‘They didn’t talk to any of us despatch riders, did they?’ I said.

‘Did you dislike her, then?’ asked Mel, her eyes round with horror.

‘We dislike everybody,’ I said. ‘The whole world is basically against us. “Horror on the Hill”,’ I read from a headline.

‘Hey, what’s this?’ Pippa shook her paper in front of me. ‘ “Ingrid de Soto ’s body was found at her exclusive Highgate home by bike messenger, Alice Bell…” ’

‘ Alice?’

‘ “… Alice Bell, who is said to be very traumatized by her experience.” ’

I grabbed the paper from Pippa’s hands. ‘Where?’

‘It must be a later edition.’

‘Who said I was very upset?’

‘Well, you were, weren’t you?’

‘Of course I was. Am. That’s not the point. How do they know about me?’

‘ Alice,’ said Pippa.

‘Why would they tell them my name – not my name, as it happens?’

‘It doesn’t really matter, does it?’ asked Mel.

‘I don’t know. It feels odd, that’s all. Everything feels odd at the moment. It feels like everything’s gathering a momentum of its own.’

‘I’ve got something to say,’ announced Davy, as we sat round with bottles of water and cans of beer after the match had finished, no one really wanting to return to the house.

‘Go on, then,’ said Pippa.

‘Really, Dario’s got something to say,’ said Davy.

‘Have I? I don’t think so.’

‘Yeah. Sorry, Dario, but you have.’

‘I don’t know what you’re on about.’

‘I’m sure it’ll turn out to be nothing. But someone died. Two people died. And you’ve got to come clean.’

Dario spluttered.

‘Come on, mate,’ said Davy. I could see he was nervous. Making a stand like this wasn’t in character for him.

Dario stubbed out his cigarette, ground it, then lit another. We waited in silence. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide,’ he said eventually. ‘It’s true that Astrid was right when she thought she saw someone. It was a guy who lives round the corner. He dropped round. He was on his way out when you appeared.’

‘Why was he there?’ asked Miles.

Another silence. Dario gulped. ‘Just collecting something.’

‘What?’

‘Is that any of your business?’

‘Dario?’ I said. ‘Just tell us.’

‘I’d got some stuff for him. And he came over to collect it.’

‘Stuff?’ Miles’s voice had sunk to a kind of growl.

‘Yeah. Stuff.’

‘As in what? Weed?’

‘I’ve had some cash-flow problems. I needed some money to see me through. So. As you see, it wasn’t relevant. But I didn’t want to shout about it in front of the police. And don’t blame Davy. I asked him not to tell you.’

‘You fucking idiot,’ said Miles.

‘What?’ said Dario.

‘You’ve been dealing out of this house?’ he said.

‘It was just a favour for a friend.’

‘How dare you?’ Miles said.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Dario. ‘I didn’t realize there was a house rule.’

A row of some kind started. I heard it as if it was the wind blowing through the trees, but I paid no attention to the meaning. I was trying to think and for a moment I put my hands over my ears. Then I made my mind up. ‘What’s his name?’ I said.

‘What?’

‘Your druggie friend.’

‘He’s not a druggie. He works in advertising.’

What’s his name?’

‘Lee.’

‘You know where he lives?’

‘I’ve got his number somewhere.’

‘You should call him.’

‘You don’t know what you’re asking.’

‘I do. And, Pippa -’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ said Pippa, ‘what is this? The Inquisition? OK, OK, I’ll tell the police about Jeff. Happy now?’

Chapter Twelve

Monday morning, and I was wheeling my bike along the alley beside the house when something flashed. I blinked, looked up and it happened again. Then I realized two men were standing on the pavement outside the house, and one was taking photographs. Taking photographs of me. I put up a hand to shield my eyes and stared at them.

‘Miss Bell?’ one called.

‘ Alice?’ shouted the other.

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ I muttered under my breath. ‘It’s Astrid,’ I said. ‘Astrid Bell. Where did you get the Alice from, anyway?’

The man without a camera shrugged. ‘You found the body, right?’

Something about the language made me wince. The body. As if the poor woman was just a thing, a meaningless object I had happened to stumble across. There was a short silence. The photographer raised his camera again and fired off a few shots.

‘I didn’t say you could do that,’ I told him. ‘And you can’t.’

‘What was it like?’ asked the reporter.

‘How did you get my name?’

‘Is it true you broke in through the window?’

‘Did the police tell you?’

‘Can I say at least that you were very shocked?’

‘Of course she was bloody shocked.’

Dario had appeared at my side. He was wearing grubby purple tracksuit trousers and a bright yellow anorak with arms that hardly reached his elbows. The two men stared at him.

‘Don’t you dare take a photo of him,’ I said grimly, but too late.

‘Wouldn’t you be shocked if you were at the murder scenes of two women in just weeks?’ Dario continued. ‘You’d think it was bad karma, wouldn’t you?’

I groaned out loud.

‘You said two women?’

‘Right,’ said Dario. ‘First Peggy Farrell and then this other one.’

A look of bewildered fascination appeared on the reporter’s face. ‘Bloody hell,’ he said. ‘Astrid. Miss Bell.’

But I had swung my leg over my bike and mounted. I cycled away to the sound of the camera clicking and Dario calling my name.

That evening after work I met Pippa in the Horse and Jockey for a drink. We made an odd pair: she in her trim suit and sensible shoes, her hair coiled neatly at the back of her head, little earrings in her lobes, carefully invisible makeup, and a leather briefcase, me in my black Lycra and scuffed boots, sweaty and grimy. As if conforming to our parts, she ordered white wine while I had half a pint of lager.

‘So,’ she said, taking off her jacket, unpinning her hair and having a hearty swig of wine. ‘First of all, money. I wanted to talk to you about it before speaking to the others. You know what those big group discussions can get like.’

I nodded.

‘I got an email from Miles today at work. I’ve printed it out so you can have a look at it, but basically what he proposes is that each individual gets paid according to the amount of time he or she has lived in the house. So you and I get the most, and Davy and Owen the least. But he’s also suggesting that since that might end up being a bit unfair on them, he should give us each a lump sum, then top it up with an adjustable amount. So it’s x plus y times t.’

‘What?’

‘That’s how Miles puts it – x is one sum, y another, and t is time.’

‘Ah,’ I said. ‘Right. Has he mentioned actual figures, or are we stuck in Algebra Land?’

‘He suggests that x equals seven and a half thousand, y equals two and t is a year or part of a year.’

‘So you and I, for instance – that’s seven and a half add two, times – what is it? Four and a half years, that’s five – so plus ten thousand, makes seventeen and a half.’

‘Right. While Davy and Owen get nine and a half.’

‘Which is also an awful lot of money. How much is Miles going to shell out altogether?’

‘Lots.’

‘Leah won’t be pleased.’

‘I know, but it’s based on how much the value of the property has risen, which you wouldn’t believe.’

‘Try me.’

‘He bought it five years ago for about a quarter of a million. Guess how much it’s worth now?’

‘I’ve no idea.’

‘Try.’

‘Let’s see. Seven bedrooms, big garden. Um – five hundred thousand?’

‘More.’

‘OK, six hundred.’

‘More.’

‘More?’

‘Eight hundred.’

‘Fuck. For that? Even after Dario’s work?’

‘So you don’t need to worry he’s being too generous.’

‘Do you think he’s offering about the right amount?’