Sir Angus leant back in his chair. ‘So maybe the only flaw in the plan is you, Porter,’ he said. ‘They didn’t reckon on you.’

‘What are their weaknesses?’ asked Porter.

‘They don’t really have any, I’m afraid,’ said Gilton. ‘Hezbollah is a tight-knit organisation. There are none of the splits between the military and political wings you used to get with the IRA, for example. And there’s none of the factionalism you get within al-Qaeda. They have their orders, and they’ll execute them ruthlessly.’

‘But it’s not their war,’ said Porter.

‘Right, that’s our one advantage,’ said Gilton. ‘They’ve taken Katie Dartmouth to help the Iranians. They don’t themselves care very much whether the British are in Iraq or not. Israel is the enemy for them. If you get into conversation with them, you need to hammer home that point. This isn’t really their fight. They’re just working for the Iranians. If you can persuade them to believe that, then maybe you can start to weaken their resolve.’

‘It’s not going to work, is it?’ said Porter. ‘I mean, they don’t care what I think of them.’

The professor remained silent. He probably knows that as well I do, thought Porter, you can’t talk these bastards out of anything. There was more coffee, and another plate of sandwiches before Gilton shuffled out of the room and Sir Angus brought in David Provost. A thin, intense man, with reading glasses, and blond hair that was combed across his forehead, he glanced briefly at Porter before taking his seat and reaching for a glass of water. He was described as the Firm’s top hostage expert: he’d visited sieges all over the world, and studied the subject for years. There was nothing he didn’t know about kidnappers, and how to deal with them.

‘There’s just one major principle in every hostage negotiation,’ he said, looking at Porter. ‘Keep the conversation going. It doesn’t really matter what you’re talking about, or whether the discussion seems to be going anywhere. Every minute you spend talking achieves two things, and they are both important for you. One, it delays the moment of execution. When they’re talking, they aren’t killing. Next, it draws you closer to the kidnappers. The more of a relationship you build up, the harder it becomes for them to kill the victim.’

‘So what do I talk to them about?’ asked Porter.

‘First, find out what they want,’ said Provost. ‘One thing you learn about most kidnappers is, they say they want one thing, but they really want something else completely. You need to burrow away at that. Dig and dig, and find out if there is something else that would satisfy them.’

‘Like what?’ said Porter. ‘They’ve said they want British troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. How the hell am I meant to negotiate that?’

Provost ran a hand through his stringy hair, and glanced nervously across at Sir Angus. Porter sensed he wasn’t being told everything. The Firm had its own ideas and plans, and they weren’t about to let him into their secrets. For all I know, he thought, they might even have started negotiating with Hassad without thinking to tell me.