Pub 2 was louder, brighter, and far less forgiving of private tension. Music drifted through the room in uneven bursts, glasses clicked against one another, and the whole place carried the kind of restless energy in which arguments can unfold in public before anyone realises quite how serious they are. If Pub 1 held conflict in a low, controlled way, Pub 2 let it spread and disguise itself as ordinary atmosphere.
Oliver arrived shortly after 20:45 and went straight to the bar. A till receipt later confirmed the time, and confirmed something else that mattered. Aaron Cole was the one who served him here, despite later giving the impression that his real contact with Oliver came much later in the evening. That detail did not make Aaron the killer, but it did show he had already placed one avoidable lie between himself and the truth.
Sophie Lane was already in the pub. Unlike Emily, who had tried to keep her anger contained, Sophie went straight towards Oliver with the energy of someone who had reached the point where silence hurt more than confrontation. Witnesses did not catch every word, but they caught enough. Sophie accused Oliver of exposing something private that had already caused damage. Oliver did not deny it. Instead, he suggested there was still more he could say if he wished. One witness clearly remembered Sophie telling him he had already done enough. Another remembered Oliver replying that she had not heard the half of it yet.
Sophie stepped away looking shaken rather than satisfied. Jake, who had been close enough to see the exchange, seemed to grow more strained with every second. When Oliver finally left, Jake stayed only briefly, finished his drink in a hurry, and then followed in the same direction.
Marcus Reed entered later, and the mood in the room shifted at once. He and Oliver exchanged the kind of look that suggested old trouble, not new irritation. Near the side corridor, a witness later heard Oliver say, “You’re still angry, then,” followed by Marcus answering, “You keep giving me reasons.” Chloe appeared too, speaking to Oliver only briefly before withdrawing in visible alarm.
By the time Oliver left Pub 2, the pressure had not eased. It had spread. Sophie had confronted him, Jake had followed, Marcus had not cooled, Chloe looked uneasy, and Aaron’s dishonesty had already begun to matter.