2.9: The Minkey investigates

Although Alcock asked him simply to keep his eyes open for things like strange letters or phone calls - the regulars themselves would surely never wish their pub to close and thus are under no suspicion - the Minkey keeps a careful eye on everyone. 

During the Barman’s film night, for example, he scarcely bothers to watch the screen even as Spock tells Kirk that ‘simple logic will suffice’ to find the missing whales, or describes the 20th Century American novelists that Kirk has read - Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins - as ‘the giants’ of literature. Unmissable comic moments!

It is a pity that the Minkey never learned the necessary subtle ‘tradecraft’ involved in watching others without them noticing.

One thing he spots is that the plant on the bar looks rather smaller than it did even a week ago. “Neh!” says the Barman when he points it out. “My Dhuttura Kanaka. I brought that back from India and I've kept it alive all these years! There’s even a picture of it on the wall of the gents!”