But, although I couldn’t say so to Daisy, I did. Potpan, my part, was one of the Capulets’ servants, at the Capulet mansion during the scenes at the party where Romeo and Juliet first met. It was a tiny role – but not quite as tiny as I had hoped. For I had discovered that it had lines. Ooh,’ Daisy has just hissed under her breath from the seat next to me. ‘Uncle Felix will be annoyed, won’t he? We were supposed to be safe from crimes here! Serve him right for treating us like children.’ I always get a box full of my new book, a few weeks before it’s published, so I can give it away to friends and family, and to the people who gave me advice while I was writing it. And there are always just a few spare … that I can give away to you!

She has discovered it by now, but I am still the person who writes all our murder cases. Now I have started, not even Daisy could make me stop. Don’t be awful, Daisy!’ I said, although privately I agreed with her. Lysander had made me uncomfortable. He stood too close to people and stared at them for too long, and there was an angry energy to him that I did not like.

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Fresh from their adventure in Hong Kong, Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells are off to the Rue Theatre in London to face an entirely new challenge: acting. Daisy is so lovely, isn’t she, darling?’ she said, leaning against me with her arm about my shoulder. I was still learning the way actors called each other darling, no matter how they really felt about each other. It seemed a very odd habit.

Of course it’s real!’ snapped Rose. ‘How dare you! I bet you’re the one behind it. You’re trying to frighten me off, all because I’m the star and you’re not.’ Has something been misspelled?!’ called Miss Crompton, striding up the aisle between the stalls. ‘All right, show us what the trouble is.’ Good afternoon!’ said Daisy, bobbing a curtsey. ‘You’re Miss Crompton, of course – I’ve seen your picture. We’ve come to be in your play.’

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Blast,’ said Daisy. ‘They must have been paid to do it. But by who? It’s not as though we can narrow down Rose’s enemies, either! Anyone at the Rue might want to upset her.’ While we wait for the policeman to stop marching about and decide what to do next, I will explain all the steps leading up to the moment when the Detective Society came upon their seventh murder mystery. I was suddenly overcome with awkwardness. Jim was so business-like, and I realized that being part of the Rue was going to be quite grown up, in rather an intimidating way. Daisy had turned fifteen in April, but my birthday was not until the summer, and at that moment the difference felt enormous. But this mystery properly began a few weeks ago, with Daisy’s Aunt Lucy and Uncle Felix. They are the reason why we are at the Rue, and it is funny to think that we were sent here to keep us out of detective trouble. Inigo caught me, and I was fanned and patted and talked to like a baby – which ought to have been infuriating, but was in fact quite gratifying. I had faked a faint, just like Daisy! Perhaps I wasn’t such a bad actress after all.

We do,’ said Martita, the corners of her mouth quirking up. ‘But it’s dreadful, Simon. It is! Rose has taken the good dressing room and now I’m sharing with these two.’ Heavens, you do need coaching. Martita, help her,’ said Miss Crompton, giving me a firm but not unkind pat on the shoulder. Dull!’ said Daisy, pushing them aside to perch on my desk, but I thought them quite marvellous. I lost myself in them for hours, far past the time I would have been brave enough to be seen studying anything at Deepdean, and only stopped when my brain was humming with numbers and symbols and languages. She leaned forward and made a very small motion with her lips, as though she was being forced to kiss her Great-aunt Eustacia at Christmas. I tried not to giggle. Daisy and romance do not get on. Do be quiet, all of you,’ said Miss Crompton, frowning. ‘I need to think. With Theresa ill, there’s going to be a lot of extra work to do.’

Nothing in here,’ said Daisy, her voice booming out hollowly. ‘Apart from— Oh look, some cigarette butts floating in the water—’ You shouldn’t have said that to her!’ cried Daisy as soon as Martita had left the dressing room. ‘Anyway, how could you know it wasn’t all true? Think of all the fantastical things that have happened to us!’ I think this room already belongs to someone, Daisy,’ I whispered nervously. ‘There must have been a mistake. What’s that smell?’

When we were both down, Daisy and I turned and played our torches around the crumbling stone walls of the room. There was nothing on them but a few unlit candles in sconces. Everything smelled of damp, and the walls breathed cold. I shuddered. On the floor we saw a few smudged footprints, and discarded cigarette butts that showed that people had been here – but we couldn’t tell who. And there was the covered well itself sitting in the middle of the room, dark and low down like something crouching. Come outside at once, all of you!’ she cried. ‘I have been forgiving of whichever one of you has been playing these pranks on Rose up to now, but this is too much. Come outside – perhaps seeing it will make the culprit own up!’ Thank you, Bridget. Now, Martita, don’t be rude,’ said Miss Crompton as Bridget left with a nod to both of us. ‘I’m asking you to do this, and you shall do it.’ Oh, that’s the stuff you use to get off greasepaint,’ said Daisy knowledgeably. ‘It smells horribly strong, doesn’t it? And don’t be silly – we won’t be sharing. This must all be left over from the last production. I think it was Measure for Measure. No, we’ll have our own dressing room, I’m sure of it. Ooh, let me see,’ said Daisy, nosily contriving to pop her head over Miss Crompton’s shoulder. I stood on tiptoe to get a look, and at last I saw, too.Whatever is it, Rose dear?’ asked Miss Crompton, while Theresa knelt down and began to tidy up efficiently. Martita, behind her, snorted and turned away.