The de Vere Deception (David Thorne Mysteries Book 1)

by Loy Ray Clemons

  “No reason,” Darver said. “Just curious. I’ll see you there at three o’clock.”

  Thorne sat in the hotel room looking out the window, thinking of his next move. The ruse to get the names of the other men with Darver and Hollister in the castle hadn’t worked.

  This was the reason he had followed Darver to Antwerp in the first place. He had nothing to give Darver, and realized he’d have to try one last ploy to get the names before returning to London. He called back and got Darver on the phone.

  “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Darver, but a family problem has come up and I won’t be able to come to Antwerp this afternoon. Perhaps if you could tell me the name of one of the other partner you’d like to see, I could send him—”

  Darver said sarcastically. “They probably won’t show either. Look, I don’t know who you people are and I’m no longer interested. All of you seem a little flaky to me.” The line went silent.

  Thorne assumed this was confirmation Darver didn’t know the name of any of the participants except Freddie. He dialed the transportation service and asked the driver to bring the car around for the trip to the airport.

  Chapter 36

  STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

  Friday, December 17

  3:30 PM

  Thorne returned to Stratford after the afternoon flight from Antwerp, and stopped by a Chemist’s shop to pick up strong pain pills for the pain in his side. When he arrived at the manor house, he walked straight down the hall to his room without speaking to anyone. As he passed the parlor, he saw Gweneth and Neville Forestal sitting alone by the fire in deep conservation. Their heads were close together, and they were holding hands. Forestal looked up as Thorne passed and smiled.

  Thorne continued down the hall to his room and wondered if the forceful Forestal would be the right person for Gweneth. He was not sure about the man—and about his disapproval of a bookstore and research center in the castle. There would obviously be conflict within the Bada family once he and Gweneth were married. Forestal had played with Freddie, Gilbert and Gweneth when they were children. Other than that, there was little information about his relationship with the Bada family.

  In spite of his concern for Gweneth, he was preoccupied with bigger problems. He had to make a decision about what to do with the necklace. The harassment by Roberts and Kelly concerned him. He knew he had to be prepared for another meeting with the two.

  Once inside his room, he dropped his carry-on bag on the floor next to the bed and turned on the lights. He chuckled as he assessed the bumps and cuts on his head from the blows he had received in recent weeks. He was still sore from the blows to his kidney and ribs he had received from Franco and Tomas. He resolved there would be no more and from here on out, the shoulder holster would be a permanent fixture. He undressed and took a hot shower before laying on the bed and drifting off to sleep.

  A light knock on the door woke him. A woman’s soft voice said, “Dinner will be served in an hour, Mr. Thorne.” Thorne thanked her and said he wouldn’t be there for dinner that evening.

  He switched on the bedside lamp and his eyes went to the Milton volumes on the top shelf. He could not decide what should be done about the necklace. Bada and the others had mentioned nothing about it in all their conversations about the search for the documents. He was also concerned about Freddie’s duplicity? He lay back down on the bed. turned off the lamp. and contemplated what he should do before going back to sleep.

  Thorne had taken the pain pills, but still slept fitfully and was not rested the following morning because of the pain. He was the first to arrive in the castle’s construction office, and sat trying to concentrate as he pored over the plans for the addition to the castle.

  As he sat at his desk in the Great Hall, staring at the fire flickering in the large fireplace, he was preoccupied with conflicting thoughts about Freddie.

  Neville Forestal came bounding in, all energy and goodwill. “Hello, Mr. Thorne. Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

  Thorne gave him a wan smile. “Good morning, Mr. Forestal.”

  Raskin came next, followed by Blackstone, Kirk-Halstrom, and the Clerk of Works.

  Raskin took Thorne aside and said gravely, “Freddie’s at hospital. He had an accident yesterday in the queen’s Keep. Evidently, a pallet fell from the upper floor while he was working at the large table on the ground floor of the Keep. He has internal injuries, and the doctors don’t expect him to live.”

