‘Moonlighting again, sir?’

‘Bill, thank goodness. Anything useful?’

‘I tracked Dick Robertson down over his Christmas dinner,’ Bill said, and Penrose recognised the animated tone of voice that the sergeant always used when he had something important to report. ‘I thought you’d want to hear this straight away.’ 244

‘Go on. Have you got a description?’

‘I have, but I don’t think you’ll need it.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because whatever your bloke looks like, I’m sure he doesn’t answer to the name of Alexandra.’

‘Alexandra?’

‘That’s right, sir. Alex Fielding – the one who works for The Times, at any rate – is a woman.’

Penrose was quiet for a moment, trying to take in the news. ‘So where is she?’ he said, as much to himself as to Bill. He looked at the man who called himself Fielding, now sitting with the rest of the islanders and engrossed in conversation. ‘And who the hell is he?’

‘I can’t help you on the second one, but I’ve got Miss Fielding’s address. It’s in Southwark. Do you want me to send someone round to have a look while I carry on here?’

‘No. Give the phone calls to someone else and go yourself. I need every scrap of help from that house, and you’re the best pair of eyes I know. What do we know about her?’

‘Young, ambitious and very talented, apparently. She’s put a few people’s backs up to get where she is, and she doesn’t always play by the rules.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘The first thing Robertson said when he knew who I was calling about was “What’s she done now?”’

‘But as far as he was concerned, she was at St Michael’s Mount? There wasn’t a last-minute change of plan?’

‘No. Miss Fielding had a train ticket for Thursday, but he hasn’t heard from her since she left the office late on Tuesday night. She was supposed to telephone him on Christmas Eve with an update, but he wasn’t surprised that she didn’t. He 245told me that she pretty much pleases herself once she’s on a job, and he puts up with it because she’s good enough to get away with it. As tough as any of the boys, apparently.’

‘What about her personal life?’

‘That was interesting. Robertson said he knows nothing about her at all, even though he’s been her editor for five years. He’s asked to be kept informed – in confidence, obviously.’

‘All right, thanks. And you say he’s at home?’

‘That’s right, sir, and he’ll be there all day. I’ve told him you might want to speak to him.’

Penrose took down the number. ‘Good. You’d better get going, Bill, while I decide what to do. If I leave it too long, we won’t be able to get back across to the Mount, but I’d rather not take Fielding back there until I’ve heard from you. Telephone me here as soon as there’s some news.’

246

8

Their house felt safe after the confusion of the day, but Nora knew it couldn’t last. For now, though, she let Tom fuss around her without criticism, using the wrong tea and forgetting to warm the pot – all the things that usually drove her to distraction, but which suddenly felt like the small acts of love that might just save her. She watched him in silence, afraid to open her mouth in case she said something that destroyed the closeness between them. Now that she had had the peace and time to think about it, she knew what he had done for her in Emily’s house: nothing else made sense.