“Are the Shawns wealthy?” he asked suddenly.

“Very.”

“Why a suburban house and just a daily maid?”

“They’ve only been there since Ricky arrived, and I imagine Belle Shawn is having fun playing at housework. Lissa doesn’t think she will for long.”

Lissa, Roger pondered; how soon would he learn more about Lissa?

The telephone bell rang, one of three on the desk.

“The middle one,” Marino said.

“The Assistant Commissioner is on the line,” said a girl, and after a moment a man with a rather hard voice asked:

“Is that you, West? What are you doing there?”

“They want us to look into a job which was pulled during the night,” Roger said. “They’re in a hurry, but they don’t want to talk over the telephone.”

“All right, see what you can make of it,” Hardy said. “Don’t let them high-pressure you, though.”

Roger pushed the telephone away, and asked:

“Who will take me to the house ?”

“Lissa Meredith will,” Marino answered. He lifted the telephone, and went on: “Ask Lissa to come right away, Herb.” Replacing the receiver, he continued: “You’ll get along with Lissa, but then I guess you get along with most people.”

“I try to,” Roger said. “As this is hush-hush to begin with, why not start the right way? I won’t leave the Embassy with Miss Meredith —”

“Mrs Meredith.”

“Oh! I’ll have a word with her here, and pick her up somewhere on the way — on the Bayswater Road just beyond the park gates, say. I may be recognized, and if I’m seen leaving with David Shawn’s secretary, a lot of people will put two and two together.” He waited.

“We are certainly going to get along,” Marino said, and looked up as the door opened and Lissa Meredith came in.