The restaurant is full of happy, loud, normal people. The men look as if they work in commodities: they are broad with big faces – evoking the stockyards – and the women are consciously sexy, avid, laughing, having a good time. Julian wants to lose himself in this place. He envies these people their carefree lives. A huge plate of stone-crab claws arrives, and the waitress ties the bib around his neck.

‘That’s one great suit, sir. Let’s see if we can keep it that way.’

‘Gieves and Hawkes.’

‘Real nice.’

Her smile warms him; he’s desperate for anything that confirms to him that he is human. The small hairs on the side of her arm brush his face lightly. She brings a large, bright-red crab-claw-cracker. He wants to hold her; he wants to embrace her sturdy, cheerful frame.

‘Enjoy. Just call me if you need something, honey. More dipping sauce, or whatever, guys.’

Nigel is already carving away at a huge steak.

‘They like you, the ladies,’ he says.

‘Yes, I was always the good-looking one.’

‘They see something in you. They don’t see it in me, whatever it is.’

‘Nige, before we sell, I’m going to nail Kevin and Paddy.’

‘If it’s them.’

‘I want you to find out.’

‘I think we should leave it now, Jules. You’ve got what you wanted, we’ve survived the panic. Don’t want to prolong the agony or take risks.’

‘I’m going to get them. I want to nail their nuts to the floor.’

‘Sleep on it, Jules. Really.’

For the first time Julian fully understands his father’s vindictiveness. He hated to be thwarted or cheated.

‘OK, I’ll sleep on it. These crab claws are sensational. You know when they catch them, they just rip the claws off and throw the crabs back. It takes two years for them to grow some more claws. You are thinking, admit it, how do they eat, but their claws are for fighting only. They feed perfectly OK without them.’

‘The amazing secret life of the Florida stone crab, revealed for the first time,’ says Nigel in a hushed, David Attenborough voice.

‘Let’s have one of those huge jugs of beer. Let’s celebrate Chicago-style.’

Julian hails the waitress, who sails cheerily towards him and takes their order.

‘You’re being very silly, Jules.’

‘About bloody time. I was a human being once, I think.’