‘Rubin,’ the prisoner rasped, as if fearful that he might not get the information out quickly enough. ‘His name is Sam Rubin.’

She had been so sure he would say Henry Cesky’s name that she was momentarily knocked sideways. And then she laughed. A short, joyless sound.

‘What a wanker,’ she said.‘Rubin was the cut-out Cesky used to get the Rhino and me to Manhattan. He was the guy we were supposed to get the papers for, the deeds to the Sonoma gas field.’

A smile broke out over her face like the first dawn of spring. Pappas was still frowning, but Shah understood. His head bobbed up and down as he folded his arms.

‘The useless bastard has been using the same cover, the same cut-out, to organise his contractors,’ Jules continued. ‘It was probably a good idea at the time. He’s probably using some dead guy as a patsy. Nick, I’m sure if you look into this Samuel Rubin, of the California Bar, or whatever, you’ll find he ceased to exist shortly after morning teatime on 14 March 2003. He’s a black box. Cesky can use him to hide all his bloody villainy, or at least this villainy. There’s probably other stuff he’s done that he’s hidden elsewhere. But Rubin is the contact point for this fucking teddy bear’s picnic. He was our contact for New York, and he was this loser’s contact when New York didn’t work out. It’s London to a fucking brick that if we’d been able to shake down the other hitters they’d have given us the same information: they were working for Samuel Rubin. The name that ties Henry Cesky to our friend Norman, here, by way of the idiots he sent after us in Manhattan.’

Shah remembered now. ‘Mr Cesky sends his regards,’ he quoted. He was nodding like Pappas. But he wasn’t finished.

A raised eyebrow was all it took for the knife to dig into the side of Parmenter’s nose. Blood flowed immediately and the erstwhile contract killer made a desperate gurgling sound as he tried to push himself away from the blade. Shah’s man held him fast.

‘I’m afraid we’re not done yet, Mr Parmenter,’ said the older Gurkha. ‘Am I right to assume you were in charge of this operation locally?’

Parmenter replied with a guttural grunting noise that sounded like assent.

‘And you were supplied with a line of credit and introductions so that you might raise whatever support you would need here in Darwin, is that correct?’

Again the prisoner did his best to agree without moving his head in any way that would cause his nose to end up on the floor. Shah waved his fingers and the knife withdrew. Parmenter wheezed out a ragged sigh.

‘The men you hired for today’s operation,’ said Shah. ‘Where did you find them? Who gave you their names?’