  Thorne and Raskin left the others and went down the hall to Thorne’s small office. Raskin looked back up the hall to see if they were alone. He closed the door behind him. “An inspector from the police has been questioning anyone who may know anything about the incident. He’ll be out here today and will want to talk to you.” He paused before continuing. “Where were you the past two days?”

  “I went down to London the day before yesterday and shopped for jewelry for a friend back in the states. Didn’t Gil tell you?” Not knowing whom to trust, he omitted revealing his trip to Antwerp. “I came back yesterday afternoon.”

  Raskin frowned as he left the office. “I don’t know what’s going on with this inspector. Just be prepared for questions from him.”

  Thorne closed the door and went to his desk. He was glad he had used his real name on the flight and at the hotels in Antwerp. He began to search the Internet for the names of jewelry stores in London and Antwerp, just in case he was asked where he had shopped.

  Just before noon, there was a light knock on the door. He opened it to find a compact man in a well-worn, all-weather Burberry and a felt hat. The man showed him a badge and said, “Mr. Thorne is it? I’m Inspector Colin Hammersmith. May I come in and speak with you?”

  His well-worn trench coat and gray felt hat, identified Inspector Hammersmith as a typical public servant. His blank face had a protruding chin with yesterday’s stubble, and quiet eyes that surveyed the office from under the brim of his hat. He was of average height, but powerfully built, and his demeanor was one of quiet confidence without emotion.

  Thorne looked into the deceptively quiet eyes and knew this reserved, unobtrusive man was anything but a blank face. He was dead serious and would leave few stones unturned. Thorne waved him to a chair in front of the small desk.

  Hammersmith removed his hat and coat and looked around the office. “Small rooms these,” he said. “Not a great deal of room to work in.”

  Thorne smiled, trying to appear relaxed. “I find it sufficient. What can I do for you Inspector?”

  “Just a few questions if I may, Sir. You weren’t around when I came by yesterday.”

  Thorne shrugged before repeating as much as possible the same thing he’d told Raskin. “I went on holiday down to London for a couple of days. I was shopping for jewelry for a friend.”

  Knowing his whereabouts the past two days could be checked, and he casually added the information about the trip to Antwerp.

  He mentioned Harrods and said, “One of the clerks I spoke to suggested I could find great bargains in diamonds across the channel in Antwerp. I had never been there, so I took a quick flight over.“

  “How long were you in Antwerp?”

  “Just overnight. I came back yesterday afternoon.”

  “I suppose you’ve been told Mr. Frederick Hollister was critically injured yesterday?”

  “Yes, Mr. Raskin told me when he came in this morning.”

  Hammersmith quickly switched back to his questions. “Where did you stay when you were in Antwerp?”

  Knowing the Inspector could track his every move, Thorne told him about checking into the Hotel Julien and how he thought he might have been followed by muggers. He told Hammersmith about feeling uncomfortable in the Hotel Julien and changing to lodgings at The Edgarton Arms, where he spent the night. He told of catching an afternoon flight back to London and returning to Stratford after having an early dinner in London. Hammersmith took notes as Thorne spoke, nodding all the while in agreement with his story.

&nb
sp; “What airline—that is, what flight did you return on.”

  “I returned on British Airways. I’m not sure of the flight number, but we arrived in London shortly after one o’clock.”

  Hammersmith looked at his watch. “I have business to attend to. Could I see you again this afternoon, after lunch perhaps?”

  “Of course. I’ll have lunch here and make myself available. Do you have a specific time you’d like to talk to me?”

  “I’ll try to call the office here and let you know.”

  Chapter 37

  After Inspector Hammersmith left, Thorne went in search of Raskin. He found him in the Great Hall deep in conversation with Kirk-Halstrom and Blackstone while the others discussed inspection reports on the demolition of portions of the stone wall. Forestal was explaining the town’s requirements for record keeping procedures to the Clerk of Works as Thorne entered. Forestal nodded recognition as he and the Clerk went outside to get reports from the demolition contractor.

