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'I told you there was no chance of that,' Josh said. 'I told you I wasn't getting into that bloody coffin.' His smile broadened. You haven't been thinking you could change my mind have you? How stupid was that?'

From the other side of the tank Chloe's voice said, 'Not as stupid as what you were thinking.' She came round into

Barry's eye line. 'I heard something about volunteering me to take my clothes off? And holding my towel? Rearrange the following into a sentence: chance, fat, slaphead, you.'

Feeling confident today are we?' Josh said. 'Shaken off the dreaded demon; the supernatural stalker? Got a grip finally?'

Chloe smiled at him sweetly. I met a couple of people who cheered me up.'

'Whatever you took wore off more like,' Josh sneered.

Ralph said, 'I'm glad you're feeling better, Chloe.'

Touchy-feely binmen, don't you just love 'em,' Meg said. She put an arm round Chloe. 'Are you really feeling better? You've really shaken off the after-effects of whatever it was?'

Chloe smiled at her.'I met some people who made me feel better about myself, Meg: better about everything in fact. Even the scratches and bruises have stopped hurting.'

'Oh God, it wasn't the Mormons was it,' Josh said, 'or the Moonies, or the Scientologists, or the Seventh Day Adventists, or the born-again brain-deads'

'No,' Chloe said, 'and it wasn't the Ouija board believers either.'

'I don't believe in any of that crap,' Josh said quickly.

'You went though, didn't you,' Chloe teased. 'And you stayed to the bitter end.'

'And beyond,' Meg said.

'Someone been gossiping out of turn?'Josh said, giving her a hard stare.

'You haven't got religion, Chloe?' Barry asked, wondering which of his little group of experimental subjects had been playing with Ouija boards now, and what else they had all been getting up to recently. It would go down like a bucket of cold sick with the university council if there was any suggestion that he'd been encouraging students to dabble in the black arts or something similarly ludicrous. 'Haven't joined a cult?'

'Not really my thing,' Chloe said.

'Who were they then?' Ralph asked.

'I'm not sure. I thought they might be travelling entertainers. Like itinerant actors you know? Like street theatre?'

'You mean they were beggars,' Ralph said. 'You didn't give them money did you?'

'No,' Chloe said. 'Not exactly'

'You did, didn't you?'Josh crowed. 'You gave them money. What a stupid waste. I'd have done it for half.'

'Done what for half?'

Whatever it was cheered you up.'

'I didn't give them money,' Chloe insisted. 'I arranged guest quarters for them that's

all.'

'They've done a runner, right,' Josh chortled.

'No. I don't think so. They weren't like that.'

'But they're not there,' Ralph suggested.

'No,' Chloe agreed. 'They're not there.'

'And needless to say they didn't pay the bill before they left.'

The cheerful confidence Chloe was showing when she came in looked to be rapidly disappearing, so Meg said, Leave her alone. It was a nice thing she did.'

Josh shook his head in mocking disbelief. 'Giving money to beggars,' he said. 'That's what made you feel better? Hell, I can beg.'

'I had heard that,' Meg said. 'A bit embarrassing really. Especially as in your case it never does any good.'

'You're not seriously expecting them to show?' Ralph asked. It was more of a statement than a question. He did not smile as he said it.

Chloe bridled. 'Yes I'm expecting them to show,' she said. I'm expecting them to show here as a matter of fact.'

Here as in here?’ Ralph sounded mildly incredulous.

The man was very keen to talk to the famous Ghostbuster Bazzer'

'Did you get a name at all?' Josh asked, not bothering to keep the contempt out of his voice.

He called himself the Doctor'

Just the Doctor?'

Just the Doctor.'

'Doctor of what? Divinity?'Josh glanced sideways at Ralph. Landfill and shelf-stacking?'

'He didn't say,' Chloe said.

Meg said, 'And, OK, so Ralph's sponsored by a supermarket.