‘Don’t bother to deny it,’ said Hale. ‘Sir Roger’s son complained about you.’

‘He doesn’t want you anywhere near his family,’ added Yeomans. ‘He wants this investigation to be in the hands of the people most likely to catch the villains involved. The Prince Regent said the same thing.’

‘I didn’t hear him,’ said Peter.

‘We have his ear.’

‘Then perhaps you can whisper something into it for me. Tell him that you’re so incapable of handling a case as complex as this that you’ve called on us to help.’

‘We’d never employ our rivals,’ shouted Yeomans. ‘We’re here to order you to stop interfering in our case.’

‘But we were expressly invited to do so.’

‘That’s a lie.’

‘I’d suggest that you talk to Seth Hooper,’ said Peter, ‘except that it would involve a journey to and from Nottingham, and the pair of you never go far from the Peacock. Mr Hooper travelled to London with Sir Roger.’

‘We’ve never heard of the man.’

‘Yes, you have, but you didn’t have the courtesy even to talk to him. When he was rebuffed by you, he came to us. In a sense, our invitation to take part in this case comes from the whole of Nottingham. We could hardly refuse it, could we?’

‘Let me put it more clearly,’ said Yeomans, inflating his chest. ‘We don’t want you meddling in this case, Sir Roger’s son doesn’t want you and His Royal Highness doesn’t want you. Isn’t that plain enough for you?’

‘Show me the law that forbids a concerned citizen from trying to solve a murder. Explain to me the right by which Edmund Mellanby can prevent me from finding his father’s killer. And,’ continued Peter, raising his voice, ‘let me have a copy of the royal decree that prevents my brother and me from plying our trade.’

‘It’s our trade,’ bleated Hale.

‘Then why don’t you learn to do it properly?’

‘We’re experts. That’s why we’ve gathered information about this case that you could never get. We know a man who was outside the theatre on the night of the murder.’

‘His name is Paul Skillen, my brother.’

‘This man actually saw the killer.’

‘Be quiet, Alfred,’ said Yeomans.

‘But he needs to know that he can’t compete with us. Giles Clearwater didn’t come here, did he? He came straight to us.’

‘I told you to be quiet.’

‘Are you claiming that this man was a witness?’ asked Peter.

‘That’s exactly what he was,’ Hale blurted out.

‘Shut up!’ roared Yeomans into his ear. ‘We’re here to warn Skillen and his brother not to give away secrets.’ He turned to Peter. ‘Spare yourselves the time and energy,’ he went on. ‘This case is all but solved. Get out of our way or I’ll be forced to use more direct measures.’