The Syrian was found floating in the Seine ten days later. The Company was testing de Payns and he passed. There would be no quid pro quo for Timberwolf if he ever turned up asking for favours. France didn’t work that way.

After the call from his associate, the Doctor nodded at his henchmen. ‘Follow him to the hotel, but wait,’ he said. ‘Let’s see who is working with him. No point in removing the cheese when we can also catch the mice.’

As he got into the Mercedes, his sister ran out from the building. ‘How dare you, Yousef! How dare you come into my home and talk to my friend like that! And you wonder why I live in Europe?’

‘Go back inside,’ said Yousef, as kindly as he could. ‘It’s not your fault.’

‘I know it’s not my fault,’ said Anoush, her pretty face flushing with indignation. ‘It’s your fault.’

As the Frenchman disappeared into the darkness of the evening, Yousef explained, ‘You weren’t to know that this man is no good. These Westerners see a married woman without her husband, and’—he shrugged—‘for them it’s a game.’

He willed her to go back inside, to avoid saying anything that would require him to escalate the situation. He’d suspected something was amiss before meeting the Frank but he’d wanted to deal with Anoush’s indiscretion without making it the business of the state.

‘It’s time you were in bed,’ he suggested, but he could see immediately it was the wrong thing to say.

‘I’m not yours to order around, Yousef Bijar!’ she shrieked. ‘I’m my father’s daughter, remember that.’

‘How could I forget?’ replied the Doctor. ‘Still, it’s best you were inside right now rather than out on the street.’

He could see her anger rising, and even though most members of his security detail were now following the spy, his driver and bodyguard were looking at his loud-mouthed sister.

‘If anyone is to blame, it’s me, not him,’ she said.

‘Inside. Now!’ he ordered.

‘I told him about your work and your position, building you up as a great man even though the world is disgusted by what you do.’

A young family scuttled past on the other side of the street, trying to pretend they’d heard nothing.

The Doctor lowered his voice. ‘Last chance, sister. Get inside.’

‘You could have been a great man, Yousef, but you can’t talk about what you do in that place, can you? Now why is that exactly?’