‘It’s fine.’ She sighed. ‘I’m used to it. Everyone else asks me the same question. Or they think it behind my back. Which is basically the same thing, I suppose.’

She set down the Glock, stared at it in her lap.

‘I never planned on joining the army,’ she went on. ‘I was what you might call a geek growing up. My days were spent in the library, burying my head in books. I’d always assumed I would follow my father into teaching. Or maybe even academia.’ She gave him a look.

‘What happened?’

‘I woke up one day and realised it wasn’t my dream after all. Oh, I enjoyed studying and so on, but the prospect of spending my career in some stuffy corner office in a university, writing papers for obscure academic journals, wasn’t for me. I decided to quit my degree and enlist.’ She smiled at the memory. ‘When I told my parents what I’d done, they almost hit the roof. They’re both teachers, you see. We had a big argument. Some unpleasant things were said.’

‘Why the army, though? You could have had the pick of any career you wanted.’

‘My grandfather had served in Korea. He fought at Imjin River, with the Gloucestershire Regiment. He never said a word about it until one day I sat down with him and asked him for the full story for a paper I was working on. He talked for hours. A whole afternoon. For some reason, that story stayed with me. That idea of being part of something bigger than myself, you know? So I thought, why not join the army?’

‘It’s as good a reason as any,’ Bowman said. ‘I’ve heard worse.’

‘I’m sure.’ She sat upright. ‘Anyway, the army proved the making of me. I realised I was much stronger than I’d assumed. One thing led to another, and here I am. I’ve never regretted my decision. Although my father and I don’t talk anymore.’

Bowman tried to think of something comforting to say. ‘I’m sure your old man is proud of you. Even if he won’t say it.’

Casey smiled sadly. ‘Somehow, I doubt that’s true. Nothing I do will ever be good enough for him. In his mind, I’m just the pig-headed daughter who threw away a promising future just to piss him off.’ She angled her head at Bowman. ‘What about you? What made you enlist?’

‘I grew up in a rough area,’ Bowman said. ‘Everyone was in a gang or knew someone involved in one. I had a choice between the army, or a life of crime. I chose to fight.’

‘Smart choice.’

‘I reckoned so at the time.’

‘What about your parents? Siblings?’