Marcus Harding had little success in the first three premises he visited.
‘Frankie Starling? No mate, never heard of him,’ claimed the barman at the ‘Black Bull.’
‘You’ve never heard of Frankie Starling, are you kidding me? His face is all over the newspapers, how can you say you’ve never heard of him?’ Harding asked incredulously.
‘I can say I’ve never heard of him because I’ve never heard of him and know nothing about him. Now, if that’s all, I‘ve got work to do, barrels to change. You know, real work, not going around pestering folk.’
Alan Peacock, the manager at the ‘Flamingo Club’ was no more forthcoming. ‘Frankie Starling? No sergeant, haven’t seen nor heard of him in years. Sorry.’
‘You ever hear of a girlfriend he might have had here in Garside?’ Marcus asked.
‘No sorry. D
