They were running out of time and running out of chances on this particular case, and it wouldn’t only be Jim she’d be letting down if she dropped the ball today.

‘The subject’s name is Robert Croft,’ Jim had explained to her. ‘He’s a thirty-seven-year-old plasterer from Clarkston. The client is Hayden-Murray Solicitors on behalf of Mrs Dorothy Muldoon, a retired widow from Giffnock. In December last year, Mrs Muldoon runs into the back of Croft’s Escort van at a roundabout in Pollokshaws. Minimal damage, she accepts it’s her fault, expects to pay the excess on a wee bit of panel-beating and a skoosh of spray paint. Unfortunately the observant Mr Croft has noted that Mrs Muldoon has run into him in a Lexus, and the cogs have started to turn inside his grasping wee heid.

‘Couple of weeks later, she gets a notice saying she’s being sued for long-term loss of earnings because Mr Croft sustained an injury in the accident and can no longer wield his trowel. The letter is from a company called Scotiaclaim.’

‘Is that the ones that have that tacky advert on the telly? The personal injury mob?’

‘Aye. And this shower would give ambulance-chasers a bad name. They advertise on daytime TV partly because it’s cheaper but mainly because their target market is shiftless bastards who believe something’s owing to them despite sitting on their fat arses all day when other folk are busy at work. Soon as I heard that’s who was representing him, it told me all I needed to know. Suffice to say, Hayden-Murray are sceptical as to the veracity of Mr Croft’s claim, especially as they have learned he has successfully made a similar claim before. Unfortunately, that’s not admissible in court, but it tells us plenty.’

‘What about doctors? Doesn’t he need a medical report?’

‘Oh, dodgy lawyers often have pals who are dodgy doctors. They can always source a diagnosis favourable to their position. But even if Hayden-Murray are able to secure an independent examination, Croft will have been made aware – if he wasnae aware already – of how to cite some conveniently non-specific and non-testable symptoms.’