‘What happened last night?’

She shrugged. ‘Well, nothing came of it, and luckily there were only a few people in the bar, but that cantankerous old sod Keith Patel was one of them. He was here when Daniel arrived about half eight. He’d had a fair amount to drink by then, and when Daniel stood next to him at the bar, he asked him in a really loud voice if he’d molested any young girls lately. To his credit, Daniel didn’t rise to it. He turned his back on Patel and returned to his seat.’

‘So, what happened next?’ James asked.

‘I could tell that Patel was up for making a nuisance of himself so I told him to go home and sober up,’ Martha said. ‘I think he realised he’d stepped over the line because he finished his beer and left without saying another word.’

‘And what about Daniel?’

‘He stayed put until closing time. He left as soon as I rang the bell.’

‘And can you recall if anyone followed him out the door?’

‘I know for sure that nobody did because there was only one other punter left in the bar and that was your Annie’s Uncle Bill. And he went out through the internal door to his room upstairs.’

James felt his heart move up a gear.

‘Bill was drinking here too?’ he said.

‘He came in for a quick pint when he got back from your house. He told me he had a lovely stew there. But after downing one pint he had a couple more.’

‘And did he interact with Daniel Curtis at all?’

She shook her head. ‘He sat at a table on the other side of the room and they didn’t speak to each other. I did see Bill giving Daniel black looks from time to time but he certainly didn’t cause any trouble. Now, are you going to tell me what this is all about?’

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE

If Bill had been in his room James would have gone up to speak to him. But according to the landlady he’d left The King’s Head earlier without saying where he was going.

‘Is there anything I should know about your wife’s uncle, guv?’ DC Abbott asked when they were back in the car.

James had been expecting the question and felt obliged to answer it.

‘Bill knew Daniel Curtis years ago when they both lived here in Kirkby Abbey,’ James said. ‘So, like most people in the village, he considered Daniel a pariah. Since Bill came back here on Friday, to spend Christmas with us, his behaviour has been somewhat strange. It’s aroused a certain amount of suspicion. I’ve spoken to DCI Tanner about it and we agreed I’d have a chat with Bill, which I did last night. I’m convinced he’s not our perp, but I will have another conversation with him since he was among the last people to see Daniel alive. That doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about him. Just that I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.’