‘I’d make a loss’, I said.

“That’s the idea. The shot is to get someone else to act as a director-your brother or someone…’

‘I haven’t got a brother.’

‘No? You’d probably be a better person today if you did- less selfish.’

‘Have you got a brother, Cy?’

‘No.’

I hadn’t formed the company, and tax problems were a possibility; even so, a year’s income wouldn’t buy most of the cars owned by Roberta’s guests. Against that, I could have the collar and tie off in an hour and spend the day on the beach.

Back inside everything was going swimmingly-some of them were actually splashing about in the pool-and the dry ones were happily getting wet in their own way. Roberta wafted up to me and put the hand that wasn’t carrying the champagne glass on my arm.

‘Cliff, darling. So marvellous of you-getting rid of that awful footballer. Paul told me all about it.’

‘Why was he here, Roberta?’

She looked at me with eyes that seemed to be focussed on something that would happen the day after tomorrow, if then.

‘Why are any of us here?’

She drifted away and joined a group that was admiring the view across to Point Piper through a floor-to-ceiling window. A tall, strongly built woman with a lively, broad-featured face and short-cropped reddish hair broke away from the group and strode across the room towards me.

‘Hello’, she said. ‘Been hearing all about you. So you’re the minder.’

She had a deep, husky voice like a blues singer, and her party clothes consisted of a black overall arrangement without sleeves which zipped up the front and was gathered at the ankles. There were no doo-dads on it and she wore no jewellery.

‘That’s just what they call it on TV, I said. ‘I don’t get paid in Nelson Eddys or anything.’

She laughed. ‘D’you know much rhyming slang?’