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An auditor demanded the station's repair records. After a twelve-minute blackout she was dead, the records were missing, and the last train had not moved.

An auditor came to inspect the glasshouse's new vents. The alarm opened all but one. Before anyone could explain the fault, the auditor was found dead.

A photographer checking last night's arrivals was killed on the breakwater. The log listed no ship, but the radio repeated exactly the same weather bulletin three times.

An auditor checking a clearance zone was killed in the archive. Her map was soaked while nearby papers stayed dry. An inhabited street was missing beneath the wet ink.

A tea merchant was killed before a stock review. Two cups remained on the table: one used, one untouched. Who had been invited to settle the account?

A hotel manager was killed while checking long-stay bills. One guest had a paid entry in the register, but no witness or used room could place that guest in the hotel.

A photographer checking a disputed inheritance was killed. A portrait claimed to date from summer showed snow on its negative. One of those dates had to be wrong.

After the concert, an encore sounded backstage. The attendant found the performer dead beside an empty violin case. What had been playing the music?

A cargo inspector was killed at the dock. An alarm had drawn witnesses away, although its usual pull rope lay untouched in the water. Someone had rung it another way.

A telegraph clerk was killed over a cancelled shipment. Its cancellation arrived at five, but the dispatch book said six. That hour determined who owed the loss.

A museum custodian was killed during inventory. A bronze statue was missing, yet its familiar shadow remained behind the empty plinth under the display lamp.

A warehouse bookkeeper was killed while comparing dispatch records. Salt water soaked the ledger, but the windowsill was dry. Only a few columns of figures were ruined.

A clock repairer was killed before an inspection of the bell mechanism. Witnesses heard a thirteenth sound after midnight, although the hands had barely moved.

Snow trapped six people at the weather station. The observer was killed. A balloon was still tied indoors, yet the receiver logged clear-weather data under its ID.

A cloakroom attendant found a missing claim ticket and called its owner. Before they met, the attendant was killed. Among wet coats lay one completely dry umbrella.

A candle maker was killed before meeting a buyer over a copied design. A witness used a short candle to claim an hour's wait, although the shop had only just opened.

A postal clerk was killed before opening a returned parcel. Its seal was intact, and a matching silver object sat on the counter. Nobody had checked what was inside.

A wedding bouquet arrived with a memorial card. The courier was killed while checking the mix-up. The florist had taken full payment for both ceremonies.

A cafe had a booking for one, but the cook was asked to set two breakfasts. The cook was killed before the meeting, and nobody claimed the second place.

A deed custodian was killed after reporting a missing key. It turned up inside a glove, coated with wax. The deed cabinet had no sign of forced entry.

An aviary keeper was killed before showing a canary to its buyer. Birdsong still came from behind the curtain, but the cage was empty when the curtain was drawn.

A reader returning a book was killed at the library. The return stamp bore tomorrow's date, and a folded blank sheet had replaced the map inside the book.

An inspector was killed while checking new ceiling panels. Muddy footprints crossed one panel overhead, although no ladder reached it. The panel had just been fitted.

A kiln worker was killed before buyers inspected a freshly fired batch. The pots felt warm, but the kiln was cold and its old ash lay undisturbed.

A tailor was killed while checking a charity production's bills. Donated cloth had been charged for, and one receipt showed both its figures and signature in reverse.

An aquarium keeper was killed during a closed-door inventory. Water still hummed in the darkened exhibit, but behind its curtain the display tank stood empty and dry.

An appraiser was killed before an antique clock changed hands. The clock ran, but its minute hand lay beside it. The shop called it a minor unfinished repair.

A theatre usher was killed after reporting tickets with no seats. The tickets were genuine and numbered in sequence, but their row did not exist on the seating plan.

A collector heard a recorded conversation inside a returned shell. He was killed before its borrower explained it. A familiar music-box tune accompanied the voices.

A writer was killed before confronting an editor over a reused signature. On the tea tray, a sugar bowl held an uncapped ink bottle instead of sugar.

A lift inspector was killed during a recheck. The indicator showed the top floor, but the car remained downstairs with its door ajar. Someone had moved only the dial.

A lighthouse keeper was killed after recording timed flashes in clear daylight. No vessel needed help, yet the beam repeatedly faced the same unloading point.

A shop assistant was killed after a display key went missing. One snow globe felt warm and its base glue was soft. Identical globes beside it were cold.

A surveyor checking a right of way was killed in an old building. The new plan showed a street entrance where a wall had been bricked up for years.

A puppet-theatre custodian was killed during inventory. A ringing phone drew witnesses from the store, although it was a stage prop with its cable cut long ago.

A perfumer was killed before comparing a new batch with its reference bottle. The reference was missing, and the perfume on sale smelled unusually faint.

A postal clerk was killed over a tender letter. Its stamp predated the deadline, but the receipt used a numbering series introduced the next day.

A violin repairer was killed before returning an instrument. Opening a wall cupboard triggered a brief tune, although nobody touched the violins hanging nearby.

A map restorer was killed before showing an altered coastal chart. Along one fold, a narrow pasted strip repeatedly covered the same stretch of shore.

A hall accountant was killed while checking concert attendance. Few ticket stubs matched the roaring recorded applause, and separate ovations contained the same cough.

A custodian was killed before returning a blackmail letter. A blackened scrap was offered as proof that it had burned, but the supposed ash would not crumble.

A stage designer was killed over a copied competition model. A witness recalled two dawns: one outside the window, the other behind a closed scenery door.

A glazier was killed while inspecting a new mirror wall. Most of it reflected the room, but one patch showed a lamp behind the wall. The installer called it solid mirror.

A care-home clerk was killed before a meal audit. Daily photographs showed a full place setting for a resident whom neighbours said had moved away weeks before.

A reviewer was killed before inspecting seedlings said to flower overnight under sealed glass. The bell jar's seal was intact; the removable tray beneath it had none.