‘Plenty of time between now and half past seven to finalize our plans, then,’ she said. ‘Do you fancy a spot of lunch, Armstrong?’

  ‘Oddly, yes,’ I said. ‘After such a huge breakfast I wasn’t sure I’d ever eat again, but I’m surprisingly peckish.’

  ‘Lunch for two, then,’ she said. ‘We’ll keep you apprised of our plans, Mr Hillier. Do please send word when Adelia Wilson regains consciousness – we must speak to her the moment she’s up to it.’

  ‘How can you eat at a time like this?’ he said.

  She gave him a puzzled frown.

  ‘Things are coming together nicely,’ she said. ‘We’ll have Eleanora safely clutched to her aunt’s fulsome bosom before breakfast. And we’ll surrender the German cove to Harry’s slightly less tender embrace, too. Eating seems like a perfect part of the plan.’

  ‘You have a plan, then?’

  ‘You leave it to us, Mr Hillier,’ she said. ‘I presume the kitchen is open, despite the shortage of guests?’

  ‘Naturally,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell them to expect your order.’

  ‘Thank you. And would you be good enough to place another trunk call to my brother, please? He’ll want to know about this.’

  We left and walked along the corridor to the dining room.

  ‘So what’s the plan?’ I said as we settled at the table furthest from the dining room door.

  ‘Heaven only knows,’ she said. ‘Hillier is starting to get on my poor nerves a tiny bit – I just wanted him to shut up and stop mithering. If he imagines we have everything firmly in hand, he might calm down a tad.’

  ‘Poor little chap. He can’t help it. He hasn’t spent the past twenty years learning how to deal with spies and scoundrels like some people have. You should have a bit more patience with him.’

  ‘I probably should, you’re right. Ah, Kibble. You’re just in time. What’s for lunch?’

  The waiter had arrived. I hoped he hadn’t heard our conversation.

  ‘Chef was unsure whether there would be anyone for lunch today, my lady,’ he said. ‘He hasn’t prepared a menu but he says he will be happy to make anything you desire. As long as he has the necessary ingredients, of course.’

  ‘Then why don’t we leave it to him?’ she said. ‘We trust his skill – please ask him to make us whatever he wants. The man is a genius.’

  ‘He’ll be delighted to hear that, my lady,’ he said. ‘Shall I bring the wine list?’

  ‘Not today, thank you. I think we’ll need clear heads today. Just some water, please.’

  He vanished.

  ‘There’s something we seem to have been going out of our way not to address,’ I said.

  ‘There is? What’s that?’

  ‘The two latest murders,’ I said. ‘And how they were committed.’

  ‘Shot through the eye with a small calibre pistol, yes,’ she said. ‘I heard your “oh” when you saw Takahashi.’

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘It’s never a pleasant thing to be reminded of. I can deal with most things, but I still have nightmares about Roddy’s murder – I see him lying there. It’s such an idiosyncratic way to kill someone. I confess it did give me a chill when you told me how Takahashi had died.’

  ‘And our kidnapper is German, too. This must be very hard for you.’

  ‘It’s not the easiest case we’ve worked on these past two years,’ she said. ‘But I’ll endure. At least we know Ehrlichmann is dead. And we have to press on – we have two lives to save. Even if one of them isn’t at all our responsibility, I do feel rather protective of young Eleanora. And rather cross with her aunt for putting her in harm’s way like that.’

  ‘You put no stock in all the sightings we’ve been told about?’ I said. ‘Skins and Dunn seeing Ehrlichmann in London last year? Harry’s warnings about him heading west from London in January?’

  Our musician friends, Skins and Dunn, had visited us the previous autumn on their way to a performing engagement. As well as good company and music, they had brought news that a man calling himself Ehrlichmann had approached them in a club in London. He knew who they were and told them to give Lady Hardcastle his regards. Just after Christmas, Harry’s men had spotted a man matching Ehrlichmann’s description boarding a train for Cornwall.

  ‘I shot him, Flo. You were there. I shot him dead. Whoever everyone thinks they’ve seen, it wasn’t Ehrlichmann. I know that’s who the man Skins and Dunn met claimed to be, but it can’t have been. One doesn’t just get up and walk away from having half one’s head blown off with a Webley service revolver.’

