Chapter 1 Summary

Octavian Gray, a head of department, hears a gunshot while he works in his office. He gets up, as the shot came from somewhere near his office and he knows that it was a gunshot from his years as a solider. He walks to the door, but finds that he cannot call out. He turns back into his office to telephone someone about it when the office messenger, McGrath, arrives at Octavian's office.

Richard Biranne, one of Octavian's undersecretaries, also arrives and pushes McGrath out. Biranne tells him that Radeechy shot himself and that he is dead. Deciding that he needs to see, Octavian says they had better call Scotland Yard, but Biranne tells him that he has already done so. Octavian walks down to Radeechy's office and sees him lying with his face on the desk and a gun in his right...