And above him the Editor was asking the designer: ‘Why have you put in this fucking boring picture? Don’t you see that it needs to be the bombing these cunts carried out in Syria? It needs wreckage, carnage, aftermath, whatever we’ve got. Then next to it the unarmed French policeman being executed on the pavement outside Charlie Hebdo. Then beside that, like this, the mosque in Acton, smaller, this size. And on the other side, like this, a big picture of some burqas on a street in London. Why the fuck hasn’t this been done already?’ The pencil slashed across the paper.

‘Headline, on top of the picture fade, four decks:

BURQA BOMBS

DEVELOPED IN

SYRIA BY WORLD

TERROR NETWORK

‘Then, underneath it, Baroness Ahmad goes in here writing about violence in Muslim culture. Then, here on the right, Lord Foltener, with a picture byline and title, “Former home secretary”, saying that Britons must stand together and examine how these people came to be in the country. Underneath that, a box this size – Geraldine, is there any reason we’re not using the interviews with 7/7 survivors?’

‘No, it’s good stuff: one of the survivors saying it took her years before she dared get on the tube again – and now this. Also a widow talking about her anguish.’

The Editor’s expression grew grimmer. ‘You incompetent fucking cunts. That has to go in here. The subs can write the headline to fit. Something like, “Fresh ordeal of 7/7 survivors”. That’ll fit. Write it in now. And we need an inset picture of the bombed-out bus in Tavistock Square.’

Through a brief intercession of Geraldine’s, the South African lawyer succeeded in telling the Editor, ‘I’m really uncomfortable with naming these four men, because’ – his right eye fluttered – ‘if we’re wrong and they sue, they’ve got us over a barrel.’

The Editor sized him up. ‘Have you read the story?’

The eye winked uncontrollably. ‘Yes, that’s why—’

‘Then you’ll know we’re not wrong. There’s no way we could have more on them than we do. The Met’s practically confirmed it, for Christ’s sake.’

‘Yes, but we still don’t have anything that unequivocally has them planning the bombing. Also, this might even be prejudicial to what they’re already on trial for. If we’re in court and—’

‘How likely do you think it is that four terrorists on the run from the law will want to meet us in court? And are you seriously suggesting we gag ourselves over the most sensational scoop of this century?’ He was getting excited. ‘Are you out of your mind?’

‘Alright, that’s your decision; I just wanted to flag it—’

‘And you’ve flagged it. Now fuck off.’ He leant forward to inspect the page on Jeremy’s screen, but noticed that the lawyer didn’t step away. ‘Why are you still here?’