Silver Guilt (27 page)

Morris, of course. Peeved by the thought I might need Robin's protection. He hadn't phoned. All the same I'd wait and see.

And got egg on my face and a meal from the freezer on my own.

It dawned on me as I washed up the solitary plate, that if I could send photos, I could receive them, too. In response to my text, Morris sent through a copy of the photo I'd seen in Pamela Fielding's office. At least I had the whole evening on my own to sit and stare at it. Or not. Sometimes the harder you try to remember something, the more you forget it.

A little later a text message from him came through. Words for my new vocab book, it said – followed by a list. Must have taken him ages. So with some music on the radio, the sort Griff wanted me to learn to love, and a dictionary on my knee, I got to work. I even found some more words in the dictionary I'd heard people use and never jotted down.

‘Actually, I've had a really good evening,' I told Tim as I joined him. And I had. But I still hadn't placed the face in the photo.

I managed to stop myself slapping my face. I wasn't that cross with myself. But I was cross enough to go downstairs again and bring up the phone. I'd stare at it half the night if necessary.

It wasn't.

Of course I knew that face.

Was it too late to phone back? Not to text anyway.

Mr Fielding
@
LAPADA
show @ NEC. CCTV?

Mr Fielding was none other than the man Nella had gone off to lunch with. But that would take far too long to text.

‘M
orris? Sod it, it's only six o'clock!' I was quite proud of myself for forcing my eyes wide enough open to see the dial.

‘I thought you'd be on the road by now. Haven't you got a fair down in Hastings?'

‘Bloody hell, so I have. At that posh new hotel. Well, I can't go to that and keep an eye on the shop.'

‘With all due respect to your stock, Lina, I don't think Chummy really collects antique swords. I think he was after a person. You.'

‘That's supposed to cheer me up, is it?'

‘It means if you activate all those clever alarms the shop should look after itself.'

‘There's an awful lot of road between here and Hastings,' I pointed out.

‘A nice busy A road, mostly. Lots of camera coverage. You'll be all right.'

‘And at the fair?'

‘Plenty of people around. Look, Lina, don't argue. Just get your arse down there, there's a good girl.'

I thought of all the boxes and bags and the cash point thing and . . . ‘Can't be done,' I said. I spoke to thin air.

As I drove into the Mondiale car park, having smashed the speed limit if not the china in the back, the first van I saw was Argentia Antiques'. Well, that might make for an interesting conversation in the ladies' loo. I had to park at the furthest point from the hotel, of course. It would take for ever to shift everything. Before I could even swear, however, I was greeted by a young man who produced an ID and announced himself as DS Valentine Farthing.

‘I'm your muscle,' he said. ‘Known to my friends as Tiny.' As a clincher, he added, ‘DI Morris sent me.'

I didn't argue. If anyone could carry our display cabinet single handed it was DS Farthing. He'd probably have managed it with me sitting on it, actually.

‘You carry in; I'll set up. Just remember to lock the van between journeys.' I tossed him the keys, grabbed one of the boxes and set off as fast as anyone could when she was carrying £5000 worth of china.

I'd just unpacked the last box and tweaked a final spotlight on the display when who should stroll up but Piers, with another little jewel case. An opal ring, this time, with a blaze of diamonds around it.

‘Two and a half K, I should think.' He popped it into the display case alongside the earring and pendant set. ‘
As seen.
What the hell do you mean by that?' he demanded, jabbing a furious finger at the card beneath it. ‘And I asked for more than that!'

‘I haven't had time to clean it and check the settings,' I said, kicking myself for being a coward. ‘What else do you expect me to say? And would you rather I sold it, or had it sitting on the stall for months? See that dealer over there – she's had the same spectacle case on sale for £400 for a year to my knowledge. That tortoiseshell one. I've got a client that would have her hand off if she reduced it to £350. That's a lot of money to have missed out on. And times aren't good, remember.'

He hesitated. I'd not realized until this moment how like a horse he could look when he pinched his lips together.

I unlocked the cabinet. ‘Here, have it back if you think you can do any better.'

