Fricano took a deep breath. ‘The girl lights fire under the cauldron. Then she climbs up this ladder and stands up high next to top of the cauldron. She touches the surface and pretends it is very hot. Ssss! Of course, it is too soon and not really hot yet. It makes drama. The whole act designed to make big drama.’

‘You have succeeded, I would say.’ Holmes’s humour could suffer in the timing, I noted.

‘Then the girl opens the top latch and calls down to Borelli, pretending to hear his answer. She smiles at the audience, then picks up the bottle of whisky.’

‘Whisky? That bottle over there? All part of the act?’ Holmes pointed to a bottle lying on the stage near the girl’s body.

‘Yes, and she pours it down in on him. That gets a big laugh from the audience.’

‘Big laugh. Right. Meanwhile you are still trying to open the back?’

‘Yes!’

I pictured the frantic efforts. I glanced again at the newly added back latch, which was nearly impossible to see. But of course, Holmes had the eyes of a bird of prey.

‘Go on.’

‘Then the girl leans down on top and looks in, but she pretends she cannot see.’

‘Still part of the act?’

‘Yes.’

Holmes glanced over at me. ‘Watson, could you retrieve that bottle and smell it, please?’

I complied. Given the overwhelming odour of burnt flesh in the room itself, smelling anything else would be difficult, but I inhaled deeply. ‘Nothing,’ I reported.

‘What was in that bottle, Mr Fricano?’ asked Holmes.

‘Just coloured water. Is all a trick.’

Holmes hesitated, and I could tell he had some doubts. ‘Yes, go on,’ he said.

‘After she pours it in, she calls down but gets no answer.’

‘Part of the act as well?’

‘Yes, yes! Normally no one is inside by this time. So then she lights a match and holds it at entrance as if to look, and then pretends to drop match in by accident. Audience cry “Oh no!” because they think it will ignite the alcohol. Big excitement.’

‘Again. Still part of the act?’ prompted Holmes.

‘Yes.’

‘But this time …?’

‘This time … oh …’ Fricano put a hand to cover his face a moment, then recovering, he continued, ‘She drops the match in, and a big flame comes out top. And there is a big sound. Like … FOOOF! We hear screaming from inside cauldron. And the girl … her face … oh, horrible! She is burned! She falls back off the ladder. The audience screaming … it was terrible.’

‘What did you do then, Mr Fricano?’

‘I am on stage, trying to help the girl. But it is too late, she is dead. Then I unlock the cauldron’s front hatch. I burn my hand, you see!’ He held up his hands.