Kenneth stared at Alleyn with a pretty ghastly half-grin. His lips moved. Alleyn leant forward. ‘What am I to do?’ Kenneth mouthed.

Alleyn said aloud, ‘I’m afraid I’m booked for this evening.’ And to Kenneth, ‘You don’t look well. I should see a doctor if I were you. May I have the film?’

He handed it over. The carton was damp.

‘I think you’ve got the Baroness’s film too, haven’t you?’

‘Oh God, have I? Yes, of course. Where the hell—Here!’

He took it out of the glove-box and handed it over.

‘Can we give you a lift?’ Lady Braceley asked with the utmost concern. ‘Do let us give you a lift.’

‘Thank you, no. I’ve a job to do here.’

The sports-car shot dangerously into the traffic.

Alleyn went back into the building.

He sought out Bergarmi and got the name and working address of their photographic expert. Bergarmi rang the man up and arranged for the films to be developed immediately.

He offered to accompany Alleyn to the photographic laboratory and when they got there expanded on his own attitude.

‘I have looked in,’ Bergarmi said, ‘to see our own photographs. A matter of routine, really. The case against Sweet is perfectly established by Giovanni Vecchi’s evidence alone. He now admits that he was aware of a liaison of some sort between Sweet and Mailer and will swear that he heard Mailer threaten Sweet with exposure.’

‘I see,’ Alleyn said, ‘exposure of what? And to whom?’

‘Giovanni believes, Signore, that Mailer was aware of Sweet’s criminal record in England and threatened to expose his identity to you whom he had recognized.’

‘Very neat flashes of hindsight from Giovanni,’ said Alleyn drily. ‘I don’t believe a word of it. Do you?’

‘Well, Signore, that is his guess! His evidence of fact I accept entirely. The important point is that Sweet was in danger, for whatever reason, and that the threat came from Mailer. Who, of course, had discovered that Sweet was sent to spy upon him by Ziegfeldt. It is a familiar story, Signor Super, is it not? The cross and the double-cross. The simple solution so often the true one. The circumstance of Mailer being a ricattatore and of his extorting money from tourists has no real bearing on his murder, though Sweet may have hoped it would confuse the issue.’ Bergarmi’s quick glance played over Alleyn. ‘You are in doubt, Signor Super, are you not?’ he asked.

‘Pay no attention to me,’ Alleyn said. ‘I’m a foreigner, Signor Vice-Questore, and I should not try to fit Giovanni into an English criminal mould. You know your types and I do not.’

‘Well, Signore,’ said Bergarmi, smiling all over his face, ‘you have the great modesty to say so.’

The photographic expert came in. ‘They are ready, Signor Vice-Questore.’

‘Ecco!’ said Bergarmi, clapping Alleyn on the shoulder. ‘The pictures. Shall we examine?’