  Kirk-Halstrom turned to Thorne and said, “I understand you went down to London the day before yesterday and returned yesterday afternoon.” His tone was more of a statement than an inquiry.

  “Yes, I saw a break in the demolition work and I took a couple of days off to buy presents for a friend.”

  Bada stood amid the others and said, “Mr. Thorne, this thing with Freddie is disturbing. I think we all need to talk about the situation. Is there a room close by where we can discuss things?”

  Thorne noticed it was no longer David, but Mr. Thorne. Thorne motioned for the four men to follow, and they went down the corridor to Rainier’s office.

  Once inside the office Thorne said, “We can use this office. Rainier’s out of the country. He left unexpectedly after the meeting and said he won’t be back until next week.”

  Bada sat behind Rainier’s desk, Thorne, Raskin, and Blackstone took chairs, and Kirk-Halstrom went to a far wall, shaking his head. He folded and unfolded his hands. “I don’t understand what’s going on here. What about the rest of you?”

  Blackstone lit a cigarette and repeated Kirk-Halstrom’s previous question. “Where have you been the past two days, Thorne?”

  Thorne said, “I was down to London. I heard about Freddie’s accident this morning. Does anyone know what happened?”

  Raskin shrugged. “It’s too early to tell, and Freddie goes in and out of consciousness. It’s difficult to get information from him as to what happened. I think we have to make a determination as to how we’re going to proceed with the search.” He turned to Thorne. “Have you had any other success in your search?”

  “No,” said Thorne. He noted Raskin’s use of the word ‘other’. Did he know there might be something else hidden besides the documents?

  Bada had been silent, but now spoke. “Gentlemen, I’m not completely assured there is a document as described in the Moldar letter. The wording—at least to me—was ambiguous. The terms our treasure and poesies could have meant any number of things. We’ve also been unable to find any records of Richard Moldar’s business dealings.”

  Thorne noted he had said, treasure, not treasures as shown in Moldar’s letter.

  Blackstone began to pace. “I disagree. The letter specifically speaks to the poesies. There are a number of plaques on the landings going up to the Keep. All represent animals, plants, or personages of one kind or the other. There are probably more located in the castle.”

  He turned to Raskin, then to Bada. “You will recall that when we looked at the plaques, the only one that might even come close to resembling poesies—the bouquet—is the one at the first landing”

  Thorne reflected on what Blackstone had just said. The man had been aware of the poesies plaque. He had not looked at it with Thorne, and this was the first time he had mentioned it to Thorne. It appeared Raskin, Bada, and Kirk-Halstrom, may have been aware of it, too.

  “In any case, we’re not making any headway,” Bada said.

  He turned to Thorne. “David, do you—can you—think of any place we haven’t looked, short of tearing down the entire castle?”

  “No,” Thorne said, pleased Bada had returned to calling him David. “My opinion is Moldar would have hidden the documents where they were easily accessible. He might need to get to them in a hurry. A place that might not require a lot of effort and demolition.”

  Kirk-Halstrom was sarcastic. “I wonder how hard you’re looking, Thorne. We’re faced here with a major problem, and you’re running down to London when you’re needed here most.”

  Raskin broke in and said softly, “Now, now, Lionel, I think we have to realize Mr. Thorne hasn’t had a break since he’s been here, and he had no idea such a tragedy would occur. Freddie’s accident was just an unfortunate anomaly.”

  Blackstone dropped his cigarette on the floor and ground it out with his shoe. “I propose we terminate Thorne’s contract. It appears he’s of no use to us here now.”

  Chapter 38

  The room fell silent, and a chair scraped the stone floor.

  “What about it, David?” Bada asked, trying to diffuse the tension in the room by momentarily ignoring Blackstone’s stunning proposal. “Do you think you can still find the documents?”

  Thorne struggled to keep his composure. “I think we have to examine every area in a thorough manner before we sign off on it. That’s what I’m doing now.” He stared at Blackstone before adding in a sarcastic manner, “Maybe you have suggestions, Sir.”

