A Conundrum

by P. J. Peacock

  Meredith predictably reacted angrily, ‘How dare you refer to something that is none of your business something that happened before you were even born.’

  ‘I agree, it’s not really my business, except where it impacts on what’s been happening here. Those two books, valuable as they are, are still a mystery. As I said before, they should have been part of the family archives, but they’re not and never have been. They both relate to a period in the family history. That’s a little obscure, so we’, he indicated Martin with a sweep of his hand, ‘believe there is another player. We don’t know when or how they came into James’s possession, and if they have anything to do with the smuggling. I suspect not. We do know how and why James was killed, but we don’t know yet who ordered it. Hopefully, Mikael will supply some of the details about that contract.’

  He looked across at Martin who took up the tale. ‘George and Edmondo knew about those two antique books, and Gabe and I suspect that’s why they were here in Australia, and why they hired Kamila and her lethal husband to steal them. But we don’t have any concrete evidence. All we have are suspicions. Gabriel has to put some more pressure on Kamila. We’re convinced she knows more than she’s saying, as usual. The Family have ruthless rivals, some dating back centuries, and the rivalry is not restricted to financial matters. Our family have secrets that must be kept, but at the same time, we will continue to work with Inspector Campbell to discover who murdered George. Those deaths were on Australian soil, so Campbell won’t let it go. I don’t think he’s entirely happy with either of us at the moment.’

  Gabriel resumed, ‘There are some interesting side issues with the drug smuggling that Campbell is still worrying about. Those two thugs of Damian’s are not part of the Mikael smuggling racket, they’re part of an entirely separate entity. They’re more interested in producing designer drugs, while Mikael and company are strictly involved with heroin.’ He looked around the room. ‘Your set up here supplying flowers all over the world has been recognised as a perfect opportunity for smuggling, which we now know about. Damian, being on hand to manufacture drugs, is something else entirely.’ He settled deeper into the couch and pulled Bede closer against his side.

  Damian snarled, ‘It seems I’ve been targeted as a baddy who can be persuaded to sink to any depth of depravity with a little strong arm stuff or blackmail.’

  Hera grinned across at him, ‘Welcome to the family, cuz.’

  A thoughtful silence fell on the room as they all individually contemplated that last statement.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Gabriel Muses

  The next evening, Gabriel was again sitting in the library, idly turning the pages of the Book of Letters. There was a mystery here, and he had missed something. Having Kamila and Jakub actually steal the books spoke of desperation. George would never allow himself to appear desperate. He was the ultimate sophisticated debonair thief. He grinned to himself. Yes, thief was the defining word to describe George, but he wasn’t a fool, he was clever and devious. There must be a connection between the books other than what he had already observed.

  Turning to the beautiful Book of Illustrations, he allowed his mind to drift, to just appreciate the illustrations themselves. The colours were so vibrant even though the book was so very old. He fingered the paper, handmade stiff, almost like cardboard heavier than the 300 grams of watercolour paper Meredith had been painting on.

  Meredith explained to him the basics of botanical illustration. Why, in those early years, it had been important to have an understanding of plant morphology and access to specimens and detailed references. The family had taken their gypsy heritage and understanding of the medicinal properties of various plants, and turned themselves into herbalists, healers, and finally, magicians, so the legend went.

  By the eighteenth century, the printing processes had improved immensely, and it was possible to buy illustrated books on herbs. But this book was a personal reference book. The illustrations were not of beautiful roses, although there were a couple. The plants depicted were mainly herbs, medicinal herbs, detailed in every aspect from seeds through to flowering, making recognition easy. This book was an invaluable and specific reference book for someone and probably painted by the herbalist herself. Continuing to carefully turn the pages, he mused. The value of the book probably wasn’t the age itself, but the illustrations and what they represented.

  But how and why did James have these books, and how had he acquired them? Both Christies and Sotheby’s in London had confirmed the books had not been auctioned there. He was now waiting for a response from Christies in Paris where James was also well known. It had been an expensive undertaking on George’s part to try to steal them. Maybe he should try talking to Jakub again. He had no hope of getting any sense out of Kamila, it seemed.

  Leaning back in the chair, he mused. Maybe he was looking in the wrong place. Perhaps it was Edmondo who had been the initial target, and George had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Edmondo was a small time crook, mostly. Perhaps, he should have more intensive investigations started into his background. What did he personally know about Edmondo? He was younger than George by about fifteen years, so it was a mystery why they spent so much time together. He appeared to be Italian, but he would confirm that with Campbell tomorrow. He and George had a strong connection to Lucien, as had Justin; they’d been partners in various schemes for years. Lucien was a bit of a mystery and always had been. His origins obscure and his source of income debatable.

  Pushing back in the chair, he glanced at his watch. It was almost 1.30 a.m., so a couple of quick phone calls to his agents in London and Paris and he could join Bede in bed, while he waited for replies. He flowed to his feet, and stretched his arms above his head, then leaned back stretching the muscles in his back. With his lips curving in a slow smile, he contemplated the thought of her lying warm and relaxed, while he woke her gently. That was one very positive outcome of the last few weeks.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Bloody Dreams Again

  He woke suddenly. The dream had been vivid, George running from an unseen pursuer, fear etched clearly across his face, and himself chasing the two fleeing figures. He wiped the perspiration from his face and tried to calm his racing heart. Had they both been fleeing from him, or had he been trying to save George from the one following him? He shook his head trying to recapture the essence of the dream.

