‘What happened to the blue dress, the wig and other clothes?’

‘Late that same night, he brought them to my flat and we burned them in the incinerator in the boiler house in the basement.’

‘And why did he choose such old-fashioned clothes?’

‘Don’t know. Said he’d seen a picture of a woman in a blue dress somewhere. He modelled himself on that. He said he preferred the long dress because it would conceal his legs, which he thought might be a giveaway. He said the picture didn’t show the woman’s feet. He was glad of that because, I couldn’t find any women’s shoes large enough to fit him.’

‘You were aware of his intention to murder his wife?’

She swallowed, looked down at the parquet floor then nodded.

Gawber said: ‘For the purposes of the tape, Miss Kennedy nodded.’

‘Do you know why?’ Angel said.

‘He was bored with his wife,’ she said timidly. ‘He said that she was blind and a drag on him, and that he wanted me. He’d inherit her money, and he said he’d never be found out. He said that you, the police, would naturally suspect him, but if I stuck by the alibi they wouldn’t find out. The plan was to establish a non-existent person, have her murder his wife virtually in front of three eye-witnesses, then make her disappear. He said it was the perfect crime.’

Angel raised his head. ‘What was that?’ he said. He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. ‘Don’t you know yet, there’s no such thing as the perfect crime?’

She burst into tears.

He turned to Gawber and said: ‘I’ve heard enough, Ron. Bring him in and charge him with murder.’

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

Copyright

© Roger Silverwood 2008

First published in Great Britain 2008

This edition 2012

ISBN 978 0 7198 0774 9 (epub)

ISBN 978 0 7198 0775 6 (mobi)

ISBN 978 0 7198 0776 3 (pdf)

ISBN 978 0 7090 8472 3 (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