Nicholas laughs again. "Oh, his lines were well-scripted, and he delivered them very convincingly, but I’ve read them before, many times. For heaven’s sakes, I’ve written them. Our elven friend was what one might call a ‘blind probe’. Anyone who’s read any of my books—or any of the classics of the genre, like Ludlum—would understand all too well. If I were plotting this, I’d have my house watched, with sufficient assets to zero or incapacitate you should you come to visit. I would also bug my phone, of course. You are using a public phone, I take it?"