“I’ll deal with it, ma’am. I’ll collect them before I return; may I suggest, in the meantime, you can arm the house with the code 101? It’s a temporary alarm that can only be bypassed with a code that only Mr. Carrero and I have.” He is smooth and efficient, and his no hint of worry instantly makes me feel better.

“Thank you, yes. I shall do.” I smile, knowing how safety-conscious Mathews is and the thought of that little bit of extra security makes me feel better; at ...