“I expect that’s why this place isn’t so full tonight.… I mean because Andy isn’t here,” Finn murmured.

“Not exactly. It’s emptier than usual because Billy Flint got married to Lettice Maple today, at Christ Church, and there’s a wedding dinner at the church hall, going on right at this moment.”

“Oh really,” Blackie said, glancing at Sarah, thinking she sounded rather bitter. “I don’t believe I know that couple.”

“You’ve not missed anything,” Sarah remarked, making a face. “Although they deserve each other in my opinion.”

“I agree with ye,” Finn jumped in. “A couple of snobs to my way of thinking. Toffee-nosed, that’s for sure—”

Finn stopped as the door flew open and Alf Smithson rushed in, frantically looking around. He noticed his fellow workers from Pat Kennedy’s workshop and hurried across the room to join them.

“Finn, Sarah, have you seen Gwen?” he asked in an anxious voice.

“Yes. She’s here somewhere, Alf.” Sarah frowned. “I think I saw her go to the ladies’ lav.”

“Can you go and check for me? Please.” As he spoke, he glanced around again, and frantically, as before.

“Yes. But is there something wrong?”

“Not exactly. I went to her house to pick her up, and her mother said she’d already gone to meet me here. But our arrangement was to come together.”

“I see. Back in a tick,” Sarah said, and went in the direction of the ladies’ room.

Alf Smithson took a deep breath and shook his head, then said in a quieter voice, “Sorry, mates. I got worried when Gwen had left before I arrived. We’d had a bit of a tiff last night.”

Blackie nodded. “We understand, don’t we, Finn?”

Finn nodded. “Don’t worry about the tiff. Most girls get over ’em real fast.”

“I hope so,” Alf said.

Sarah returned, shaking her head as she came to a standstill. “The room is empty, Alf.”

“Oh my God, where can she be? Are you sure you saw her, Sarah?”

“Yes. We said hello, and then she went to get a lemonade at the bar over there, and sat across the room.”

“Wait a minute,” Finn said swiftly. “I saw her leaving a while ago. Out of the corner of my eye. I was looking around, thinking how empty this place was.”

“She must’ve left!” Sarah exclaimed.

“Certainly I don’t see her!” Alf cried. “I must go and look for her. I don’t know where she might be, but I’ll go through all the streets. Looking.”

“We’ll come with ye, Alf,” Blackie said in a strong voice. “And ye will, won’t ye?” He looked pointedly at Finn.

“I will, mate. Try and stop me.”

“I’m coming too,” Sarah told them. “But just one question. Could she have gone home?”