‘Listen,’ he said, taking a deep breath before going on, ‘the real reason I came here was to make a confession. I miss you.’ She pulled a face. ‘Don’t be like that, Kitty. I’ve done my best to give you a good life. I’ve admitted that I accused you unjustly of being involved with … someone else, and I had a rush of blood to the brain when I demanded a duel with him. However … that’s all in the past.’

‘Oh, no, it isn’t,’ she said, firmly.

‘I’m not asking you to come back … well, not immediately, anyway.’

‘Then what are you asking for, Hugh?’

‘I want us to reach an amicable agreement.’

‘That can’t happen yet. The wound is still smarting.’

‘I was injured as well, you know,’ he said, irritably. ‘My wounds were physical as well as emotional. They still haven’t healed.’

‘Don’t ask me for sympathy.’

‘Do you have to be so harsh?’

‘No,’ she conceded, tone softening. ‘I don’t, and I must school myself to be more understanding. When a marriage breaks up, husband and wife both suffer. My feeling is that the pain will get worse.’

‘There are ways to reduce it, Kitty.’

‘That will only happen if I move away.’

‘Do you really have to go that far?’

‘I need a feeling of safety,’ she said, ‘and I can never have that here. In a strange way, I’m touched that you want me back but it’s something I couldn’t even begin to consider. Goodbye, Hugh. Please don’t call again.’

She rang for a servant to show him out.

Hector Golightly was pleased when Paul Skillen called on him. It gave him the opportunity to apologise for arriving at Paul’s house the previous evening without notice.

‘You couldn’t have been more welcome,’ said Paul. ‘The news you brought has given us food for thought.’

‘One pistol – three victims.’

‘I don’t think that they were the only ones. A man who takes the trouble to embellish his bullets has doubtless killed before. I made that point to Dr Quine.’

Golightly was startled. ‘You’ve met him?’

‘I spoke to him earlier. It’s obvious that he’s a brilliant surgeon but how can he work in such foul conditions? The stink was almost overpowering.’

‘Human bodies decay, I’m afraid.’

‘Dr Quine showed me one of those bullets.’

‘What was it like?’

‘It was exactly as you described. It was an unusual shape and had the letter “D” scratched carefully into it. Since it had penetrated a skull, its nose was slightly bent out of shape. It had lodged in the brain.’

‘Why did the killer autograph his bullets?’

‘Perhaps it’s an example of his vanity.’

‘Can someone really be so proud of shooting people dead?’