“You know when we were sitting together before the concert and I went off to the loo?” Lindsay nodded. “Well, I didn’t only go to the loo. You probably noticed I was gone for quite a while. You see, I thought that just before the concert might be the best time to tackle Lorna. You know, I thought she’d have her mind on what she was about to do and might just be a little less vindictive than usual.

“I know one is supposed to leave all that wheeling and dealing to the lawyers, but I simply thought that a few words, woman to woman, appealing to the old better nature and all that, might do the trick and we could come to a civilized agreement that would avoid going to court.”

Cordelia nervously stubbed out her cigarette. She ground it so fiercely that it broke and shreds of tobacco scattered in all directions. She went on, her voice rising. “I ducked down the stairs, through the ground floor, down to the back stairs beyond this flat. I knew she was in Music 2 and I knew I could get there without being seen. I went up and knocked on the door. There was no reply, so I tried the door handle. It was locked. There was nothing else I could do but come back. I swear that’s all. I didn’t hear a sound. I didn’t call out to her or anything.”

A sudden coldness gripped Lindsay’s chest. With icy clarity she realized that she could be listening to a murderer laying down her first line of defense. But surely not Cordelia? Lindsay broke the silence that followed Cordelia’s outburst, forcing herself to speak calmly and quietly. “You’re going to have to tell the police. I think you knew that really.”

“But nobody saw me. I’m sure of that.”

“You can’t be certain. At the very least, there must be other people in the gallery who saw you leave and return later. And remember, you tried the door. There’s an outside chance that your prints are still on the handle, though that’s been handled enough since to make that unlikely. Also, it is material evidence. At the time you say you knocked, it was all quiet in there. So presumably she was dead by then, or there would either have been music or some response from Lorna. You can’t withhold evidence like that, Cordelia.”

She put her hand on the other woman’s shoulder. Cordelia gripped it tightly. “I’m afraid,” she said. “I’m afraid they’ll think I did it.”