  Beside him, Bede stirred, mumbling in that delightful way she had when woken suddenly from sleep. He leaned down and nuzzling her neck, murmured, ‘It’s okay, just a dream. Go back to sleep.’

  ‘No such thing as just a dream in my book, want to talk about it?’ Her voice was still slurred from sleep.

  ‘No, I’ll wait. It’s probably an extension of my trying to sort out why someone would want to murder George. In fact, why someone would actually arrange a contract on him, and why neither Martin nor I heard about it? Damn, it’s what we do. Collect lots of miscellaneous information about anything to do with anyone connected to the family. That bit of information should have come to either of us immediately.’

  Bede sat up, pulling the sheet up around her shoulders. ‘George was a crook, right? He had to have people pissed at him. I can’t see how you could possibly be aware of everyone that had a major grudge against him.’

  ‘Right, but he’s gone to the trouble of arranging for the theft of those two books. It has to be connected to family somehow.’

  ‘Okay, so who else would be interested? We’ve proved there is no way they can destabilise Laurent’s position, so what else could they prove? It would be interesting to know who actually sold them, or even who owned them. That might explain a few things. Over the years, Laurent had managed to collect a huge number of books detailing the family’s beginnings. I’m surprised he wasn’t aware of them.’

  ‘Yes, that’s the most intriguing part about the books.’ A slow smile curved
his lips, as he reached for her, drawing her into his arms. ‘My pet, you are the perfect partner. Who else would wake at 3 a.m. happy to be involved in a discussion of murder and possible blackmail?’

  She grinned. ‘Um, can’t answer that one, but is it possible James bought the books privately? Why he would do that, I have no idea, but it seems feasible.’

  ‘Yes, but that makes tracing them even more difficult. I’ll wait to hear from Paris before starting down that path. In the meantime, seeing that we’re awake, I can suggest a way we could pass the time.’

  Raising her eyebrows slightly, she slid back down in the bed and grinned up at him. ‘What did you have in mind?’

  Chapter Forty

  Surprise

  ‘Well, well, well,’ all eyes turned to Gabriel, sitting comfortably in a chair at the end of the breakfast table. He had his laptop open, checking e-mails while drinking yet another cup of coffee.

  ‘Don’t keep it to yourself, we’re all here.’

  Gabriel grinned across at Martin, ‘An e-mail from Harvey in Paris. It seems that Christie’s has no record of the books being sold to James or anyone else, but there is a record of a valuation done on an eighteenth century book styled A Collection of Letters, and another done at the same time styled Illustrated Collection of Botanical Drawings the valuation was done twenty-five years ago. The books were valued for insurance purposes by one Lucien Bubna-Litic. According to the records, the books were part of a very valuable inheritance he received on his father’s death. There was also a lot of antique furniture, paintings, and jewellery. Apparently, he also inherited several properties.’ He looked up from the computer and said, with raised eyebrows, ‘We have another suspect it seems.’

  Martin scowled. ‘Bloody George, he stole the books from Lucien, but when and just how did James come to have them?’

  Gabriel pulled at his hair in frustration, as he reread the report. Christ, he thought, could George possibly have stolen them from Lucien and then sold them to James? What a thought, but he doubted that James would have bought anything from George.

  They needed to contact Lucien, but maybe he should ring Bede’s friend, Alain, first. Was there a link between the Caruso-Kern and Bubna-Litic families?

  Martin now grinned. ‘You realise what this means. If there is a legitimate link between the two families going back hundreds of years?’

  Meredith spoke crisply, ‘Yes, but it doesn’t seem to get us any nearer to knowing who killed George, does it?’ She turned to Justin. ‘You knew Lucien better than I did, and the three of you were inseparable at one time. Did you ever suspect any connection?’

  ‘No, I didn’t. Lucien never suggested such a thing at any time, and if George stole the books, which is starting to look as if he did, how did he find out?’

  ‘Well’, Martin thoughtful again, ‘the most obvious is that Lucien himself told him. But the not so obvious is that George, being George, liked the look of the books while browsing and helped himself. Lucien may not even be aware that they’re missing.’

  ‘Lucien would not have shown the books to George without showing me first. And as you pointed out, Gabriel, if the connection is legitimate, there’s the possibility for a huge amount of money involved.’ Justin got up from the table and stormed around the room. ‘Someone should have done something about George years ago.’

  Hera glanced across at Bede, shrugged, then turned to Meredith. ‘I don’t understand what the problem is, and I thought we decided the books weren’t nearly valuable enough.’

  Meredith was leaning tiredly back in her chair and looked at Hera, Bede, and Damian’s puzzled faces. ‘The books themselves don’t matter really. It’s the implication.’ She raised her eyebrows at Justin, still pacing. ‘Perhaps you would like to explain to these three.’

  Justin snarled.

