‘I don’t think that’s at all relevant,’ said Marmion, quickly.

‘Of course, it is. Alice is the same age as some of those victims. She probably has the same interests and similar ambitions. I’m sure that you thought you knew her inside out, yet she pulled the wool over your eyes.’

‘That’s not what happened, Superintendent.’

‘I heard the gossip. She and the sergeant were carrying on behind your back.’

‘They’re engaged to be married,’ said Marmion, struggling to keep his composure, ‘and my wife and I are very happy about it. As for gossip, it’s never reliable. For instance, I heard a rumour that you were about to resign because you couldn’t cope with the pressures of the job.’

‘That’s a vicious calumny!’ snapped Chatfield. ‘I’ve never felt fitter and wouldn’t dream of walking away from a job that I love and do extremely well.’

In fact, Marmion had invented the rumour just to bait him. It had the desired effect and distracted the superintendent away from Alice. He spent minutes defending his record as a senior officer and asked who first spread the poisonous tale about him.

‘I don’t know, sir,’ said Marmion, stoutly. ‘If I ever find out, I’ll box his ears then drag him along here. There’s great respect for you among the men.’

That, too, was well short of the truth but it seemed to mollify Chatfield.

‘Let’s get back to the case in hand,’ he said.

‘You forgot to mention the reaction of Maureen Quinn’s parents, sir.’

‘I was coming to that, Inspector. Her mother, Diane, was horrified but her father — Eamonn, was it? — tried to turn you away by saying his daughter was in bed. When that lie was exposed, he insisted in sitting in on the interview and trying to browbeat Maureen. You had to shut him up to get anything substantive out of her.’

‘Mr Quinn has no time for the police, sir.’

‘Yes,’ said Chatfield, picking up a slip of paper, ‘you told me that and gave it as your opinion that he’d been in trouble with the law. You’re right. I checked.’

‘What did you find out, sir?’

‘He’s been fined twice for causing an affray.’

‘Quinn is a strong man,’ said Marmion. ‘I wouldn’t want to get too close to him when he’s had too much to drink. He’s the kind of person who likes to settle an argument with his fists.’

‘Then there’s a possible motive behind the bomb blast.’

‘I’m not sure that I detect it, sir.’

‘Wake up, man. Quinn probably has dozens of enemies. One of them may have wanted to get back at him by killing his daughter.’

‘Then why not attack her on her own?’

‘The birthday party presented an irresistible opportunity.’

‘No,’ said Marmion, ‘I’m afraid that your theory doesn’t hold water. How would this supposed enemy of Eamonn Quinn even be aware of the party? It was in Hayes and Maureen lives miles away. Someone local who nursed ill will against her father wouldn’t even know where the Golden Goose was.’

‘He would if he worked at the factory as well,’ argued Chatfield.

‘I don’t think that Quinn is the key factor here, Superintendent. We have to look in more depth at the private lives of the five victims and the survivor. There has to be a connecting thread somewhere.’

‘You won’t find it if you alienate the parents as you did earlier today.’

‘Mr Ingles was overwrought. We’ve seen it happen before.’

‘Are you going to have another go at him tomorrow?’

‘We’ll talk to the neighbours first,’ said Marmion, reflectively. ‘Florrie was a real extrovert. They’ll all have a tale to tell about her. And I don’t care how lovable she was supposed to be. We all have enemies — even someone like you, sir.’

Chatfield’s ears pricked up. ‘Have you heard rumours to that effect?’

It was late when Keedy picked her up from her flat but the café at the end of the road was still open and they were able to find a table in a quiet corner. Over a light supper, Alice told him about her brother’s imminent return from the front and he was thrilled at the news. She also talked about her day and basked in the pleasure of seeing him again, albeit for a short time. Keedy pounced on one remark she made.

‘Inspector Gale has been hounding you again?’

‘She likes to put me down, Joe.’

‘Then you should learn to avoid her,’ he counselled. ‘When I first joined the police, I had this bully of a sergeant who liked to use me as a punch bag. So I learnt to keep out of his way and — when that wasn’t possible — I always made sure that there was someone with me. The sergeant didn’t hector me half as much when I had a witness. In the end, he switched his attention to another new recruit and made his life a misery instead.’

‘Gale Force doesn’t make my life a misery,’ said Alice. ‘She just pecks away at me and it’s always about the same thing — Daddy.’

He grinned. ‘Don’t I get a mention?’

‘Yes, you do, because she knows that you’re working on the case as well.’

‘Ah, I see. She thinks you’re getting a whiff of a murder investigation while she’s confined to more mundane matters. She envies your privileged position, Alice.’

‘It’s a double-barrelled privilege, that’s what really upsets her. I not only have a father with an unparalleled record as a detective, I’m engaged to the most handsome man at Scotland Yard.’

‘Well, I can’t disagree with that bit,’ he said, complacently.

‘Don’t be so vain,’ she scolded.

He laughed. ‘I can’t help it if I was born with such good looks.’

‘No, but you can help boasting about it.’

She prodded him playfully. In fact, he was not at his best at that moment. The long hours at work were taking their toll. Keedy’s eyes were red-rimmed and his frown lines were accentuated. Even the delight of seeing her hadn’t enabled him to shake off his fatigue. While she knew that he’d pay no heed to the advice, she told him that he needed more sleep, then she guided him gently around to the subject of the investigation. He held up both hands.

‘Stop there, Alice.’

‘Why?’

‘Your father says that I’m not to discuss the case with you.’

‘Daddy isn’t here at the moment, is he?’

‘Are you asking me to disobey a senior officer?’

‘I’m asking you to tell me what you’ve been up to, that’s all. It’s not a state secret, is it? Nobody else will ever know. Where’s the harm in it?’

Keedy hesitated. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this, Alice. Your father is bad enough but the superintendent would go berserk if he knew that I was revealing details of the case to someone who had no right to hear them. You’re not qualified, Alice.’

‘I’m going to be your wife — what better qualification is there than that? Besides,’ she added, ‘I’m doing you a favour by asking.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Is it? In telling me about what happened today, you’ll be going through the evidence you picked up. Daddy always says that you can’t do that enough. He sifts evidence time and again.’

Keedy was persuaded. He gave her an attenuated version of events and stressed that she mustn’t breathe a word of it to anyone else. Alice not only listened attentively, she asked some pertinent questions and amazed him by showing she’d forgotten nothing of what she’d been told earlier. She remembered every name and every shred of evidence. While being shocked at the antics of Alan Suggs, the promiscuous driver, she was surprised at the ease with which anyone could borrow the key to the outhouse. The landlord had to bear the blame for that. When Keedy had come to the end of his account, she singled out one name.

‘Maureen Quinn went to church?’

‘She was consumed with guilt, Alice.’

‘Did you speak to the parish priest?’

‘No — why should I?’

‘Well,’ said Alice, ‘if she was there for hours on end, somebody would have noticed her and passed on the information. Roman Catholic priests keep a close eye on the families in their congregation.’