  Blackstone cleared his throat and said, “We retained you over a month ago and—well, I don’t see any results that would justify your continuing on this—”

  Raskin said, “I don’t think we have to make any hasty judgments here . . . What are your thoughts, Mr. Thorne?” Raskin, Blackstone, and Kirk-Halstrom were all looking at him, waiting for him to respond. Bada was looking down and rubbing his palms together.

  “I don’t know what you expect of me,” Thorne said to no one in particular. “I don’t feel I have to make excuses. After all, we have a large facility to examine. I’m not even a quarter of the way through the entire building. As I’ve said, I’m following a strict procedure and keeping track of where I’ve searched. There could well be another poesies representation in the castle. We just haven’t reached that area yet.”

  Bada asked, “How much longer before you complete the search, David?”

  Thorne shrugged. “I’m still working on the second floor of the castle proper. I’ve yet to investigate the Keep in detail except to examine the rubbings of the plaques. As I’ve said, most of the rubbings of the plaques were faint.”

  Raskin turned to Bada. “What do you think, Gil? “Do you think Freddie may have found the documents?”

  Bada shook his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t ask him about anything in the ambulance on the way to hospital. He was incoherent and in and out of consciousness at the time due to the sedatives. The hospital has confirmed he still is.”

  Thorne’s cell phone rang, and he ignored it. Bada said, “That’s all right, David. Why don’t you take your call.”

  The voice on the other end was the Clerk of Works. He said, “Sorry to bother you, Mr. Thorne, but Inspector Hammersmith is back and would like to speak with you in your office.”

  Thorne stood and said, “That’s the Inspector investigating Freddie’s accident. Could you excuse me for a few minutes?” He turned at the door and said, “I think all of you need to decide what you want to do.”

  The inspector was waiting outside the door to Thorne’s office. He said, “I’m sorry to bother you again so soon. I know I said I would come back this afternoon, but I realize I have to do other things first. Do you mind? I have some things I need to ask you.”

  Chapter 39

  Once inside the office, Thorne invited Hammersmith to sit as he busied himself straightening paper on his desk while trying to think of why the Inspector had returned so quickly. He knew the man had done what most detectives would do when given information by a suspe
ct. They would check out the information as soon as possible. Obviously, Hammersmith had unearthed the information he needed.

  Hammersmith took out his notebook and looked at it. “Mr. Thorne, you recall you said you flew over to Antwerp in the afternoon. The flight on Brussels Airlines left at 5:30 P.M. That would be from Gatwick. You returned from Antwerp the following day around midday on British Airways. However—” He looked up from his notebook and wrinkled his brow. ”There were no British Airway flights from Antwerp to Gatwick after ten o’clock in the morning that particular day. How do you explain that?”

  Thorne shrugged and said, “All I know is I left London from Gatwick in the afternoon, and I returned around midday the following day to Heathrow. Then I caught a shuttle from Heathrow over to Gatwick and picked up the car I had parked there the previous day.

  “Oh,” said Hammersmith, “I had thought you would have returned to Gatwick. Your return flight brought you to Heathrow then?”

  “That’s correct.”

  Thorne suppressed a smile. He knew Hammersmith knew the flight had returned to Heathrow Airport. He had probably checked all the flights to and from Antwerp both days at both airports. It was just a ploy to try and trip up a possible suspect. Sharp—a sharp investigator.

  Hammersmith sat back in his chair and smiled pleasantly. “Mr. Thorne, I have to be honest with you. I’ve checked your story thoroughly, and I feel you didn’t have anything to do with Mr. Hollister’s accident. I’ve asked around and it appears you and Mr. Hollister had a cordial relationship.”

  He arose from the chair and stood in front of the desk, looking down at Thorne. “That said, I wonder if you might help me. Could you come with me to the Keep?”

  “Of course, if you think I could help, I’d be glad to.