‘All my work is on the roof,’ he said and from the kitchen he got a tray with a plastic jug full of kerkadeh and ice and three glasses. Some of the ice splashed into the glasses as he began to pour, and a pool of redness gathered in the tray, sliding slowly around in large patterns.

‘You have a room on the roof?’ Yassir asked.

‘That’s where I paint,’ Ronan said. ‘I lock it though, we’ve had many haramiah in the area. Not that they would steal my paintings but it’s better to be careful. I’m in there most nights though, the kahrabah permitting.’

Hearing the Arabic words for ‘thieves’ and ‘electricity’ made Yassir smile. He remembered Manaal copying the way Zahra’s mother spoke. He wondered how well Ronan K. knew Arabic.

‘My wife has the key. But she is right next door. The neighbours’ daughter had a baby last week. There’s a party of some kind there,’ and he looked at Manaal as if for an explanation.

‘A simayah,’ she said.

‘That’s right,’ said Ronan, ‘a simayah. Maybe you could go over and get the key from her? It’s right next door.’

‘Is it Amna and her people?’ Manaal asked him. ‘I’ve seen them here before.’

‘Yes, that’s them.’

‘Last time I was here, Amna walked in with chickens to put in your freezer. There wasn’t enough room in theirs.’

‘Chickens with their heads still on them and all the insides,’ said Ronan. ‘Terrible … This morning she brought over a leg of lamb,’ and he gestured vaguely towards the kitchen.

‘So who had the baby?’ Manaal asked.

‘Let’s see if I can get this one right,’ he said. ‘The sister of Amna’s husband, who happens to be – just to make things complicated – married to the cousin of Amna’s mother.’

They laughed because Ronan gave an exaggerated sigh as if he had done a lot of hard work.

‘I thought you said it was the neighbours’ daughter,’ said Yassir.

‘Well this Amna character,’ he said and Manaal laughed and nodded at the word ‘character’, ‘she is living with her in-laws, so it is really the in-laws’ house.’

Manaal got up to go and Ronan said, ‘I’ll tell you what. Just throw the keys up to us on the roof. We’ll wait for you there. It will save time.’