‘Don’t be hard on yourself. Your friend in Suffolk is obtaining warrants for the arrests of the SeaPak manager Paul Henderson and several of the Excelsior’s crew, and our Italian colleagues are awaiting the arrival of the Angelo in Naples. In addition to stopping the smuggling we flushed out Palmer, and with a bit of pressure the Saudis will remove Jawad al Haddad from the scene, meaning another source of funding for the terrorists will be cut. Catching Taher was always going to be a big ask, but we will get him.’

‘We?’ It was Holm’s turn to give Huxtable a wry smile.

‘Yes, Stephen.’ Huxtable tapped the desk signalling the meeting was over. ‘We.’

Silva and Itchy returned in the private jet. They were met by Simeon Weiss, and he whisked them away from the airport and off to Matthew Fairchild’s place. After food and rest and some medical attention to Itchy’s leg – which turned out to be a nasty flesh wound but no worse – Weiss conducted an initial debrief and gave them cover stories for their periods of absence in Italy and Tunisia. There was ample evidence to show they’d been in Wales on both occasions, he said. Somebody remembered seeing them on the slopes of Snowdon. There was CCTV footage of Itchy buying bread and milk in a shop in Betws-y-coed. A traffic camera on the A5 had caught Silva breaking the speed limit. A fine would be arriving in the post.

‘Pity about the weather though,’ Weiss said, winking.

Fairchild was the perfect host over the next couple of days but it felt as if they were under house arrest. They couldn’t make calls out, although Fairchild told them Itchy’s wife and Silva’s father had been informed they were safe and well. Finally Weiss told Itchy he could leave but insisted Silva remain at the house for an additional debrief.

When Itchy had gone, Silva confronted Weiss.

‘What is this?’ she said. ‘Why can’t I go?’

‘Because I say so.’

Later she was shown into the large drawing room where Weiss hovered near a table, uncharacteristically nervous. He fiddled with some papers while one of Fairchild’s minions served her tea.

‘Well?’ Silva said after several minutes of silence.

‘We’re waiting for someone,’ Weiss said. ‘In the meantime I have been authorised to brief you further.’

‘You mean tell me a little more of the truth?’

‘Yes, if you want to put it like that.’ Weiss ducked his head an inch. ‘Your mother’s files have been anonymised. Which is to say, all trace she had anything to do with the photographs, the research, any of it, has been removed.’

‘But—’