Page 3 of The Trick of the Treasure
“One never knows where things will turn up unexpectedly,” Constance said, thinking of a recent case. “So there is always hope. When did you last see this treasure with your own eyes?”
“When we placed the chest in the strong room, the evening before last. When I opened the lid yesterday morning, everything had gone save one Spanish doubloon.”
Solomon stirred. “Tell me about your strong room. Does it have windows?”
“No,” Lloyd replied. “All its walls are internal. There is no damage to the room at all, and nothing else in there was taken. Nor had the door lock been forced.”
“A mystery indeed,” Constance murmured, intrigued in spite of her original doubts. “Is there any way someone in your household could have made a copy of your key? Even years ago? What happens to it, for example, when you go off adventuring?”
“It stays locked in the drawer by my bedside,” he admitted. “But I cannot imagine any of my servants would do such a thing.”
“Sadly,” Solomon said, “if your house was not broken into, the members of your household are the likeliest suspects. Perhaps we could speak to them?”
Lloyd’s eyes flickered uneasily. “My wife will not like the servants to be further upset. The police have already interrogated them.”
“Were you present for those interviews?” Constance asked.
“My wife, my son, or myself were always present.”
“Then you and they could probably tell us most of what was said, leaving our own questions to a minimum.”
Lloyd still looked doubtful, but Solomon distracted him by asking casually, “Was this treasure insured?”
“No,” Lloyd said bleakly. “Not yet. Neither my shipping nor home insurance would cover this loss.”
“What did you plan to do with the treasure?” Constance asked.
Lloyd shrugged. “Various things. I meant to keep a few pieces for my own collection, donate some to the British Museum, perhaps, and sell the rest at auction.”
Which would seem to discount any insurance fraud as the motive. Besides, involving private investigators as well as the police was not the act of a man who did not want his treasure found. Her gaze met Solomon’s briefly.
In response to the answer she read there, she opened her desk drawer and took from it a sheet of printed paper on which Silver and Grey’s charges were listed.
“If you still wish to go ahead,” she said, “we require part payment to secure our services and the rest upon completion as agreed by both parties.”
*
As he showedMr. Lloyd to the door, Solomon was not entirely surprised when his new client said confidentially, “Man to man, old fellow, the lady is calling herself your partner. Some people won’t like that, for any number of reasons.”
“But the ladyismy partner,” Solomon said gently. “In the firm and in personal matters, since we are engaged to be married. One has to be strictly honest and transparent in business, I’m sure you will agree.”
Lloyd blinked, accepting his hat from Solomon in a slightly flustered kind of way. “I daresay you know your own business best. Until this afternoon, Mr. Grey.”
“Mr. Lloyd.” Solomon bowed and closed the door behind him.
He hesitated minutely before he turned and walked back to Constance’s office. He had looked forward to greeting her thismorning with a kiss that he hoped would remove any lingering doubts about marrying him. But their early client had been even earlier than expected, and she had been five minutes or so later than normal. Nor had she joined him in the consultation, preferring to see the unexpected Mr. Lloyd.
Was she embarrassed? Or had she changed her mind?
She had moved to the comfortable chairs with her notebook, where she was scribbling something down and did not glance up.
“What was Mr. Mostyn’s problem?” she asked.
“Marital. He wanted us to spy on his wife, whom he suspects of infidelity.”
She stopped writing and looked up, frowning. “Oh dear. I don’t want such a case.”
“Neither do I. He began by saying it was for his wife’s protection, because she had been receiving unwanted and threatening attentions, but the truth soon came out. I said we could not help him and suggested he actually talk to his wife. Which, it transpires, he does very little. He departed somewhat miffed and offended.”
