The bureau’s rear entrance, accessible to staff only, opened into a small paved courtyard that, in turn, abutted a narrow street. On the wall of the adjacent building, a vertical garden alleviated the drabness of grey concrete rising into an often grimy sky. Beneath hanging greenery, four chairs and a table, made from recycled plastic, offered the chance of respite from bland offices and monotonous tasks. Some staff took advantage of the space to enjoy a stall-bought coffee before work, the beverages supplied at morning break resembling and tasting like dirty water. Others used the courtyard at the end of the working day to chat with colleagues, before making their way home to suburbs on opposite sides of the sprawling megacity.
When Emma entered the courtyard on day three of her initial
