Okoro fumbled around in the bundle. He knew the notice had been served – Priest would never have missed a point like that – but where the damn thing was he couldn’t recall. Where the hell is Georgie when you need her? The bundle seemed alien to him all of a sudden.

‘A copy is here at page a hundred and nine, Your Honour,’ said Hagworth, positively brimming with the glee of having to come to Okoro’s aid.

‘Thank you, Mr Hagworth. Ah, yes. I see. It would make sense for Mr Ali’s evidence to be dealt with first, would you not agree, Mr Okoro?’

‘I think not, Your Honour,’ Okoro replied. ‘The defence wishes to call Tomas Jansen first. He is, after all, the executive editor of The Real Byte and thereby best placed to give the court the benefit of some insight into the magazine’s intentions behind the article, which will enable the court to put Mr Ali’s evidence in better context. He is also the article’s primary author.’

Peters’s eyes narrowed and Okoro was reminded of a large crow peering over the fence at a rabbit carcass. ‘Am I not able to understand evidence unless you are spoon-feeding me context, Mr Okoro?’

‘Of course, Your Honour. But—’

‘Good. Then we may hear from Mr Ali first.’

‘I fear greatly, Your Honour, that this may not be possible. As it is, Mr Ali is not present in court.’

Peters nodded before consulting the papers in front of her and making a fuss of producing a particular document. Okoro started to wish the ground might swallow him. He glanced around at The Real Byte staff behind him and cast what he hoped was a reassuring glance. He received cold stares of apprehension in return. To his right, he noticed Alexia Elias smiling to herself.

‘The notice of hearing,’ announced the judge, adjusting her spectacles and studying the document, ‘is dated over nine months ago. Your witness knew where he had to be and when, didn’t he, Mr Okoro?’

‘He did. But it appears that, nonetheless, he has not yet arrived.’

Hagworth was on his feet and, as Okoro feared, looking to capitalise on the defence’s misfortune.

‘Your Honour, the conjectures against my client are poorly pleaded but, if sustainable at all, are only so on the evidence of Mr Ali. If he can’t be bothered to turn up to court to attest to the truth of his statement and make himself available for cross-examination, then I invite you to bar the defendant from relying on his evidence, tentative and ill-conceived as it was anyway.’

Mercifully, Peters looked indecisive. ‘I’m not sure that’s the right approach, Mr Hagworth.’