‘What did she bring for that? Intel? Contacts?’

‘No.’

‘But you headhunted her.’

‘She approached us, actually.’

‘Why?’

‘Why not? We’re a good employer, even if you seemed unconvinced. She wanted out of Six quickly, without losing too many pay-cheques. And she wanted a change of scene. We warned her the biggest danger in Astana would be boredom.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said: “Good”.’ He stubbed his cigarette. A waitress tried to swap his ashtray for a new one and he waved her away. ‘What did Elena Yussopova have to say?’ he asked.

‘Didn’t you hear?’

‘Come on, Elliot.’

‘She thought someone might have approached Vanessa with information. Any idea about that?’

‘No.’

‘Did she have any kind of counter-surveillance team?’

‘None.’

‘She was here alone.’

‘That’s right. We agreed minimal contact. She was very much running her own operation. We offered backup, she declined.’

That sounded like Joanna. The bigger the team, the more conspicuous you were. Still, I’d never known her avoid risks. She was someone who liked to step outside the wire, in military parlance. I could see the set-up from Walker’s point of view: you’ve got a pro, she says she can run the operation, you save a lot of money. You’ve won the contract over more established outfits because you promise the client more for less. And it’s only a few eco-activists that you’re messing with; not exactly Moscow rules. You’re looking at the bottom line and someone’s abducting your employees.

‘Where was Joanna staying?’

‘The Radisson.’

‘Had she packed?’

‘Yes. We’ve trawled every border crossing, every airline. There’s nothing to suggest she left the country. Which just leaves 2.7 million square kilometres to search.’

‘Did she have access to a vehicle?’

‘Not to our knowledge.’

‘Any hint that she thought she might be in danger?’

‘Never. And it shouldn’t have been a dangerous job. We gave her a few weeks to get us a picture of Kazakhstan, where it was going. This is about oil in Central Asia, so obviously you’re going to be prepared for trouble, but she hadn’t reported any concerns. It was mostly planting bugs and picking up gossip: local media, local groups.’

‘Was she armed?’

He looked at me, curiously.

‘I’ve been generous. I think it’s time you told us what you know.’