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The oak seemed temporarily relieved. "Miss Hamilton, you are just as Detective-Inspector Singleton described. You have given me no false hopes. I will go back to the embassy and do what you have suggested. I think she hasn't returned yet, otherwise my secretary would have called me on my mobile. I told her a lie about my wife visiting friends in Scotland."
"Mr. Zubkov, if you have any news for me please call me immediately, day or night."

During the night when burglars do their work, Daisy was woken up by her mobile phone. "Zubkov speaking, Miss Hamilton. My wife has come back but refuses to tell me what happened. I asked her about her disappearance and she burst into tears and refused to answer any questions. Miss Hamilton, I'm terrified that she may leave me again if I insist too much in questioning her."
"Mr. Zubkov, I'm glad your wife has come back, but, as you say, she may take flight again if you upset her. Let me think..." Daisy rubbed her eyes and blinked. "I could try following her if you like, but you must help me by telling me when she is going out."
"That's quite difficult, as she is a pretty active person, but I think my wife is going to the dentist's this afternoon at four o'clock. She probably will keep the appointment as she has trouble with a wisdom tooth."
"All right then, give me the address and phone number of the dentist and I'll see what I can do."
Daisy had been accepted for an appointment at the dentist's for six o'clock. When she arrived early at three-thirty the receptionist was very surprised and told her she must wait a long time. Daisy assured her she didn't mind, settled down in a huge armchair and nearly fell asleep. After about twenty minutes, the door opened and the receptionist showed in a very pretty lady of about forty. "Mrs. Zubkov, please make yourself comfortable. There are some magazines on the table if you want something to read."
Daisy pretended to be sleepy, this part wasn't difficult, and observed Valentina Zubkov from her armchair. She was fair-haired, beautifully slim and elegantly dressed, very unlike her husband. She wore make-up which only enhanced her fascinating slightly slanting emerald -coloured eyes.
Mrs. Zubkov stared at the floor as if lost in thought, then pulled out a newspaper cutting from her bag and read it over and over again. When the receptionist returned she put the newspaper cutting away quickly as though she were guilty of something, and then followed the receptionist into the surgery.
As soon as Daisy was left alone, she slipped out down the stairs into the street. She walked until she turned the corner, pulled off her earrings, got out a black velvet bow on a slide, pulled her hair back into a bun and put on a pair of glasses. It was a disguise Daisy often used. She then took off her reversible mac, pulled it inside out and put it on again. As a finishing touch, she hid her shoulder bag into a plastic shopper she had kept in her pocket. By now her appearance had completely changed. Daisy prepared to wait for a long time in the doorway of a shop which had closed.
It was a full hour before Valentina the mysterious walked out of the dentist's down the steps and out of the gate. She seemed in a dream and wandered off in the direction of the High Street. She looked in shop windows but didn't seem interested in what she saw. As she came across a teashop, she went in and ordered tea and cucumber sandwiches. Daisy followed Valentina discreetly into the teashop and sat down behind her, and ordered a plate of cakes and tea. The guilty lady pulled out the newspaper cutting once more from her bag and stared at it again. Daisy quickly pulled a small camera out of her bag encircling it with the white chiffon scarf she had been wearing, saw that nobody was looking at her, stood up for a couple of seconds and took a photograph of the newspaper cutting.
After a while Mrs. Zubkov left the teashop and walked back to the embassy with Daisy following behind. As Mrs. Zubkov disappeared behind the embassy gate, Daisy decided the most important thing she could do was to get a train home and knock up her good friend Dirk, who was a photographer.
"Dirk, sorry to bother you so late but could you possibly do me a rush job. There's an important photograph here that I need developed as quickly as possible."
"It's a bit late Daisy, but as it's for you, I'll bring it round to your office as soon as possible."

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