Death of a Minor Character

Virginia Freer has had it with her sort-of-ex-husband’s taste for drama. Yes, Marcus Avery was a dear old duffer who lived in Virginia’s town. Yes, Lillian Pace, Felix’s neighbor in London, was a sweet old bird. Yes, it’s terrible they were murdered, but we live in a naughty world. But look at the coincidences!—Felix insists. That unpleasant silversmith. That awful couple seeking revenge. These were not two separate murders, I tell you: there is Something going on. Virginia raises an eyebrow; the world lost a second Olivier, she thinks, when Felix opted for gambling, mooching, and petty theft rather than the stage. But eventually her relentless pragmatism gets worn down, and thank goodness, because there is, indeed, Something going on. And Felix and Virginia are just the duo to sort it out, chalk and cheese though they may be.