‘Oh, yes, the driver of that bus didn’t stand a chance. It was raining heavily at the time and Stratton simply plunged across the road, head-down. He’d been drinking, by the way.’

‘Much?’

‘Five or six whiskies according to the blood sample.’

Grant nodded to Brady, who replaced the sheet. ‘Who did the formal identification?’

‘Ben Carver – reluctantly, I might add.’

Brady chuckled. ‘I had to twist his arm a little. He wasn’t too pleased.’

‘Oh, well, I’m not going to weep crocodile tears over the likes of Billy Stratton,’ Grant said. ‘We’re well rid of him.’ He shivered. ‘I don’t know why, but this place always makes me thirsty. They must be open by now. Let’s go and have one.’

The saloon bar of the George had just opened and they had the place to themselves. They stood at the bar and Grant ordered brandies all round.

‘What about these two villains who had a go at Craig last night?’ he asked Miller. ‘Have you got anywhere with them?’

‘Hurst and Blakely?’ Miller shook his head. ‘A couple of real hard knocks. We’ve had a sheet on each of them from C.R.O. a yard long.’

‘Which means they were specially imported,’ Brady said.

Grant nodded. ‘I don’t like the sound of that at all.’ He swallowed some of his brandy and gazed down into the glass reflectively. ‘You know I’m beginning to think I may have been wrong about this whole thing, Nick. It’s just that it seemed such an incredible idea.’

‘Duncan Craig’s a pretty incredible person,’ Miller said. ‘I tried to make that clear at the very beginning.’

‘Have you seen him since last night?’

Miller shook his head. ‘I tried this morning, but he wasn’t available. Gone to Manchester on business I was told. Of course he’ll have to come in to swear a formal complaint.’

‘When he does, let me know. I think I’d better have a word with him myself.’

‘You’ll be wasting your time, sir,’ Miller said. ‘He’ll insist that the whole thing was quite simply a common assault and we can’t prove otherwise.’

‘But Hurst and Blakely won’t get more than six months apiece for that.’

‘Exactly.’

Grant frowned. ‘There’s no chance at all that they might crack and admit who hired them?’

‘If I know Max Vernon, they won’t even know his name,’ Miller said.

Grant sighed and emptied his glass. ‘All in a day’s work I suppose. Let’s have another one.’

‘On me,’ Miller said.

‘Oh no you don’t,’ a cheerful voice interrupted. ‘My round. The same again, Maggie, and make them big ones.’

Chuck Lazer grinned hugely as he climbed onto a stool next to Brady.

‘What’s all this?’ Miller demanded. ‘Last time I saw you, you were on your knees.’