‘You made a rather puzzling remark when we first came in,’ Miller said. ‘Something about a viper discovering that it could sting. What did you mean by that?’

‘I might as well tell you, I suppose. I’ve been working rather hard lately and completely forgot about Joanna’s birthday party. A friend, Mr Jack Morgan, called for me and we stopped in at The King’s Arms in Lazer Street for a quick one. While we were there, the girl came in.’

‘And you got into conversation?’ Mallory said.

‘On the contrary, I picked her up quite deliberately. She was waiting for her boyfriend and he was late. I invited her to the party.’

‘Why did you do that, sir?’

‘Because I knew it would be infested by a miserable bunch of stuffed shirts and I thought she might liven things up a bit. She was that sort of girl. Ask Miller, he was paying enough attention to her from what I could see. An honest tart. Hair out of a bottle and a skirt that barely covered her backside.’

‘You were at the party for about twenty minutes before I left,’ Miller said. ‘You couldn’t have stayed for long.’

‘About half an hour in all.’

‘And the girl left with you?’

‘You already know that, for Christ’s sake.’ He swung on Mallory. ‘Are you sure you won’t have that drink?’

‘No, sir.’

‘Then I will.’ He went behind the bar and reached for a bottle. ‘All of a sudden, things seem to be taking a rather nasty turn.’

Mallory ignored the remark. ‘You say she was here for no more than ten minutes.’

‘That’s right.’

‘I would have thought she’d have stayed longer.’

‘If I’d brought her back to sleep with me, the poor little bitch would be alive now, but I didn’t.’

‘Why did you bring her back?’

‘To pose for me.’ He swallowed a large whisky and poured himself another. ‘I offered her five quid to come back and pose for me.’

For a brief moment Mallory’s composure slipped. He glanced at Miller in bewilderment and Faulkner said, ‘As it happens I’m a sculptor. That little lot on the dais behind you is a commission I’m working on at the moment for the new Sampson building. The Spirit of Night. This is just a rough draft, so to speak – plaster on wire. I thought a fifth figure might give more balance. I brought Grace back with me to stand up there with the others so I could see.’

‘And for that you paid her five pounds?’

‘Ten, as a matter of fact. I wanted to know and I wanted to know right then. She happened to be available.’

‘And what did you decide, sir?’ Mallory asked.

‘I’m still thinking about it. Well, what happens now?’