Worried though William was, not even a careful observer would have detected the tumult in his mind. Here was a man who had learned to present exactly the image he wished, regardless of circumstances.

He’d been raised by his fastidious paternal grandmother, who had taught him to be uncommonly mindful of the impression he made through his manner and appearance. She had been awarded custody of two-year-old William in 1979.

1979 was the year his parents disappeared. His ectomorphic body was part of their legacy.

He was now a moderately successful Computer Security Consultant, and his ability to mask inner turmoil had been very useful in his late teens.

Few people knew it, but young William’s boundless curiosity and preternatural ability to bypass computer security had often led to very close calls with the authorities.

This was somewhat ironic – as his most recently signed contract was with the Toronto Police.

But the possibility of his youthful hacking being uncovered was not the source of William’s woes.