‘Anything can happen,’ George interrupts him. ‘At any time whatsoever. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few years it’s that. All we can do is focus on the task at hand and do it as well as we can. We have to get to Stockholm. Then we’ll figure out a way to solve this. We’re taking the train, so the risk of being discovered will be much less than flying. Don’t think about the big picture, the fucking terrorists and being wanted and all that other shit. You just take it one step at a time: we head to Stockholm, and we don’t get caught. And then we solve this.’

He looks at Jacob again. They’re almost to the central station now.

‘You follow me?’ George continues. ‘Just imagine this is a normal day, long before any of this happened. You’re just taking the train to Stockholm to hang out with some friends. Nothing strange about that.’

Jacob takes a deep breath and tries to smile. ‘Okay,’ he says. ‘Okay, let’s go.’

But almost as soon as the words leave his mouth, he sees two police cars parked outside the central station and a voice starts to scream: ‘There they are! There they are!’

Jacob twists his head to see a woman with a stroller screaming at the top of her lungs while simultaneously backing away, her eyes glued to them. She’s no more than fifteen metres away.

Jacob stops, but he can feel George still pulling him along. ‘Oh fuck,’ he whispers in Jacob’s ear. ‘Just when I was telling you to calm down. Ignore it, people think she’s crazy, okay?’

But the people coming in and out of the departures hall turn towards the woman and then to where she’s pointing.

Jacob stops and wrenches himself out of George’s hand. Slowly he pulls his hood down and takes off his hat and turns to the woman.

‘What the hell!’ George shouts. ‘Come on, Jacob!’

But it’s too late. Two police officers are on their way out of the arrivals hall. They see her, see where she’s pointing. The people around them are screaming and jumping away from them in every direction.

‘Come on!’

George tugs Jacob, drawing him into the crowd as if they were just part of the screaming, terrified masses. They stumble down the street; he can barely see straight, doesn’t know if he’s up, down, underwater.

‘Stop!’ he hears one of the police officers shout behind him. ‘Stop or I shoot!’

They’re still hunched over, but Jacob feels George’s arm loosen at his wrist. ‘No matter what happens…’ George says, ‘stay calm.’