‘And the Editor’ll want us on time again tonight.’ Max was already getting on with it. From his pocket, the chief pulled a sheet of quarter-folded A4 that had curved to the shape of his thigh. ‘We’re also having a sweepstake on how many dead on the bus. Count stops at midnight tonight; fiver entry, one guess, winner takes all. Who’s in? Max?’

Max just said, ‘They weren’t all terrorists, Frank. Will, you’ve got five minutes for those mastheads. Then pick up both Muslim Debate pieces and get straight through them. Quick as you can.’

The chief said, ‘Rosie, sweepstake?’

Rosie, from whom the terror was still draining away, just shook her head. She said to Max, ‘I’ve finished the Kayani cricket story.’

The chief asked, ‘Will?’

Will couldn’t help grinning, but knew what Rosie would think of him if he took part, and said, ‘I’m alright, thanks.’

‘Jez? You’re not a bleeding-heart greenhorn. You’ll want in on the action.’

In the headiness of relief, Jeremy asked, ‘What’s the pot?’

‘Already up to a hundred and twenty and Newsdesk want in as well.’

‘A hundred and twenty?’

‘Getting towards what one of these grunts gets paid for a shift, which isn’t that much less than you.’

‘Errm, what’s everyone guessing?’

‘I can’t tell you that, young Jezuit! Not till you’ve guessed yourself. But come along, little Maxi here’ll be getting impatient.’

Max was assigning copy as fast as he could and glared at Jeremy to hurry up.

‘Alright then, I guess eighteen – no, seventeen.’

‘I have to press you, sir, is seventeen your final answer?’

‘No, eighteen. No, seventeen; definitely seventeen.’

‘Excellent choice, darling. I’ll collect later.’

Max needed to give someone the Met’s Terror Hunt. The main run wanted only a few flicks of the scalpel, but the map was studded with boxes into which each chunk of copy – ‘Police shoot Amir Mian’; ‘Kayani sighted on waterfront’ – would have to be finessed. It was ticklish and he sensed rather than noticed something false in it. Jez was busy; Will was busy. ‘Rosie,’ he said. ‘Can you pick up the Terror Hunt spread? Make sure you double check all the times are right. There’s something fishy about them.’ At least, he thought, always strategizing, if she fucked this up he would be rid of her.

He said, ‘Jez, can you get this Dramatic Shootout out of the way so—’