‘Not exactly a place for a quiet drink.’

He made a face. ‘Nobody bothers you, it’s too rammed for people to strike up casual conversations. I like it when I want to be alone in a crowd.’

And nobody remembers whether you were there or not. Another avenue closed off. ‘Had Bev fallen out with anybody that you know of? Any colleagues? Other staff? Patients? Somebody outside of work.’

Dan looked blank. ‘She never said anything. I mean, we all get into a bit of a ruck at the counter from time to time. The punters aren’t always sweet reason on a stick. But Bev’s generally pretty good at calming things down. She doesn’t provoke people.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Not like me. I’m not good at taking their crap. Sometimes I just walk away, and that’s when Bev steps up to the plate and pours oil on the troubled waters.’

‘So, no boyfriend, no enemies. Did she seem at all uneasy lately? Rattled, frightened?’

Again he scratched his beard. ‘Not her style. Bev’s not a scaredy cat. I’d say the only thing she’d be scared of would be something happening to Torin. And nothing’s happened to him, has it? Not from what you were saying.’

Apart from mislaying his mother. ‘If I’d said to you last night that Bev would go missing, is there any part of you that would have thought, “Yeah, that makes sense”.’

Without hesitation, Dan shook his head. ‘No. Bev’s totally reliable, totally organised. If she was going to do a runner, she’d do it in such a way that nobody would notice it was a runner until she was history.’

Paula could think of nothing more to ask Dan. Though she had a feeling there might be more later. She stood up and fished her card out of her pocket. ‘Text me Vahni Bhat’s number, would you? And let me know if anything occurs to you. Anything unusual, or anything Bev said. We’re treating this seriously, Dan.’

‘OK. Tell Torin we’re thinking of him.’

That would be the easy part, Paula thought, checking her watch. She’d sent a pair of DCs to Nadia Wilkowa’s flat, promising to join them there. Unless Nadia had lived in a monastic cell with no possessions, they’d still be there, poking through her underwear drawer and kitchen cupboards. Which gave her a small window of opportunity to conclude some more unorthodox arrangements.