By the time they were inside the Commercial, the place was heaving, mostly with the staff from Smart and Sons. There was an obvious camaraderie amongst them as they stood in groups around the bar area, chatting and sharing banter.

Peter and his accomplices approached the bar, bought their drinks and took them to a table that commanded a good view of the bar.

‘OK,’ whispered Peter. ‘Let’s just watch for now before we make a move. And steady with the fuckin’ drink. We wanna keep our wits about us. They’re the ones that need to get pissed, not us.’

For over an hour Peter and his cohorts sat drinking slowly while they watched what was going on around them. They noticed that as time went on some of the older staff began to leave the pub. Most of them were middle-aged and Peter guessed that they were probably family men and women stopping for a drink or two before going home to the spouse and kids. Of the remaining staff he surmised that most of them were those with no ties, who could stay out as long as they wanted without going home to grief.

As the space around the bar opened up, Peter spotted the two girls they had seen entering the pub earlier. They were now standing on their own, gazing around the pub’s interior. He nodded at Glynn, who had already noticed them. There was also a group of older women, sitting a few tables away, who he had seen leaving Smart and Sons.

‘Right, here’s the plan, Peter whispered. ‘Mike, you go and chat to that lot.’

‘Cheers,’ said Mike, sarcastically. ‘What am I supposed to say? Do you come here often? What’s the nightlife like?’

‘I dunno, you’ll think of something,’ said Peter, grinning. ‘Ask them about the area or summat. Say you’re new around here.’

Mike stood up then picked up his pint with a frown on his face and ambled across the room.

Peter looked at Glynn. ‘Right, those two it is, then,’ he said.

They walked across to the two girls they had seen earlier and Glynn opened up the conversation. ‘Hello, ladies,’ he greeted. ‘How are you? I’m Glynn and this is Pete.’

The two girls smiled back, flattered to be receiving attention from two smartly dressed, good-looking guys.

Peter found out that the two girls were called Kath and Janice. After they had spent a few minutes talking to both girls, it seemed obvious to Peter that Kath had her eye on Glynn so he concentrated on Janice.

‘Can I buy you a drink?’ he asked. When she nodded, Peter quickly made his way to the bar and came back with a double, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

‘So, what do you do for a living?’ asked Janice.

Bloody hell, thought Peter. This one doesn’t waste any time.