Ruby squeezes her thighs together. If the copper has a description of Billy, he’ll also have one of her. She’s glad he’s gone to Billy first. He has nothing on Billy, of course. The evidence of the robbery has all gone to Solly’s, where he’ll never find it.

‘Can’t have been me, inspector,’ Billy sips his beer. ‘I’ve been in bed most of the day. Not long got up.’ He grins and rolls his shoulders.

‘Anyone vouch for you?’

‘I expect my sister will confirm it; she called me an idle shit and a no-good toerag about an hour ago.’

‘You spend all day banging Ruby upstairs instead of helping me behind the bar, what else am I going to call you?’ Clara snaps from the counter. She’s used to this game, too. ‘Oh no, I tell a lie, inspector. He did get up. I forgot. He managed briefly to drag himself away from his little tart to ask me for his dinner.’

‘Watch your mouth, Clara,’ Billy growls back. His sister’s barbed comment is unnecessary.

Ruby’s stomach tightens as MacKenzie turns to the group of women at the table. He narrows his eyes as he looks them over. He’s arrested Maggs before and is familiar enough with the others, but he’s never had dealings with Ruby. So far, she has escaped his notice; now, she commands his full attention. She bats her darkened eyelashes at him.

‘And you, I think, must be Ruby. The other thief in the jeweller’s was a woman calling herself Ruby Wilder, answering your description.’

‘Lots of women look like me,’ says Ruby nonchalantly, knowing very well that they do not. ‘Could have been anyone. And as Billy says, I’ve been occupied for most of the day. Had my hands full.’ She lifts her hands to demonstrate that they are empty before miming a gesture that makes the copper’s eyes widen. She sniggers as he turns away in disgust.

‘Oh dear, inspector,’ says Billy. ‘Don’t you like my Ruby? Not your type? I can assure you, she’s the only jewel I’m interested in.’

MacKenzie’s hand tightens on the handle of his glass. ‘So, if I brought Mr Enderby, the old jeweller with a bad heart whom you terrorised today, into this pub, or his young daughter who’s a jumping bag of nerves after what you did, they wouldn’t pick you two out of everyone here?’