‘I figured that she’d sent the blackmail notes, then stolen the magnifying glass and realised she needed to run before she got caught so faked the family emergency, and that’s why she didn’t meet us. The jewels on that thing are probably worth more than she could get out of us, anyway.’ Posy’s shoulders sagged. ‘But then I found the magnifying glass.’ And her carefully worked out theory fell apart.

The three Dahlias sat in silence as they considered the evidence.

‘Could she have stolen the magnifying glass and hidden it in your room to frame you before she left?’ Caro suggested. ‘And that’s why she wanted us out of the way at the folly – as a distraction while she did it?’

Posy shook her head. ‘It wasn’t there when I went to my room after Isobel announced it was stolen. Only when I went back after the film panel.’

‘Unless she doubled back after we saw her leave?’ Rosalind said. ‘But if she didn’t, then we have to assume that she left because of an actual emergency and that’s why she didn’t meet us.’

‘Even if that emergency was chickening out on blackmailing us,’ Caro muttered.

‘In which case, the thief is still here and wants me to take the fall for their crime,’ Posy finished.

‘Made any enemies lately?’ Caro smiled brightly as she asked the question.

‘I was hoping not,’ Posy replied. ‘But I guess it’s possible that one of the fans just hates me because I’m, well—’

‘Not their Dahlia.’ Rosalind waved a hand at the note.

‘I was going to say “me”. But that, too.’ Taking the script back from Rosalind, she flicked through to the missing pages. ‘There was one other thing.’

Holding it open at the previous page, she pointed to the neon Post-it note.

‘Warn us about what?’ Rosalind asked with a frown. ‘That we’re being blackmailed? I think we sort of noticed that ourselves.’

‘I was thinking that perhaps the photos weren’t blackmail in themselves,’ Posy said. ‘Maybe Clementine wanted to warn us that someone other than her had that material and planned to use it?’ And still might.

‘Marcus was adamant it wasn’t him when I approached him,’ Caro said, which probably answered Posy’s question about what they’d been talking about earlier.

‘He didn’t react when I showed the script page at the film panel earlier, either,’ Posy said. ‘Are you sure no one else could have got their hands on the photos he sent you?’

Caro pulled a face. ‘God, I hope not.’

Somewhere out in the hallway, a gong sounded. Dinner time, Posy guessed.

‘So we’re back where we started.’ Rosalind said after a moment’s silence, as the door to the Snug opened to reveal one of the waiting staff come to beckon them in to dinner.