He turned around and saw the door of a blue VW Beetle open and a woman a little older than Georgie step out onto the pavement. It didn’t seem like a particularly significant event, although the woman was quite attractive. He looked at Georgie for an explanation.

‘She’s a reporter,’ she warned as the woman started to stride purposefully towards them. ‘She collared me outside the court earlier.’

‘Hello there!’ the woman called before reaching Priest and extending her hand. He groaned inwardly. I don’t have time for this. He took her hand for the sake of civility but tried not to look at her. Perhaps if he didn’t make eye contact she might go away.

‘Elinor Fox,’ the reporter said, smiling. ‘I’m covering the Elias trial. You’re the magazine’s solicitor, right?’

‘Listen, Miss Fox,’ Priest began, ‘I’m really sorry but right now I’m a little tied up. Could we—’

‘I hear one of your witnesses hasn’t turned up at court and I was just wondering if I could help in any way?’

Priest took a moment before answering, allowing the words to digest. Help in any way?

‘A kind offer,’ he said. ‘But not one that I can possibly take up. Besides, you’re missing all the action in court. It’s far more interesting in there than it is out here.’

Priest felt irritated by her presence – he couldn’t go back into the shop and interrogate Gary with her hanging around waiting to print whatever he said, but equally he knew better than to be overtly rude. Litigation disaster management rule number three: never annoy the press without good reason.

Fox was still talking. ‘Look, I know everyone’s a little wary of the papers but I’m trying to get to the bottom of the Turkey scandal. I’m not interested in you or The Real Byte. I just want to publish the truth about Alexia Elias.’

‘Then wait until the case has finished.’

‘Which witness hasn’t turned up? It’s Simeon Ali, right? The whistle-blower?’ She was probing further, stepping closer to him so he had to take a step back towards the shop.

‘How did you know we were here?’ Georgie asked Fox.

‘I got a tip-off that Simeon lived on this road. I guessed this is where you’d start looking.’

‘Have you been here before?’

Fox smiled, non-committal.

He caught on to Georgie’s line of questioning. ‘I take it you don’t know where Simeon is, Miss Fox?’

Fox cocked her head to one side. ‘If I did, why would I be here?’ She nodded to the electronics shop. ‘I take it he’s not at home.’