Negrini stood up. ‘This isn’t putting money in the bank. I have work to do.’ He pulled down the corners of his mouth. ‘All this is hardly conducive to the smooth operation of the tourist trade. Business is going to be lousy over the next few weeks.’ He shrugged and walked towards the door, then turned. ‘I’ll send up Hanna as soon as he arrives.’

I said to Leotta, ‘Are you still thinking of leaving?’

‘I couldn’t stay here now,’ she said. ‘Not after what’s happened.’

‘No,’ I said pensively. ‘No, you couldn’t. Still thinking of trying England?’

‘I might. What’s it like over there? All I can picture are big smoking chimneys and factories. I wouldn’t like that.’

I smiled. ‘Neither would I. I live in London but I have a little cottage down in Devon, between Dartmoor and the sea. Not many factory chimneys in Devon. Whenever I get uptight in London I go to the sea to smooth the wrinkles out of my psyche.’

‘What’s it like?’

‘The cottage or Devon?’

‘Both.’

‘The cottage is thatched, believe it or not. A woman from the village keeps it in order for me. Devon is rolling hills and narrow country roads with hedges between the sea and the moor. I do some fishing and I have a little sailing cruiser moored in the Dart – that’s the river. Sometimes, in the evenings, I go down to the pub and chat with the locals in the four-ale bar. They’re not very fast-moving but they’re shrewd in their country way. Not much gets past them. They’re just not very interested in the city rat-race – so maybe they’re the really smart ones.’

‘It sounds nice,’ she said.

‘If you ever get to England, I’ll take you there.’

The door slammed and I turned to see Hanna. He was rumpled but, for a change, not at all sleepy-looking, although he must have been out late – possibly all night. His movements were stiff and jerky and I wondered if he had pepped himself up with pills.

He came over and said abruptly, ‘How are you feeling?’

‘A bit stiff, that’s all. Thanks for last night.’

‘You were lucky,’ he said. ‘I was passing that alley at a run. If I hadn’t glanced sideways I wouldn’t have seen you. And I didn’t know it was you until I shone the light.’ Even his speech was jerky.

‘What did the sergeant have to say?’

Hanna came out with a stream of foul obscenities which crisped my ears. I glanced at Leotta.

He stopped as suddenly as he had started. ‘Sorry,’ he said.

‘So what happened?’