The chief nodded at Colin and slapped Jeremy on the shoulder. The two subs, one blocky, the other shaped like a pear, walked very slowly and very close together back to their desks. Jez said, ‘Thanks, Frank. I really hate reporters.’

‘Who doesn’t? And if anyone’s going to plier out your toenails, it’ll be us. We’ll need every pair of hands we’ve got tonight. If this story comes in, and it’s as big as it could be, the Editor’ll want the edition to go on time.’

Jeremy appealed to him. ‘Listen, this story. I really think there are problems with it.’

The chief weighed that up. ‘And you’ve said that to Newsdesk?’

‘Yeah, but you know what they’re like.’

The chief considered. ‘The Editor wants this story. He thinks it could be the biggest splash this paper, that any paper’s had in years. Daily Beast uncovers terror plot against the newspaper. It’s better than the expenses scandal, better than phone-hacking, better than the Rotherham paedo ring. If it stands up, and we don’t get blown up in the next five hours, it’ll be scoop of the year, splash of the year, every prize going. The Editor thinks it is going to stand up and the Editor, despite being madder than an IRA hunger striker, is even more of a journalistic genius than me. So, in terms of getting this story spiked, is there any piece of information you have that Newsdesk and the Editor don’t?’

The chief beamed his frightening grin full at Jeremy, who glumly said, ‘Not really.’

‘Alright, how about let’s do some fucking work then?’

He slapped Jeremy’s shoulder for a second time, as if to release him from his presence, and, without expecting a response, bustled back to his desk.

Jez watched him take his seat, then turned towards his own. Before he could get there, Lauren, seeing him momentarily unoccupied, jumped from her chair at the head of what was really his pod. She was hunched with apology and squeezing two of her fingertips till they went red and white. The curmudgeon in Jez dug in his heels.

‘Hi,’ she said. ‘How was your holiday?’

Jez put his hands in his pockets and let his paunch expand forward between them. He said, ‘Yeah, not bad.’