" He says he's going to try to string it to a national .sx " .sx Daisy sat down heavily on the bed .sx " Why , for God's sake ?sx " .sx She could almost see Alan shrugging at the other end of the line .sx " Finally got to her ?sx " he suggested .sx " Flipped her lid ?sx " .sx " Don't even mention it .sx " But the thought had already occurred to her .sx Alice Knowles was under intolerable pressure ; many lesser people would have cracked before now .sx " When's this meant to be happening ?sx " she asked .sx " At three this afternoon .sx " .sx Inevitably .sx End of quiet Saturday .sx Daisy tried calling Alice Knowles , but there was no reply .sx Already left for the show , perhaps .sx Or lying low , avoiding the phone .sx There was nothing for it then , not if all the work wasn't going to go up the spout .sx Quite apart from anything else , she rather liked Mrs Knowles ; it would be dreadful to see her disappointed , maybe even humiliated .sx Nothing , however , was going to rob Daisy of her breakfast , not even Alice Knowles , and she sat cross-legged on the floor and consumed a large bowl of Coco Pops and milk , followed by several slices of toast and jam , which tasted marvellously of white sugar and processed flour .sx As she ate she started to go through the newspapers , looking for cuttings , but soon broke off and stared through the window , thinking of Alice Knowles .sx The case was typical of many that came Catch's way .sx The Knowleses were a farming family with seven hundred acres of good arable land not far from Newbury .sx Nice hard-working people , reasonably prosperous , distinctly law-abiding .sx Like most farmers , they worked with large quantities of chemicals .sx But unlike most other families they had been unlucky or not careful enough , or both , and now things had gone wrong .sx But was a demonstration going to help ?sx Daisy tried to imagine what sort of protest Alice Knowles might be planning .sx Handing out leaflets , setting up a stall ?sx Not so bad .sx Banner waving , shouting , speech making ?sx Not so good .sx In the minds of much of the press any sort of jumping up and down was still firmly associated with weirdos and political agitators , and while they might print a two-line protest story , they were unlikely to give the item the space it deserved .sx Alice would be written off as an isolated old woman with a grievance , and Daisy's chances of getting a serious investigative piece would be that much reduced .sx But there might still be time to pre-empt things .sx Leafing through her address book , she found the number of Simon Calthrop , a Sunday Times journalist she'd just met .sx Simon belonged to that relatively new species of writer , the environment correspondent , of whom from a count of six or seven five years ago there were now so many that you couldn't count them for green lapel stickers .sx Simon was a committed environmental reporter , just as he'd been a committed consumer affairs correspondent two years before , and a dedicated investigative reporter the year before that .sx She'd last seen him a week before at a party for the launch of yet another rain forest appeal in which consumers were being asked , among other things , to boycott mahogany lavatory seats .sx As one man had said in a loud voice , did that mean having to raise the seat before sitting down ?sx This had met with the sort of stony silence usually reserved for nuclear power promoters and toxic waste apologists .sx Daisy felt for the poor man .sx Nobody'd told him you weren't allowed to have a sense of humour .sx Simon hadn't smiled , he was too busy looking detached .sx She'd invited him to take her on to dinner , to see if the detachment survived a candlelit evening .sx Rather to her surprise it did .sx Writing for the Sunday Times was , for Simon , an onerous experience .sx But there were definite chinks in his armour and , having squeezed the odd smile out of him , she liked to think she'd levered some of them open .sx He sounded grumpy when he answered the phone .sx " Can't do anything this week , " he began unpromisingly .sx " As a human interest story then , " Daisy suggested .sx " You know , how ordinary people are driven to desperate acts .sx It could make a good photo feature .sx " .sx " Mmm .sx " He sounded unconvinced .sx " So tell me about it .sx " .sx Daisy told him about the family and how the medical tests had shown them to have high levels of pesticide residues in their bodies - the residue of several pesticides unfortunately , and not just one or two , so that it was impossible to know which particular chemical or cocktail of chemicals might have caused their troubles .sx But Daisy had her suspicions .sx For years the Knowleses had been using the pesticide Aldeb on their potato crop .sx She reminded Simon that Aldeb was under notice of withdrawal in the US because of fears that it was carcinogenic .sx " And in Britain ?sx " he asked .sx " Here ?sx " Daisy gave a derisive laugh .sx " You know how it is - everything takes a little longer .sx The ministry did their usual trick and rejected the US research on the grounds that it was inconclusive .sx Aldeb's still heading the best-sellers' list .sx " .sx " Mmm .sx " He wasn't sounding enthralled by the story so far .sx " Aldeb's who , remind me ?sx " .sx " Morton-Kreiger .sx They've just announced their results .sx Worldwide profits of three hundred million , give or take the odd million .sx Pounds , that is .sx " .sx " And what's their response been ?sx You've contacted them , presumably .sx " .sx Daisy was beginning to realise that , for all his erudite environmental articles , Simon still didn't know everything about the workings of agrochemical companies .sx " What response ?sx " she replied caustically .sx " You must be joking .sx I'm always referred to their legal department .sx " .sx He took the point , though she could sense that he didn't appreciate it being made so forcefully .sx Tactlessness - and instant regret - were such a regular feature of her life that she automatically backtracked , adding quickly :sx " What I mean is , they've been less helpful than they could have been .sx " .sx " Listen , this isn't exactly straightforward , " Simon said .sx " If there's