She looked down at her hands. ‘That might be awkward. It may be hard to win their confidence.’

‘That’s fine. You see them alone. Initially anyway. But you may need me to witness. Or for affidavits.’

‘If I get any.’

‘I’m sure you will.’ He switched off the grin. ‘And some of these characters won’t be friendly. I’ll stay out of the way but you can’t be alone.’

‘So you’re to be my chaperone?’

‘No, Sara, I’m just to be there. Even if all I am is your driver with a leather jacket, a Nigerian accent and a lucky zebra dangling from the rear-view mirror.’ She couldn’t help smiling and the grin reappeared.

Shortly before lunch, Morahan arrived and poked his head around the Legal department door. ‘Sara. Welcome. Come and chat.’ After the earlier conversation, she felt guilty about leaving Patrick; he gave her a friendly nod of the head.

Morahan guided her to one end of his brown leather office sofa while he sat down at the other. ‘Coffee? Tea?’

‘I’m fine, thanks. Patrick’s been the perfect host.’

‘Good. Decent chap.’

She hesitated. ‘I hadn’t realised he would be accompanying me on research trips.’

‘Yes, I should have told you first thing. Would have but for our friend Atkinson’s summons.’

‘Oh, how was that?’

‘He just wants it over. I suspect the appearance of enthusiasm in front of the Prime Minister was purely for show.’ He gave a clipped chuckle, then frowned with what seemed to her embarrassment. ‘Patrick persuaded me that you shouldn’t be on your own. He is after all the instructing solicitor who would normally be running evidence gathering.’

‘As long as he doesn’t get in the way.’

‘He won’t.’

She hesitated. ‘There’s an issue.’

‘Tell me.’

‘Racism is not just white and black. It grieves me to say it, but there is often strong prejudice in my community against Africans and West Indians.’

‘Yes, I know. It was one reason Patrick couldn’t do the task I need you to do. Nor is he in your league.’

‘I’m sure he—’

‘No, he’s not, Sara. You are an outstanding young lawyer with the right credentials, both as a professional and as a human being.’

Sara saw him smiling at her with an almost paternal fondness and tried not to show her pleasure.

‘I’ve no doubt you’ll get on with him,’ he continued.

‘Oh yes,’ she said enthusiastically. ‘And there won’t be any complications,’ she added, immediately wishing she hadn’t. She made to rise but he held up a hand to halt her and went to his desk. He opened the middle drawer, extracted a key and unlocked the bottom left pedestal drawer. He pulled out an unmarked white A4 envelope.