‘Yes,’ Weiss said. ‘Once that happened and we joined the dots the time for diplomatic pressure and subterfuge were over. Hope had proved herself to be beyond the pale. She’d sanctioned a terrorist attack, which left many people dead, to further her ambitions. In ordinary circumstances we’d have been seeking extradition and a trial. However, these are far from ordinary circumstances. I was summoned to a meeting with my boss, Thomas Gillan – the head of MI5 – and he agreed with my analysis. The problem was that when he went to Downing Street and made subtle hints that for the sake of British national security Hope had to be stopped, the prime minister wouldn’t hear of it. Risk the special relationship? Act against our closest ally? Inconceivable! After the meeting the cabinet secretary and the national security adviser spoke privately with Gillan, expressing their dismay at the prime minister’s stance. I’m afraid our politicians lack bravery and are more inclined to think short term and of their own political futures than for the good of the country. Despite the prime minister’s attitude, there was an understanding between Gillan and the two civil servants. Gillan came back to me and authorised an operation to stop Hope whatever it took. I explored several options, options that didn’t involve the death of Hope, but in the end I concluded there was only one with minimal risk and maximal chance of success. The secrecy involved was such that myself, Gillan and Matthew are the only people who know the whole truth. You can imagine the consequences if this ever got out.’

‘Simeon knew my area of expertise,’ Fairchild said. ‘He came to me seeking a third party, a rogue operator, who could kill Karen Hope. Because I knew of you through your father, I told him we didn’t have to look very far to find the perfect assassin with all the motivation we needed. We prepared the files and sent them to your father, making out they’d come from a time-controlled online vault. All I had to do was call him, and with a little prompting he asked for my help. At first he was sceptical when I made the proposal to kill Hope. To be honest he was concerned for your safety. I told him the operation was foolproof, and with a little persuasion he came round to my way of thinking. To our way of thinking.’

‘So the whole thing was a set-up.’ Silva bristled. ‘All you had to do was approach me with a plan and show me the evidence.’