‘She can be trusted,’ Dempsey offered, for what his word was worth to a man he had just met. ‘I wouldn’t be with her if she couldn’t.’

Shah nodded and turned to Grace. When he spoke again he sounded weary.

‘What I am saying is that your president did not do the things he has been accused of in Tootkai. He has nothing to cover up. And so it seems unlikely that he had anything to do with these deaths.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Grace was genuinely confused. It was what she wanted to hear, and yet it made little sense. ‘It was you who originally told Quilty that the president and his SEAL team committed war crimes. Why did you tell him that if it’s not true?’

‘Because I only know now that it is wrong,’ Shah replied. ‘Three years ago I was told very specific details, by a resident of Tootkai, of what had happened. A man I had every reason to trust. So I passed that intelligence on to Quilty.’

‘And who had told you this?’

‘My contact was Aryo Bahnam Karzai. One of my own tribe. A brother since the hills. He told me he was present when the attack occurred. That he had been hidden but had witnessed it. I believed him then. He was a loyal brother.

‘No others in Tootkai spoke. They were too afraid. But something had happened. Knowles’ team had been there. People had been hurt and killed. I saw the graves. I believed then that was enough to confirm the story.’

‘How did he know it was President Knowles?’ Grace asked.

‘Because in the years since the attack, they had seen Knowles on television. They had watched as his power grew. This was why the villagers would not speak, I was told. They feared the Americans. They feared that if they named the man who was now the president, the Americans would come back.’

Grace glanced back to Dempsey again. The explanation made some sense, she had to admit. But still, it did not fit with what Shah had already said.

‘So what makes you think the story isn’t true now?’

‘Quilty always doubted what Aryo had told me. And he told me his superiors felt the same. The last time we spoke, he said he was no longer sure any more. He said he was going to ask around again. I did not hear anything more from him.

‘Then your people found me, told me of Quilty’s death. That changed everything. They had murdered my brother. They had killed him to hide what I had discovered. I could not forgive that. I could not dishonour myself by doing nothing. I vowed to avenge Quilty. To do that, I needed Aryo.’

Shah paused to take a sip of water.

‘Did you find him?’

‘Yes. I went to Tootkai. I found Aryo.’

‘And what did he tell you?’

‘At first nothing. He refused to speak. He refused to help me at all. As if I were a stranger. It was unexpected.’