Angel and the Actress

  In the darkness, Angel bit his bottom lip. He was uncomfortable at this less than ideal situation, but he could not tell her the truth. He was positive he was doing the right thing.

  They fell asleep in each other’s arms and woke up at the sound of the alarm at 7.30 the following morning.

  Angel sat on the edge of the bed, scratched his head and shivered. He could feel Mary shuffling behind him. It’s cold,’ he said. ‘Good morning, darling.’

  ‘Good morning, sweetheart,’ she said. ‘It’s to be expected. Winter is only round the corner.’

  He shuffled into the bathroom and went up to the sink. He opened the cupboard over the sink and took out his razor, shaving brush and tube of shaving cream and began his ritual ablutions.

  He heard Mary pass the open door on her way downstairs to prepare breakfast.

  After a couple of minutes or so, Angel, all lathered up for a shave, shouted downstairs, ‘Mary, there’s no hot water.’

  ‘Run the tap for a while,’ she said.

  ‘I have run it. I’ve run it for ages. What’s happened? Have you run it all off or something?’

  ‘No. I don’t know. It’s switched on. Looks like the boiler has packed in.’

  ‘Can’t have. Is it switched on?’ he called as he leaned over to check the radiator in the bathroom.

  ‘Of course it’s switched on,’ Mary said.

  ‘This radiator is stone cold. The heating must be off too.’

  ‘What did you do about that letter from the gas board?’ Mary said. ‘The one telling you that if we didn’t replace the boiler soon, it might break down and they probably wouldn’t be able to get the part.’

  Angel’s jaw dropped. He scratched his head. He frowned. He didn’t know what to reply. Then he said, ‘What did you say, love?’

  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

  The Fruit Gum Murders

  The Money Tree Murders

  Copyright

  © Roger Silverwood 2015

  First published in Great Britain 2015

  ISBN 978 0 71981 870 7 (epub)

  ISBN 978 0 71981 871 4 (mobi)

  ISBN 978 0 71981 872 1 (pdf)

  ISBN 978 0 71981 615 4 (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