Holding the case, he stared at it and then at me. ‘Lina, you're not wearing my ring!' he cried, looking really upset.

One thing I did not want – any more than Nella had done, all those weeks ago – was a scene. I was spared one by my mobile. ‘I've got to take this,' I said, turning away. No need to tell him the caller was Morris.

‘OK, I'm here at the fair. What next?'

‘Are you busy fighting off customers?'

‘Only Piers, so far.'

‘And are you wearing his ring?'

‘I'm not even wearing any make-up yet. Didn't have any breakfast, either.'

‘My heart bleeds. Teach Tiny all you can because you may have to leave the stall this afternoon.' End of call. Just like that.

‘I hope you're a quick learner,' I said to Tiny, who had simply reappeared by the stall, just as Piers' so-called diamonds had reappeared in the display cabinet. How such a large man had managed to be invisible until I'd needed him I don't know. He was like the Cheshire Cat, not the group but in that book my father had given me –
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
.

But he didn't smile. ‘I'm in Mensa, if that helps,' he said.

‘Bloody hell.' Sorry, Griff. ‘In that case, you can probably work out all the price codes for yourself, while I go and apply some slap.' Being a total coward I went back to the van to do it. I really didn't want to face Nella in the loo in waif or stray mode.

‘You look a different woman,' Tiny declared when I returned ten minutes to the second after leaving him.

‘Thanks. And have you broken the code yet?'

‘It's not too hard, is it?'

I shook my head. Even I'd managed to suss it after half an hour. ‘Tell you what,' I said, ‘it's pretty quiet and I didn't have time for breakfast. Do you fancy a sandwich too?' I reached for my purse.

‘On me,' he said, making off before I could even tell him what I wanted. Perhaps it was because Piers was circling.

‘About the ring—' he began.

‘Went clean out of my mind. Griff's staying with Aidan and I'd forgotten I was supposed to be here. God knows how many speed cameras I waved at.' He didn't need to know about the goings-on back in Bredeham.

‘So what was that guy doing here?'

‘He saw me struggling with my stuff and offered to help. He's something to do with security. I spy a punter,' I said, looking over his shoulder.

Tiny arrived back in time for me to demonstrate how to use the electronic card reader for the punter who'd just made the day worthwhile with a single purchase, a framed Rockingham plaque.

‘That was the boyfriend, was it? Piers Hamlyn?'

‘Soon to be ex-boyfriend. Thanks for the sarnie.' Smoked salmon on brown, with a glass of fresh orange juice. ‘Ah, another customer.'

I was busy enough not to have time to worry about either Piers or Morris, but I still felt a weird tension around me. If I'd been a dog I'd have been sniffing the air and kept a growl waiting in my throat. Was it because of Nella? Her stall was at the far end of the suite of rooms we were using, and there was no need for our paths to cross. Arthur Habgood? Yes, he was there, but after our last tiff he was studiously avoiding my eye, which was fine by me. Piers was doing such a poor trade in vivid animals I almost felt sorry for him. But not quite. I should have tackled him about the dodgy diamonds. I should even have dobbed him in to Morris. But I still hoped for another solution.

My phone rang. Tiny was quite capable of holding the fort so I took the call. My father!

‘Your young man's a fraud. Far too young to be Olivia Spedding's nephew – even her great nephew. Popped her clogs years ago: no stamina, those Speddings. In any case, she spent all her dosh on the gee-gees: never wore a diamond in her life. So wherever he's getting his sparklers from, it's not Olivia. So that Piers of yours is a lying bastard.'

I didn't argue with the term, though it still grated.

‘And I know just the way to deal with him. You leave it to me. Though you may have to take me to London,' he added as he cut the call.

You leave it to me.
That was my father speaking?

I was just about to send Tiny off for a lunch break when I saw something that made me grip his arm instead.

‘That good-looking guy there. In the suit.'

‘Over by the stall dealing exclusively in willow pattern? I wouldn't call him good-looking.'

‘Let's not worry about the details. He's Pamela Fielding's husband—'

‘She's the administrator at Bossingham Hall, right?'

