'Her name is Maisie Jenks and that's her father with her. They live up in St. John's Wood way, and she knows who the murderer is . . .'
William Tarrant is on trial for the murder of a police constable. Before he can give evidence in his own defence, however, he is shot in Court 1 of the Old Bailey.
In his debut case, Detective-Inspector Simon Manton has to solve the puzzle of a missing juror, a nervous warder, and a girl, Maisie, who screams just before the deadly shot is fired . . .