Alfie sat up a little straighter and assumed a businesslike air. He had been about to deny knowing anything more about the dead man, but then changed his mind. It occurred to him that he had passed some sort of trial in there, in that room where the police kept their dead bodies, and he was anxious to retain Inspector Denham’s good opinion. ‘There’s him and his missus, and his son who’s a young toff – doesn’t do no work, I’ve heard – and they’ve got a butler, a coachman, a cook, a housekeeper, a parlour maid and a scullery maid – and some other servants, I suppose.’ ‘How do you know all this?’ Alfie hesitated. Sarah often fed him on the leftovers from the Montgomery meals and he didn’t want to betray her, but after a quick glance at Inspector Denham he changed his mind. The inspector, he reckoned, might be willing to forget about the bread van if Alfie was able to assist him. Alfie and his gang had known Sarah for about six months now.
