The main character says "Shop" several times when he finds the police station empty. I presume this is another way to say "Hello, is anyone here?" but I can't find any references to prove it.

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10 years ago
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Kate It's also common (or, at least, used to be) in the UK to say 'Shop' to get service in a shop when the shopkeeper can't be seen.

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Dennis Here in Australia local shops (corner shops in the US) offered mixed groceries to save a family from having to run to the High street (the main commercial centre of a town). A child might be sent to the shop for a load of bread or a carton of milk. Most of these small shops were attached to a residence where small children of the owner might be playing. So if you walked in (usually causing a bell on the door to ring) and found the delay in being served a bit longer than usual, you might call a friendly, "Shop" to alert the manager that you were there. Sadly, many of these local shops have now disappeared.
Reader in Sydney Australia

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Roy Szweda It is a Brit phrase "minding the shop" which could mean any premises. I think it is part of his banter and is meant with some irony and perhaps annoyance because someone should be "manning the fort"... This is perhaps one of the least baffling uses of the vernacular in these books... perhaps I live too far south of the border?!

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