“Because I knew that’s where Lorna Smith-Couper had to be. I knew who was supposed to be in which room. I’d been involved with everything up to the last minute. I thought I could face her, so I’d taken part in the preparations. I knew the only room she could be in was Music 2 and she was the last person I wanted to see. If Miss Callaghan had been with her, I would just have had to wait till she came out again, or tried to find Matron. Nothing would have induced me to go anywhere near that room.”

“Why didn’t you get Matron in the first place? Why come to the music rooms for Miss Callaghan at all?” asked Lindsay.

“Because I thought the girl had been drinking. I thought Miss Callaghan would deal with it more sort of sensibly than Matron.”

“Okay. Now, when you went down to the Storeroom, did you see anyone outside Music 2?”

“I couldn’t see round the corner of the corridor. But I did hear someone running down the back stairs. It sounded like someone wearing high heels. Could that be important, do you think?”

Cordelia replied, “I don’t think that would tell the police anything they don’t know already,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. The last thing she wanted was for the girl to think she had any ulterior motive in keeping her from giving information to the police. Lindsay and Cordelia exchanged a worried look. Almost certainly it was Cordelia that Jessica had heard. But if they encouraged her to go to the police with that corroboration, she might also tell them about Paddy’s state outside Margaret Macdonald’s room. The question of what to do for the best completely put out of their minds any other questions they might have wanted to ask Jessica.

“Is that all, then,” the red-head asked.

Lindsay nodded. “Yes, thank you. You’ve been quite a help to us. You’d better get off to the library now in case anyone’s looking for you.”

Jessica rose and went to the door. As she left, she turned and said shyly, “I hope you manage to clear Miss Callaghan. We all miss her.” And she was gone.

“Not exactly a convenient witness,” said Lindsay. “Prosecuting counsel would have a field day with her and Paddy’s preoccupations. And your disappearing footsteps could get the police putting you in the frame as an accomplice. Let’s hope we can clear Paddy without the police ever becoming aware of Miss Jessica Bennett’s evidence.”

“We’re still not much further forward, though are we?”