ‘Is this where you live?’ Xing asked. Hoagy helped us carry the bags. At the door he said, ‘I’ll wait for you in the car.’ On the way in, I collected my post. Among the letters was a package. It was from Bradshaw. The one he had told me he would send. I unlocked the door to my apartment and we went inside. It was dark and cold. I switched on the lights and moved the thermostat setting for the central heating. ‘Am I staying here?’ she asked. ‘This’ll be your room,’ I said, and pushed open the door to the spare bedroom. She found the light switch. ‘It’s nice,’ she said. We stood in the main room. Xing stared out across the river to the lights on the opposite bank. ‘I have a view like this from my apartment,’ she said. ‘It’s peaceful, isn’t it? I also like to sleep near the water.’ I passed her the bag from the boot of the car.
