My smile faded. Newham looked around the room, and his eyes stopped to rest on me. I looked away, into the fire, hoping Smart would have the decency to keep his mouth shut.

The arrival of Newham and Isabel hadn't seemed to have had the effect on other people it'd had on me. They were still shivering and talking together as Newham pushed his way through the crowd, coming to stand over me with a stern look on his face.

"Allie" he sighed. "Can't you go anywhere without getting yourself into trouble?"

I didn't look at him. I didn't dare. Isabel had obviously told Newham everything that had been going on, and I had already known he wouldn't have approved, especially since everyone thought that there was a serial killer about. There was a long, awkward pause, in which Newham continued to stare at me expectantly, and I refused to say a word. Finally, the lieutenant gave in. With a sigh, he dragged over a chair and sat opposite me, holding my hands in his. I noticed it was the same chair that Smart had been sitting on moments before, but the Detective Inspector had melted away into the crowd, and I couldn't see him anywhere.

"I'm never going to have any effect on you, am I?" Newham asked. "You're going to keep looking for trouble wherever you go, aren't you?"

"I wasn't looking for trouble" I said quietly, still not wanting to meet his eyes. "Trouble found me."

"You didn't need to get involved, though, did you?"

"How could I not get involved?" I complained. "This whole buisness...it's really facinating. Like nothing I've ever met before."

"You're in danger, Allie" Newham reasoned. "You're right. This is like nothing you've ever faced before, and it's putting you in danger."

"I can look after myself."

Newham sighed again, and I knew what he was thinking. I knew he thought I couldn't look after myself, but he was just being stereotypical. Women of this time weren't suposed to be able to fend for  themselves, which was why Isabel and I were such anomalies. We lived in a flat together, with no male input, and we got on very well, thank you very much. I caught Isabel's eye. She looked a mixture of ashamed, and satisfied, and as Newham pulled me to my feet, wrapped his coat around my shoulders and led me from the hall, the shame on her face overpowered the satisfaction. I knew she was regretting telephoning Newham now, and I was quite happy to let her suffer for it. She had betrayed me, and I knew Newham was angrier than he made out he was, and that I was going to get the biggest telling off ever when we got back to Pansy's house, so I was going to force my sister to live with the fact it was all her fault.

Pansy came too, and it was an awkward procession that dripped into her hall ten minutes later. Newham hadn't spoken to any of us since we left, and I could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. Isabel too, had re-gained some of her earlier anger, and I was faced with two very stony expressions as I sat, half an hour later, in a new dress by the fire in Pansy's house.

"What were you thinking, Allie?" Newham finally snapped, breaking the silence.

"Do you have any idea how worried you make me?" Isabel asked. I shook my head.

"I came down here as soon as I heard from Isabel" Newham pointed out. "Do you know why? Because I was worried that if I didn't come immediately this killer might turn his attention onto you, in an effort to stop the truth coming out and to indulge his own sick addiction to killing people. It's a win-win situation, Allie. You could be his next target, and you can't protect yourself against a man with a gun. Or a dagger. So you need to just drop the case, and we'll leave in the morning."

"Well you can't protect me against getting locked in an airtight room or poisoned, can you?" I replied sourly. "Besides, I think there's more to this case than meets the eye. I'm pretty sure right now, I'm safe."

"Pretty sure?" Isabel repeated. "Pretty sure isn't good enough, Allie. Besides, even if you were completely safe, we'd still not let you stay. It's unhealthy, all this crime solving stuff. It's bad for your mind."

"It's the best thing for my mind!" I argued, as my cool started to melt. "I need challenges, Izzy, and the books aren't enough. This is what I enjoy doing, and I'm accepting the dangers that come with it."

"But we're not!" Newham shouted suddenly. "You're being so selfish, Allie. Start using that super-brain of yours to work out what the rest of us are having to go through while you go off running around poking your nose in where it's not wanted to satisfy your addiction to puzzles!"

That had stung. Lots. I blinked back shocked tears and composed myself as best I could.

"Well why are you putting yourself through it, then?" I spat. "You don't have to, either of you, there's no reason why you should feel you're obliged to keep me safe!"

That stumped them for a second.

"You know all to well it's because we care about you" Newham replied. "Both of us. We both love you, Allie, and we just don't want you to get hurt."

"If you love me, then why don't you trust me?" I asked. "Both of you are just as bad! You don't trust me with my own life! You never have! I'm not your baby sister anymore, Izzy, and-" I turned to Newham "-I am not a weak woman!"

With that, I stormed out. I was sick of their lack of trust, and I was sick of the fact they couldn't see how much I had changed. I also knew I had hit the nail right on the head, as it was Pansy who brought up my dinner to my room on a tray that night. She was wearing a nice pink dress which sadly clashed with her hair, a different dress to the one she had been wearing earlier that day, and her hair and face were done up even more than usual.

