I don’t think anyone was surprised when the body was carried out of the McArthur house. It had only been a matter of time, we said. They were a violent couple and always had been. We just couldn’t work out what had happened to the salesman.

‘Course we knew the salesman had gone into the house because Clarence saw him. He’s the local postman and some say more than that, but anyway he was delivering mail to the Robinson’s, whose wife gave up smoking for drinking and died shortly after, and one of the kids asked him who “that guy” was. He’d been in the village for a few days and Clarence often saw him on his rounds so said it was just a salesman, but then the kids said he’d been sitting outside the house in his car for about two hours, just waiting till Jack McArthur went to work.

This was a funny thing about the McArthur’s. Each morning at 8.15 sharp the front door would open and Jack would step outside, turn round, kiss Helen on the lips, slap her on the backside – Tommy Robinson tried to prevent his kids seeing this bit – then went to work. But then at night you’d hear the most awful sounds coming from within.

Brian Murray, who lived next door and opposite the Robinsons, he said that some nights it sounded like a massive orgy going on, “Ribena for the kids and hay for the animals”, but then he was a bit like that and said the most awful things.

So Clarence was delivering his mail to the Robinsons, speaking to the kids, and they all watched the salesman chap on the door, saw it open and there’s Helen McArthur, practically nude ‘cept for panties and a gown, and they knew that much ‘cause her gown was practically open, and she let him in. Didn’t just do that but stepped aside, let him in, then looked about real sneaky-like and closed the door behind her.

If she’d seen Clarence and the Robinson kids looking she didn’t react.

Anyway Clarence was interested, so told the kids to go get ready for school and walked across the road, rummaging through his mail for the McArthur post.