The Stone Wife
- Автор: Ловси Питер
- Серия: Peter Diamond #14
- Год: 2014
- Язык: английский
- Год: Sphere
- ISBN: 978-0-7515-5405-2
- Жанр: Полицейские детективы
Электронная книга - «The Stone Wife». Краткое содержание книги:
‘Do they often seem nervous, his visitors?’
‘Now you mention it, they do. A man who came one day last month asked if he could use the toilet as soon as he came through the door. He almost pushed me over, he was in such a hurry. I never discovered what his name was. As a rule, they’re not keen to give their names.’
‘And none of them say what they’re here for?’
‘Not to me. They’ll say they have an appointment with Nathan, or Mr. Hazael, if they’re really being polite. And of course, most times Nathan or one of the staff lets them in. The exceptions are the valuers, who come to look at the armour and stuff we’re trying to sell off. They nearly always have a visiting card and show it as soon as they arrive. And they treat the place as if they own it.’
‘Nathan was telling me about this. He wants to give the house a more modern look.’
‘Yes, but he discovered that some of the armour is really old and valuable, and he doesn’t want it undersold. That’s why he had a series of valuations done. Most of the swords are worth four or five grand and some of the armour even more.’
‘Wow! Nathan could ditch his main business and live off the proceeds of what’s hanging on the walls.’
‘I don’t think he’d enjoy that,’ Lee said, treating the remark seriously. ‘He gets a lot of pleasure from his business. It seems to give him a sense of power, and guys can’t get enough of that. I’m different. I want fame and attention and loads of awards. He’s happy to keep a low profile, as he calls it. And he seems to make plenty of money.’
Ingeborg decided this was the time for straight talking. She dipped lower in the water, on a level with Lee. ‘Have you ever thought he might be supplying criminals with guns?’
Lee bit her lip. ‘I don’t want to believe that. I hate guns.’ Something in her eyes suggested she’d known all along and refused to admit the truth. She glanced away. ‘Where would he get them from and where would he keep them?’
‘I can answer the second part. He’d have them in that locked room.’
The singer’s look returned to Ingeborg, fixing on her as if she’d only just noticed her. She didn’t speak.
‘It could be the reason why he invites his customers up there, to choose which weapon they want.’
Lee had lost all the colour the warm water had given her. ‘Oh God, you could be right. I’m living with an illegal arms dealer.’
‘Have you ever seen him with a gun?’
‘A shotgun, but he says he has a licence for it. He shoots rabbits and pigeons sometimes. I don’t go anywhere near.’
‘Small arms? Revolvers and automatics?’
She swallowed hard and nodded. ‘At one time he set up a target behind the house and was firing at it with one of his customers. They were using handguns. When I asked him about it later, if it was legal, he said pistol shooting is an Olympic sport.’
‘Sounds more like a demonstration than a competition. There are strict rules about firearms. He’ll need to have a firearms certificate as well as one for the shotgun. The guns have to be stored securely to prevent unauthorised persons from using them. The law doesn’t state exactly how, but you get inspected by the police and they insist on a steel gun cabinet that locks.’
Lee shook her head. ‘I’ve never seen anything like that in this house.’
‘It needs to be flush to the wall and secured with coach bolts so it can’t be prised away.’
‘How do you know all this?’
Went overboard there, Ingeborg chided herself. ‘I’m a journalist. We’re picking up information all the time.’
‘I’m scared now.’
‘It’s only a theory,’ Ingeborg said, backtracking a little.
‘But he must keep the shotgun somewhere. And the handguns. It all adds up,’ Lee said, crossing her arms over her chest.
‘You’ll be okay. He’d never point a gun at you.’
‘If I threaten to leave him, he might.’
‘He loves you.’
‘But I need to break up with him. What am I going to do?’
Lee’s distress was getting to Ingeborg and it was impossible to give honest advice — another consequence of going undercover. She dug deep for the right words. ‘I think you need to empower yourself more.’
‘How exactly?’
‘By learning the truth about him and what goes on here. If we can find out for certain that he’s providing criminals with firearms, you’ve got every reason for leaving him. And if he objects, you threaten to report him.’
Lee clasped her hand to her head. ‘That seems so ungrateful.’
‘Don’t look at it like that. He’s kept things from you that could get you into trouble as an accessory. If he’s investigated and you’re living with him it will be difficult to prove you didn’t know what was going on.’
She nodded. ‘I know what you’re going to say. I must work out a way of getting inside that room. God knows what I’ll find there.’
Enough evidence to put away Nathan for the foreseeable future, not to mention some of the top criminals in the southwest, Ingeborg thought. Ballistics would have weeks of fun finding which weapons had been used to commit crimes in and around Bristol. But the main prize would be a list of Nathan’s clients. Surely he must need to keep a record of who hired or bought which weapons. And surely it was inside that locked room.
‘Listen, if you can get the key,’ she said, ‘I’ll look inside while you keep Nathan distracted. Does he carry a set of keys with him?’
Lee nodded.
‘You can bet the key to the gun room is one of them. Will he want to sleep with you tonight? He was all over you in the car.’
‘I guess he will.’
‘He’s mentally shaken. He’s looking for reassurance. When he undresses, where does he put his clothes?’
‘Over a chair mostly. If he’s had a few drinks or he’s eager to get into bed with me, they’ll be scattered over the floor.’
‘Does he remove the keys from his pocket?’
‘No.’
‘Do you think you could get them and pass them to me if I wait outside the bedroom?’
Lee looked alarmed.
‘When he’s in the bathroom or something?’
Lee was looking as if she wished she’d never started this conversation.
Ingeborg said, ‘Is he a heavy sleeper?’
‘Not especially.’
‘After sex he is — I bet.’
‘I suppose.’
‘Could you do it then? Is he likely to make love to you soon after going to bed?’
She nodded.
‘Let me guess. He doesn’t take long.’
A fleeting smile. ‘That’s how I put up with it.’
‘You could wait twenty minutes and, when he’s breathing deeply, slip out of bed, get the keys and put them outside the door. I’ll be ready outside. Could you do that? It’s really important that you know the truth about what’s going on.’
‘I suppose. But how will you get them back to me?’
‘Same way. I’ll open the door — or you can leave it ajar — and I’ll put them inside. You can choose the right moment — go to the bathroom or whatever — replace them in his pocket. Job done.’
‘You make it sound so simple.’
‘I’ll need to do a recce first, so I know which door to unlock. Is the gun room anywhere near the guest room I’m in?’
‘Very close. We can go up there now if you like. We both need to change into some fresh clothes.’ She hesitated. ‘I just remembered a saying: good clothes open all doors.’