bunch of amateur writers. No one is threatened by us.'
'Miss Snow wasn't threatening anybody. I can't think of anyone less threatening than she was.'
'We don't know why Miss Snow was picked.'
'Well, I'm going to take precautions,' Dagmar said.
'What can you do?'
'Get a letterbox fitted outside my house. Then I can seal up the front door and sleep easy at night.'
'While he lobs a firebomb through your front room window,' Tudor said. 'If someone really wants to get you, my love, they will.'
'Oh my God!'
'You're not helping,' Thomasine said to Tudor. 'Some of our members are extremely frightened.'
Tudor raised a hand to acknowledge another gaffe. 'Sorry, people.'
At this critical moment in the meeting another hand was raised. No one would have predicted that the usually silent Sharon had something to say.
Thomasine said in a surprised tone, 'Yes, my dear?'
'Are you going to ask if anyone's got a success to report?'
If anything could relieve the tension, this was it. There were smiles and some gentle laughter.
'I hadn't planned on it,' Thomasine said, 'but why not? We could do with some good news.'
'Well, you know I've always got a pencil in my hand?' She held it up for all to see.
'Right. We've seen the doodles you do.'
'A little while ago I started doing pictures of the salon where I work, the people, I mean, and just for a laugh I put balloons out of their mouths with stuff they're saying, the funny things you hear when you're in the chair with your hair in curlers. Know what I mean?'
'Captions,' Tudor said.
Anton said, 'Wrong.'
'What do you mean, 'wrong'?' Tudor said.
'Speech bubbles. She's referring to speech bubbles.'
'Yeah, man,' Sharon said, looking up from the doodle she was working on and pointing a finger at Anton. 'Any road, some of my friends thought they was wicked and why didn't I take the best stuff round to that free newspaper that started up last year. So I did, and they liked them so much they want to print them.'
'Marvellous!' Thomasine said, genuinely pleased. 'Congratulations!'
'It's not real writing, so I didn't know if it counts, but I'll be getting twenty-five pound for each strip they use.'
'Hey, that's brilliant, and don't play it down. Of course it's real writing. You'll have a regular income from your work, which is more than any of us can boast.'
'That's what I wanted to say, then.'
'Is it just the hairdresser's in this strip,' Tudor asked, 'or are you featuring other locations? From here some of the drawings seem to bear a close resemblance to members of the circle.'
She slid her hand over the paper. 'No, I wouldn't do that. It's only about the salon.'
'Pity,' he said, 'I wouldn't mind being in a strip cartoon.'
Anton chose this moment to fire another broadside at Tudor. 'You're full of suggestions. If I remember correctly, it was you who urged us all to use the fire at Edgar Blacker's cottage as the inspiration for our writing. I'm so pleased I ignored you. Now that Miss Snow has died it would be in the worst possible taste.'
Jessie said, 'Oh my word, yes!'
There was a rueful smile from Tudor.
The biggest reaction came from Naomi. She jerked forward, frowning, and looked across at Zach. 'Inspiration for our writing?'
Clearly uneasy, Zach said, 'I don't think you were there, Naomi. This was the evening we met in the pub and Maurice had just been released by the police.'
Basil started to say, 'It was the evening you were trapped-'
But Naomi cut in. 'I know which evening it was, Basil.'
Anton wouldn't let it rest. 'I propose that we agree here and now that it would be deplorable for any member of the circle to use these tragedies as subject matter for our writing.'
Jessie said, 'Hear, hear. I second that.'
Naomi turned to see if Zach would say anything.
After some hesitation he cleared his throat. 'Hold on. That sounds like censorship to me. There's a principle at stake here. Freedom of expression.'
'I agree,' Naomi said.
Dagmar said, 'Noted.'
With all the experience of a thousand meetings in the Department of Ancient Monuments, Anton said, 'Madam Chair, I have made a proposal and it was seconded. I insist that it is put to the vote.'
Thomasine was having a torrid time as the stand-in chair. For help she looked towards Bob.
Caught again. Bob wasn't used to all this procedural stuff. He'd always avoided union meetings if he could. He dredged deep and said, 'There's one thing no one has mentioned.'
'What's that?'
'Tea break.'
'Lovely suggestion,' Thomasine said. 'We can talk things over informally and come back to Anton's proposal later — if we really need to.'
Bob was outside having a smoke when Thomasine found him.
'Sorry about all that, springing it on you,' she said. 'You were great in there.'
'I know sweet f.a. about the press,' he said, offering her a cigarette. 'I once saw a cartoon I liked. This woman has just come home and is saying triumphantly to her husband, 'Only my second week at the writers' circle and they've made me treasurer!''
'Yes, and it's bloody unfair, but you'll do it in style, I know you will. What can I do in return — be your slave for a day?'
'I'll think it over.'
'A day and a night, then?'
He looked. She was smiling, and the remark was joky, but there was something there he hadn't seen in a woman's eyes since Maggie died.
In the Lewes Arms, opposite the law court and built into the ramparts of the castle, Detective Superintendent Peter Diamond spilled some beer as he threaded a route through the tiny front bar. This was where lunch was being taken. Lawyers, witnesses and relatives needed an escape.
DCI Hen Mallin was saving seats by the window, and that was where Diamond was heading. The pair of them had given evidence in what was known to the press as the Wightview Sands case, and it was over apart from the sentencing. The jury hadn't taken long over the guilty verdict.
'Hope you wanted lemon in this,' Diamond said as he handed Hen her gin and tonic.
'Always. It stops me getting scurvy. Are you staying another night?'
He shook his head.
'Duty calls?'
'The Wasps.'
'Sounds dangerous.'
'Rugby. I'm a Bath supporter.'
'All right for some,' she said. Til be checking in at Chichester.'
'Why — do they have a team?'
'Chichester nick. I took a call this morning. Series of arson attacks.'
'I thought you were based at Bognor.'
'I am, but Chi is up a gum tree. What are you smiling for?'
'I was picturing it. Sounds like a panda.'
She took a long sip of the G amp;T. 'Whatever. They're getting a new keeper.'
When they returned to the meeting room and Thomasine called for order, Anton said, 'We're not all
