Chapter SixCharles Hammond grunted. He had been in a deep slumber when the persistent ring of the telephone had awoken him. Groping around in the dark, he switched on his bedside light, wincing at the sudden glare. Shielding his eyes, he glanced at the clock. It was only 4 am! Who on earth was calling at this hour? Didn't they know the time?
Still half asleep, he picked up the phone. “Hammond speaking,” he mumbled, wondering whether the caller might be his junior assistant. Being keen, the young man often rang late in the evening with some new idea he had stumbled upon. But four o'clock in the morning – that was taking it too far. “For goodness sake, Alan, don't you know what time it is? You really need to get yourself a life, son.”
Closing his eyes, he flopped back onto the pillow. If h
