“I went to see the body. The tattoo was rather amateurish: a mermaid frolicking in the waves, done with somewhat heavy lines. A peculiar thing for a banker to have on his wrist, since he was never a seafaring man so far as I can learn. I spent twenty minutes with a magnifying glass and I couldn’t decide if it’s a cover-up of a different tattoo, or simply a clumsily done bit of work. So that was tiresomely inconclusive. Chingford’s fingerprints have indeed been found on the ice pick. Oh, and Rennick asked to see his handkerchief after we left, and was informed he’d dropped it somewhere.”

“Oh God.”

“Quite. They haven’t found it, or any other bloodstained linen, so it’s not conclusive but it doesn’t look wonderful. On the positive side, Rennick told me a few useful things, including that one of the Club members reported a suspicious encounter with Fairfax. We’re going to speak to him today if we can.” He checked his watch. “Come on. Harry should be coming to get us any moment.”

He crossed the road, Will at his heels, and stopped at the base of the grand stairs.

“We’re not just ringing the bell because...?” Will enquired.

“I need Harry’s authority to get in. They don’t let strangers wander around, and I’m persona non grata.”

“You were expelled, right?”

Kim gave him a sour look. “I see you’ve been reading the Daily Mail. I was not expelled. After my tribunal, numerous members informed the Committee that they would prefer my room to my company and started a petition to have me kicked out, so I resigned. I didn’t feel up to another round of public humiliation at that point.”

“Resigned, not expelled. Does that make a difference?”

“Oh, yes. I really can’t overstate the impact of expulsion: they might as well take out an advertisement in the newspapers to state that you are not fit company for gentlemen. When a man is forced out of a club, formally or otherwise, the news is all over Clubland in hours. Careers can be ruined. That’s why it’s significant that Chingford was being threatened with removal if he didn’t apologise to Fairfax. Intolerable humiliation either way.”

Kim was speaking in that clipped don’t-care tone he used when things hurt. Will glowered at the magnificence in front of them with a vague urge to kick things. “What’s so good about this place anyway?”