Moyra’s self-pity turned to rage, and she screamed, “I don’t believe this! I want everything put back as it was, and what you’ve done to the plumbing I want repaired professionally! You’ve had all our bloody keys down the nick before, why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for?”

Tennison gestured to Amson to close the door on Moyra, then turned to Marlow, who was standing in front of the fireplace, hands on his hips. “Why don’t you tell us, George? You know what we’re looking for.”

“I know you’ve been asking the neighbors. I park my car outside, I don’t have a garage.”

“But your car isn’t always parked outside, George. We know you’ve got a lock-up.”

“When it’s not parked here it’s because I’m away on business. I drive—correction, I drove—for a living. Instead of all this, why don’t you just try and find my car?”

There were thuds and hammering noises from the kitchen, and the sound of crockery being moved. Moyra’s screaming voice could be heard telling Muddyman and Jones that the bottom of the percolator didn’t come off. She started yelling for George.

Tennison turned to Amson. “Tell them to keep it down out there. George, you’ve got a lock-up, we know it.”

“A lock-up? How many more times do I have to tell you? I park my car at the back of the flats!”

“We have a witness . . .”

“Not that old bat from next door!”

“No, a friend of yours.”

“What friend? I don’t have one left because of your crowd. Mates I worked with for years turned their backs on me! You got a friend? Great, introduce me!”

“We have a witness who stated that you told him you had a . . .”

“Him? Was it someone I was inside with? Yes? Don’t tell me, let me guess. It was Reg McKinney, wasn’t it?” He shook his head, laughing. “You must be desperate. Reg McKinney? He’s no friend of mine. Stung me for fifty quid when we got out. He’s a known nutter. Look at his record, in and out of institutions since he was a kid. He’s no friend of mine, I told him to take a hike.”

There was a tap on the door and Amson opened up.

“Nothin’,” said Muddyman with a shrug, “but we need a plumber.”

In a low voice, Marlow told Tennison earnestly, “I don’t have a lock-up, I don’t have a garage. If I had, maybe my motor wouldn’t have been nicked. It’s the truth!”