The gibe seemed to come out of nowhere.

He blushed. ‘I didn’t mean to imply that I thought it was easy.’

To his huge relief, she smiled slightly. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that we get a lot of relatives asking the same question when our focus should be on helping the Syrian casualties.’

‘Of course. What would it take? Is it a question of money? Not that I have much.’

‘We are a charity, Sahim.’

The room filled with the sound of sirens. Several police vehicles sped past the front door. She sighed. ‘Not a good situation.’ She seemed to expect a response.

‘Well, no.’

‘You don’t seem very bothered.’

He didn’t have a ready answer. The struggles of the Muslim community bored him. He had devoted his life to getting away from all that. Ranting imams, extremists rejecting modern society, women covering themselves and hiding away: it was a tragedy. Look at Jana: all the spark ground out of her. She summed up everything he hated about his culture. But so much of what they were struggling with they had brought on themselves. Even Bala’s tag. He’d had it coming to him.

But if he said this to Nasima, it might end his chances of finding Karza. So he settled for one of his stock sound-bites. ‘This country’s been good to me. I’ve a lot to be grateful for. I know it’s not a popular view.’

She tipped her head while she digested this. In fact, it wasn’t a stock response: it was what he really believed. But now he was wondering if he had said the right thing. He was beginning to get the feeling he was being auditioned. Was this the right line to be taking if he was going to get them to help him find Karza?

She stood up. ‘We’ll try to find out more about your brother. I’ll contact you if we get anywhere.’

‘Or I could call you?’

She smiled bleakly. ‘All our calls and emails are monitored. Leave it with me.’ She moved towards the door. ‘I’ve got your address. I know where to find you.’

Chapter 18

18

Malvern Hills, Worcestershire