The terrace is cold, on account of it being very early.

The sun is barely over the hedgerows and tinges the clouds with pink. Brenda shivers, but understands that the meeting has to take place outside. Colin is not happy and doesn't sit down. Instead he paces up and down the decking from the patio doors that open into their mock-Tudor mansion to the steps that lead down to the well maintained lawns and the big koi pond in the shade of a crescent of mature willow trees.
His brother Alan, who Brenda never really liked, became suddenly very dead last night dealing with the also dead Peter, a former associate and money-laundering scumbag on the make. This means that there will be a visit from the police later today, and Colin hates the police. His lawyer, Mr Green, is standing on the lawn talking quietly to someone on his phone. To make it worse, the foreigners are here. She can see them getting out of a Mercedes at the front of the house.
They don't use their real names in conversation. Brenda is Liz, the German is Adolf, the Belgian is Poirot and the Italian is Mario. They settle down around the garden table with Brenda, who sends Colin in to get some drinks sorted before he says something stupid. Brenda shivers and wishes she'd put some proper clothes on instead of just throwing on a puffa jacket over her gym clothes.
"There is a problem?" The Belgian says, turning watch Colin leave.
Brenda assures him that there isn't and gets them all sat down around the big patio table. The German lights a cigarette. He is dressed in an grey suit that, whilst clearly expensively tailored, looks like it has been stuffed in the back of a wardrobe for a year. The Italian is wearing jeans and a fleece and wouldn't look out of place on a hike. The Belgian is also smoking. His attire looks like he robbed the bins round the back of Steve Jobs house. The black polo-neck bears a drift of ash from his cigarette. He brushes it away, smearing the ash and making the whole thing worse. He leans forward conspiratorially.
"The shipment will arrive within the hour."
"It has made it all the way here?" asks the Italian. The Belgian nods, smiling.
"And you ready to unload?" says the German, looking at Brenda.
"We're ready. Your boys better be ready to ship it out." she looks around the table at the others as Colin arrives with drinks.