The Fruit Gum Murders (25 page)

He stopped pouring the beer, frowned and said, ‘How do you know that?'

‘I would never have guessed it was Juliet Gregg. I always thought she was, erm … erm … too posh.'

‘Nobody's too posh, sweetheart. But how did you know?' he said.

‘You see. You're not the only detective in the house. Actually, Mrs Mackenzie has been on the phone to enrol me into assisting at the hospital library and she told me. She was amazed. She had been told by Mrs Dickens, who is a big noise in the WVS. She could hardly believe it. But it was her daughter, Tina Dickens, who works at the Criminal Prosecution Service, had rung her up and told her.'

‘I see,' he said taking his first sip of the beer. Then he said, ‘Any post?'

Mary smiled. ‘Well, erm … yes. A present.'

He could see that there was something mischievous about her smile.

‘Well, what is it, then?' he said.

‘It's on the sideboard.'

His face changed.

He put down the beer and went into the sitting room. There was a long old sideboard against the wall as you walked in. At the near end was where the post, telephone messages and the like were usually to be found.

There was a small brown cardboard box addressed to Mr and Mrs Angel, with a customs declaration label stuck on the top and down one side. The box flaps were open and straw was sticking out of the top. He looked inside it and saw something shiny, a dirty brown and dark green. He frowned. There was a card with it. He snatched up the card. It read:

‘Dear Mary and Michael – Knowing how much you loved the porcelain ornament, we got you another, so that you can put one each end of the mantleshelf. Back on Friday.

Your loving neighbours,

Ken and Libby Copley. XX'

Angel ran his hand through his hair.

By the same author

In The Midst Of Life

Choker

The Man In The Pink Suit

The Importance Of Being Honest

Mantrap

Salamander

Sham

The Umbrella Man

The Man Who Couldn't Lose

The Curious Mind Of Inspector Angel

Find The Lady

The Wig Maker

Murder In Bare Feet

Wild About Harry

The Cuckoo Clock Scam

Shrine To Murder

The Snuffbox Murders

The Dog Collar Murders

The Cheshire Cat Murders

The Diamond Rosary Murders

The Big Fiddle

©
Roger Silverwood

First published in Great Britain 2014

ISBN 978 0 7198 1727 4 (epub)

ISBN 978 0 7198 1728 1 (mobi)

ISBN 978 0 7198 1729 8 (pdf)

ISBN 978 0 7198 1231 6 (print)

Robert Hale Limited

Clerkenwell House

Clerkenwell Green

London EC1R 0HT

www.halebooks.com

The right of Roger Silverwood to be identified as

author of this work has been asserted by him

in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and

Patents Act 1988