Major Sweet said, ‘Very civil, I’m sure. Do what we can.’ The Van der Veghels and Sophy said, ‘Of course,’ Lady Braceley looked vaguely about her. ‘No, but really!’ she said. ‘I mean, how too off-putting and peculiar.’ She opened her cigarette case but made a sad botch of helping herself. Her hands jerked, cigarettes shot about the floor.

‘Excellenza!’ the Questore ejaculated. ‘Scusi! Allow me!’ He leapt to his feet.

‘No! No! Please! Kenneth! Too stupid of me. No!’

Kenneth gathered the cigarettes, pushed them back into the case and with some difficulty lit the one that shook between his lips. They all looked away from Lady Braceley and Kenneth.

Grant said loudly, ‘You haven’t actually told us so, but I suppose I am right in thinking you suspect Mailer of this murder?’

Kenneth Dorne gave out a noise somewhere between a laugh and a snort.

The Questore made one of his more ornate gestures. ‘One must not be precipitate,’ he said. ‘Let us say, Mr Grant, that we feel he may—’

‘ “Help the police in their investigation”,’ Kenneth said, ‘that’s got a familiar ring about it! “Inspector or Superintendent Flookamapush says he’s anxious to trace Mr Sebastian Mailer who the police believe may help—” ’

He broke off, staring at Alleyn. ’My God!’ he said and got to his feet. ‘I was right! My God. I remember, now. I knew I’d seen that fabulous face before. My God, you are a policeman!’

He turned to the others. ‘He’s a bloody policeman,’ he said. ‘He’s the detective they’re always writing up in the papers. “Handsome” something—what is it?—yes—by God—“Handsome Alleyn”.’ He pointed to Alleyn. ‘He’s no tourist, he’s a spy. Last night. At Toni’s. Spying. That’s what he was doing.’

Alleyn watched all the heads turn in his direction and all the shutters come down. I’m back in business, he thought.

He stood up. ‘Mr Dorne,’ he said, ‘has beaten us to the post by one second. I think the Questore was about to explain.’

The Questore did explain, with one or two significant evasions and a couple of downright lies that Alleyn would have avoided. He said that the highly distinguished Superintendent was on holiday but had made a courtesy call at police headquarters in Rome, that he had expressed a wish to remain incognito which the Questore had of course respected. It was by pure accident, he lied, that Alleyn had joined in the Cicerone tour but when Mailer disappeared he had felt it his duty to report the circumstance. For which the Questore and his subordinates were greatly obliged to him.

Here he paused. Of his audience Sophy and the Van der Veghels looked perfectly satisfied. The others exhibited distrust and scepticism in varying degrees.