‘High and mighty. Humble as shit when the old lady was around and Queen shit when she wasn’t.’

He was scrambling his images and running low on vocabulary but the sentiment sounded genuine. ‘All servants hate servants’, who said that? I couldn’t remember. Maybe that was all there was to it but it was worth another question.

‘Did Miss Reid have a boyfriend when you were there?’

His answer was a derisive snort and a shake of his head. Then he looked down at his belly and the room and recognised that he wasn’t doing so well in the sexual stakes himself. The realisation sobered him.

‘She’s got one now,’ I said.

‘That right? Must be a mug.’

Our exchanges were getting aimless but I had a feeling that he was holding something back. The talking and drinking and driving had unravelled me and I couldn’t think how to probe for it. I got out a card and put it on the bed.

‘That’s me,’ I said, getting up. ‘If you think of anything useful get in touch. There could be some money in it.’

He put the card and the ten where he’d put the five.

‘You mean about shit face Reid, Slim?’

‘Don’t call me that. About her or anything. You’ve got something more to say about her?’

‘I might. Give us another five.’

I moved over to the bed, grabbed the neck of his shirt, twisted and pulled. The cloth cut into his fat neck.

‘You know Albie, I don’t really like pushers, not really. I don’t think I’ve had good value from you. What will your protection do about a jelly nose?’

He squirmed and tried to pull free. I twisted harder.

‘Okay, okay,’ he rasped. ‘I’ll tell you. Let go.’

I dropped him onto the bed, the saucer jumped and spilled ashes and butts across the blanket.

‘Shit! I drove Miss Reid to the Botanical Gardens once.’

‘Albie, you didn’t. What tree did you do it under?’

‘Don’t joke about it, I’d rather go without. She met a bloke there. I got pissed off waiting and went to take a look. I saw her sitting on a bench talking to a bloke.’