“I’m sorry,” said Kingston. “I just had a mental picture. By this time, of course, the real bowl had been taken out of the temple, replaced with the fake one that I’d found at Jenkins’s house.”
“That’s right.”
“If Bell had somehow managed to pull it off, that would have been some surprise when he found out that he’d swapped a fake for another fake.”
Sheffield smiled back. “I’d like to have witnessed that.”
“Me, too.”
Sheffield continued. “So when the Tibetan arrived in En gland, the three met at the Marriott, Heathrow to give the bowl to the guide and go over the plan.”
“Bell took Sally, although she’d already refused to cooperate?” Sheffield nodded. “He was afraid she might do a bunk. She claims that by this time, Bell was concerned about leaving her alone at the house in Wales. She said that he’d become paranoid and abusive, and didn’t trust her. He was holding her there against her will and she was starting to fear for her life.”
“Having met him the one time, I can see that he’s someone you wouldn’t want to mess with if he were crossed.”
Sheffield glanced at his watch. “Time for one more, Lawrence?”
“Fine. Let me do the honors.” Kingston picked up their empty glasses. “What were you drinking?”
“ESB draft, thanks.”
Kingston left for the bar and was back in a couple of minutes, gently lowering the beer glasses to the table.
Kingston took a sip of Pride. “You were saying that the three met at the Marriott.”
“Right. During the day they were there, Sally managed to spend time alone with the Tibetan, in the hotel bar—he spoke passable English, by the way. Without telling him that she was Peter Mayhew’s sister, she quizzed him about what had happened on the day the man was killed in the fall. He’d had a couple of drinks and was talkative. He said that early on the morning of the accident, he’d seen the other guide put something into the man’s tea. When he’d confronted the guide later, asking what it was, the man said he didn’t know, that Bell had paid him to do it. The Tibetan said he was scared of Bell so didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to be part of it. That’s why he vanished soon after it happened.”
“And all along we’d concluded it was an accident.”
Sheffield nodded, hoisting his glass again.
“Has there been any news from China? I mean, the fake bowl is still in the temple, I take it?”
“As far as I know, yes. We’ve heard nothing to the contrary.”
A brief silence followed, then Kingston spoke again.
“Tell me about Hobbs. Given everything we know, I’m guessing that Bell’s fingerprints were on his murder, too. Bell no doubt put him up to murder Jenkins.”
“Up until yesterday, that had been a question mark. There’d been little or no evidence to implicate Bell in Hobbs’s death. But something that Sally said tends to suggest that he could have had a good motive.”
“Really?”
“She said that one evening she’d eavesdropped on a phone conversation that Bell had had with a man named Hobbs. He’d dropped Hobbs’s name twice, she said. They were having a heated argument and the man was threatening Bell. Obviously, she didn’t know with what.”
“One would think that with his brother arrested, and your chaps breathing down his neck, Hobbs might be starting to panic. Could be that Bell had stiffed him, and Hobbs was demanding payment for his services—eliminating Jenkins.”
“I doubt we’ll ever know.” Sheffield shook his head. “Your theory’s as good as any.”
Kingston sighed. “All in the name of roses.”
“What?”
“Well, one could argue that was the original purpose of the expedition. None of this would have happened were it not for them.”
“That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.” Sheffield lifted his glass, holding it up in front of him. “Lawrence,” he said, pausing, “in addition to bringing you up to speed with Sally Mayhew’s confession, there was another reason I wanted to see you.”
Kingston watched the inspector take another gulp of beer, wondering just what that reason might be. With his beer glass still held aloft, Sheffield continued. “I’d like to offer not only my sincere thanks for everything you’ve done to help solve the case, but also that of the department. Your contribution has been invaluable—I really mean that. Lord knows how or where you acquired this knack for crime solving, but I must confess you’ve become damned good at it. Just one thing, though,” he said, smiling. “Like Robbie Carmichael in Hampshire cautioned you—with any future investigations, please try to steer clear of Thames Valley.”
“That’s a promise.” Kingston raised his glass, clinking it in a toast with Sheffield’s. “Your words are deeply appreciated.”
Five minutes later, in a steady rain, Sheffield’s cab splashed up to the curb in front of the Antelope. He and Kingston were waiting in the shelter of the door.
“Perhaps you would do something for me,” said Kingston before Sheffield could make a dash to the cab.
“Sure.”
“When you next talk to Sally, would you please tell her that I’m thinking of her? Now that I know what really happened, I understand better why she did what she did. If it’s permissible and providing she wants to, of course, I would be happy to visit her.”
“I’ll tell her,” Sheffield replied with a wink.
They shook hands. “Take care, Lawrence,” he said. “We never predict how these things might turn out—that’s not our job. But just between you, me, and the gatepost, with a good barrister, I don’t think Sally will spend a long time in jail.”
Kingston watched the cab disappear into the Kings Road, then went back into the warmth of the pub. He felt especially good. A double Macallan was called for.
EPILOGUE
Ten days later, Chelsea
Turning his key in the front door, Kingston heard the phone ringing. He reached the living room just in time to hear the answering machine kick in: “Inspector Sheffield. Sorry I missed you, Doctor. Thought you might like to know we got a call yesterday from the Chinese police in Lijiang. A couple of days ago they apprehended Tenzin Choden, a Tibetan national, attempting to switch the temple bowl. Well, I guess that just about wraps things up in a neat bow, you might say. Give me a call sometime— perhaps before you start on your next case.” A chuckle followed.
Table of Contents
TITLE
COPYRIGHT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AUTHOR’S NOTE ON SOURCES
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
EPILOGUE
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EG04 - The Trail of the Wild Rose Page 27