‘I really don’t have long as I have a hair appointment,’ Justine said, perching on the edge of the chair. ‘I just wanted to give the little detective the name of someone I remembered – Eunice Small. She’s very elderly but she was his aunt. I haven’t had any contact with her for many years, but when I found her number I called her. I am only inviting family members to be present at the funeral.’

Justine stood up abruptly and waved the manila envelope again. ‘I’ve also got a couple of photographs I found; whether or not they will mean anything to you, I don’t know . . . ’

She adjusted her beret, tilting it a little more to the right. ‘Now, I really must go. These diva hair stylists like to keep you waiting, but God forbid that you are ever a minute late.’ She placed the envelope on the desk and then opened the door before Jane had a chance to assist her.

‘When will I be able to put the flat on the market? Obviously the carpet will have to be replaced, but I would like to sell it as soon as possible.’

Jane felt wrong-footed. ‘Um, I’ll have to talk to my superior and let you know.’

Justine nodded. ‘There is another thing that you may or may not be interested in. After the funeral, I have every intention of allowing the agents to buy me out.’

She closed the door behind her.

Jane sat back down at the empty desk. She wished she had not been so unprepared. She would have liked to have seen Justine’s reaction if the hair discovered in the bed was verified as hers.

*

Spencer was starting to get slightly bored as Francis talked him through all the movie posters, outlining the plots and how successful each one had been.

‘What you have to understand is, these are all independent movies. Charles had Max Summers brought in for all these projects. He is a major financier who worked with his brother running a film production company in New York.’

‘Were they all financially lucrative?’ Spencer asked.

‘A number, I would say, but after the advertising expenditure, they were mostly just covering the initial budgets. The latter films were very successful and Max Summers’ brother then did a major deal with two of the big studios.’

He paused by a framed poster of With Dawn Comes Love, featuring Francis wearing a thirties slouch hat. There was a large black marker-pen cross over the glass.

Spencer nodded to the poster. ‘What happened there?’

Francis shrugged his shoulders. ‘That’s a reminder for me to always ensure I have a good lawyer check my contract. The poster was just promotional, but I was going to star in it. It was at the time the scandal broke about Rock Hudson, and it all became a bit unpleasant when the leading actress refused to work opposite me.’