  ‘I know,’ I said. ‘I know. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.’

  ‘And I appreciate your concern. But we have more important matters to bother about. At the top of our list is how to trap this German rapscallion while he’s picking up the strongbox.’

  ‘Lie in wait? He’ll be looking out for either Adelia Wilson or hired muscle. Who would ever suspect a dotty English lady and her maid?’

  ‘You’re in mufti,’ she said. ‘You’d have to be my pal. But he’s unlikely to be stupid – he’ll be looking out for lurkers, whoever they may be.’

  ‘Very well. Let’s look at it another way. How will he retrieve the box?’

  ‘It’s an odd spot, don’t you think? It’s handy for the main road, but I wouldn’t care for the idea of being boxed in there if it were me. If Adelia ignored his warning and sought to nab him, a few sturdy chaps could block the way back to the road and trap him on the causeway with no way out but into the sea.’

  ‘On to the mud,’ I corrected her. ‘There’s no sea at Weston – it’s a myth cooked up by the local council to attract visitors.’

  ‘Even so,’ she said. ‘It’s an exposed escape route – I shouldn’t like to have to run across an open beach.’

  ‘So he’s relying on picking up the box and slipping away unseen, then. Oh. When does the show finish at the theatre?’

  ‘About ten if it’s anything like the other night.’ She mulled it over for a moment. ‘I think you might be on to something, you know. There’ll be a crowd then. If he were to come out of the theatre – or appear to – he could stroll along the causeway, pick up the sack, and mingle with the other theatregoers as they make their way back into town. Even if anyone were watching they’d have a job catching him in a crowd like the one we were in on Monday. It’s a narrow strip – everyone gets funnelled together.’

  ‘Half past seven is a bit early, though,’ I said. ‘It’s a bit of a risk to have the box lying there for over two and a half hours before he can get to it.’

  ‘Do you think so? It’s a safe enough spot. There’s a load of old tat along that stretch of the causeway – bits of old rope, nets, even a lobster pot as I recall. An old sack won’t draw much attention. And the sooner it’s there, the longer he’d have to check that Adelia and any help she’d drafted in were out of his way. I like it.’

  ‘Even if I’m right,’ I said, ‘it doesn’t help us nab him, nor get Eleanora back.’

  ‘It’s a start, though. Something to build on.’

  At that moment, both Kibble the waiter and Brine the porter arrived at our table. Kibble had food, Brine had a message.

  ‘Beggin’ your pardon, m’lady,’ said Brine. ‘But Mr Hillier says you wanted to know when Miss Wilson was awake.’

  ‘We did, Brine, we did. Thank you,’ she said.

  Brine hurried away.

  ‘And just as this rather delicious-looking dish has arrived, too. What a shame. Oh, but it’s a salad. How wonderful. Please leave it there and we’ll get back to it as soon as we can. If you wouldn’t mind telling Chef to delay any hot courses, though, that would be wonderful.’

  ‘Of course, my lady,’ said Kibble.

  We dropped our napkins on the table and hurried off to the Wilsons’ rooms.

  Adelia Wilson was sitting up in bed, propped up by pillows and sipping a cup of tea. Dr Kenniston was packing arcane medical instruments into a large leather bag.

  ‘She’s quite well,’ he said, as though Miss Wilson were not there. ‘It was a heavy dose of Veronal, as I suspected, but there should be no lasting effects. She’ll feel a bit woolly for a couple of hours but there’s no harm done.’

  ‘Thank you, doctor,’ said Lady Hardcastle.

  She gave me a nod and I held the door for him. He seemed momentarily indignant at being dismissed, but picked up his hat and bag and began to make his way out.

  ‘Good day to you,’ he said.

  I closed the door behind him.

  ‘You know, you Britishers have got terrible taste in food, clothes, and popular entertainment, but I’ll go ten rounds against anyone who tries to tell me that a good old English cup of tea can’t cure just about anything.’ She held up her teacup as though toasting us and took another sip.

  ‘It has remarkable restorative powers,’ agreed Lady Hardcastle. ‘Particularly when taken in company and accompanied by a biscuit or two.’

  ‘You mean a cookie?’

