by Raymond Hopkins

Synopsis

Derek and Pauline Felton have been married for twenty-seven years. Their only child, Amy, is a nineteen-year-old, petite girl, whose main interests are boys and animal rights. Life has passed by fairly smoothly for the Felton’s, that is, until they return home one evening to find that their house has been burgled.

Derek, who has always had a materialistic outlook on life, decides that their new home insurance will yield a lucrative pay-out.  All the old worthless possessions in his house will be replaced with brand new goods. To this end, he tampers with the forensic evidence to prevent the crime from being solved. Pauline becomes increasingly unhappy about his subsequent course of actions. The ensuing friction is exacerbated when they discover that Amy’s latest boyfriend is the thief!

Joyce Clements, their next-door neighbour, witnessed the robbery. She calls in daily to offer support, advice and unwelcome comments. Derek has never hit it off with Joyce, and he is now doing everything he can to keep her away from Amy’s boyfriend because he is worried she will identify him as the thief.

The young, inexperienced, Police Officer investigating the crime, is far more interested in flirting with Amy than catching the burglar. To add to the mayhem, the Reverend Peter Jones, who has unexpectedly called round to invite Derek to read a lesson at a televised service, falls hopelessly in love with the Scenes of Crime Officer investigating the robbery.

Characters