Page 54 of Traitors Gate

‘How much longer?’ pressed Miles.

‘Six years, possibly even ten.’

‘Ten would be satisfactory. But what do we know about the juror?’ was Miles’s next question.

‘A Mrs Kay Dawson. She’s a shop assistant at M and S, and appears to enjoy the good things in life. Unfortunately, her husband’s just been laid off so he won’t be able to provide them.’

‘Then I’ll leave it to you, Bruce, to make sure she continues to enjoy the good things in life, and I’ll add a little incentive.’

‘What did you have in mind?’ asked Lamont, licking his lips.

‘How about an extra ten grand for every year Hogan gets?’

• • •

A taxi dropped Christina outside Spink & Son in Bloomsbury, founded 1666. A quaint, old-fashioned bell tinkled above her as she opened the door.

An elderly man was standing behind the counter, looking more like a retired schoolmaster than a shop assistant. ‘How may I assist you, madam?’ he asked, sounding like a retired schoolmaster.

‘I wonder if you’d be able to tell me if this coin is authentic?’ asked Christina, handing him the 1971 silver two-pence piece Percy had given her.

The dealer picked up his loupe and studied the coin for some time before he offered an opinion.

‘An error coin, as we describe it in the trade,’ he said, ‘and much sought after by serious collectors.’

‘And how much would you be willing to pay for it?’

The dealer studied the coin more closely. ‘A thousand pounds would be my best offer,’ he eventually managed. ‘And be assured, madam, you won’t get a better price from any other dealer.’

‘Cash?’ queried Christina, leaving the coin on the counter.

The dealer peered at the customer over his half-moon spectacles. ‘I’ll need to check how much I have in the safe.’ He left her and disappeared into a back room, returning a few minutes later with £935 in used notes. He opened the till and extracted another £47, before finally emptying his wallet but he was still two pounds shy. He searched his pockets, but they were empty.

‘Not a problem,’ said Christina, placing the cash in her handbag. ‘But before I go, can I ask you if you’ve heard of the Singleton Rack?’

‘Of course, madam. One hundred and forty-four error coins mounted on a dozen shelves of twelve that were part of the late Sir Peregrine Singleton’s private collection.’

‘And if that rack were to come on the market, would you be able to put a price on it?’

The old man took even longer to consider this question, but finally responded. ‘It would be in excess of two hundred thousand pounds, as several of the world’s leading numismatists would want to add such a unique rack to their collections.However,’ said the dealer, after pushing his spectacles further up his nose, ‘for such a large transaction, we would not be able to pay cash.’

‘A cheque would suffice,’ said Christina as she left the shop, the little bell above the door tinkling again.

• • •

Ross was deep in thought about Jojo’s birthday present when his phone began to ring. UNKNOWN CALLER flashed up on his screen.

‘Hi, Ross,’ said a voice he didn’t recognize. ‘It’s Kay Dawson, remember me? We met when I was on jury service at Southwark and you gave evidence on behalf of the Crown.’

‘Kay, hi,’ said Ross, vaguely recalling the woman who’d stopped him in the street and wanted to know more about Princess Diana. He tried to concentrate on what Mrs Dawson was telling him, but was distracted by Jojo trying to get in touch with him on the other line.

‘We convicted that drug dealer you caught hanging around outside your daughter’s school playground,’ she said, only telling him something he already knew.

When she finally rang off, Ross still wasn’t quite sure why she’d called, other than to let him know how much she admired Princess Diana and how very sad she was when she and Prince Charles had announced their divorce, although she was clearly fishing to be invited out on a date, which he studiously avoided. By the time he got off the line, Jojo had given up on him.

He called his daughter back immediately, but she didn’t respond. It was later, after he’d mulled over Kay’s words, that he couldn’t help thinking something about the conversationdidn’t ring true. However, one good thing did come out of it. He could at last get in touch with the other woman he hadn’t been allowed to contact until the trial was over. He looked up her number.

• • •

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