‘Sorry,’ he apologized. ‘I’d done twenty days in a row. Saturday was a day off so I know it wasn’t Saturday but before that.’
‘If you remember,’ Janet said, ‘please get in touch.’ She gave him her card.
The man knew Stanley Keane by sight but they had never spoken. He’d last seen him on Sunday evening, putting the bins out.
The manager at Wetherspoon’s didn’t recall Greg Tandy but the girl who was chalking up meals on the blackboard did. ‘Friday,’ she said, ‘it’s the only night I work here. He reminded me of Jimmy Carr, the comedian, but an older version. You know, the black hair and the big eyes. He sat over there, by the slot machines, on his own at first.’
‘Someone joined him?’ Janet said.
‘Yes, about half nine. Bigger bloke, beard and biker’s jacket, comes in here sometimes.’
Stanley Keane.
‘How long did they stay?’
‘Till closing,’ she said.
Janet felt her heart sink. The girl seemed to be on the ball and if her sighting was accurate then there was no way Greg Tandy could have been ten miles away shooting Victor and Lydia.
Rachel and Janet followed Gill into the meeting room.
‘The Wetherspoon’s sighting gives Tandy an alibi but Keane could have done it,’ said Rachel. ‘Keane didn’t get to the pub till later and the gloves were at his house.’
‘He fitted Tandy up for the murder?’ Gill said. ‘Wouldn’t Tandy shop him? The man’s only just been released. And why would Keane want to kill the Nigerians?’
‘Why would anyone?’ Janet said.
‘It doesn’t work,’ Gill shook her head, ‘because if Keane was behind it we’d have his DNA on those gloves and we’ve not. And we’ve nothing at his house that points to him bar the gloves.’
‘We could find out if he bought lighter fuel?’ Rachel suggested.
‘Doesn’t get us very far,’ Gill said. ‘You can buy it anywhere: petrol stations, supermarkets, DIY stores. People have it at home, everyone’s got a barbecue.’
‘I’ve not,’ Rachel said.
‘Sean will soon see to that, I bet you,’ Janet said.
‘What is it with men and barbecues?’
‘Throwback,’ said Gill, ‘they like to imagine they’ve just caught the animal, killed it and dressed it. Proud hunters all. Bringing home the bacon.’
‘When it’s actually a value party pack of quarter pounders or sausages from the farm shop,’ Janet said.
Rachel pulled a face.
‘A shop, attached to a farm,’ Janet spelled out.
‘I know! Behave.’
‘We questioned Tandy about his movements on the Friday night,’ Gill said. ‘He told us nothing. Now we find he has an alibi? Strong?’ She looked at Janet.
‘An independent witness.’
‘So why didn’t he give us it?’ Gill said.