Page 38 of The Hallmarked Man
‘Well, you see… they’d tried to make the killing look… Truman said it would mean more trouble for me. I saw his point. Considerate of him. I liked Truman, he was the only one who seemed interested in getting our silver back, but then he was taken off the case. We weren’t told why, nobody told us anything… I’m a big supporter of the police, very difficult job, but I haven’t been at all impressed with the lot we’ve had handling this business,’ said Ramsay resentfully. ‘Not since Truman left.’
‘Was the corpse wearing something masonic?’
Robin watched Ramsay’s weakening faith in the police do battle with his desire to assist the detectives he seemed to see as a last hope.
‘Yes,’ said Ramsay weakly, at last. ‘A masonic sash. I can’t remember which one. When they turned him over, I wasn’t… concentrating on the sash. The eyes and ears had been – Pamela screamed…’
Ramsay’s voice faded away.
‘All right, I think we’ve seen enough down here,’ said Strike. ‘Would you mind if I use your bathroom?’
‘No, of course not,’ said Ramsay, closing the vault door with what looked like relief. ‘Shall we?’ Ramsay said to Robin, who smiled, and the two of them climbed the stairs again. Once they’d disappeared, Strike, who had no need whatsoever of the bathroom, advanced on the keypad beside the safe to examine it more closely.
Upstairs, Ramsay beckoned Robin to one of the two chairs facing his desk, on which a computer sat.
‘Truman said it would be playing into the killers’ hands to talk upthe sash and the hallmark,’ he said, sitting down opposite her. ‘It was obvious misdirection. He knew people can be silly about the masons…’
Unsurprisingly, being asked to describe the body seemed to have upset Ramsay.
‘I don’t know whether your partner told you,’ he added, as he fiddled with his cufflinks, ‘but it’s been a very difficult time for my wife and me – dreadful, actually – and then to lose all the Murdoch silver, when we weren’t insured… we’ve had a horrible couple of years, everything’s been… just hellish, actually. It’s been hellish.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Robin, remembering the jet ski and the dead son. Ramsay blinked rapidly. With no aim other than distracting him a little, Robin looked towards the nearest glass cabinet, which was full of small silver trinkets, and said,
‘You’ve got some lovely things.’
‘Oh yes,’ said Ramsay, brightening, ‘and very affordable!’
To Robin’s consternation, he jumped to his feet again, pulled his white gloves back on, and proceeded to unlock the cabinet.
‘Nice little pocket watch,’ he said, holding it out to her in his cotton-covered palm. ‘Sterling, not plate! Triangular, of course. Masonic symbols instead of numbers, you see? More of a man’s piece, of course,’ he said, when Robin showed no sign of enthusiasm. ‘For the ladies – you’ll like this—’
He picked up a small silver orb charm, and flicked a catch, so that it transformed into a jointed cross.
‘Nice, eh?’ he said. ‘And again, you’ve got your masonic symbols, hidden inside.’
‘Very pretty,’ said Robin.
‘You should drop a hint to—’
Ramsay’s eyes flickered to her bare ring finger.
‘—or just treat yourself. For Christmas.’
To Robin’s relief, Strike now reappeared, his face somewhat contorted. The stairs were steep and his stump still complaining, post-Cornwall.
‘I could do you a good deal,’ said Ramsay, smiling anxiously at Robin.
‘Maybe another time,’ she said, embarrassed.
Ramsay locked up the cabinet with obvious reluctance, returned to his seat behind the desk, and rummaged in the desk drawer for a glossy auction catalogue.
‘I’ve circled everything I bought,’ he told Strike, as the latter sat down next to Robin. ‘So you know what you’re looking for.’
‘Great,’ said Strike, taking the catalogue. The cover read:The A. H. Murdoch Collectionand featured a sword and a large silver ship on wheels.
‘Would that be a nef?’ asked Strike.
‘Ah, you know your silver!’ said Ramsay eagerly. ‘Yes, she was commissioned by Murdoch out of silver from his own mine – second largest in Peru, discovered in 1827 – and modelled on theCarolina Merchant, the ship that took the first ever Freemason to America. We were all delighted his great-grandson wanted to hold the auction here in London, rather than in the US…’