"Where are you off to?" I asked jokingly. She looked panicked for a second, before laughing it off.

"Nowhere" she giggled. "I just thought I'd dress up, since your lieutenant is staying for tea."

"Well, you're welcome to him" I laughed. "He's in my bad books right now. And Izzy."

Pansy laughed too, leaving me to my tea.

Knock, knock, went the person at my door. I didn't reply. It was now about ten the following morning, and I was still sulking.

"Allie?" It was Isabel. I stretched the moment out as long as possible before replying.

"What?"

Isabel shuffled her position on the other side of the door.

"Allie, Pan's gone missing. She went out last night and didn't come home."

My heart dropped and my head spun. All I could make were strangled gasping noises.

"Allie?" Isabel called again.

"Come in" I muttered. Isabel came in and joined me on my bed.

"It doesn't look good" she said worriedly, giving me a hug. "Newham's gone to the police already, and they're searching the village. Are you coming downstairs? There's toast if you want it."

I nodded, shrugging her off gently and beginning to get dressed as she left the room. I was downstairs soon after, and we sat in silence at the kitchen table, as I ate my toast and Isabel drank what I estimated (by the amount of empty cups on the sideboard) was about her eighth or ninth cup of strong coffee.

A ding-dong of the doorbell brought us both to our feet, almost running along the corridor to the door. We were to be disappointed. It wasn't Pansy, or Newham. It was Smart, and he was wearing his 'I-am-a-detective-doing-detective-stuff' face. We let him in, and we all sat down in the lounge. Smart took out his notebook.

"When was the last time you saw Pansy Price?" he asked.

"About half past nine last night" Isabel replied. "She said she was going out. Didn't say where, or with whom. She was all dressed up as well, like she was off to the theatre or something. She left the house, and we didn't see her again after that."

"She was meeting someone" I added. "I asked her about why she was all dressed up, and she said no reason, but I'm almost certain she was lying."

"Alright" Smart nodded, scribbling in his notebook. I sat, looking out of the window, thinking. An idea had just surfaced in my mind, and I was eager to try it out.

"Izzy?" I asked suddenly, still staring solidly out of the window. Smart and Isabel both turned to look at me.

"Where were you on the night of Jake Bentley's murder? In the house, I mean?"

Isabel hesitated before replying.

"I was in the kitchen all evening, clearing up" she said slowly.

"Pan was in here, wasn't she?" I then asked, still with my eyes fixed on the street outside.

"She...was." Isabel agreed slowly, before snapping back into focus.

"You're doing the look!" she said warningly.

"What look?"

"The 'moment of enlightenment' look."

"Shut up."

I jumped to my feet, and almost ran to the bookshelf. I had to check. I had to be absolutely sure.

"Now hold on a second!" Isabel said commandingly, as I flicked hurriedly through the pages of one of the old history books.

"This is what we were discussing last night, Alianna Winter! This is what we don't like you doing! You go off on a crazy spell and land the rest of us into tr-"

I snapped the book shut, cutting her off.

"Pan" I murmured,  beginning to shake my head in disbelief. I knew where she was. And I knew why she wasn't here.

"Pan!" I yelled suddenly, and with a frightening turn of speed, pelted out the door. I heard Isabel shout my name, and I heard feet behind me as I ran full sprint along the pavement. Smart had given chase, and Isabel was behind him. I reached the path that led up to Farthing House, and ran up that too, shouting Pansy's name, although logic said would never hear me. I reached the final bend, out of breath, adrenaline pumping through my veins, still in a state of excitement from what I had just discovered.

But then I saw.

I saw the sight before me, and every spark of adrenaline and excitement swung madly into the darkest realms of panic, horror, and fear. I screamed, louder than I had ever screamed before, stumbling as my instincts took over me and I tried to turn, the scream still loud in my head and ringing out through the air. Then the guttering sadness washed over me, and I burst into floods of tears, stumbling again and nearly falling as it felt like my insides were being dragged out of my throat.

I hit something hard and warm, and strong arms wrapped around me, picking me up off the floor and holding me securely as I cried hysterically,  with my eyes clamped shut in the hope I could un-see what I had just seen.

Detective Inspector Smart looked up at the house, stifling a shudder himself as he turned away, walking down the hill, holding me like a little baby in his arms, back down towards Lesser Farthing. Behind him, the balcony of Farthing House creaked and groaned as it accustomed to the new weight hanging from it. This weight was a young girl, dressed in a pretty pink dress that clashed with her shocking orange hair, hanging a few feet below the balcony with a rope around her neck. A girl who had a face which had once been compared to a Vogue model after being hit by a bus.