Alex looked scared. He retreated to the table and picked up a packet of cigarettes. He lit up, never taking his eyes off Lindsay, who followed his example. She exhaled smoke slowly and perched on the arm of one of the chairs. “It’s very simple, Alex. You stole Harry Campbell’s papers and photographs. He wants them back. He’s sitting in my car downstairs, waiting to hear your terms. I promise you, whatever Barry Ostler said he’d give you, we’ll match. But Harry’s very upset. He doesn’t want any publicity. So if we can’t do a deal, he’s going to shop you to the police for the burglary. Not to mention the fact that you’re earning while signing on as unemployed. None of us wants to go down that road, do we? Now, can we talk properly?” Lindsay urged. She really didn’t want to give him a bad time, but she suspected it wouldn’t be necessary.

Alex nodded uncertainly. “Just suppose you’re right. How much is it worth?” he said, trying to sound defiant.

“How much did Barry pay you for the Scottish Office stuff?” Lindsay asked.

“None of your business,” he retorted.

Lindsay smiled. “Alex, I used to be in the newspaper business myself. I know exactly how much Barry got for that story. And I bet you didn’t get more than £100 of his £500.” The expression of surprise on his face told Lindsay all she needed to know. If she knew Barry, Alex would have been lucky to see £50. And now she’d sown a seed of doubt in his mind about Barry’s trustworthiness.

“He said the other stuff would be worth a lot more,” Alex said.

“How much more? Come on, Alex, the sooner we get this settled, the sooner I can get back to my girlfriend. This is not my idea of a fun Saturday morning.”

He scowled. “Barry said he’d pay me £500,” he said, obviously naming a figure off the top of his head. Lindsay almost felt sorry for him. Ostler was using him, and it was clearly a position Alex was so accustomed to it no longer surprised him.

“We’re prepared to equal that, and add a little bit more on top for your trouble,” Lindsay said. “How does £750 sound to you?”

“I suppose so,” he replied grudgingly. “But I’m not handing anything over till I get the money.”

“That seems perfectly reasonable to me. What I suggest we do is this. I’ll go down and tell Harry to go and fetch the cash. Then he can bring it back here, and the two of you can make your swap. That way, Harry can check he’s getting everything back. Is that okay with you?”

“I don’t want to see him,” Alex blurted out. “Can’t you handle it all?”