  ‘No, dear, I most definitely mean a biscuit. A nice chat over a cup of tea and a biscuit. Perhaps we should invest in a fleet of tea wagons to tour America bringing comfort and succour to all – it would put your nation’s snake oil salesmen out of business in a twinkling.’

  ‘I’ll write you a cheque in the morning,’ said Miss Wilson. She took another sip and smiled.

  ‘It certainly seems to be having a most beneficial effect on you, I must say.’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with me. I’ve suffered worse than a dose of Veronal in my time.’

  ‘I rather thought you might have,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘The time for dissembling has long passed. I didn’t quite expect our revelations of our former occupation to induce you to say, “Oh, what a coincidence, me too”, but your reaction to news of my brother’s occupation did confirm what we’d known for a little while.’

  ‘And what was that?’

  ‘You’re an intelligence agent for the United States of America. A spy. Army or navy?’

  ‘I’m from Annapolis, dear, take a wild guess.’

  ‘Naval Intelligence, then. So we can talk honestly at last. Has anyone told you about Eleanora?’

  Adelia sat up slightly straighter, slopping some of her tea into the saucer.

  ‘Told me about her?’ she said. ‘That doctor feller said he thought she was out. He said you knew all about it.’

  ‘He has a physician’s facility for obfuscation – that charming bedside manner that allows them to tell the truth without alarming the patient.’

  ‘And what is it about the truth that would alarm this patient?’ said Adelia sharply.

  ‘She has been taken.’

  ‘Taken?’

  ‘By whoever drugged you,’ said Lady Hardcastle.

  ‘But . . . why? They took the . . . Look, you’re right, there’s no point pretending any more. Whoever drugged me took Goddard’s strongbox. I took it from Schneider’s room last night. I put it under my bed and when I looked while Dr Whangdoodle—’

  ‘Kenniston,’ I said without thinking.

  ‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I looked while Dr Kenniston was fussing with something in his bag. It’s gone. If they’ve got the box and, I presume, your missing Dr Goddard and his key, what did they want with Eleanora?’

  ‘You didn’t have the strongbox when you retired last night,’ I said. ‘I’d already taken it. We have it.’

  ‘You?’ she said. ‘You broke in to my room? How dare you!’

  ‘I really don’t think you’re in a position to complain about break-ins, dear,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘Remember how you came by the box in the first place.’

  Adelia glowered. ‘But without your larceny I’d still have my niece.’

  ‘I certainly can’t deny that without our having retrieved our government’s property it would currently be in the hands of an unknown but almost certainly unfriendly foreign power. But while I understand the impulse to cast blame and accusations, you ought to remember, too, who chose to bring an inexperienced young girl on a mission. And, given that both the other spies ended up dead, if the kidnapper had found the box I wouldn’t give good odds on either of you still being alive now.’

  ‘It was supposed to be a simple one,’ said Adelia. ‘A few days in an English seaside town, an easy mark. Sweet talk him a bit, relieve him of the box, and head out of town on the next train to London. I was to hand over the box at the embassy at Victoria Street then we could continue Eleanora’s European tour.’

  ‘The best-laid plans,’ said Lady Hardcastle. She took the note from her handbag and passed it to Adelia. ‘The kidnapper sent this to you. We opened it in case there was something that had to be dealt with before you came to.’

  Adelia read it quickly. ‘Do you know who this guy is?’ she said.

  ‘Not yet, no,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘We’re assuming from the nationalities represented here in your little espionage jamboree that he’s German – that’s one of the only nationalities not represented.’

  ‘Doesn’t narrow it down much,’ said Adelia. ‘They’ve got a lot of Germans in this town.’

  ‘They have?’ said Lady Hardcastle.

  ‘Seems so to me. We even saw a German fisherman late on Tuesday afternoon, out on the promenade.’

  ‘A German fisherman?’ I said. ‘How did you know he was German?’

  ‘Tall, blond feller. We saw him chatting away to the Punch and Judy man. Asking him for food.’

  ‘In German? The Punch and Judy man was English when we met him.’

  ‘They were speaking English but the fisherman definitely had a German accent. Berlin, if I’m not mistaken.’

