Tessa knew that Natalie from down the road always collected the morning paper from the shop at the same time every day. Tessa always put one newspaper aside in the shop, especially for Natalie. If she was late, there would always be one there. Not that she had ever been late. This had gone on for years.
And years.
One day though, Natalie was late. It was the only day that Tessa hadn’t put a paper aside, and there were no others.
The next day, Natalie didn’t turn up to get the paper. Tessa was worried. The next day, Natalie didn’t turn up either. Tessa was even more worried. On the third day, when Natalie didn’t turn up, Tessa was beside herself. She phoned the police.
The police went to Natalie’s house. Natalie answered the door.
“Nah,” said Natalie. “I’ve changed shops. More reliable service.”