spoken. An hour had passed in this inconclusive but, for Lindsay, deeply unsettling pattern. Then, without warning, Ainslie got abruptly to his feet and walked out, slamming the door behind him. His junior sidekick followed him moments later, after fixing Lindsay with a long, hard stare.

She got to her feet and stretched her legs. It never crossed her mind to try leaving. She felt sure there would be someone outside the door. Lindsay rotated her shoulders and shook her wrists vigorously to loosen up her muscles. For some reason, they had decided she knew more about Ros's burglary than an innocent bystander should do. But she was determined to give nothing away. Something told her she was in for a long session.

A few minutes later, the door openeddeep breath. Before she could say more, the doorbell rang insistently. "That'll be Harry," she said.

"You go. I'll get his stuff," Alex muttered.

Lindsay returned moments later with an irritated Harry. They entered the room to find Alex pulling a plastic bag out from under his mattress. He turned to face them and gave Harry a grin. "Hiya, Dirty Harry," he said cheekily.

"You little shit!" Harry spat. "You scumbag! How dare you steal my things."

"Now, now, Harry, mind your language. There's a lady present. Don't give me a bad time or the deal might just be off." Alex had clearly begun to enjoy himself.

"You . . ." Harry trailed off as Alex wagged an admonishing finger.

"All right, boys, let's cut the posturing. Harry, money on the table. Alex, open