He gave a small nod and returned his attention to Rick. ‘This is my friend, Penny Harte. She’s looking to buy a gift for her father.’

Penny was already nodding, eager to contribute to the conversation. ‘Yes. I’m trying to track down an entire catalogue of first edition Beatles albums. My dad had a collection – he ended up selling them all in 1978 and . . . ow!’

The guy had elbowed her – and not too subtly either. Rick struggled hard to suppress his grin. Dealing with collectible records was much like a high stakes poker game. You didn’t say too much, you didn’t give away too much information – it was like showing all of your cards. And Rick knew right then and there that the toff was trying to control just how much his pretty friend was looking to shell out on this record – especially if she was trying to buy an entire first edition catalogue. That was a pricey endeavour. Pity his Fab Four first edition inventory extended to only one.

Rick looked at the exchange that was currently happening between the toff and the girl called Penny. Apparently, she was receiving loud and clear the silent message her companion was broadcasting. Namely, let him do the talking.

Too late for that, Rick thought satisfactorily.

‘OK,’ he continued. ‘If you are looking for a first edition Yellow Submarine, this is your copy. Take a look.’ He pushed the album across the counter to where Penny stood, but it was the toff who picked it up instead. He lifted it up to his eyes and started to study the shrink wrap.

‘This is the original wrapping?’ he asked sceptically, as if he knew his stuff.

Rick nodded, happy to play along. ‘It is.’

‘And where did you get it?’

‘At a record show, a couple of years ago. After my dad passed away, it was one of the first collectibles I bought to stock my back room. Just in case a collector came calling.’

Penny nodded sympathetically. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss. My mum died only a couple of weeks ago. It’s hard, isn’t it?’

Rick considered the girl standing on the other side of the counter. Was she really trying to strike up a conversation with him? He narrowed his eyes. Pretty women always had an ulterior motive.

‘Yeah. But we weren’t that close,’ he said, shutting her down. She wasn’t going to get some sob story out of him. ‘Anyway. What do you think of the album?’

The toff considered Rick and then handed the album to Penny. ‘It looks good, but I am not sure if the shrink wrap is original,’ he said.

‘Yes it is original,’ Rick interrupted annoyed.