‘You’ll be pleased to hear that there doesn’t seem to be any charge for Suzy or Bronwyn to answer as far as I can gather. The police seemed quite relieved – they’ve got more than enough to be going on with. Jeff, after some persuasion, now accepts that it was an accident, that everyone was pushing and pulling and there was no intended assault on any one person.’

‘Good.’ Maddy offered him a chip, delighting in the revulsion on his face. ‘So, we needn’t mention any of this again, need we? I think honour is now satisfied.’

‘Aren’t you even going to thank me?’

She broke off a chunk of flaky white fish, shaking her head. ‘No, Peter. Why should I? For once in your life, all you did was tell the truth. You should try it more often. It might make you a nicer person.’

He glared at her. ‘You’ve changed. You used to be –’

‘Meek and mild and frightened to step out of line? I know. You’d better go and rescue Stacey from the hospital, hadn’t you? After all, she needs you. I don’t.’

He looked at her again, almost sadly, then marched out of the police station, twitching irritably each time he cannoned into the mass of humanity which refused to stand aside and let him pass. Jeff Henley, looking apologetic, strode after him like a tug bobbing in the wake of a stately galleon. Peter was gloriously handsome when he was angry, Maddy thought, but the blond beauty no longer touched her. She was now completely cured of Peter Knightley. She looked sideways at Drew. It was just such a shame that she’d become so hopelessly addicted to the antidote.

‘That was the best meal I have ever had in my life,’ she said. ‘Thank you so much. Although this wasn’t quite the way I’d imagined our first date.’

‘We haven’t had that yet.’ Drew took the paper from her and lobbed it neatly into a wastepaper basket. ‘I said I’d take you out, and I will. It was supposed to be Kimberley’s barbecue, and that didn’t work out either, did it?’

‘No. It’s fate conspiring against us. Fate is probably moralistic and disapproving.’ She sighed. ‘Maybe we’ll never actually go out together.’

‘Yes, we will.’ Drew took her greasy hand in his. ‘You know it as well as I do.’

Suzy, looking furiously dishevelled, and followed by Bronwyn, fought her way through to them.

‘Holy hell! I thought I’d be in there for ever! Bloody cheek, arresting me!’

Maddy jumped up and hugged her. ‘Are you all right? Was it really awful?’

‘I’m fine. Just angry. Bronwyn enjoyed it, though.’

Bronwyn was beaming. ‘It made me feel like Emily Pankhurst. The cell was a bit cramped, but everyone was very nice. Where’s Bernie?’