‘But if he killed this other young girl he might have killed Flora too,’ I say. ‘Dylan said he’d been at the fair around the same time as Flora. He might have met her.’

Ted grunts. ‘“Might have” isn’t good enough.’ He slaps the edge of one hand into the palm of the other. ‘We need cold, hard facts. And the fucking Daily News seems to be getting everything before we do.’ A tense silence falls between us. Ted’s blue eyes are cold as he stares off into the middle distance, still chewing.

‘You know, Jess,’ he says, still not looking at me, ‘HQ are looking for any excuse to shut this place down. They want us all under one roof. I’d hate that, and so would Seth. We’re too old and jaded to make that move.’

I’d hate it too. I love the freedom we have here.

‘We’re the ones who are coming up with the good stories on this,’ I say, my cheeks hot. ‘Not them.’

‘Only because you know the family. It keeps Jared off our backs.’

Jared is ten years younger than Ted, suave with his slicked-back hair, expensive suits and soft-top sports car. Ted is the antithesis to Jared. Ted is what I call old-school. Ex-Fleet Street. There’s nothing suave or slimy about Ted.

I have one ace up my sleeve, although I’m not sure how ethical it would be to use it.

But I need to prove to Ted that he wasn’t wrong to employ me. He hired me because of my track record.

I take a deep breath and it all comes out in a rush. ‘Margot said I can go with her this afternoon to see Heather.’ I feel as if I’ve thrown a hand grenade into the room and am waiting to see if it explodes.

His eyes flick back to mine and he looks more alert than I’ve seen him all week.

‘I’m not sure I’ll be allowed to interview her,’ I add hastily. ‘But proceedings aren’t active yet because they still haven’t charged her due to her health.’

‘She’s getting better, though. It’s only a matter of time.’

‘I know. It’s a long shot, but she might give me something.’

He stands up, actually rubbing his hands. ‘Yes. Yes, she might. It’s worth a shot. You’ll be the first journalist to see her, to interview her. Great. Great. That’ll get Jared off our backs.’

‘Even if they say I can interview her, I don’t know if she’ll agree …’ I begin, but he’s already walking away.