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Contents ( 84)
  1. ONE
  2. TWO
  3. THREE
  4. FOUR
  5. FIVE
  6. SIX
  7. SEVEN
  8. EIGHT
  9. NINE
  10. TEN
  11. ELEVEN
  12. TWELVE
  13. THIRTEEN
  14. FOURTEEN
  15. FIFTEEN
  16. SIXTEEN
  17. SEVENTEEN
  18. EIGHTEEN
  19. NINETEEN
  20. TWENTY
  21. TWENTY-ONE
  22. TWENTY-TWO
  23. TWENTY-THREE
  24. TWENTY-FOUR
  25. TWENTY-FIVE
  26. TWENTY-SIX
  27. TWENTY-SEVEN
  28. TWENTY-EIGHT
  29. TWENTY-NINE
  30. THIRTY
  31. THIRTY-ONE
  32. THIRTY-TWO
  33. THIRTY-THREE
  34. THIRTY-FOUR
  35. THIRTY-FIVE
  36. THIRTY-SIX
  37. THIRTY-SEVEN
  38. THIRTY-EIGHT
  39. THIRTY-NINE
  40. FORTY
  41. FORTY-ONE
  42. FORTY-TWO
  43. FORTY-THREE
  44. FORTY-FOUR
  45. FORTY-FIVE
  46. FORTY-SIX
  47. FORTY-SEVEN
  48. FORTY-EIGHT
  49. FORTY-NINE
  50. FIFTY
  51. FIFTY-ONE
  52. FIFTY-TWO
  53. FIFTY-THREE
  54. FIFTY-FOUR
  55. FIFTY-FIVE
  56. FIFTY-SIX
  57. FIFTY-SEVEN
  58. FIFTY-EIGHT
  59. FIFTY-NINE
  60. SIXTY
  61. SIXTY-ONE
  62. SIXTY-TWO
  63. SIXTY-THREE
  64. SIXTY-FOUR
  65. SIXTY-FIVE
  66. SIXTY-SIX
  67. SIXTY-SEVEN
  68. SIXTY-EIGHT
  69. SIXTY-NINE
  70. SEVENTY
  71. SEVENTY-ONE
  72. SEVENTY-TWO
  73. SEVENTY-THREE
  74. SEVENTY-FOUR
  75. SEVENTY-FIVE
  76. SEVENTY-SIX
  77. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  78. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  79. SEVENTY-NINE
  80. EIGHTY
  81. EIGHTY-ONE
  82. EIGHTY-TWO
  83. EIGHTY-THREE
  84. Acknowledgements

‘That’s what we . . . what we were told, yes.’

‘But your informant said there was more. He said that Knowles and his team had also been ordered to find a mujahideen leader who was supposed to be there. And that when they didn’t find him, and the villagers wouldn’t give up any information, Knowles ordered his men to torture and rape and kill indiscriminately, to force their cooperation. Scores of men, women and children, maimed, raped, killed. In other words, the mission that made Knowles a hero – the very basis of his presidency – was a war crime. And instead of sitting in the White House, he and his unit should be rotting in a cell. Maybe even on death row.’

Dempsey stopped speaking. He had said enough; if this much information did not convince Quilty that he had Elizabeth Kirk’s trust, nothing would.

For a few moments there was nothing but the sound of pained breathing.

‘That’s right,’ Quilty finally replied. He pulled as hard as he could manage on his oxygen supply before continuing. ‘My contact said that the rescue . . . the . . . rescue was a cover. So they could find . . . the Taliban chieftain.’

Quilty paused for breath and a sip of water.

‘When he wasn’t found . . . as you say, things took a . . . a bad turn. Twenty-three dead. Over . . . over a hundred more . . . injured. And . . . and . . . two of the American . . . hostages killed, too. When they . . . they ob- . . . jected.’

‘What?’ The final claim was new to Dempsey; Kirk had not mentioned the murder of Americans. ‘Are you sure?’

‘No. I’m not . . . not sure of any . . . any of this. But it’s . . . it’s what my . . . source told me. There were . . . six . . . hostages, not . . . not four. Two of them . . . two . . . stood up to . . . to Knowles. They were . . . were killed for it.’

Dempsey said nothing. He thought that Kirk had told him everything. Perhaps she had. At least everything she knew.

‘My source . . . my source said that . . . it was this . . . what happened in Tootkai . . . that brought the full . . . the full Afghan force out. Why they . . . why they shot down the Hawks.’

Dempsey sat in silence as Quilty’s strained account came to an end. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind. But only one question.

‘Tom, do you actually believe any of this?’

Quilty did not hesitate.

‘Back then? No. No, I didn’t. My source . . . my source wasn’t an eye- . . . witness. He was telling . . . telling me what he’d heard. Enough for me . . . for someone . . . to have to investigate. But when I did . . . when I did more . . . digging . . . none of my other contacts . . . were telling this . . . this story. So I doubted it.’