By the time she got home, Leticia had convinced herself that she must be mistaken about the spectacle frame. She opened up the package of wrapping paper on the coffee table and stared at it. The plastic was intact, though a little bent. The arm had been broken off at the little hinge, which was fractured. It needed a new screw, too. Normally she wouldn’t wait up for Anton but tonight she really wanted the benefits of his wisdom and perspective. It had only been a few days since she had disclosed to him that Neville Rollason had been her client. Anton had been shocked but supportive of her. ‘That’s a mighty big job you had to do,’ he had said.

It was a quarter past one when he finally walked in, looking exhausted. Leticia, now sobered by black coffee, said she had something she needed to ask him. First she described her meetings with Rollason and then what had happened that evening. The tale of the briefcase full of vomit had him holding his sides with laughter. ‘Oh man, that is so bad. So bad.’

When she finally pointed out to him the small red plastic object he said, ‘Letty, baby, they could be anybody’s. It’s not proof.’

‘Yeah but those little yellow shields with the black horse on, it’s quite distinctive.’

Using the paper, Anton picked up the frame and looked closely at it. ‘That’s the Ferrari symbol. There’s millions of them out there.’

‘Oh. So maybe I am wrong.’

Anton set down the frame, took both of Leticia’s hands and looked into her face. ‘I’ve heard you describe your boss as a bitch, but do you believe she is capable of murder? She’s skinny, right? Could she lift a body to dispose of it?’

‘I wouldn’t have thought so, not easily. But Rollason was quite small. Maybe she had help. Look, I just don’t know what to do.’

‘Well, I’ll tell you something for nothing. Assume you’re right. If the cops get to know we have Rollason’s specs here in our flat they are going to think you and me killed him. Ain’t no evidence now they were ever in your boss’s boot.’

‘I think you’re being a bit paranoid.’

‘Really? Go up to that mirror, have a good look and tell me what colour face you see.’

‘Colour is not everything.’

‘When shit gets bad, it is, I’m telling you. Especially where cops are concerned. How many times have I been stopped in that car? Think on that.’

‘So what should I do? I thought about showing it to Jill Allsop. She’s full of good sense.’

Anton shrugged. ‘Or you could post it anonymously to the cops, say where you found it.’

‘But if I’m wrong that would just drop Verity in it. She’s starting a new job in a week’s time.’