Dalgliesh announces to the assembled crowd that a second life has been lost, leaving no one with a recollection of ever encountering such a young woman. Caroline guides Dalgliesh through an intriguing private apartment, which seamlessly transitions into the chamber of dread known as the Murder Room.
Under rigorous questioning, Ryan discloses that he witnessed Neville in conversation with Mrs. Strickland on Friday. The latter, upon noticing Ryan, bestowed upon him a glare filled with menace. It comes to light that Marie Strickland, who once served in Intelligence, had an illicit affair with Felix Dupayne, the father of the siblings. She reveals that on the fatal night, she attempted to reveal to Neville that she was his birth mother.
At the post-mortem examination, Kynaston discovers a desiccated African Violet tucked within the victim's bra. Intriguingly, the same blossoms are found adorning Tally's cottage. The police instruct Tally to keep this detail under wraps, disclosing it to no one.
The victim is identified as Celia Mellock, Victoria's sister, and a former pupil of Swathlings. Fingerprints matching her are discovered on the stairwell leading up to the concealed apartment. Tally finally recognizes the voice of the individual who knocked her off her bicycle: Lord Martlesham. He admits to having had a clandestine affair with Celia.
He informs Dalgliesh about an entity known as the 98 Club: a secret society where individuals converge for anonymous sexual encounters. Caroline, under intense scrutiny, finally reveals that Muriel is the operator behind the 98 Club. It subsequently emerges that Muriel is blackmailing powerful members of the club due to the compromising information she possesses on them.
Dalgliesh and Miskin hastily proceed to the museum, where they find Tally severely injured, having been assaulted by Muriel. Muriel is apprehended and ultimately confesses to terminating the lives of those she deemed 'arrogant.'
