Tom folded his arms. ‘And the hostel bomb? Genuine reprisal, or . . . ?’

‘Or an attempt to raise the temperature further. Exactly. We’ve had Seven/Seven. We’ve had Woolwich. Each time we’ve stepped closer to the edge of popular outrage. Now the government’s tearing itself apart trying to be all things to all communities, but it’s losing the battle. The whole – ecosystem we’re living in has changed.’

Tom glanced at Phoebe. ‘And you suspect Rolt because he’s gone out of his way to articulate it?’

‘A year ago Vernon Rolt would have been ostracized for talking about removing the extremist element,’ he began, ‘whereas today . . .’

Tom looked at Phoebe again.

She nodded slowly. ‘He’s extremely secretive, and extremely well connected. He’s worked long and hard to build and maintain his position as a pillar of society. An entrepreneur who’s not only ploughed millions into a good cause but befriended, and championed, a very particular kind of underdog.’

Woolf took up the thread. ‘The underdog with a grievance, with the capacity to turn on his former masters. Potentially, Invicta isn’t just a refuge. It’s the perfect incubator for the disaffected ex-soldier with a grudge to nurture.’

A waiter put his head round the door. ‘Anything I can get you?’

Woolf looked as though he badly needed a drink but Tom wasn’t in the mood to show mercy. ‘We’re fine, thanks.’ He waved the waiter away and turned back to Woolf. ‘Let me get this clear. You believe someone inside Invicta is training former service personnel – people like me – to be terrorists?’

Woolf took a breath. ‘Maybe. That’s what we have yet to verify.’

Tom turned to Phoebe. ‘Well? You’re the one who’s been cosying up to him all these months.’

Phoebe glanced at Woolf, who signalled for her to go ahead. ‘They prefer to think of themselves more as crusaders or freedom-fighters than terrorists. But unfortunately we’re not that cosy. Rolt plays everything close to his chest, as I said. He makes lots of his own arrangements, doesn’t keep records, sometimes avoids using email even. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t suspect me, but he knows that the Service is likely to be watching him, as it does all right-wing groups, so he never lets me see anything sensitive.’

‘So you’ve actually got nothing concrete on him?’

Woolf parried this before she could answer. ‘You know what keeps us spooks awake at night? The white terrorist, the one no one’s looking out for. The one who looks and sounds just like us. The next big one won’t be a bus bombing or a plane, it’ll be a smart surgical strike on people in power and that will need operators who can pass for insiders – who are hiding in plain view.’

‘Except you’ve got fuck-all to implicate Invicta, especially now I’ve shot down your claim about Vestey.’