Sure enough, everyone in the pub did stop talking when they walked in. But then, there were only four people in there and it didn’t look like they’d been talking to each other anyway. The barmaid, a young girl of about eighteen, looked up at them with interest as they approached. Her expression told them that she didn’t see the three ‘strangers’ as a threat but as an opportunity for somethingunusual to happen. And her face perked up even more when Flint opened up his mouth and flashed her one of his electric smiles.
‘Hiya!’ she beamed, her steamed-pudding breasts swelling visibly under a tight Lycra vest inscribed with the golden word ‘Angel’, ‘what can I get you?’
‘Watch this,’ whispered Lol, nudging Ana in the ribs, ‘Flint’s about to switch it on. Pass me a bucket …’
‘I’ll have a pint of Export please and my two friends here will have …’ He turned to Lol and Ana and raised his eyebrows at them, Roger Moore-style.
‘Same please,’ said Ana.
‘Vodka and cranberry, please,’ said Lol, adopting a strange, Joanna Lumleyesque accent.
‘Oh. Sorry. We haven’t got cranberry’ – the girl’s face blanched with the disappointment of not having cranberry and then brightened slightly – ‘we’ve got blackcurrant, though.’
‘What – blackcurrantjuice?’
‘Yes. No. I’m not sure. I’ll just ask.’
Flint gave Lol a stern glance. ‘Oi – Scary Spice – leave the poor girl alone.’
‘Sorry Mister Flint sir,’ said Lol, stifling a giggle and nudging Ana in the ribs again.
‘Angel – is that your name?’ Flint pointed at the slogan on her her vest-top.
Lol raised her eyebrows at Ana.
The barmaid giggled and started pouring a pint. ‘Nah,’ she beamed, ‘my name’s Louise. But my friends call me Lou.’
‘So – Lou – are you a local?’
‘’Fraid so,’ she sighed, ‘I’ve lived here all my life.’
‘Bit dull is it?’
‘You could say that, yeah.’ She placed a full pint on the bar and started pouring another one. ‘It’s likeNight of the Living Deadround here sometimes.’
‘And what do you do? Around here? Anything going on?’
‘Nah. Nothing. The only action is up on the seafront, but even that’s pretty non-existent.’
‘So if anything unusual was to happen in the area, you’d notice?’
‘Oh yeah. Definitely.’
Flint beamed at the barmaid again and Ana saw her cheeks flame scarlet.
‘You could be just the girl I’m looking for then.’
‘Oh yeah?’ She laughed and her blush increased.
‘Yeah. We’re looking for some information. About the cottage down on Broad Lane.’
‘Hark at Inspector Morse,’ whispered Lol into Ana’s ear, stifling another giggle.
‘Which cottage is that, then?’
‘The pink one. The pink one with the motorbike outside.’
‘Oh yeah. Yeah – I know the one. That’s £5.85 for the drinks, please.’
