She borrowed his pen and wrote ‘Fiona’ and the pub number on a beer mat, which he then put in his pocket.

‘I was told you first saw the Cortina in Aylmer Road. Can you tell me what time it was and exactly where it was parked?’

She pointed to the pub’s side entrance. ‘Opposite the door there, on the far side of the road. It was around 9.20 to 9.25.’

‘What drew your attention to the car.’

‘I was upstairs in the living room, ironing my dress and blouse for today, when I looked out of the window at the heavy rain and saw the car. Because I was looking down I could only see the nearside and two people in it – one in the front passenger seat and another person sitting behind him. There were fumes coming out of the exhaust, so I knew the engine was running, and the windscreen wipers were on. At first I thought they were maybe just waiting for someone.’

‘Can you describe any facial features of the first two men you saw?’

‘No, the door windows were covered in rain and misted up on the inside. They were wearing dark clothing and the man in the front must have been tall as I could see his shoulder pressed against the middle of the passenger door window. About ten minutes before the robbery the driver got out of the car and nearly hit Betty with the door as he opened it—’

‘Sorry, who’s Betty?’

‘She lives alone round the back of the pub at Dacre Road. She’s been a regular here for years and comes in most days at six on the dot, apart from Sundays. She has two bottles of Mackeson Stout then goes home for her tea.’

‘She’d have seen the driver’s face close up, then?’

‘Yes. She was upset and pointing her finger at him. I didn’t hear what she said, but knowing Betty she’d have called him a few choice names – that even I would be too embarrassed to repeat. What made me suspicious was the fact he ignored her, pulled his cap down and walked off up the road. That was when I phoned the police.’

‘Do you know Betty’s surname?’ Kingston asked, ready to write it down, as she’d be a crucial witness.

‘Do you have to speak to her? She’s just turned eighty and not been well lately – she’s very frail and her eyesight’s not so good. I doubt she’d even remember the incident.’

Kingston thought for a second. ‘I’ll leave her be for now, but I’ll still need her details.’

Fiona wrote Betty’s full name and address down on another beer mat and gave it to Kingston, who slipped it in his pocket.

‘Would you recognise the driver if you saw him again?’ he asked.

‘I think so . . .’

‘On a scale of one to ten, what’s a “think so”?’