The world’s finest coffee was drained to the last drop by the time the thump of rotors sounded over the island, and Ben looked out of the window to see the bug-like light Sikorsky helicopter coming in to land. Roth pulled on a black nylon flight jacket and a baseball cap and grabbed his kit bag, and the two men went out to meet the chopper. Sixty seconds later, Savana Island was receding into the distance as they buzzed towards St Thomas.

Another ninety minutes after that, they were in the departure lounge waiting to get on the KLM flight back to Europe, via Newark. Ben had been able to exchange his return ticket and all was going smoothly, except for the fact that he’d tried four times to get through to Thierry Chevrolet, to no avail.

‘Who’s that, your technician guy?’ Roth asked, only mildly curious.

‘I wouldn’t call him that exactly.’

‘What would you call him?’

‘Thierry’s a crook who hangs out with lowlife sleazebags,’ Ben said. ‘But he’s a talented crook. And normally reliable. Plus, he owes me. I don’t understand why he isn’t picking up.’

‘Never trust the French,’ Roth said with great authority, and went back to reading the magazine he’d bought from a newsstand.

Then they were off again, climbing over the glittering blue waters until the islands were just green splodges far below. Ben leaned back in his seat and wondered why Thierry wasn’t answering his calls. He hoped everything was all right; it frustrated him that he’d have to wait until they touched down in New Jersey before he could try again. He brooded over it a while longer, then gave up worrying about things he couldn’t control. Roth was a quiet travelling companion, apparently lost in his own thoughts and not much interested in conversation. That suited Ben fine, though he noticed the way that Roth was gripping the arms of his seat as though willing the plane to go faster, a tense look in his eyes. A man in a serious hurry, Ben thought.

When they reached Newark with a few hours to kill before the next leg, Ben called Thierry’s number again and got the same result. What was going on with the guy? Roth seemed vague about Ben’s concerns, as though he had more pressing matters on his mind, and announced that he was going for a walk. He was gone a long time. Ben was used to travelling alone, and he was good at waiting, but Thierry’s lack of response was gnawing at him.