God’s Fist

The transfer of The Catholic Echo from the outskirts of town to a new, more central location was completed within five days. Over the years, it had outgrown its former premises – a purpose-built but relatively small editorial centre on a suburban industrial estate – and was now relocating to the third and fourth floors of a palatial Victorian building on the city centre’s main trunk road, quite close to the railway station and, more importantly, to the borough’s impressive Catholic cathedral. There was much lugging of furniture and machinery from the backs of wagons, then up and down stairs, and into and out of lifts. It was a chaotic and physically draining business, but by the end of the week the bulk of the heavy work had been done, and come Friday afternoon the journalists and telesales girls were back at their desks, and Jervis and his removals crew were relaxing in the nearest pub.