Johnathan woke bleary-eyed and dazed. He didn’t know what time he’d returned home the previous night, but it felt like he hadn’t rested at all. He remembered having to drag Molly back to her house after Winkit had ordered her to go home, cold, tired and with wet trouser bottoms because the snow had gone from crunchy powder to icy sludge. Winkit herself had decided to stay with the Bandits until the morning, when they would all be coming to Johnathan’s apartment to examine the boxes. They’d had to arrange a time when Mrs Higgins would be out, because Johnathan was sure there would be no end of trouble if she found anyone in the building who didn’t belong. Over the years he’d lived there, he had noticed that she made a habit of going to the mid-morning market, so if they visited at that time
