‘A few more seconds, then I must leave you,’ said Kareem. Despite the growing vibrations, he continued at the same measured pace. ‘When the leader has finished his parable, he asks the man if he has understood its meaning. The visitor replies that he has. And when he returns to his country, the young man himself becomes a fisherman and distributes his fish to many important people throughout the land. Slowly they rise and rise within the highest institutions of government, business, industry and the state. They are the new fish. There are shoals of them. They are preparing.’

Kareem looked from Sara across to Patrick. ‘It is an interesting story, is it not? It makes one think about the possibilities of the future world.’ He turned back to Sara, moving closer. ‘Before I slip away, Sara, I will tell you something,’ he said softly but clearly. ‘There will come a moment when you will finally understand me. And then you will appreciate what you have missed.’

‘Stop, Kareem,’ she hissed back. ‘You have done your evil. Now leave me alone.’

Kareem rose, slowly shook his head once at her and strode towards the edge of the platform; Patrick ran round to intercept him. Aaqil was already there, knife in hand. They watched Kareem vanish into the darkness, followed by Aaqil and the sound of a door slamming.

‘It’s OK,’ said Sara, the helicopter’s din camouflaging her words. ‘He’s too late. Vanity. He had to finish. They’ll get him.’

‘What?’

‘Shush. Later.’

Patrick leapt up and ran in the direction they’d left. A thick oak door was shut. He tried it. Locked, unmoveable. He went to the doors he and Sara had entered by. Locked.

‘It’s fine,’ shouted Sara over the helicopter engines. ‘They’ll come and release us.’

‘What?’

‘I also texted Sylvia when we drove up the hill.’ She grinned triumphantly. ‘Until we found this place, I couldn’t give her the co-ordinates. I asked her to send the local coppers round. Looks like she upgraded to choppers. Maybe she misread. Mind you, took longer than I’d have liked.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’

She paused, appearing to be picking her words carefully, all the time calculating how she would speak only truth and any sin would be of omission, not mendacity. ‘Number one, I couldn’t be sure Kareem would show up, though all my instincts were screaming it at me.’

‘I thought we’d accepted he was dead. Just a question of cock-up or conspiracy.’

‘Yes, we did. But after what you said, I kept going over it. Isobel somehow didn’t make emotional sense. Her tears – you said they felt like crocodile tears at the time – seemed less and less convincing.’

‘Sorry, I interrupted. There was a number two?’

‘Yes, in case it didn’t work out. Oh, and number three, you might have stopped me coming back.’