‘Hell's bells, you haven't half done your homework. Anyway, he's also close to Lady Petronella Cordingly—'

‘Who runs Argentia Antiques and did her best to get you in the shit. And is fencing a whole lot of silver nicked from your father's place – well, the main house. Oh, didn't Morris tell you? That's why he wanted you here, Lina. To see a nice dramatic arrest or two.'

My legs wobbled. ‘I thought she had immaculate provenance for everything. Ah! There was a rumour someone was buying up loads of old auction catalogues: it must have been her. Things have obviously moved on a bit since I spoke to Morris. Tell.'

He checked that he couldn't be overheard. ‘SOCO – that's the scene of crimes boffins—'

‘Yeah, the white suit brigade.' There was a customer drifting our way, and I didn't want to miss him.

Tiny followed the line of my eyes, and waited with a really queasy smile until the punter had checked the price of whatever had brought him over. ‘SOCO have picked up traces of DNA in your shop that matched the DNA in the van in which your grandfather was attacked. And they match the DNA in the glasses DI Morris found in your father's kitchen.'

‘So you've got Darrenarris?'

‘The
soi-disant
Darrenarris. That means—' He quailed as I gave him the sort of look I wanted to give Morris. How dared he betray my vocab problems to a stranger!

‘So Darrenarris was just the motorist driving while banned—'

‘Nope. Your grandfather got the ID wrong. It was Darrenarris who pushed the van off the road thinking it was time to have words with you. He's a con man used to fleecing old people out of their goodies. Just to make sure he drugs them—'

I might have smacked my head. Instead, I clicked my fingers and pointed. ‘Yes! The champagne that made Lord Elham wet himself. And left his brain even furrier than usual. That date rape drug? Isn't it called Rohypnol?' I patted myself on my back.

Morris would have rewarded me with that nice grin of his. Tiny didn't. ‘He used a variant.'

‘But how did he get my father to trust him?'

‘I'd have thought you'd be the best one to find that out. If you can. Darrenarris's version is that he'd read about that Lord Elham's trust and the spin some of the papers put on it and thought he'd have a go. And your father didn't ask any questions. It's a good job he's got you to keep an eye on him, Lina. Anyway, it seems Darrenarris has been branching out. Which is why we're all here today. To mop up his friends and associates.'

I looked wildly round. What if someone had fingered Titus Oates? Old devil he might be, but he was a mate. I saw not him but Morris, looking so intently at something on a jewellery stall I'd have sworn he wanted to buy it.

‘Tiny, why didn't anyone tell me all this was going on?' I asked with no attempt to sound patient.

‘Police work. We just get on and do things. Especially when people's lives are at risk.'

‘Mrs Hatch? I never even asked—'

‘Not good at all. Touch and go in fact. Darrenarris could be looking at a manslaughter charge. And we shall nail him for it, I promise you. We've got phone records, mobile and landline, CCTV footage – we've been using all the technology available. So all you have to do is sit back and watch the fun. And absolutely no joining in, DI Morris said.'

I stuck my tongue out at his back, only to have him turn round as I did it. He didn't give a flicker of recognition.

‘The only thing is,' Tiny continued, ‘that we thought your stalls might be closer together. If you want to watch, you may have to go and find a colleague to talk to. But not, repeat not, too near Argentia Antiques. Get it?'

I didn't like being treated like a child. The best revenge would be to give him a dose of his own medicine.

I said, very managerial and cold, ‘Tiny, I think that lady's trying to catch your attention. Was it that vase you wanted lifting down?'

He got the message. And made a very good job of apologizing to the customer. So good she didn't even ask our best price, but bought the Moorcroft full price.

Of course I had to wrap it – I couldn't trust him to do that. But at last, her money safely in our account, I left him in charge and drifted towards Argentia Antiques.

There wasn't even a commotion to guide me.

Nella sounded as if being arrested was an everyday event. It was so low key it might have been. Not like the arrests I'd known – not personally – when I was a kid. They involved a lot of running, the sort of language Griff wouldn't have liked even after midnight, and then some violence on both sides. Quite a lot, sometimes.