Michael had licked his dry lips, and found that his hands were shaking. The man sitting opposite was not going to be put off and Michael also knew that his own voice was unsteady. He was using Steve’s name too often, and the fact of the matter was too awful to confess: he did know where the Limston invoices were, because they were with a number of other invoices – and they weren’t in the ledger, because he had almost certainly shredded them. Why had he shredded them? That was what he’d hoped to discuss with Dr Bonnermorgan: an inability to cope, despite his absolutely fine blood pressure.

‘You’re not doing your job,’ said Steve quietly. ‘I’m worried that you’re not doing your job properly, and… I wouldn’t care, normally. It wouldn’t be my business. But Robbie Limston is a mate, and he’s not going out of business because you’re incompetent. When is he going to get paid?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Look it up.’

‘No. I can’t. If you… Look. If you have… concerns. If you have concerns—’

‘I do have concerns.’

‘In that case—’

‘Major concerns. Most of us do.’

His shirt was too tight. He should never have bought that size.

‘Look,’ said Michael. ‘If that really is the case, you have to raise your concerns formally, and properly – and I can do a search right away, but… I can’t do one because you sit there demanding that I do. I will do a search and get straight back to you.’

Silence. The train rattling on, but somehow silent – and he wished he’d gone through to the next carriage, and found a forward-facing seat. He couldn’t ask the woman opposite to move, or he could – theoretically – but it would be so intrusive. She’d got there first, after all, but he was rattling backwards to a place he didn’t want to be, and the idea of sitting down next to her seemed positively dangerous.

‘It’s a simple question, Michael.’

Steve’s nose had been broken.

‘I’m asking you on behalf of a trusted supplier – when will the Limston invoice be paid?’

‘Next week, I should think. They’ve missed this week’s roster.’

‘They missed last week. And the week before—’

‘For all I know, the original has been… I don’t know, queried. It may have been pulled for further inspection, or analysis—’

‘Go and get it.’

‘No.’