‘Marie? Marie!’ Dominic shakes me. My eyes blurry, unfocused. ‘You’ve got to tell them. They’ll panic. They know she’s powerful enough to blow it. Someone fucked up along the line when she was promoted, took their eye off the ball. That’s why they’ve started to tap you so much recently. They’re panicking. She’s only been in post for a few months. They’ll have known the leaks were real. It’s not all on you … Steady, that’s it…’

I let him guide me over the kerb, to the edge of the street.

‘So let’s go over it, OK?’ He props me upright between his hands. ‘You name the source. That’s all you need to make sure you 244do. We’ll have to bet everything on the microphone in that handset. Give it some preamble so we’ve got enough on tape that they can’t hide from. It doesn’t mean we’ll name her in the reporting, but it will get them to spill enough for admissible proof. And she’s well protected. She’s got her whole police force…’

‘…who are worth shit, right?’ My voice comes from nowhere as I look up at him.

‘I guess I’ll always find that part hard to take,’ he mumbles as his head drops. ‘But she’s iron-clad. We know that now. You’re only ever as good as your sources. And you’re the real insider, the real source. You’re the only one that knows everything … But we can only prove it together.’

I fumble for my phone, checking its battery. Suddenly we’re moving quickly again, light-footed, nimble.

‘Test it,’ he whispers as I switch on the microphone, edging closer to a couple arguing as they wait for a cab a few paces down the kerb. A minute later, audio of a tedious domestic crackles into my ear.

‘We’re on,’ I mutter, frowning as I tuck away the phone. ‘Unless Jemima keeps calling me while I’m doing it, that is.’

‘Jonas,’ he says suddenly, straightening and looking out into the road. ‘Jonas…’

‘You’ll have to keep messaging her,’ I say, tucking my phone back into my pocket. ‘Let her know what’s going on. I can’t afford to tie up this line. If she or anyone tries to call while I’m recording … These microphones aren’t exactly high-tech.’

‘Jonas,’ he says again, staring into space.

‘Let’s go,’ I say, waving for a taxi. ‘Come on, Dom, seriously. We need to move.’ I open the door before the cab’s fully stopped, only aware he’s following when he clambers in behind me.

‘St James’s Park,’ I shout, closing the glass grille on the cabbie’s nod as I turn back to Dominic. ‘Are you getting hold of Jemima or what?’

‘Leave her with me, OK?’245