He wrinkles his nose, and I have a flash of Laurie doing the same. “Well, as long as we can keep Mr Pinton from mounting his own defence, we should be fine.”

“If he does that, his personality will make defending Hitler an easy prospect.”

He snorts. “Mr Pinton is a bit abrasive.”

“I’ve known scouring pads with better personalities.” He laughs, and I shift my rucksack on my back to a more comfortable position. “You have been a great help, Sean.”

He flushes. “Really? Thank you, sir.”

“It’s Magnus. I’ve told you that. You have been helpful. You have a very good legal brain. You’ll do well.”

“Thank you. That means a lot,” he says softly.

I seek a way to break the moment, and Endof provides the perfect one by groaning at my feet. “Did Miriam say Endof behaved better today?”

His lip twitches. “She said he was adequate.”

“Ack, I’m afraid that’s the limit of what we can ask of the wretched creature.”

“Apparently, it’s not the chewing so much. It’s more the constant howling. He’s very attached to you.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sure he is. I’m quite possibly the only person in the United Kingdom who is stupid enough to keep him.”

“I think you’re just as attached. Miriam said she’d never heard anything like being asked to look after a QC’s dog.”

“She should branch out more.”

He chuckles. “I think she secretly likes him. She bought him more toys to play with.”

“Had she rubbed them with arsenic before she gave them to him?”

The lift doors open as he bursts into laughter, and I click my tongue at the dog. “Come along, you wretched creature.”

“Mags, is that any way to talk to your colleagues?”

The warm, familiar voice comes from the chairs by the lift, and I spin around, almost overbalancing in the process. “Laurie,” I gasp.

“’Tis me,” he says lightly as Endof gives a happy bark and rushes to greet him. Laurie bends down to pat him.

“What are you doing here?”

“I thought I’d check and see how Endof is coping with you.”

Sean’s snort of laughter reminds me that we have a witness.

“Sean, this is Laurie. He is a piss-taking fool. Laurie, this is Sean, my pupil.”

“You have my deepest sympathies,” Laurie says, a smile tugging at his lips. There are dark shadows under his eyes, and although it might be my imagination, he looks even thinner. His khaki shorts hang from his hips, and the yellow T-shirt’s stretched neck shows his prominent collarbone. I frown.