It was difficult to see exactly where the light was coming from, and at first it appeared to be on the ground floor of the central building. However, as her vision slowly adjusted to the dimness, it looked more and more as if it was issuing from a passage between the central structure and the one on its left.

She waited tensely, at any moment expecting someone to emerge from that passage carrying a torch. Hoping it would be Payne.

But that didn’t happen, and the seconds ticked by.

Perhaps that light was nothing to do with the trainee detective? Maybe it had come on inside and was shining out through an aperture of some sort? It wasn’t necessarily sinister, of course. If the lights were working, the building was obviously still hooked to the grid, which suggested that whoever was in there had the blessing of the owners. A caretaker or maintenance man possibly. Though if that was the case, wouldn’t some kind of vehicle be parked?

And what about the damaged gate?

However, the main mystery was still where Tessa Payne had gone. And that was now a serious conundrum, because though Lucy increasingly felt that she ought to call for some cavalry here, she still lacked the means, and going looking for a pay-phone would only take time, during which Payne could be in all sorts of trouble.

She continued to watch, but still nothing moved.

Finally, as warily as possible, she stepped onto the drive and commenced following it around the lake, walking slowly, all the way hanging close to the wall of vegetation. The night’s silence was broken only by the occasional plop from the water, most likely frogs. Meanwhile, the great baroque pile that was Santa Magdalena ballooned towards her. The closer she drew, the grimmer and more neglected it looked. Fallen roof tiles scattered the driveway; pipework hung loose; thick tufts of weed grew from its gutters.

As she reached the first building, there was a loud splash, this time from the edge of the water. She stopped and stared, but nothing moved out there, not even ripples on the surface. The trees along the far shore were visible but motionless, the spaces beneath them utterly black. She proceeded on, undecided whether to stay close to the building to shield herself from prying eyes, or to keep a safe distance in case someone reached out from a hidden recess. Eventually, she opted to stay close but not too close.