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
Angel and the Actress Page 18