"We won't, and thanks."

"No trouble, honey. Turn to your right, remember. I hope you find what you're looking for. "

"I hope so too."

I turned to follow her directions, Blackbird at my side. "Charming, huh? It looks like you have a fan there," she suggested.

"Doctor Veronica Delemere of the University, eh?" I countered.

"Well I can hardly be called Doctor Blackbird at the University, can I?"

We went to the archway and found a stone stairway leading upwards. There were lots of signs directing you to one court or another, but we ignored these. The stone stairway had white stripes painted on the edge of each step and a dark wooden handrail. They were quite steep. We turned right, as instructed, walking down the corridor past the courtrooms.

Waiting there was a pet.i.te brunette with short straight hair. She didn't see us until we were quite close and I wondered whether she was seriously shortsighted. Her jacket and skirt were dark and sober and she looked all business. She thrust out her hand at me, rather aggressively. "Claire Radisson. Pleased to meet you."

"h.e.l.lo, I'm Niall Dobson and this is Veronica Delemere."

Claire shook our hands in short tight gestures. "Perhaps you'd like to come through?"

She turned on her kitten heels and marched off down the corridor, plainly expecting to be followed. We hurried along behind.

"There are so many people who want His Lordship's time and only so many hours in the day. It would only be possible to give you a few moments, I am sure you understand." She implied that there was no room for compromise. There was something else here, though. Deception rang in her tone.

"Of course, we will be brief," Blackbird rea.s.sured her, glancing at me with a raised eyebrow.

She walked down the corridor and then turned off to the left, stepping past a doorway and ushering us into a neat ante-office with a desk and bookshelves. Small touches like a floral tissue box and the handbag placed on the cupboard behind the desk led me to believe that this was her s.p.a.ce. There was a further set of double doors that remained closed. I figured that in order to gain access to the inner sanctum we would need to satisfy her that our business was worthy of his lordship's time.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell me what this is all about?" She moved around the desk, putting it between her and us.

"It's concerning the duties of the Queen's Remembrancer and the Quit Rents Ceremony. We would like to ask His Lordship a few questions, if that's possible. "

"I'm afraid he has a full schedule. Can you be more specific?" Again, I was sure she wasn't telling us the truth. Perhaps she was just checking to see if we were wasting his time?

"We're interested in changes," Blackbird expanded, "the way the ceremony may have developed over time. "

"And you've spoken to him about this earlier? "

"No, but you already know that, surely?"

She gave a brittle laugh. "I'm afraid that, as His Lordship's clerk, I only deal with his business affairs. Do you know him personally?"

There was a lot of dissembling going on here, but we needed to get past that and speak to the man himself. "No, we've not met him before," I said. "So, would it be possible to have a few words with him, if he has a moment he could spare us?" I hoped I was being as charming as Marcie had made me out to be. "I'm afraid that won't be possible." This time there was no deception.

"But Marcie said she was sure you would be able to find a slot for us. We only need a few minutes. "

"You misunderstand me; you can't see him because he isn't here. He was at a late briefing last night until about ten o'clock. He left in good spirits at about halfpast ten." She looked from Blackbird to me. "He hasn't been seen since."

Fourteen.

Claire looked from one of us to the other. "I was hoping your 'urgent matter' might provide some explanation as to where he might be." Claire was gauging our reaction to the news that the Remembrancer was missing. Is that what the deception was all about? Did she think we were responsible?

"No, we were hoping to meet him to speak with him about the ceremony," I explained.

"Then I am afraid you will be disappointed. He's not here."

"When you say he's not here, you were expecting him, yes?" Blackbird suggested.

"He has appointments in his diary but he hasn't come in this morning. As I am sure you can imagine I have a hundred things to re-arrange, so if you wouldn't mind...? "

"Have you rung his home?" Blackbird asked.

"Look, I don't know what business it is of yours, but-" The phone rang on her desk. She glanced down at the display and then picked it up.

"If you would excuse me for a moment?" She turned away, cradling the phone close to her shoulder. "h.e.l.lo, Elizabeth? No, there's been no word." She paused.

"I've checked with the hospitals and there's no one matching his description. I'm sure if there'd been an accident we would have heard by now." She listened to the caller.

"No, look I'm sure it's nothing. He'll turn up, just wait and see. I have some people with me at the minute but I'll call you the moment there's any word, I promise. Yes, straight away. Promise. Bye."

She turned back to us and put the phone down.

Blackbird turned to me. "He didn't get home then. That's not good."

"Do you think that's our worm?" I asked her.

"It could be, though from the way it was said I got the impression that the worm has been there for some time. It's not a recent thing."

"Would you mind," asked Claire, "continuing this conversation elsewhere? As I have already told you, the Remembrancer isn't here and as I am sure you can appreciate, I have a busy day ahead of me."

Blackbird asked Claire, "Has he had any strange visitors? Has anyone unusual come to call?"

"Look, the police will be here shortly. I am sure they're capable of sorting this out. Now if you wouldn't mind..."

"Anyone who appeared drunk? Or slow?" Blackbird persisted.

"No, now look, I really... What do you mean, drunk? "

"Someone that slurred their words and seemed uncoordinated, maybe?" I suggested.

"Anyone asking about the ceremony?" Blackbird added.

Claire looked between the two of us. We suddenly had her attention.

"There have been phone calls, just recently," she told us, "that sounded as if the person calling were drunk. I put them down as prank calls."

"Did the person sound is if they were calling internationally, over a long distance?" Blackbird asked. "What do you know about this?" Claire demanded. Blackbird ignored the question. "Did they ask about the ceremony?"

"Oh G.o.d, the ceremony." Claire ran her fingers back through her hair in an unconscious gesture. "Well, hopefully he'll have turned up by then. We can put it back a day or two, but-"

"But it must go ahead," Blackbird finished for her.

She gave Blackbird a very direct look but confirmed it. "The ceremony will have to go ahead, regardless. It's been a continuous unbroken sequence for centuries. Now I really am sorry, but that is as much time as I can spare you right now. If you'd like to come back when His Lordship is here then perhaps he will spare you the time to go through this with you, but in the circ.u.mstances I'm sure you can see that we have other priorities."

I suspected she knew more, but she had no reason to tell us anything..

"Marcie said that we might come to the ceremony. Is that still possible?"

"Yes, it was originally planned for next Tuesday but the date may change now, of course. If you contact reception at the beginning of next week, they should be able to confirm dates by then."

"Can you arrange another Remembrancer by then?" Blackbird queried.

"Hopefully we won't need to."

Blackbird looked at me and then at Claire. "I think you may need to arrange a subst.i.tute."

"I get the impression that you two know more about this than you're letting on." She gave Blackbird a steely stare, but Blackbird was a match for her. "Likewise," she answered.

"Would it help," I offered, "if I said that we'll do anything we can to a.s.sist?"

"Thank you, but unless you know where His Lordship is, I don't think you can help."

We had reached stalemate. She wasn't going to budge, even though I was sure there was more she could tell us. Something had to shift, and it wasn't going to be her.

Blackbird turned to me. "I don't think there's any more we can do here. The ceremony will go ahead with or without the Remembrancer."

"But the worm?"