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and Beth were climbing onto a bale and jumping off with great shrieks of delight. ‘Mind! Careful, you two.’
    Sylvia’s eyes widened when she heard the rustling noises again. She mouthed rather than said, ‘Rats?’ Caroline looked at her in silent horror.
    ‘I’ve always had a dread of …’
    ‘So have I.’
    ‘Come along, children, Mimi’s not here. Let’s go home. Mummy’s feeling cold. A hot drink, I think, when we get back. Time to go, darlings, come along. We’re wasting our time. I’d rather find her dead than not know . That’s the hardest part, not knowing.’ Despairingly she called again: ‘Mimi! Mimi! No, it’s no good. Let’s go. Don’t forget your ball, Alex. I wonder if she’s gone into Sykes Wood? I’ll try there tomorrow perhaps, as a last resort.’
    ‘Peter, I’ve just had a thought. If Kate is a vegan, what on earth shall we have to eat?’
    ‘I’d forgotten that. I can see I shall be having a bacon sandwich when I get home to fill me up.’
    ‘I can’t think what vegans make for a dinner, can you?’
    ‘You’ll soon find out.’
    ‘Ready?’
    The lights were on at every window in the school-house when they got there. Caroline was full of anticipation. She loved seeing other people’s houses; it gave one such a brilliant clue as to what made them tick.
    Peter rang the bell and they heard footsteps approaching the door. ‘Do come in. Isn’t it cold tonight?’ Kate was in black, a kind of evening dress with long sleeves and bugle bead decoration on the bodice. Caroline had come in a smart winter dress and felt she’d made an error of judgement, but it was too late now. Kate’s long black hair was plaited and the end of the plait fastened up on top of her head with a wide velvet ribbon. It left her long thin neck quite bare; around her throat was a selection of thin silver necklaces with pendants of one kind or another hanging from each one.
    Tonight she wore make-up – a magenta lipstick with magenta eyeshadow between her eyebrow and eyelashes and a black line all around her eye. Peter found her rather alarming; Caroline was amused. What kind of statement was she making here? She was like something out of a nightmare. Her long pointed nails – the kind which made Caroline wonder however the owner managed to achieve even the simplest task without the nails getting in the way, were painted to match her lipstick. Somehow Caroline didn’t fancy food prepared by hands which looked like that. But then she shrugged her shoulders; she was being quite ridiculous. What on earth had long nails to do with the food she ate?
    What really took her breath away was the decoration of the narrow entrance hall. Where she, Caroline, would have used light colours to give the passage width, Kate had used dark navy. The ceiling was light blue with silver stars of different sizes stuck to the ceiling. The same treatment had been given to the tiny sitting room – dark walls and a light blue ceiling, but this time golden suns with rays coming from them were stuck all over the ceiling. God! If Michael Palmer could see this!
    Peter said, ‘I love your decorations – they are so unusual. You must have worked awfully hard to get all this done in such a short time.’
    ‘I have. At the weekend I stayed up all night to get finished. I’m glad you like it. I know it’s not to everyone’s taste, but I’ve tired of magnolia and all that dratted stippling effect and stencilling everyone’s been doing for years. Thought I’d have a change.’
    Caroline seated herself on a sofa draped with Indian throw-overs. She sank almost to the floor, the sofa was so soft. Peter sat in a chair more suited to a tiny elderly aunt than a man of six feet five. He dwarfed it and it looked in serious danger of collapsing under his weight.
    ‘A drink?’ Kate suggested. ‘The meal’s almost ready.’ They both nodded. ‘I have orange juice or elderflower wine. Or dandelion if you prefer.’
    ‘Well, I’ve never