‘Too fucking right,’ said Skelton. ‘I still haven’t got round to changing my will, so if I peg it out here my ex-missus gets the house. And I’d rather die than see that happen. Not that that makes any fucking sense, like.’

They all laughed, and that broke the tension.

McMullen stuck out a hand, and Carr shook it.

‘Good man, Kev,’ he said. ‘It’s forgotten about. Now, I’m going up to brief Fred, and work up the route, and let’s get this fucking show on the road.’

By the time that was done, it was well after dark.

Carr gave the order to load everything back into the wagons, and stand-to, ready to move.

At 19:45hrs they rolled out of the wadi and turned south.

Chapter 88.

88.

AS THE FOUR men began their journey, Charlotte Morgan was forcing down some bread and water which had been handed to her by one of their guards.

It was hard work – her mouth was ridden with ulcers, the bread somehow managed to be both greasy and stale at the same time, and the water was warm and brackish.

But she was determined not to give in.

Against the far wall, Martha Percival’s own bowl and cup were untouched. Charlotte could see her friend’s hip bones, angular through the loose fitting black abaya.

She was no expert on starvation, but it looked to her as though Martha was a week, or perhaps ten days, away from death.

On the dusty floor between their two beds sat two guards.

There was always a pair of them in the room, and, each time they changed over, a waistcoat was passed by one of the old guard to one of the new.

It had taken Charlotte a while to work out what it was, but over time its bulky form had slowly revealed itself to her.

It was a suicide vest, and it terrified her.

One of the guards – a handsome young Eastern European, who had just come on duty for the night – seemed particularly pleased by the fear it inspired.

He had taken delight in showing her the wires, and the battery, and the blocks of plastic explosive, and finally the clacker, the handheld metal device which he would use to detonate the bomb.

He would hold up this switch, and make a squeezing motion with his other hand.

Then he would shout ‘Boom!’ in her face, his spittle and bad breath all over her, and start laughing.

He seemed to speak no English, but the message was very clear: even if your people find you, they won’t take you from us alive.

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.

She finished the bread, and washed it down with a swallow of the unpleasant water.

‘Martha,’ she said, quietly. ‘You need to eat.’

But her friend made no reply.

One of the guards stood and walked over to Charlotte.