Laura’s laugh sounded forced, even to her supporters, who exchanged uneasy looks. “You really have gone too far this time,” she snapped. “Any more lines like that and you’ll be facing a slander writ. God knows, I’ve got enough witnesses,” she added, waving an arm at their audience.

“If we’re talking witnesses, then let’s talk about me, Laura. I’m the one who can put you on the tenth floor of Maclintock House minutes after Union Jack died. And his widow can supply the motive.” Lindsay moved to one side and let Julie step in front of her.

“It’s not the first time you’ve killed somebody, is it?” Lindsay said softly but clearly. “You’d already murdered one man to keep the secret that Conference Chronicle revealed earlier this week.”

Laura shook her head. “You’re completely mad,” she said, sounding genuinely incredulous. “I’m not listening to another word of this,” she added, trying to push past the two women. But the crowd was too dense, and before she could wriggle through, Julie gripped her arm.

“You’re stopping,” she said grimly. “Time everybody else found out about you, madam.”

“This is an outrage!” Laura exclaimed. “You’re not going to stand there and let them get away with this, are you?” she demanded of the other officers she’d been drinking with. They shrugged, embarrassed, neither of them willing to be the first to get into a ruck with three angry women.

“The story won’t take long,” Lindsay said soothingly. “I don’t know if Conference Chronicle got the details of your recruitment right, but what I do know is that when your lover, Ian Ross, discovered how you managed to afford your designer wardrobe, he threw you out of his bed and his house, and threatened to expose you to the colleagues you were spying on unless you ended your association with F Division of the Special Branch. You were caught between a rock and a hard place, as they say. Didn’t your SB buddies come riding to the rescue like the US Cavalry?”

Lindsay saw a momentary flicker of emotion flash across Laura’s cold face. She pounced. “You just couldn’t be certain, could you? Sure, they should have been there to protect you, but they might have decided just to throw you to the wolves. If Ian had gone ahead and blown your cover, you’d have been no further use to them. Ian was the only risk. So far, he’d let me believe he’d kicked you out because you were screwing around. But as long as he was alive, you were at risk. So you killed him. It was cleverly done, I’ll grant you that. No one thought twice about it at the time. I know I didn’t. Accidental death, the inquest said.”