Pugh was defensive. 'Mr Jones was not to know that.'

'Of course not,' said Colbeck. 'He acted in good faith. What can he tell us about this bogus Mr Kellow?'

'Very little, I fear,' said Pugh. 'He's an observant man – I teach all my staff to be alert – but other guests were arriving at the same time. All that Mr Jones can remember is that he was a personable young man with a ready smile.'

'Did he have a Welsh or an English accent?'

'English.'

'Was it an educated voice?'

'Oh, yes. We don't cater for riffraff here. It's one of the reasons I moved to Cardiff from a hotel in Merthyr. We had to cope with a lower class of person there at times.'

'Did Mr Jones notice if the man was carrying any luggage?'

'He had a large bag with him, Inspector.'

'Then what happened?'

'He signed his name in the register and was shown up to his room. About half an hour later, this so-called Mr Kellow was seen to leave the hotel by the front door.'

'Did anyone see him returning?'

'Not to my knowledge, Inspector,' said Pugh. 'He might have come in through the rear entrance, of course, or even slipped in during the rush. The London train brought in a number of guests so there was a small crowd at the desk for a while.'

'When did you become aware of a problem?' asked Colbeck.

'It must have been a little after noon. A Mrs Anstey, one of the guests, happened to be passing the room in question when she heard clear sounds of distress as if someone was calling for help. She came to report the incident and I went upstairs to investigate.' He gave a low gurgle. 'I think you know the rest.'

'I do, Mr Pugh. What you've told me is very helpful. It's in accord with my early suspicions.' He sat back and studied the manager with interest. 'You come from Merthyr Tydfil then?'

'Yes, Inspector,' Pugh told him, pocketing the handkerchief. 'I was born and brought up there. It's a dirty, brawling, boisterous industrial town with a lot of immigrants – Irish, Spanish and Italian, mostly. Merthyr was always far bigger than Cardiff. Indeed, until recent years, Cardiff couldn't hold a candle to Merthyr, Swansea or Newport. It was a sort of poor relation.'