He bit his lip. Something didn’t make sense. If this was a clever ploy then what exactly was the container doing here empty? It could simply have been left at the SeaPak depot at Felixstowe or even outside the warehouse with the other containers. Why bring it inside?

‘Take a couple of pictures,’ Holm said, backing out to allow Javed more space. He moved past the crates and clambered down from the container. A glow now came from the door they’d come through and there was the noise of a vehicle heading their way. He walked across the warehouse, careful to avoid smashing his ankle again, and approached the door. He edged closer and peered out.

The ceremony had only lasted fifteen minutes. There had been a speech from the stage, a folding and exchanging of flags, and the cutting of a ribbon which had been stretched across the aircraft’s cargo doors. As soon as it was over the dignitaries disappeared onto the air base, presumably to a reception of some kind. A group of soldiers dismantled the stage and rolled up the red carpet. The forklifts began to load the pallets onto the plane, an air maintenance crew appeared and a fuel bowser was brought alongside. Loading and preparing the aircraft seemed to take forever, but eventually the last pallet was hoisted up and disappeared inside the cargo hold.

By then dusk had fallen and the plane stood in darkness, only the lights from its cockpit bright against the flat grey of the airfield.

‘That’s that, then,’ Itchy said. ‘Whatever’s going on here is totally legit. Your mother might not have liked the fact the Hopes were selling arms to the Saudis, but there’s nothing illegal about it.’

He began to rise from the undergrowth, convinced their surveillance operation was over.

‘We wait,’ Silva said. ‘For the plane to take off.’

‘For fuck’s sake, Silvi, how do we even know it’s going to leave tonight?’

‘The cockpit light is still on. If the crew were going to go to stay over they’d have shut the plane down.’ Silva turned to Itchy. ‘Look, we might as well see this through. When the plane’s gone we can scarper. Tomorrow I’ll meet up with Sean in Cambridge and try to find out what this is all about.’

Itchy sighed and lowered himself down.

Half an hour later it was fully dark. Lights on the runway stretched into the distance while over on the base arc lamps lit up the roads and buildings. The plane was but a shadow.

‘There,’ Silva said. A couple of ground crew had appeared. They were walking beneath the plane, making a visual inspection. Chocks were removed from the wheels.

‘They’re off,’ Itchy said.

‘Not with the side cargo door still open they’re not.’