"Do you believe it?" asked Jill.
Simon shrugged.
"It isn't impossible," he said. "You say you're certain he had a hand in the framing of your father. Well, we now know a few things about him. He's got some reason to respect us. And, as a cautious man, he may think it a wise move to make a treaty."
Jill Trelawney nodded, buttering a slice of toast.
"And yet," she said, "it's a trap."
"Not for the police. Essenden wouldn't dare — not in the face of what we know. For trafficking in illicit drugs, five years' penal servitude."
"No, not the police. Just himself."
Simon lighted a cigarette.
"Do you want to buy?"
"We buy." She looked at him. "Or I buy. I shall see Essenden tonight."