‘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
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
ISBN978 0 7198 1727 4 (epub)
ISBN978 0 7198 1728 1 (mobi)
ISBN978 0 7198 1729 8 (pdf)
ISBN978 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