‘He asked me if he could have half an hour off,’ Paniatowski replied. ‘He said he had some personal business to attend to.’ ‘Personal business,’ Beresford repeated, with mild disgust. ‘Doesn’t he realize we’re in the middle of a murder inquiry?’ Paniatowski grinned. ‘You’ve gone from being the playboy of Whitebridge to a grumpy old man in less than a month, Colin,’ she said. ‘Surely that has to be some kind of record?’ ‘I just think he should be here,’ Beresford said. ‘And he will be,’ Paniatowski promised. ‘What have your lads out on the street come up with?’ ‘There were several sightings of Jill Harris between the Royal Vic and her home – which is about half a mile away from the hotel – but that’s hardly surprising, because the dress she was wearing would have made her rather conspicuous, wouldn’t it?’ Beresford said. ‘It would have made her stand out like a sore thumb,’ Paniatowski agreed, remembering the flounced pink horror.
