Nara was at the door. She had not shut it but she was not looking at Leo. Captain Vashchenko was at the end of the corridor, a map rolled up under his arm, walking towards them.

—I need to speak to both of you. Let’s talk in Leo’s apartment.

Nara waited until the captain had passed her before leaving her apartment, hiding behind him. Leo did not have a chance to catch her expression.

Inside his apartment, the captain spread out the map on the table, paying no attention as Leo tidied away his opium pipe. The captain took out his gun, using it to weigh the map down. It showed mountains and a valley near the city of Jalalabad, not far from the Pakistan border. The captain explained:

—I presumed a connection between the murders in Kabul and the failed bombing of the Sarobi Dam. I was correct. Dost Mohammad was behind the murders in Kabul. We found the body of Samir Mohammad at the dam, a known bomb-maker. The two men are brothers. According to our source, there are four brothers in total, a young boy called Sayed and a fighter called Fahad, a man feared as a great warrior. This family is a unit of insurrection. Their target is the stability of Kabul. Three days ago we sent a team to their home village, not far from Jalalabad. Hind helicopters were supposed to provide air support for a ground team. We’re told that the villagers opened fire. The helicopters retaliated. The conflict escalated.

He paused, glancing at Leo.

—Several hundred are dead, including women and children. We now have a problem of a different kind. Stories of the massacre have spread throughout the region. We fear they will inflame the insurgency, not just in the province where it took place but also in Kabul. News of the massacre has reached the capital. People are accusing us of striking the village as an act of revenge. Many of our Afghan allies are upset. They see our response as disproportionate.

Leo guessed where the captain was going.

—You have military internal affairs. Let them investigate. Make a show of justice.

—This isn’t about an investigation of our personnel. They were doing their job. This is a public-relations exercise. We need to go into the region and perform some kind of conciliatory gesture. You are our most experienced adviser, you understand these people. These terrorists are causing more problems dead than they did when they were alive. I want you to broker some kind of peace, some kind of compensation.

Considering the premise absurd, Leo scratched his stubble.

—Captain, I’ll be frank with you. Going to this village is a waste of time. They don’t want anything from us, except that we leave their country. I don’t have your authorization to offer that, do I?

Taking his gun, but leaving the map, the captain didn’t register Leo’s objection, saying: