‘My name’s Roderick Alleyn, I’m afraid—’

‘Roderick Alleyn? Sounds pretty good. You’re not in the business, are you?’

‘No, I’m—’

‘Well, if you’ll excuse my freshness you look a bit more Eton and Oxford than most of Sonia’s boyfriends. Are you an artist?’

‘No. I’m a policeman.’

‘And then he came to. Is this where the big laugh comes, Roddy?’

‘Honestly.’

‘A policeman? Where’s your make-up? Pass along there, please, pass along there. Go on, you’re kidding.’

‘Miss O’Dawne, I’m an official of Scotland Yard.’

She looked sharply at him.

‘Here, what’s wrong?’ she said.

‘Was Miss Gluck a very close friend of yours?’ asked Alleyn gently.

‘Was! What d’you mean? Here, has anything happened to Sonia?’

‘I’m afraid so.’

‘What, God, she’s not—!’

‘Yes.’

The coffee-pot bubbled and she automatically turned down the gas. Her pert little face had gone white under the make-up.

‘What had she done?’ she said.

‘She hadn’t done anything. I think I know what you mean. She was going to have a child.’

‘Yes. I know that, all right. Well—what happened?’

Alleyn told her as kindly as possible. She made the coffee as she listened to him, and her distress was so unaffected that he felt himself warm to her.

‘You know, I can’t sort of believe it,’ she said. ‘Murder. That seems kind of not real, doesn’t it? Know what I mean? Why, it was only Saturday she was sitting where you are now and telling me all her bits and pieces.’

‘Were you great friends?’

‘Well, you know. We’d sort of teamed up, in a way. Mind, she’s not my real pal like Maudie Lavine or Dolores Duval, but I was quite matey with her. Here’s your coffee. Help yourself to shoog. God, I can’t believe it. Murdered!’

She stirred her coffee and stared at Alleyn. Suddenly she made a jab at him with her spoon.

‘Garcia!’ she said.

Alleyn waited.

‘Garcia’s done it,’ said Miss O’Dawne, ‘you take it from me. I never liked that boy. She brought him up here once or twice and I said to her: ‘You watch your business with that gentleman,’ I said. ‘In my opinion he’s a very dirty bit of work and I don’t mind who hears me.’ Well, I mean to say! Letting a girl as good as keep him. And when the spot of trouble comes along it’s “Thanks for the buggy ride, it was OK while it lasted.” Had she tried the funny business with the kid? You know.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Alleyn took Miss O’Dawne’s letter from his pocket and handed it to her.

‘We found this in her room. That’s what made me come to you.’

She looked sharply at him.

‘What about it?’