“Well, we’d better get ourselves down to Wales tonight and see what Barrington’s got to say for himself,” said Cordelia, reluctantly dragging herself to her feet. “It must have been one of those two. I’ve never believed that a woman could kill another woman as Lorna was killed. The murder’s got a man’s psychology written all over it; your evidence with the scaffolding just proves what I’ve felt in my heart all along.”

It was just before three when they pulled up in the car park at the remand center. It was busier than when they’d been before and there were a dozen other visitors by the gate when they arrived. Everyone looked depressed by their surroundings; Lindsay thought again how appalling it must be for those locked up inside. Any politician who made cheap gibes about luxury prison conditions only proved that a brick wall had more sensitivity, she thought bitterly. After a short delay at the gate, they were allowed in with a group of other visitors and escorted to the room they’d sat in before. This time, they had to wait longer for Paddy—there appeared to be too few officers to deal with a busy visiting period.

Paddy seemed to have retreated further inside herself. She forced a smile when she saw them, but it stopped at her lips. Lindsay felt anger rising in her when she saw the damage done to her friend. If she’d had any doubts about carrying on, they died then. Sod the Clarion, she thought, if there was still work to be done for Paddy, she wouldn’t be traveling north on Tuesday night.

“How are you?” Cordelia asked.

Paddy shrugged eloquently. “Anything becomes bearable after a while. Having something to read helps. And I’ve been doing some work in the laundry, which passes the time. My cell-mate is a pleasant enough soul; she keeps me entertained with tales of family life. Somehow she manages to stay cheerful in spite of being in here. God knows how she does it.”

“I don’t want to build your hopes too high,” said Lindsay, “but we’re beginning to make some progress. We think we’ve worked out how the murder was committed, and if we’re right it lets you right off the hook. We’ll give Gillian a ring first thing on Monday morning and see what can be done.”

A slow smile spread across Paddy’s face and this time it reached her eyes. “Tell me about it,” she demanded.

Lindsay and Cordelia swiftly outlined the scaffolding theory, and when they came to the part about the experiment on the roof Paddy laughed out loud. “I wish I’d been there to see you and Chris leaping around like a pair of moorland sheep. You must have given the girls fuel for weeks of jokes. Poor old Chris. They won’t let her forget that in a hurry.”