Stolen by Susan Lewis

Author:Susan Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9781409022299
Publisher: Random House

Chapter Seventeen

FOR THE REST of the day, and throughout Monday and Tuesday, as dealers, collectors and the world at large descended in very encouraging numbers for the viewing, Lucy and the others were so run off their feet that they barely had time to eat, never mind discuss anything other than matters at hand. After helping to move the heavy stuff into place on Sunday while his clothes tumbled about the dryer, Joe had taken an evening train back to London – making himself scarce, Lucy suspected, before she had a chance to ask again where he’d spent Saturday night.

To her great relief John returned to work on Monday morning with the irrepressible Philippa at his side, looking her usual glamorously piratical self. The temporary staff were all on board now, and going so efficiently about their business that Lucy hardly dared to think how she’d have been managing without them. Though one or two asked where Maureen was, most understood that she was having to take time off to look after Godfrey.

Fortunately Monday passed without a squeak from either of the Crumptons, which Sarah declared a cause for celebration as they closed the barn doors and set the alarm. As soon as they were able to get away from the office, they joined John and Philippa at the pub for wine and food. Michael returned to his office in order to attend to his own business, dropping Simon at the station on his way so Simon could be in London ready for a breakfast meeting the next day.

Now that Teddy Best had been fully briefed on the possibility of a ring and was in possession of the letters Lucy and Sarah had found, he’d advised them to abandon a trawl through the archives in search of more dubious transactions, since trying to find worthwhile documentary evidence was going to be next to impossible.

‘It’s only when it sells at a later date for a much higher price,’ he explained, ‘that you might hear about it, but even then it’s unlikely, especially if it goes abroad.’

‘So there could be a whole slew of stuff out there that’s been bought up for next to nothing from us,’ Lucy said, feeling her world sinking towards a downward spiral of police inquiries, arrests, lawsuits and eventual bankruptcy followed by extinction.

‘Not really,’ Michael replied comfortingly. ‘It won’t be often that something valuable comes this way without being recognised by the owner, or another dealer who’s not part of the ring.’

‘Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of it,’ Teddy assured her, ‘and when the culprits are marched off to jail we’ll do a little morris dance outside the courtroom to celebrate.’

Though Lucy had laughed with the others, fearing that one or even both of her parents might be inside the courtroom was starting to keep her awake at night.

‘Listen,’ Michael said gently when he realised how worried she was, ‘I’m as convinced as you are that they know nothing about it …’

‘Actually, I’m not so sure any more,’ she blurted.

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