‘Are Miss Tey and her friend all right?’ Bill asked as soon as Penrose had finished.

‘Yes, they’re fine, but I can’t be sure that the violence will stop here because I’ve absolutely no idea if there’s a connection between the two victims, or why anybody would want to kill either of them. There’s so much I need, Bill, and I haven’t been able to access any of it from the Mount. We’ve even had to wade across the sea to use the bloody telephone.’

‘Fire away, sir. I’ll get straight onto it.’

‘First of all, get hold of someone from The Times, preferably the editor, and ask him to confirm that he sent a photographer called Alex Fielding on this assignment. Get a full description of Fielding – there’s a chance that the man here isn’t who he says he is.’ He watched Fielding down his drink and get up to order another, wondering if he had unwittingly asked a suspect to photograph his own crime scene. ‘Find out anything you can on Gerald Lancaster and his wife Rachel. If he’s telling the truth, Lancaster works for London, Midland and Scottish Railways, so check him out there and see if he’s got any previous convictions for theft or violence. Hartley 241was the vicar at St Clement’s in Notting Dale …’

‘Nice part of town,’ Bill muttered sarcastically.

‘He was there for a few years after the war. Get the file out on the Naylor murders. It’s probably a needle in a haystack, but if there’s anything that might help us track down the surviving children, I want to know about it.’

He gave his sergeant the details and waited while he noted them down.

‘What about the dead woman?’ Fallowfield asked.

‘Emily Soper, an islander all her life. I think the answer to her death must lie closer to home, but obviously let me know if her name comes up in connection with anything else.’

‘Right-o, sir. Anything else?’

‘Yes. Telephone Claridge’s and ask someone to go and look at Marlene Dietrich’s Christmas tree.’

‘Her Christmas tree?’

‘That’s right. I haven’t got time to explain, but I need to know if it’s still got a snowman on top.’

‘Of course you do, sir.’

Penrose smiled. It was a relief to talk to someone who could not only help, but who also understood the pressure that he was under, and he felt better simply for giving the instructions. ‘I’m going to call the local force down here now and get reinforcements over to the Mount as soon as possible, together with some forensic help. I’ll also try to track down Hartley’s sister-in-law and break the news – she might be able to tell me something useful – but I want any information as soon as you have it. If the line is engaged, just keep trying – there’s only one bloody telephone here.’

Fallowfield rang off, and Penrose noticed Jonathan’s fiancée waiting to speak to him. ‘Can I help you, Miss …’ 242