‘God bless my soul,’ Alleyn ejaculated. ‘I’ll rant as well as he. Lead me to him.’

II

‘Ten past four,’ Alleyn said, checking with Big Ben. ‘Let’s do a bit of stocktaking.’ They had returned to the car.

‘You got it fixed up for this show with the boy, Mr Alleyn?’

‘Oh, yes. The great panjandrum turned out to be very mild and a former acquaintance. An instance, I’m afraid, of Harry Grove’s detested old boymanship. I must say I see Harry’s point. We went to the ward and he inspected young Trevor who was awake, as bright as a button, extremely full of himself and demanding a nice dinner. The expert decided in our favour. We may arrange the visits for tomorrow at noon. Out of visiting hours. We’ll get Peregrine Jay to call the actors and fix up the timetable. I don’t want us to come into it at this juncture. We’ll just occur at the event. Jay is to tell them the truth: that the boy can’t remember what happened and that it’s hoped the encounters with the rest of the cast may set up some chain of association that could lead to a recovery of memory.’

‘One of them won’t fancy that idea.’

‘No. But it wouldn’t do to refuse.’

‘The nerve might crack. There might be a bolt. With that sort of temperament,’ Fox said, ‘you can’t tell what may happen. Still we’re well provided.’

‘If anybody’s nerve cracks it won’t be Miss Destiny Meade’s. What did you make of that scene in her flat, Fox?’

‘Well: to begin with, the lady was very much put out by my being there. In my view, Mr Alleyn, she didn’t fancy police protection within the meaning of the code to anything like the extent that she fancied it coming in a personal way from yourself. Talk about the goahead signal! It was hung out like the week’s wash,’ said Mr Fox.

‘Control yourself, Fox.’

‘Now, on what she said we only missed Mr Knight by seconds. She makes out he rang up and abused her to such an extent that she decided to call you and that he walked in while she was still talking to you.’

‘Yes. And that went bang off into a roaring row which culminated in him handing her a tuppenny one to the jaw, after which he flung out and we, within a couple of minutes, minced in.’

‘No thought in her mind, it appears,’ Fox suggested, ‘of ringing Mr Grove up to come and protect her. Only you.’

‘I daresay she’s doing that very thing at this moment. I must say, I hope he knows how to cope with her.’

‘Only one thing to do with that type of lady,’ Fox said, ‘and I don’t mean a tuppeny one on the jaw. He’ll cope.’