‘Smith. He spent the day with us. He’s the same age as young Robin. They got on like a house on fire playing with the boys’ electric train. This thing was a passenger, picked up at Crewe. He said he was hurt but he had to get to the theatre at seven. It gave me quite a shock – all black and with a claymorish thing – like Sir Dougal. Only they called him Sears. Extraordinary, how children behave. You know? William didn’t know what had happened in the theatre but he guessed Sir Dougal was dead. Robin didn’t know, or wasn’t certain about the decapitation, though he’d been very much upset when it happened. I’d realized that, but he didn’t ask any questions and now there he was making a sort of game of it.’

‘Extraordinary,’ said Alleyn. ‘May I see it? The Crusader?’

Peregrine handed it over. ‘It might be Sir Dougal or Barrabell or Sears or nobody,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t look tall enough for Simon Morten. It’s masked, of course.’

‘He wasn’t masked. And in any case – ‘

‘No. In any case the whole thing’s a muddle and a coincidence. William fished this thing out of a box full of battered Crusaders.’

‘And called it – what? Sears?’

‘Not exactly. I mean it became Sears. They picked him up at Crewe. Before that, William – being Sears at the moment when he used the telephone – rang up the station for an emergency stop. He said – what the hell did he say? That he was hurt and had to get to the Dolphin by seven. That’s when William took this thing from the box and they put it in the train. It was a muddle. They hooted and whistled and shouted and changed the plot. William gasped and panted a lot.’

‘Panted? As if he’d been running?’ Alleyn asked.

‘Yes. Sort of. I think he said something about trying not to. I’m not sure. He said it was asthma but Sears wouldn’t let on because he was an actor. One thing I am sure about, though.’

‘What’s that?’

‘They got rid of whatever feelings they had about the real event by turning it all into a game.’

‘That sounds like good psychology to me,’ said Alleyn. ‘But then I’m no psychologist. I can understand Robin calling this thing Sears, though.’

‘Why?’

‘He was here, wasn’t he? In the theatre. He saw the real Sears carry the head on. Associated images.’

‘I think I see what you mean,’ said Peregrine doubtfully. ‘Oh well, I’ll have to go up to the offices and get an audition notice typed out. What about you?’

‘We’ll see them out of here,’ said Alleyn.

‘Good luck to you,’ said Peregrine. He vaulted down into the orchestral well and walked away up the centre aisle. The doors opened and shut behind him.

Alleyn went over his notes.