“It’s a little political joke. Cosmo’s a member of the same Constituency Labour Party as Helen and Rosalind. The party’s been split over lots of issues lately, so there’s been a lot of intriguing going on. One of the right-wingers was having a go at Helen and Rosalind one night and he called them the Sisters of Treachery. The pair of them thought it was hysterical, and the name became a sort of in-joke among the left,” Sophie explained. “Now, what do you want to eat?”

Lindsay studied the menu with delight. There were all the traditional favorites like black pudding with scrambled eggs, mutton stovies and haggis. But there were also vegetarian dishes, and new variations on old themes, like spiced chicken stovies—a mixture of potatoes, onions, and spiced chicken pieces. Just reading the list made her mouth water. What a change from pasta and pizza, she thought happily. Eventually she settled on haggis with mashed potatoes and turnips.

While they were waiting for Cosmo to return, Sophie turned to Lindsay and asked, “Have you given any more thought to what you’re going to do for a living?”

Lindsay shrugged. “Not really. I don’t think I can go back to being a journo, though, even if they wanted me. My heart just isn’t in it any more.”

“You could always become a private detective. After all, you’ve solved two murders so far. I can just see you with the snap-brimmed trilby and the bottle of Jack Daniels in the desk drawer. And just think of the perks! All, those beautiful blondes falling at your feet,” Sophie teased.

Lindsay pulled a face and shook her head. “No thanks. I’m looking for a quiet life these days.”

“You came to the wrong place then,” Cosmo interrupted. “What can I get you ladies—sorry, women—to eat?”

Having given their order to Cosmo, Sophie steered a path through the crowded bar toward a doorway at the rear. Lindsay followed her into a remarkable room. The far wall and the sloping roof were made of glass, and the other walls were covered from floor to ceiling with plants trained over trellises. Chattering groups of people sat on white garden furniture with brightly colored cushions. Before she had a chance to take it all in, she cannoned into Sophie who had stopped dead.