‘You still love him?’ It’s almost an accusation.

‘Not in that way, not anymore. But he’s a good man. My husband, David, feels a bit put out that they’ll never be friends. We’re selfish, he and I. We want our cake and to eat it too.’ Then Rachel can’t stop herself asking, ‘Have you ever loved someone you shouldn’t?’

‘Yes. My father.’ Noor sighs, world-weary. ‘Why are you here, Rachel?’

‘Do you want the selfish answer?’

‘It’s probably the most honest.’

Rachel touches one of the photos. ‘I haven’t seen Bee this happy since before her brother died.’ She tries not to cry again but fails. ‘Violette and Eddie mean something to her and I’m frightened that if anything happens to them it will be the last straw for Bee.’

Noor does not respond.

‘You know Violette’s in danger out there,’ Rachel says. ‘You need to find a way of letting her know it’s safe for me to walk her into a police station.’

‘I don’t know where she is,’ Noor says emphatically. ‘I’ve told your ex-husband that. He stuffed up by not getting on Jimmy’s good side in Calais.’

‘What has your brother told you?’

‘Just that Violette and the boy came to visit him. I didn’t get a sense Jimmy was holding anything back.’

‘You think you’re being tapped?’ Rachel asks.

‘Oh, I know we’re being tapped. Since last week anyway. Jimmy by the French, and my calls are recorded here.’

‘So you don’t think your brother knows their whereabouts?’

‘Not consciously. But Violette and her uncle speak all the time when she’s back home. They have the luxury of longer conversations. So if anyone can get into Violette’s head, it’s Jimmy.’

A guard enters without a knock. ‘Time’s up. Let’s go.’

Before Rachel can stop herself she reaches for Noor’s hand. The other woman squeezes it in return.

‘Tell your ex-husband that if he wants to find Violette and Eddie, he’ll need my brother.’

It had been almost ten days since the bombing and the media were uncompromising in their attacks on the French and British authorities, accusing both of dragging their feet. As yet, no one had claimed responsibility. In the eyes of the world this ruled out Al Qaeda and ISIS, who were never shy about owning up to atrocities. French Intelligence, according to Attal, seemed to be focusing on Ahmed Khateb, the driver of the French bus, but they were keeping tight-lipped about it.

As far as Bish could tell, there were at least five agencies involved, the most official of which were French Intelligence and MI6. If his suspicions about Grazier and Elliot were correct, MI5 were also onto it. The Spanish were conducting their own investigation, based on the death of Lucia Ortez. The Australian Federal Police had sent over a couple of people to find out what the French knew about Violette, which according to Elliot, who was in touch with her grandparents, was nothing.