It was just after eight when I drew up at the foot of the carriage turning-circle outside Colcutt Manor. On the way back to Manchester, I’d dictated a report for Shelley to type up and fax to Jett so he’d know I wasn’t just sitting around collecting my daily retainer. I pulled off the motorway to hit the ASDA superstore. I wandered around the aisles trying to fill my trolley only with the essential items on my mental shopping list, but I fell by the wayside at the deli counter, as usual, and loaded up with a dozen little treats to cheer myself up. Then I called the manor to ask for the fax number. I asked to speak to Jett. That was my first mistake.

“I’m sorry, Jett’s unavailable at present,” Gloria informed me, unable to keep the spark of pleasure from her voice.

“Gloria,” I warned, “I haven’t got the energy to play games right now. Let me speak to him, please.”

“He really is unavailable,” she protested, her voice going from silky to sulky. “They’re in the recording studio. But he left a message for you,” she admitted grudgingly.

“And are you going to tell me or are we going to play twenty questions?”

“Jett said that he wants you to come round and give him a progress report.”

“I have a progress report right here. I’m about to drop it off in my secretary’s in-tray. It’ll be on your desk tomorrow morning,” I told her.

“He wants you here in person,” she retorted smugly.

I sighed. “I’ll be there in an hour.” I dropped the phone back in the cradle and stomped back to the car. Unfortunately, the trolley wouldn’t go in a straight line, so the effect wasn’t quite what I’d had in mind. Luckily there were no small children around to laugh. That saved me the aggravation of an assault charge.

I really wasn’t in the mood for trekking over to Colcutt. Apart from anything else, my carton of double choc chip ice cream would have melted by the time I got home. But I couldn’t see any alternative. If I refused, it would give Gloria more ammunition than she’d need to see me off. Besides, we were charging Jett such astronomical fees I could hardly deny him a face-to-face. Maybe I could ask permission to put my ice cream in their freezer.