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thing he was carrying. It looked like – no, it couldn’t possibly be a scythe – could it? No one would be allowed to walk around Central London holding a dirty great blade like that! Ralf couldn’t see the man’s face but the covered head was tilted as if it was looking at the very window in which he was standing. What did he want ? Shuddering, Ralf went back to his seat and in a display of nonchalance he didn’t feel, threw his feet up on a chair.
    It was at this point he realised that he was still wearing his slippers.
    They were tartan and had little green Loch Ness Monsters on the toes. He wore them because they were the only present that Gloria had ever given him and he knew it pleased her to see him in them. When he saw his feet, though, he could have quite cheerfully strangled her.
    He looked up to see the boy with the cards staring at him. ‘I didn’t have time to change them,’ he said, embarrassed. ‘I’m Ralf, by the way.’
    As a conversation starter it was fairly weak but, Ralf consoled himself, the others weren’t exactly ‘normally’ dressed either.
    ‘Leon,’ the tall boy replied. He waved the cards into a fan in his hands then shuffled them snappily. ‘I was at Circus Club.’ He seemed relieved to get this explanation out in to the open. ‘I was juggling when they got me – nearly took my own head off with a cabbage.’
    ‘So you don’t normally wear –’
    ‘Only, when I’m on a unicycle.’
    ‘Got me coming out of Temple,’ the suited boy announced. ‘The name’s Seth, unfortunately. Seth Gold. But I shouldn’t complain, I’ve got a cousin called Abba.’
    Meanwhile, the boy with the bobble hat who, Ralf now saw, was much younger than the rest of them had started moving the furniture around.
    ‘Er – I don’t really think you should be doing that, you know,’ said Seth nervously.
    The boy grinned. ‘What are they gonna do? Arrest me?’ He pushed three padded chairs in to a line and lay down on them. ‘This is gonna take enuff time,’ he said, making himself comfortable. ‘Usually does. I been up all night and some of us need to get some kip, innit.’ He pulled his hat down over his eyes and turned to the wall . ‘The name’s Alfie, in case you’re interested.’
    Seth’s owl eyes blinked once then turned towards karate girl, who was sitting with her arms crossed in angry silence. ‘What happened with you, then?’
    ‘Fairly obvious where I was,’ she snapped. ‘I was getting ready for a tournament.’ Her soft Welsh accent was in sharp contrast to her tone. ‘I really wanted to get her too! Last time I fought her, she broke my collar bone.’
    The boys didn’t really know how to respond to this. Fortunately, the girl took their silence as disbelief. ‘Well, it was a long time ago. I’m Valentina.’
    ‘Do we call you Tina?’ Seth asked chattily.
    The girl smiled brilliantly. ‘If you want me to hit you.’
    Bloodshed was avoided by the reappearance of D.I. Burrowes who slammed the door open with such force that the handle dented the wall.
    ‘Well, one of you has got friends in high places and no mistake!’ he barked, his face purple.
    ‘I would have done it anyway – forensics have just come in – but I’ve been instructed to let you all go.’
    Ralf let out a long sigh and relaxed his shoulder muscles. He saw Valentina unclench her fists and Leon start shuffling his cards again. Alfie, looking rather disappointed, hauled himself into a sitting position and adjusted his hat while Seth beamed.
    ‘You four can sign out now,’ Burrowes growled, waving towards the open door. ‘I just need to get a few more details from you!’ It was Ralf he was pointing at. Fabulous.
    ‘Well, go on. Get on with you!’ Burrowes spat. ‘You just better hope that I don’t see any of you again – especially you, Alfie Lightfoot!’ he roared. ‘YOU!’ he jabbed a finger at Ralf ‘COME WITH ME!’
    Ralf watched him storm across the office. Burrowes collided