“Whisky,” he said. Then, recognising a similarity of the features, “Aren’t you Olive Kerr’s daughter?”

She nodded, surprised, and he added, “My name’s Ramsay. I’m a detective investigating Mrs. Parry’s murder. I spoke to your mother this morning.”

The darts game continued, the men muffled in scarves and coats still stared miserably at their hands of dominoes, and Frank sat in his stupor, but Ramsay was aware that the whole room was listening.

“Poor old Mrs. Parry,” the barmaid was saying. “You’d never expect a thing like that to happen in Brinkbonnie. Mam loved going up to the Tower to work.” She paused as she took the money he offered. “You know,” she said. “ I could tell something was wrong when she was in last night.”

“Alice Parry was in here last night?” Ramsay was surprised, but his voice was smooth and unemotional. “ What time would that have been, then?”

She was about to answer when Frank’s left eyelid gave an almost imperceptible flicker of warning. She paused awkwardly.

“If you’re worried about closing time,” Ramsay said, “ there won’t be any trouble. I can promise that.”

She continued, relieved. “ She came in at about eleven. We always draw the curtains at eleven so you can’t see the lights from the road.” She blushed and went on. “ Then the people inside can finish their drinks. Without having to hurry.”

“I see.” He smiled to reassure her. “Was it usual for Mrs. Parry to come in that late at night?”

“No,” she said. “ Not that late. She was quite a regular customer. I think she got lonely on her own in the Tower and she came in here for the company. She didn’t drink much.”

“But last night she had a drink?”

“Yes,” Maggie Kerr said. “She had two. She said she needed them. She seemed upset.”

“Upset?” he asked. “ Or angry?”

“Upset,” she said. “She looked as if she’d been crying.”

So, Ramsay thought, Henshaw hadn’t been telling the truth. There hadn’t been a reasonable exchange of views during Alice’s visit. Something had happened to disturb her.

“Did she tell you what it was all about?” he asked.

Maggie shook her head. “ There was a darts match in here last night. It was very busy. There wasn’t time to talk.”

One of the old men looked up from his dominoes and glared at the landlord. “ If someone got up off his backside,” he said, “ and stood behind that bar occasionally, we wouldn’t have to wait so long for our drinks when it’s crowded in here.”

Again Frank gave no acknowledgement that he had heard the comment. The red-faced man by the window stood up suddenly and brought his glass to the bar to be filled. While Maggie was pouring the beer, Ramsay turned round and addressed his next questions to the customers.

“Did she talk to anyone else last night?” he asked.