  Bede’s face broke into a grin. ‘Was that a snarl I heard? Surely the very controlled Justin would never snarl.’

  Justin pulled his shoulders back, straightened his back, and took several deep breaths to control his rage. He finally moved quietly across to the table and sat back down. ‘The implication of a legitimate claim on the Family dating back for so long has the potential to bankrupt the family depending on where exactly the connection started, and in which branch of the family.’

  Justin held up his hand to stop the immediate flood of questions from the three cousins. ‘The way the financials were set up in the early days, and have never been substantially changed, is this. Each family has a pro rata percentage share in the profits of the company or companies, depending on which branch of the family they belong to. For instance, the original founding family gets a much larger percentage than one of the smaller offshoots.’

  Martin and Gabriel were sitting quietly, both very serious and pale.

  Justin’s quiet statement had stunned Bede. She gasped, and turning to Meredith, blurted, ‘This would explain everything even James’s death could be seen in this light.’

  Gabe interrupted quietly. ‘Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. I admit that’s what it looks like at the moment, but we need more information. I won’t make the mistake of assuming anything based on insufficient evidence. I did that once before, never again.’ He continued. ‘Firstly, we need the information about how James got hold of the books and when. He obviously didn’t buy them in his usual manner, so we need to check his credit card statements, bank transfers, etc. Secondly, someone needs to talk to Lucien, probably you Justin.’ He looked intensely at each person in the room. ‘And thirdly, we need to be very careful about what we say and do in the next few days. Take care with phone calls, particularly on mobiles, and even your e-mails. Martin and I will arrange to talk to Alain and get him to continue with his very discreet investigation.’

  Bede grabbed Gabriel’s hand and gazed intently into his eyes. He simply nodded, while giving her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘I’ll check his credit card statements. Thankfully, they tediously go back over several years.’ Then swinging around, Bede walked purposely out of the room.

  Hera grabbed Damian’s hand, and pulling him to his feet, said, ‘Come on, I’ll explain it to you, as you’re looking confused. We can look carefully through the last couple of years’ tax invoices. James always kept everything.’

  ‘Meredith’, Gabriel said, ‘I suggest you speak to those three witches in Paris carefully. Justin, you ring Lucien, and Martin, you come with me while I talk to Alain.’

  All was silent in the room after everyone left. Pete stepped quietly into the room through the French doors. ‘Well, well, well. Gabriel’s a clever bugger.’

  Much later that day, Bede rushed excitedly into the room where Gabriel was again on the phone. ‘I think I’ve found it,’ she shouted, skipping across the room, and throwing herself onto Gabe’s lap. ‘Look,’ she thrust an American Express statement under his nose.

  ‘I’ll call you back,’ Gabe said into the phone, while his arms shot around her. ‘What have you found?’

  They both looked at the two entries Bede had highlighted. ‘This is a small, but exclusive. Meaning, expensive antique bookshop in London. I’ve been there with Dad. See, these could be the books and he bought them twelve months ago in separate transactions, three days apart. It’s still a mystery, but we can phone and get the details.’

  Gabriel took the statements from her, holding her tightly across his lap. ‘Bede, we’re finally getting somewhere.’

  Her shout had alerted everyone in the house, and they all crowded into the room.

  ‘Reports, please.’ Gabe looked first at Justin.

  ‘Okay, I’ll go first. Lucien not only remembers the books, but was aware that George had stolen them.’ He held up his hands for silence, and then continued. ‘James contacted him about three weeks before his death, told him he had the books, but asked him not to confront George because this time, George had gone too far, and the Family
would deal with him. That’s all he knew. But he also assured me, I might add with much laughter, there is no connection between the two families. His grandfather told him the story behind the books, which are valuable, but not enough to cause a murder.’

  Hera snorted, ‘Well, continue. What’s the story?’

  ‘It seems the books were stolen centuries ago, but Lucien’s ancestor, who he admits was a larcenous sot, stole the books then kept them because he liked them. Simple. They’ve been in Lucien’s family ever since. A sort of in-family joke against the very wealthy Caruso-Kerns,’ he shrugged.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Meredith Drops a Bombshell

  ‘Now, I’ll continue,’ Meredith spoke quietly. ‘There’s something you should all know. I thought that we could keep it quiet, but Gabriel, you’ve suspected for a long time.’ She gazed at him thoughtfully. ‘This must stay in this room because it does affect all of us. The contract for George’s death was arrange by Marina and me with help from Josephine and Mette.’

  There was a collective gasp, and Pete once again stepped through the French doors. ‘I know you’re aware I was listening, Gabe, I have a confession to make as well. Josephine is my aunt, and I actually arranged the contract, but I arranged it here. We didn’t want the family to be implicated at all. George was desperate to recover the books because I let him think that he had Lucien after him and Laurent as well. Laurent had given him a final warning a while ago, and he thought he was about to be cut off from the family totally. That’s what brought him to Australia, and why he contracted the Czech couple. I won’t go into specifics, but George was blackmailing both Josephine and Marina. It was something that happened many years ago, and had nothing to do with the family. You knew they were spying for France for years. They knew it had to be George, and I confirmed it quite recently.