Aimar spread his hands. “We did not know. We do not read the newspapers. We do not have television. We are not ignorant people. We come from Aleppo, and we are thought to be very Western in many ways, but here we . . . we feel lost . . . We have a community. People like us, who speak our language. We do not drink. We go out very little.”

“How long have you been here?” Banks asked.

“We came in 2017.”

“And you’ve lived in Huddersfield all that time?”

“Yes.”

“And how did you find out about . . .”

“His name is Samir,” Aimar said. “Samir Boulad.”

“How did you find out about Samir?”

“A neighbor came yesterday. He told us of the boy who had been murdered in North Yorkshire. He showed us the photograph in the newspaper. It was Samir. And so we came here. Can we see him? Can we see Samir?”

“Yes. Later,” said Banks. “I would like you to identify him for us. We couldn’t find anyone who knew who he was.”

“We did not know he was here.”

“In England?”

Aimar nodded. “We did not know he had arrived. Such a journey can take a long time.”

“Did you know he was coming?”

“Yes. We knew he had left Aleppo. My sister send us letter, but it takes long to arrive. But we do not know what happens after that. Where is Samir. How he travels. There are many perils.”

“Were you expecting him?”

“We thought he would come to us. Yes.”

“Did he know where you lived?”

“My sister write down address for him, but . . . the journey . . . many difficulties. Maybe he loses a small piece of paper?”

“And it’s a big country,” said Banks.

Aimar smiled sadly. “Yes.”

“Weren’t you worried when he didn’t turn up?”

“We worry every day. But we did not know where to look for him or when he would come. You must understand, Mr. Banks, that many people make this journey. Many people attempt, but not all arrive. It is always possible he is still in Greece or Italy. Or France. Many people live in camps.”

“So nobody knew where he was living or what he was doing?”

“No. These people who sail boats and drive lorries, they are bad men. They rob and they kill. When you set out, you do not know if you will arrive or if you will drown. Or where you will arrive. How long it takes. It’s a dangerous journey. Many rivers to cross. Many seas. There are many routes and many dangers on every one. Border checks, bandits. Samir wanted to come to show he was a true man and to light the way for his mother and father and sisters. To get money for them to come.”

“They couldn’t afford to come?”