‘All right. As a matter of fact, I’m afraid from your point of view the visit was not a howling success. She said she wouldn’t have Sonia’s name blackened in print and gave me a lot of stuff about how Sonia was the greatest little pal and a real sport. I took her out to lunch and gave her champagne, for which I expect the Yard to reimburse me. She got fairly chatty, but nothing much to the purpose. I told her I knew all about Sonia’s little blackmailing games with Pilgrim and Malmsley, and she said that was just a bit of fun. I asked her if Sonia had the same kind of fun with anyone else, and she told me, with a jolly laugh, to mind my own business. I filled up her glass and she did get a bit unreserved. She said Garcia found out Sonia had told her about the Pilgrim game. Garcia was absolutely livid and said he’d do Sonia in if she couldn’t hold her tongue. Of course, Sonia told Bobbie all this and made her swear on a Bible and a rosary that she wouldn’t split to anyone. It was at this stage, Alleyn, that Bobbie took another pull at her champagne and then said—I memorized her actual words—‘So you see, dear, with an oath like that on my conscience I couldn’t say anything about Friday night, could I?’ I said: ‘How d’you mean?’ and she said: ‘Never mind, dear. She oughn’t to have told me. Now I’m scared. If he knows she told me, as sure as God’s above he’ll do for me, too.’ And then, as there was no more champagne, the party broke up.’

‘Well—I’ll pay for the champagne,’ said Alleyn. ‘Damn this girl, Fox, she’s tiresome. Sink me if I don’t believe she knows who had the date with Garcia on Friday night. She’s proved that it wasn’t Sonia. Sonia spent the weekend with her. Well—who was it?’

The telephone rang. Alleyn picked up the receiver. ‘Hullo. Yes, Bailey? I see. He’s sure of that? Yes. Yes, I see. Thank you.’

He put down the receiver and looked at Fox.

‘The hole on the cuff of Pilgrim’s coat was made by an acid. Probably nitric acid.’

‘Is that so?’ said Fox. He rose slowly to his feet.

‘There’s your answer!’ cried Nigel. ‘I don’t see how you can get away from it, Alleyn. You’ve got motive and opportunity. You’ve got evidence of a man who stood in the lane and looked in at the studio window. It might just have been Malmsley, but by God, I think it was Pilgrim.’