Tiger looked up. ‘I’d like to say I understood what you were talking about, but as quite a lot of men come into your shop I can’t say that I do.’

‘Didn’t I tell you? We had a man round the other day, trying to get us to join some sort of shopkeeper’s co-operative.’

‘What sort of co-operative?’

‘He said it was for mutual benefit. Self-help. That kind of thing. Said that lots of shops had already joined and that they found it helpful. I asked if it was something to do with the Chamber of Trade and he said not exactly but that they were affiliated.’

‘What exactly did he want you to do?’ asked Tiger.

‘Well, basically pay a hundred quid a month.’

‘For what?’

‘For all the benefits it would offer.’

‘What sort of benefits?’

Erica shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. It wasn’t clear really. I went round to ask Isobel if he’d approached her and she said that he’d been in just before he came to see me.’

Tiger looked curious. ‘And what did Isobel say?’

‘Oh, she sent him away with a flea in his ear. Told him where to get off. He wanted a hundred-and-fifty quid from her. She said she couldn’t possibly afford it with her turnover. I mean, how can you agree to pay that sort of money when you’ve got a tiny shop? It would take a great lump of your profits.’

Tiger put down his fork. ‘So this was before Isobel’s window was broken?’

‘Yes,’ confirmed Erica. ‘The day before.’

‘Are you certain?’

‘Of course I’m certain.’

Tiger shrugged and picked up his fork again. ‘Probably just a coincidence.’

‘What, you mean you think there might be a connection between that man asking for money and Isobel’s shop window being smashed?’

‘No. It would have been drunken yobs. There’s been a lot of trouble with them lately.’

Now it was Erica’s turn to lay down her fork. ‘And have any of them been caught?’ she asked levelly.

‘No,’ said Tiger. ‘No, they haven’t.’

‘And has anybody actually seen them smashing shop windows?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘So if it isn’t drunken yobs, then who is it?’ she asked.

‘Well, if it isn’t,’ said Tiger, ‘then I’d say it was some sort of protection racket. But then maybe I’ve got a vivid imagination.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You know what a protection racket is?’

‘The sort of thing that happened in America, in the Prohibition.’

‘Yes. I’ve never heard of it happening round here, but you do hear of gangs who go round and ask for money for “insurance purposes”. To make sure that your property stays safe. That sort of thing. Veiled threats.’