  Lady Hardcastle regarded her shrewdly. ‘This puts an entirely different complexion on things,’ she said. ‘We’ve considered the mysterious fisherman a number of times, but we’ve always ruled him out. Well, I have, at least. But if your knowledge of German regional accents makes you certain he’s a Berliner, he’s not likely to be a real fisherman, now is he? Berlin’s not exactly famous for its long maritime tradition and its easy access to the sea. This will make nabbing him a great deal easier – we know who we’re looking for now.’

  ‘Nabbing him?’ said Adelia. ‘You’re not risking Eleanora’s life for the sake of your stupid strongbox. Let him have it and let me have her back.’

  ‘I think this is one of those rare occasions when we might have our cake and eat it. Our priority will always be saving the life of the innocent girl whose safety you risked so recklessly, but if we can save our government’s “stupid strongbox”, too, then so much the better.’

  ‘Now, look here—’

  ‘No, I’m sorry, dear, but my days of looking here are most definitely behind me. You’re a guest in our country intent on stealing state secrets. It shall be up to my brother and his Foreign Office colleagues what sanctions are imposed upon you for that little transgression, but in the meantime any looking here will be entirely on your part. In the absence of firm orders to the contrary, I’m taking charge of this matter. We shall apprehend this fisherman, retrieve the strongbox, and free your niece along with, I hope, Dr Goddard. Your primary role will be to shut up and do as you’re told. Any more “now look here”-ing from you will not go well for you.’

  Adelia simply glared at her.

  ‘We’ll leave you to get dressed,’ said Lady Hardcastle. ‘Please join us for lunch and we shall discuss our plans.’

  I was growing weary of trudging up and down the stairs, but at least there was food waiting for me in the dining room.

  To my intense irritation, we didn’t make it as far as the dining room. As we passed the open door to Mr Hillier’s office he called out to us.

  ‘Lady Hardcastle? Miss Armstrong? I have Mr Featherstonhaugh on the telephone for you.’

  As we entered the room he was already out from behind his desk and heading towards us. He pointed to the telephone on the desk.

  ‘All yours,’ he said. As he closed the door behind him he muttered, ‘I’m not your blessed secretary, you know.’

  ‘It’s a good thing he isn’t,’ said Lady Hardcastle, picking up the telephone earpiece. ‘I’d have sacked him ages ago if he were my secretary.’

  We positioned ourselves once more so that we could both hear and speak to Harry.

  ‘Sorry to bother you again, Harry, dear, but there have been developments,’ said Lady Hardcastle.

  ‘What ho, sis,’ he said. ‘Fire away.’

  She sighed. ‘What ho, indeed. We’ve had communication from the kidnapper. He’s demanding we leave the strongbox on Knightstone Causeway this evening – it’s a promontory near our hotel with a theatre at the end – anyway, we leave the box there for him and he’ll tell us where to find the girl. He doesn’t mention your man Goddard, but if he’s not already dead I imagine we’ll find him in the same place.’

  ‘Excellent. Do that.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘Do that. Leave the box, collect the American girl – everyone’s home in time for brandy and medals.’

  ‘No, we’ll not be doing that, dear,’ she said.

  ‘Oh, my darling sister, but you will. The box isn’t worth a girl’s life. Just give him what he wants and let me know where to pick her up.’

  ‘We have an altogether better idea that will secure the box, the German and the girl.’

  ‘I’m sure you do, but instead you’re going to do as you’re told.’

  ‘When have I ever done as I’m told? I just need your two chaps – Fish and Chips, Campbell and Bannerman, Argyle and Sutherland – whatever they’re calling themselves today. I need the two of them and their poorly concealed revolvers to be loitering on the causeway at ten o’clock when the theatre chucks out. They just have to wait until a tall, blond fisherman walks past with a sack over his shoulder and follow him. They’ll track him to his lair and you get the box, the girl, and the German spy all in one neat package. We’ll be on hand to look after young Miss Wilson and to stand at longstop in case Kent and Lancashire aren’t up to the task.’

  ‘That all sounds splendid,’ said Harry, ‘but I see a fatal flaw. Perch and Tench are away on another assignment – as you ought to remember – and I can’t get them to Weston until tomorrow morning at the earliest. You’ll just have to— Wait a moment. Did you say you were dealing with a tall, blond German?’