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meeting at all.’
    ‘ If I did all that there wouldn’t be any time left for research.’
    ‘ Other groups seem to manage and still carry out research programmes.’ Dr Pearson … ‘
    ‘ Dots other people’s ‘T’s and crosses other people’s ‘I’s. I don’t call that research.’
    ‘ His work is well respected … ’
    ‘ Among other scientists who do exactly the same thing. Find a rut and sit in it, make like-minded friends and scratch each other’s backs. You review my grant application favourably and I’ll do the same for you. Yugh!’
    ‘ This is outrageous! I don’t know why I don’t just …’
    ‘ Three papers in Nature last year and grants totalling £300,000 of which the institute skims forty percent off the top as “overheads” before we even start. That’s why you just don’t …’ exclaimed Malloy equally angrily.
    Hutton looked away to the side, deliberately taking time to compose himself. He seemed to be biting his tongue. When he finally looked back at Malloy he said in controlled fashion, ‘I appreciate you have been under a lot of strain recently, Steven. Ali’s suicide must have been a great shock and now the trial results on your vaccine suggesting it might be less effective than we’d hoped …’
    ‘ The word you’re searching for is, useless.’
    ‘ Be that as it may, we sometimes have to accept set-backs. Learn from our mistakes. Pick ourselves up.’
    Malloy had to consciously stop himself turning the interview into a musical. “And start all over again”. He kept quiet.
    ‘ I suggest we forget our little altercation, put our differences behind us and start afresh. I would be the last one to insist on robotic behaviour among the staff but we must have some standards or we’d have anarchy.’
    ‘ I appreciate that,’ said Malloy quietly.
    ‘ Good. Perhaps you could take a look at some of your paperwork backload, especially the staff appraisals. They’re long overdue.’
    ‘ They used to say that life was what happened to you while you were planning for the future, now it’s what happens to you while you’re filling in forms.’
    I can sympathise to a certain extent but the institute insists that every member of staff be interviewed by his immediate superior at least once a year and an accurate record kept of performance to date, achievements, plans for the future etc. It’s modern practice.’
    ‘ Modern doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good,’ grumbled Malloy. ‘What happens to these appraisals anyway. Where do you send them?’
    Hutton moved in his chair. ‘Actually, we don’t.’
    ‘ You don’t send them anywhere?’
    ‘ They remain here on file.’
    ‘ You file them?’
    ‘ It’s useful to have accurate progress records of everyone on the staff.’
    Malloy wanted to scream out, But is it necessary?’ but he didn’t. In the interests of harmony, even pretend harmony, he kept his mouth shut.
    ‘ I’d also like you to have a word with that technician of yours, Ferguson. He’s not been attending mandatory safety courses on the handling of infectious material.’
    ‘ George Ferguson has been handling infectious material for thirty years,’ pointed out Malloy. ‘He was handling typhoid and tuberculosis in an open lab while I was still playing with my train set.’
    ‘ That’s beside the point.’
    Malloy bit his tongue again but Hutton caught the look on his face. ‘The rules don’t differentiate. All technical staff are required to attend refresher courses. Frankly I don’t understand why you took him on in the first place. he’s a constant thorn in the side of the admin staff.’
    ‘ I took him on because he’s been moved around from pillar to post ever since his hospital closed; I needed a good technician. The trust turned down the technical post on the grant application I put in but funded the rest of it. It was like giving me a car but saying I could only have three wheels on it.’
    ‘ I’m sure they had their