a story , it could take weeks to dig out .sx I really don't think there'd be much point in covering this woman and her demonstration this afternoon , not at this stage - " .sx " Maybe not , but let me come over with the file , " Daisy urged .sx " It's impressive , I promise you .sx The story could be an important one .sx At least we think so .sx And if we're right , then a lot of farmers could be at risk .sx " He was silent , but Daisy could sense a flicker of interest .sx " Needless to say , " she added , " you'd have full access to all our material .sx " .sx Another pause .sx She'd almost got him , she felt it .sx " Where do you live ?sx " she asked .sx He lived in Islington .sx After a detour to the office at King's Cross to pick up the Knowles file and the draft press releases , she made it in forty minutes .sx His flat was on the third floor of a tall house in a rubbish-strewn street off the Pentonville Road .sx The main room was basic but comfortable , with a couple of deep sofas , a Habitat dining-table and chair set , and an expensive-looking Scandinavian hi-fi system .sx There were a few good etchings on the walls , a dying fig tree in the window , and on the floor several piles of magazines and newspapers stacked high enough to reach the sofa arms .sx A functional if untidy kitchen was visible through a half-open door .sx A typical bachelor flat - or was it ?sx She found herself casting around for signs of female occupation , and was surprised at herself .sx Was she making room for a new man in her life ?sx More to the point , was she considering the rather dry , unemotional Simon ?sx He emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of coffee .sx He was wearing the rumpled but carefully-assembled uniform of the north London intellectual :sx well-worn jeans , open-necked safari-style shirt which , if it had encountered an iron at all , had met it only briefly , and old tennis shoes .sx He had a pale face , glasses with minimal gold frames , dark eyebrows that feathered over the bridge of his nose , and heavy black hair which kept falling over his eyes .sx He was slim , although she noticed the first signs of the badge of office of the true journalist , the drinking paunch , showing beneath the shirt .sx She took him through the file , item by item .sx Eventually he said wearily :sx " It could make a small item , I suppose .sx .. Or a major investigative piece .sx But I can't see anything in between .sx " .sx " Okay then , " Daisy said immediately .sx " Make it a major investigative piece .sx " .sx His heavy brows lowered until they formed a solid black line .sx He gave a weighty sigh .sx " I've got two big features on the go at the moment .sx .. I couldn't possibly start on anything yet .sx Not for some time , in fact .sx " .sx " But soonish ?sx " She was pressing him , she knew it , but it was vital to screw some sort of commitment out of him , however tenuous .sx " We could get more data , I'm sure of it , " she said more out of hope than certainty .sx " Other victims and that sort of thing .sx " .sx " Oh ?sx Where from ?sx " .sx She had to think quickly .sx " Umm , the unions .sx The NFU , the Transport and General Workers .sx " She had in fact already spent long hours with the health-and-safety officers of the two unions , combing their files .sx The National Farmers' Union had produced a number of cases which might be traceable to Aldeb , but the evidence had been sketchy even by Daisy's undemanding standards .sx There were hundreds of cases out there , Daisy was sure of it ; the victims just didn't know what had hit them .sx " Okay .sx " Simon gave another , sharper sigh .sx " Find what you can and when I've got the time I'll have a look at it .sx " .sx She had to settle for that .sx She took another coffee off him all the same , partly to satisfy her curiosity about him , partly to argue her case again should the chance arise , which it soon did .sx If she was being dogged , it was because in this line of work opportunities had to be grabbed as they arose and then shaken into life .sx It wasn't enough to have right on your side ; that never got anyone anywhere .sx " Of course it has been known for the Americans to get it wrong , " Simon said .sx " They can over-react .sx " .sx " What , on Aldeb ?sx " Daisy exclaimed .sx " Have you seen the evidence ?sx " .sx He shrugged , as if nobody of any sense could seriously believe that anything , even scientific evidence , could be taken at face value .sx " To provide balance I'd have to interview Morton-Kreiger .sx Get their side of things .sx " .sx " I wish you luck , " she said drily .sx " I'd be interested to know what they have to say .sx " .sx He got up and , going to the stereo system , put on a CD .sx Early music .sx A concerto of some sort .sx She tried to guess .sx " Bach ?sx " " Haydn , " he said .sx " On original instruments .sx I think it sounds rather more interesting , don't you ?sx " .sx " Sure , " she said , though she wasn't certain she could tell a wire string from a piece of eighteenth-century catgut if it was sounded in her ear .sx She couldn't help thinking that Simon was just the type to go for original instruments .sx Simon , making an obvious effort to be sociable , asked about her background .sx Daisy seemed to remember that they'd been over this at dinner the previous week .sx Had he simply forgotten ?sx Giving him the benefit of the doubt , she went through it again .sx She told him about being brought up in Catford , famous for the greyhound stadium , for being somewhere beyond the South Circular , and for being impossible to find without an Ordnance Survey map of south London .sx How her father had encouraged her to get some A-levels and try for a law scholarship to Birmingham , which she didn't get .sx Her parents had sent her all the same , though it was a strain financially .sx " They thought education set you apart .sx It did , in Catford at least .sx None of my school friends ever spoke to me again .sx I had a best friend called Samantha who thought I'd got totally above myself .sx The last I heard , she was earning a thousand quid a week as a nude model .sx " She gave a chuckle , as she always did when she came to this part of the story .sx