“You’re not the only one,” Sophie said with a grin. “Anyway, she announced that the general secretary of AMWU had perished in suspicious circumstances during the night. Before my eyes were even open, she was informing me that I’d better get down here, given your track record of sticking your nose in wherever it’s none of your business. We both agreed there was no way you’d be able to stay out of this one.

“Of course, neither of us had any idea exactly how far your nose was already in. So I borrowed Helen’s car and agreed to keep her posted. You can imagine how I felt when I walked into the conference office and they told me you’d already managed to get yourself arrested! I thought you’d given up cozy chats with policemen.”

“Be fair, Sophie, you know I never wanted to hear about another murder after Alison Maxwell. And I swear that if Tom Jack’s killer had chosen any other window to throw him out, I’d have given the whole thing a body swerve.”

“But . . . ?” Sophie said, her heart sinking. “I hear a but in there, Lindsay.”

“Well, I feel like I’m involved whether I want to be or not. Let’s face it, my love. Unless the police actually find out what went on in my room last night, there are going to be a lot of people wandering around convinced that Lindsay Gordon really had a lot more to do with it than she’s letting on. Besides, I’ve got my own suspicions.”

Sophie moaned. “Oh, Lindsay. Can’t we just get in the car and go back to Glasgow? I mean, does it matter if the entire AMWU membership thinks you pushed Tom Jack out of the window? You don’t work in this country any more, you’ll never have to see any of them again. Who cares what they think?”

“I do,” said Lindsay stubbornly. “I care. I’m sorry, Sophie, but I want to stick around long enough to see which way the wind is blowing at least. Besides, I’m on police bail. I’m not supposed to leave town without their say-so.”

Sophie smiled and cuddled into her. “I had this feeling you were going to say something like that,” she said ruefully. “Oh, well, why worry? You’ve only got about 400 potential suspects to offend.”

“Should be a piece of piss, then, shouldn’t it,” Lindsay said sweetly.

Sophie gave a sigh of resignation. “In that case, I’d better ring Helen and check it’s okay to leave her without wheels for a few days longer.”

“Just a minute,” Lindsay said, pulling Sophie back as she moved towards the bedside phone. “Helen can wait.”

“Shouldn’t that be, heaven can wait?”

“You want heaven? Then come back here.”

Chapter 7

7