Now if that wasn’t a line from a Spencer Tracy film, what was? ‘What sorts of things?’ Dreyfuss asked, enjoying throwing Stewart’s statements back at him as questions. This way, he gave himself a little room for manoeuvre.

Stewart’s voice grew quieter yet. ‘When General Esterhazy was in Europe, another of our staff generals, William Colt, very high up at the Pentagon, sent him a message. It said, and I quote, “Sorry you couldn’t make it to the burial.” That message was sent at almost exactly the time your shuttle was crashing.’

The burial! Hes Adams’ face swam into view amidst the smoke and sparks and heat.

Stewart could see his words having an effect. ‘What is it?’ he hissed. ‘That means something to you, doesn’t it? Has it jogged your memory, Major? Not that I believe for one moment that you really have got partial amnesia. I’ve got to hand it to you, though. You’ve got the doctors fooled.’

‘Nurse Carraway wasn’t a real nurse.’

Stewart nodded. ‘So I understand. Ben Esterhazy had her planted here. I didn’t know anything about it.’ His voice fell again. ‘It’s him you’ve got to be careful of, not me.’ Dreyfuss stared at him stonily. Stewart shrugged his shoulders. Then he changed tack. ‘I hear tell,’ he said, ‘that when you landed, the ground crew had to prise Major Adams’ fingers from off your throat. Adams was one of Esterhazy’s men too. He was his golden boy at one time, but then he screwed up on a mission. Got himself compromised. Then suddenly he ends up on Argos. That made me a little curious. What was going on up there?’

Dreyfuss was thinking. Yes, it was true: Esterhazy and Adams had the same words at their disposal – “coffin’s got to be buried”; “sorry you couldn’t make it to the burial” – and it meant something to both of them, something worth dying for, worth killing for. He had to tell someone. His brain was feverish. He felt he would burst if he didn’t speak. Where was Parfit? Parfit should be here, not this American secret serviceman. The confessor was wrong, but still the need to confess was strong. Too strong.