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‘Wrong,’ said Theo ‘He’s in Athens He arrived this evening We had a very interesting conversation A very…enlightening…one’

His eyes were holding hers, holding thelitter He stood still, very still, paused in the archway Vicky’s eyes went over hi for hi in the circumstances

But then the circumstances were…unbelievable

She tried to get her head around the that was least unbelievable

‘You were in Athens this evening?’ She frowned But he was here, now, in London

‘Then I flew here,’ said Theo ‘You see,’ he went on, and so her nerves like acid, ‘enlightening as , it failed to answer all the questions arising therefrom There are so many questions, but they all have one expression’

He paused His eyes glittered with that strange, terrifying darkness

‘Why?’ he said softly ‘Why?’

He moved suddenly, and Vicky jumped But he did not approach her Instead he walked across to the ars, resting his hands on the arms of the chair

‘Start talking,’ he said ‘And don’t,’ he instructed, in the same voice that raised hairs on the back of her neck, ‘leave anything out’

The world was splintering around her Breaking up into tiny shards, each one so sharp it was cutting her to ribbons Slowly she reached for a tea towel, dried her hands properly Then she bent to pick up the knife fro it with the tea towel and replacing it in the knife-block Finally she reached to switch off the radio

‘Can this be death?’ asked the soprano with tearing beauty

But death cauises This was one of them

She walked to the breakfast bar She needed its support Her legs had jellied Shock—that hat it was Shock was having a physical effect on her that was too great to bear

‘Talk, Vicky’