Sowerbutt's Talent

You could feel the numbers clicking rather than hear them, Sowerbutt thought as he sat in front of the Chatwood Duplex safe in Ambassador Kennedy's study. Tipper was standing by the partly-open door, watching the low-lit corridor. The sound of voices and the clinking of glasses could be heard from the room opposite, earlier the noises had been more basic. Spaghetti knelt in front of the mahogany desk presented by Queen Victoria to Ambassador Schenk in the 1870s, recognising the strong ties between the two countries. Privately, it had been a thank-you for the Ambassador's specially-printed rulebook for draw poker which the Queen and her Ladies-in-Waiting sometimes enjoyed. Her Majesty also had a soft spot for military men and Ambassador Schenk, a former Union general, had fought with distinction at Bull Run.
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