The meeting ended at half past twelve.
It ended well, which was to say it ended with handshakes and the particular kind of measured enthusiasm that serious people in serious rooms used when they were interested but didn't want you to know how much. Webb had warmed up by the second hour, which I'd expected — men like him always did once they understood who was actually in the room with them. Cho had asked me three follow-up questions on the exit clause and taken notes on my answers, which was the highest compliment a careful person could pay you in a professional setting. Hale had handed me her card on the way out with a small nod that I understood to mean something beyond the gesture itself.
I stood at the window of the conference room after they left, watching the city below going about
