“I hoped I’d find you here,” said Cordelia. “Paddy reckoned Pamela Overton would have sent you here to do your stuff. I’m not interrupting you, am I?”

“No, I’d just finished phoning copy over. It’s debatable how much any of the newspapers will be able to use at this time of night. But the radio news will give it plenty of air-time, and I’m afraid that by tomorrow morning we’ll have the whole pack of journos on the doorstep. And how Pamela Overton imagines I’m going to cope with that lot, I do not know,” Lindsay replied wearily.

“Paddy says the boss will probably ask you to stay for a couple more days.”

“Not beyond Monday, I’m afraid. I’ve got a dayshift on Tuesday on the Scottish Daily Clarion, and I can’t afford to let them down since they are my major source of income at the moment. Still, tomorrow will be the worst, the fuss should have died down by Monday, especially if they make a quick arrest.”

Cordelia sat down on the window seat and looked out into the darkness. She spoke quietly. “The police are here now. Going into their routines. They’ve got a batch of coppers on the door of the hall. Taking down the names and addresses of all the audience, and then letting them go off. They’ve pulled Paddy and Margaret Macdonald and Pamela Overton off to one side and a very efficient-looking Inspector is questioning them one by one. They’ll be tied up for a while yet, I suspect. Another bunch of plain-clothes men are questioning girls and staff. Anyone who’s got anything interesting to contribute will no doubt be winnowed out and sent through to the Inspector. Pamela Overton still hasn’t turned a hair. But then you probably guessed all that anyway.”

Lindsay said nothing. She went over to the window and gave Cordelia a cigarette. She noted with a clinical eye that the hand that took it was shaking. Cordelia slowly smoked the cigarette. When it was burned halfway down, she gave a nervous laugh and said, “It’s not always like this, you know. Most of the time it’s pretty civilized. We don’t go around killing old girls on a regular basis, no matter how obnoxious.”

“I didn’t for one moment think you did.”

There was another pause. Then Cordelia said,

“Lindsay—I’ve got to ask a favor. Or, rather, ask your advice.”

“Ask away.”