automatically. No one had ever thrown him a surprise party before and he could barely believe that it was happening now. He had not realised how much he had settled here, become part of the team. For a second he felt almost overwhelmed with emotion. Then he raised the glass and grinned from ear to ear.
Superintendent Hughes stepped forward with a gift wrapped in bright orange and red paper.
‘For you, Jack.
Pendragon looked at the gift and then back at the gathering.
‘Come on, guv. Open it then,’ Inspector Grant shouted from the back of the group, and they moved forward to surround him.
He looked around at all the smiling faces. ‘Thanks,’ he said, blushing. ‘I didn’t expect …’ He pulled the ribbon and carefully peeled apart the edges of the paper. Inside it was a large coffee-table book with a blaringly colourful cover. He read the title aloud:
