‘What did you expect?’ Bannerman glared at him. ‘That he would break down and confess all? The man is untouchable, Platt. He has all his protective layers of power and bureaucracy and money to hide behind. And any number of scapegoats to take the fall. He’s just going to sit quiet. No comment. Why don’t you phone and ask him?’

Platt sat down on the edge of the settee. What had he expected? Of course the man wasn’t going to say anything. He should have known that. Still, ‘No comment’ can be expressed in many ways. Last night Belgian billionaire René Jansen remained tight-lipped. He looked at Bannerman. Bastard. He was holding something back. And Platt had no intention of missing out. ‘So that’s it?’

Bannerman nodded.

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘Then maybe you should leave.’

‘Now look here, Bannerman . . .’ He was unprepared for the speed with which Bannerman suddenly grabbed his lapels and lifted him bodily out of the settee.

‘Get out!’

Platt pulled himself free and straightened his coat with as much dignity as he could muster. In that moment he hated Bannerman as much as he had hated anyone or anything in his life. But he controlled himself. His time would come.

‘When do I get my copy of the stuff from Lewis?’

‘Whenever I get it. Monday or Tuesday.’ Bannerman turned away towards the window, and Platt allowed himself a smile. By then it would all be over. And yet, somehow, that didn’t seem revenge enough. He wanted to hurt Bannerman now.

‘You don’t care about anyone, or anything, do you?’ he said.

‘Get out!’ Bannerman still had his back to him.

‘That girl, all those years ago. You didn’t care about her either. It was me that got you the sack you know. I told the editor what you’d done to that girl. And I was right, wasn’t I? You never even turned up for the funeral. You just didn’t care.’

Bannerman wheeled round. ‘What are you talking about?’

Platt frowned. ‘That girl, the one from telesales, the one you got in trouble. My God, don’t you even remember?’ He stared at Bannerman in disbelief before realizing, quite suddenly, that Bannerman didn’t know, had never known. ‘She killed herself. Just a few months after the baby was born. Her parents threw her out. She drowned the baby and then killed herself. Didn’t you know?’ He felt a great inner joy. At last he had found the place where he could hurt him most.

Bannerman’s face betrayed nothing. ‘I’ll call you.’

Platt stood for a moment then turned and went out through the hall. Bannerman poured himself another drink and when he heard the car start up in the street below realized he would have to take a taxi again in the morning.