out.’
‘Nevertheless, that’s how he was found. In his stockinged feet.’
‘I wouldn’t let him turn out of the house without shoes. It’s ridiculous. What happened to them? Why would he take off his shoes? He wouldn’t have been seen outside the house without shoes … only on a beach … on the deck of a yacht … in a swimming pool … in the bedroom. Did he still have his socks on?’
‘Yes. He was fully dressed apart from his shoes and we still haven’t found them. I need a description, if you please.’
‘Well, really,’ she said petulantly. There was a pause. ‘Black polished leather. Plain fronts. Elasticated sides. Size nine.’
He took an envelope out of his inside pocket and wrote it down. ‘Thank you. Was there anything special about them?’
‘Special? No. He bought them in town. He would only wear leather for regular, business occasions. They were polished and shining. Fussy about his appearance, Charles was,’ she muttered thoughtfully. ‘I don’t understand why he would be without shoes.’
‘You were not actually married to Mr Pleasant, were you, Miss Frazer?’
‘No.’
He pursed his lips, gave a little shrug and said, ‘I have to ask this, Miss Frazer. It may seem indelicate at this time, but it has to be asked. Who benefits from the death of Mr Pleasant?’
‘I do, of course. He left everything to me. I am not the least bit embarrassed by it, Inspector. It’s the way of the world. And I don’t mind telling you that I would give it all up to have Charles walk through that door and know that he was alive and well.’
‘I know. I am only sorry it can’t be done.’
She nodded.
‘Forgive me, if I continue,’ he said gently. ‘There’s a safe at the scrapyard, Miss Frazer. I wondered if you knew anything about it. In particular if you had a key for it … here … or anywhere?’
‘No. There’d be a key on Charles’s key ring, I think. Molloy has a key for it, I believe. I’m pretty sure Charles had said that he had. He has to have access to cash to pay out.’
‘That’s the safe in the office. I meant another safe. A much bigger one.’
Jazmin Frazer blinked. ‘I don’t know anything much about the business, Inspector.’
A mobile phone began to ring.
‘Excuse me,’ he said. He stood up and plunged his hand into his pocket.
It was Ahmed.
‘Sorry to bother you, sir. Two things.’
‘Yes?’
‘The super wants to see you urgently.’
‘Didn’t say what for?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Right. And the other?’
‘I phoned Philips and went through the routine as you instructed, sir, but they said that the records of all their safes manufactured before 1939 were destroyed when their factory was blown up by a bomb in the blitz in 1942.’
Angel wrinkled his nose. That was a disappointment. ‘Right, lad. Ta. Tell the super I’m on my way.’
He frowned and slowly closed the phone. He thought he had finished all the pressing business he had with Jazmin Frazer.
‘I am wanted back at the station,’ he said. ‘If you will excuse me?’
‘Of course.’
He got up to leave.
‘Please find poor Charles’s shoes,’ she said. ‘I can’t imagine what Emlyn Jones would want with them.’
CHAPTER 5
----
I t was 9.29 hours on Monday, 6 August. A man in overalls and hat appeared from down a ginnel through leafy lanes of accountants’, solicitors’ and moneylenders’ offices on to Huddersfield Road, Bromersley. He was carrying a tiny collapsible metal and canvas stool, a weatherproof canopy and a tool case; he had a small vacuum flask sticking out of a long hip pocket. He sat down on the stool in front of a green telephone connection box set in front of the front wall of a solicitor’s office. He put the canopy over the connection box, opened the tool box, took out a screwdriver and began to remove the connection box cover.
Twenty yards away, a small queue of customers began to form outside the Bromersley branch of The Great Northern Bank. There
‘Nevertheless, that’s how he was found. In his stockinged feet.’
‘I wouldn’t let him turn out of the house without shoes. It’s ridiculous. What happened to them? Why would he take off his shoes? He wouldn’t have been seen outside the house without shoes … only on a beach … on the deck of a yacht … in a swimming pool … in the bedroom. Did he still have his socks on?’
‘Yes. He was fully dressed apart from his shoes and we still haven’t found them. I need a description, if you please.’
‘Well, really,’ she said petulantly. There was a pause. ‘Black polished leather. Plain fronts. Elasticated sides. Size nine.’
He took an envelope out of his inside pocket and wrote it down. ‘Thank you. Was there anything special about them?’
‘Special? No. He bought them in town. He would only wear leather for regular, business occasions. They were polished and shining. Fussy about his appearance, Charles was,’ she muttered thoughtfully. ‘I don’t understand why he would be without shoes.’
‘You were not actually married to Mr Pleasant, were you, Miss Frazer?’
‘No.’
He pursed his lips, gave a little shrug and said, ‘I have to ask this, Miss Frazer. It may seem indelicate at this time, but it has to be asked. Who benefits from the death of Mr Pleasant?’
‘I do, of course. He left everything to me. I am not the least bit embarrassed by it, Inspector. It’s the way of the world. And I don’t mind telling you that I would give it all up to have Charles walk through that door and know that he was alive and well.’
‘I know. I am only sorry it can’t be done.’
She nodded.
‘Forgive me, if I continue,’ he said gently. ‘There’s a safe at the scrapyard, Miss Frazer. I wondered if you knew anything about it. In particular if you had a key for it … here … or anywhere?’
‘No. There’d be a key on Charles’s key ring, I think. Molloy has a key for it, I believe. I’m pretty sure Charles had said that he had. He has to have access to cash to pay out.’
‘That’s the safe in the office. I meant another safe. A much bigger one.’
Jazmin Frazer blinked. ‘I don’t know anything much about the business, Inspector.’
A mobile phone began to ring.
‘Excuse me,’ he said. He stood up and plunged his hand into his pocket.
It was Ahmed.
‘Sorry to bother you, sir. Two things.’
‘Yes?’
‘The super wants to see you urgently.’
‘Didn’t say what for?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Right. And the other?’
‘I phoned Philips and went through the routine as you instructed, sir, but they said that the records of all their safes manufactured before 1939 were destroyed when their factory was blown up by a bomb in the blitz in 1942.’
Angel wrinkled his nose. That was a disappointment. ‘Right, lad. Ta. Tell the super I’m on my way.’
He frowned and slowly closed the phone. He thought he had finished all the pressing business he had with Jazmin Frazer.
‘I am wanted back at the station,’ he said. ‘If you will excuse me?’
‘Of course.’
He got up to leave.
‘Please find poor Charles’s shoes,’ she said. ‘I can’t imagine what Emlyn Jones would want with them.’
CHAPTER 5
----
I t was 9.29 hours on Monday, 6 August. A man in overalls and hat appeared from down a ginnel through leafy lanes of accountants’, solicitors’ and moneylenders’ offices on to Huddersfield Road, Bromersley. He was carrying a tiny collapsible metal and canvas stool, a weatherproof canopy and a tool case; he had a small vacuum flask sticking out of a long hip pocket. He sat down on the stool in front of a green telephone connection box set in front of the front wall of a solicitor’s office. He put the canopy over the connection box, opened the tool box, took out a screwdriver and began to remove the connection box cover.
Twenty yards away, a small queue of customers began to form outside the Bromersley branch of The Great Northern Bank. There
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