Love You Dead

42 Sunday 1 March

The woman who answered the Streamline Taxi company phone could not have been more helpful after Tooth explained his predicament, in the very posh English accent he had practised for an hour before he made the call.

‘Oh, hello, this is Andrew Mosley, General Manager of The Grand. We have a slightly delicate situation. Last Tuesday night we had a couple dining here who were — how should I say it — playing away. You sent two cabs, booked in the name of Carmichael, just after 11 p.m. One collected a gentleman, the other a lady. I’m afraid the lady’s in a bit of a state. She’s just rung to say that during the course of the dinner she lost the very expensive engagement ring her husband had given her. She thinks she took it off in the ladies’ toilet when she washed her hands. He’s due back tomorrow from a business trip and she’s terrified he’ll go berserk if she’s not wearing it. Luckily one of our cleaners found it on the floor, but of course we’ve had no idea, until she just rang, who it belonged to. She’s desperate to have it returned, but in her panic she forgot to give us her address or phone number! Could you possibly trace the booking and find out her address for me, and I’ll get someone to run it over to her this afternoon?’