Dexter smiled and asked “Will there be anything else, sir? Do you need a cover for those papers?”

“I would love a cover for these papers, thank you, Dexter,” replied Tompkins planning his next step. He would have to return to Aunt Jemima’s as soon as possible.

“Can I borrow the phone, Dexter?” he asked when the butler returned.

“By all means,” replied Dexter bringing over the phone to where Tompkins was sitting before retiring discreetly.

“Thank you, so much,” said Tompkins, even though he knew Dexter was now out of earshot. Tompkins phoned a nearby number and gave instructions before returning the phone to its allotted place on the sideboard.

Dexter showed Tompkins to the front door and bade him a good day.

Tompkins again thought he saw a familiar figure at the end of the road, but he couldn’t be sure, so he concentrated on heading back to Aunt Jemima’s without being followed. He took three wrong turns to throw anyone following him off his trail, but then he reasoned his HQ was almost certainly watched, so he might as well go straight there and have done with it. Upon arrival, he ran up the steps. He was surprised when the door was opened to allow him in without knocking.

“Is everything tickety boo?” he asked.

“I was looking through the spyhole because I am sure we’re being watched,” replied Webster, “there’s no real evidence such as a car containing a man with a camera and a long lens or pair of binoculars, but it’s just a sense I have.”

“I know what you mean,” Replied Tompkins, “I had that same feeling just now as I visited Spinky Mills’s place. There was a familiar looking figure at the end of the street, but I couldn’t make them out for the life of me.”

“So, what do you reckon, Tomcat?” asked Daisy, “do you know who’s on our side?”

“I am about to start finding out,” replied Tompkins, “is Miss Scarlett still here?”

“Yes, she’s writing a note on the computer to you. I watched her and she’s so sexy. Dimitri was overwhelmed, but he’s still alive and can’t stop smiling, but that’s men for you. Very basic requirements, it’s like they’re filling up their car with petrol at the garage and then they’re off.”

“I say, Daisy, that’s a very crude analogy, if I may say so. And it’s cynical.” said Tompkins looking with disapproval at Daisy, who reddened slightly before he continued, “however, I am prepared to ignore it on this occasion, if you can tell me whether, in your honest opinion, she extracted any information from him using her methods?”

“It didn’t look as though she did, but you should ask her that question. Maybe he told her things I missed.”

“Right, I will ask her, don’t you worry,” replied Tompkins, noting Daisy’s reply. With that Tompkins headed inside and found Miss Scarlett sitting at a desktop computer.

“Tomcat, how the devil are you?” she exclaimed.

“I am concerned,” replied Tompkins, “I am not sure whom I can trust any longer. I have just been to Dapper Dan’s place and to Spinky’s where the police were waiting for me. It seems like there’s at least one informer in our ranks and some of us are in fact the opposition. I don’t believe East Europeans took Dan and Spinky, it was some of us, some of our own pals that did that.”

“Really?” said Miss Scarlett, “well, you might be right, because Dimitri is just a tourist from Moscow, as he said. He isn’t affiliated with any gangs, neither here nor in Russia. However, when he was standing outside The Glitz Bar, he saw someone else who was possibly spying on you. I have written that description down and I will let you read it because you will recognise who it is.”

Tompkins nodded his head with approval and then furrowed his brow. “There is one thing, Miss Scarlett, I find hard to say. I am of the opinion that you couldn’t have muffled Stalky Stark. You might have found him already dead, but there is no way you could have done it yourself. The other two, Dapper Dan and Spinky, were killed in the same way it seems and you didn’t kill those two, you said so yourself.”