Cunningham looked beyond Knowles as the president spoke. A vague memory was beginning to coalesce.

‘That’s a hell of a problem. You know what has to happen if she’s taking this seriously. We need to be sure.’

‘I’m sure.’ Knowles’ voice carried no room for doubt. ‘She sent Joe Dempsey. That’s all I need to know.’

Still Cunningham could not place the name. The man. The answer was just out of reach.

Knowles seemed to see the deputy assistant’s struggle.

‘The English agent, Kelvin. The guy from Trafalgar Square. Remember?’

Cunningham remembered.

‘The guy who took down Anthony Haversume?’

‘The same,’ Knowles confirmed.

‘Shit.’ Cunningham could not quite believe his bad luck. ‘Shit. What the . . . how is he working for Kirk? How is he even in the US?’

‘They disbanded his agency after what happened.’ Knowles’ tone was still flat. ‘When they did, I suggested him for the ISB.’

‘You? Why?’

‘Why not?’ Knowles did not react well to the veiled criticism in Cunningham’s voice. ‘She needed an agent, I knew he was available. And more than capable. How was I to know back then that you’d blow up a goddamn seven-four-seven over international waters?’

Cunningham said nothing. He wanted to, but it was a losing argument. Knowles was right.

And besides, he now had a much more important concern. He remained silent as he thought through their predicament.

‘Maybe this isn’t the problem it seems,’ he finally said, his mind working at speed. ‘All Dempsey will know is whatever Kirk told him. Sure, Quilty might have repeated it last night. And maybe right now it seems compelling. But once the Brits start finding the evidence we’ve laid for them. Combined with the baggage handler’s confession, and with him out of the way? It all starts to look a lot shakier. Just another conspiracy theory.’

Cunningham could hear a note of desperation in his own voice. He was speaking to convince himself as much as he was the other men in the room.

It was working. His own logic was beginning to sound compelling. And from his positive reaction, Meyer seemed to be in agreement.

Knowles, however, seemed far less sure. He powered up his tablet and the screen came to life. Moments later, a familiar female voice filled the room. The same TV report they’d seen earlier.

As it ended Knowles turned to face Cunningham.

‘You recognise that lawyer’s name?’

‘Which name?’ Cunningham was confused

‘Michael Devlin. It didn’t hit me at first. Not until Jack mentioned Joe Dempsey.’

‘It still hasn’t hit me. Who the hell is Michael Devlin?’

‘Devlin was the lawyer who exposed Anthony Haversume. And he was there when Dempsey killed him. They know each other.’

For a moment Cunningham had found himself impressed at Knowles’ recall.

It was not a reaction that had time to last. Not with the words that had followed.

They know each other.

The connection changed everything. It meant that there was a risk Dempsey would find out what Mansour had told Devlin. He would hear the name Romeo Meyer. And that name would lead to only one conclusion.