A pal of mine ran into her. Seems she's working for some fashion mag, but I don't know which one and her number's not in the phone book, so I haven't been able to get in touch with her. I thought she might have given me a call, actually. I used to have quite a crush on her, when I was about thirteen.'

Penny gave an almost inaudible sniff. 'Really?'

And she was jolly nice to me.'

'Really?' said Penny again. The temperature in the Lagonda had dropped a degree or two.

'Girls of that age haven't usually got much time for young lads.'

Penny frowned. 'What do you mean: 'that age'?'

'Well, she must have been twenty-three or more then.'

'Oh.' Penny's face cleared. 'Then she's quite old?'

'Mm, that was ten or eleven years ago.'

'I see.' The atmosphere was suddenly warmer again. 'She sounds very nice,' Penny said condescendingly.

'You never met her, then?'

'I've never even heard of her. And I don't understand. If she's your cousin and I'm your cousin, she must be my cousin, too, mustn't she?'

'You're not my cousin.'

'Don't be silly, Tommy, of course I am.'

'Not my full cousin - first cousin, nor even second. We're different generations.'

Penny looked quite blank. 'How do you mean?'

'Well, let me see. Your grandfather and my father were first cousins. So I'm second cousin to your father. I think that makes you my second cousin once removed.'

'Removed where?'

'That's just what they call it. Means a generation younger.'

'I'm nothing like a generation younger than you, only three or four years.'

'That's got nothing to do with it. But if we were looking at the family tree, you'd be one level lower down.'

Penny was looking totally bewildered. 'I don't know anything about the family, really. Daddy never talks about them. So where does this Stella girl come in?'

'Ah, well, my father and her mother were brother and sister. So she is my first cousin. And you're her second cousin once removed, too, as well as mine. Aren't you a lucky girl?'

'Mummy had some first cousins. I used to call them Auntie or Uncle.'

'Oh, that's just an old convention. You needn't call me Uncle.'

'I wasn't going to,' Penny said blankly.

'We'd better get out. Can't sit here all day.'

'Tommy, you were joking, weren't you? About taking up crime.'

'What? Oh yes, of course. You know me. Here, take these.' He handed her the brochures. 'I'll give you my card.