Dance While You Can (36 page)

‘For God’s sake, grow up! Don’t you realise you’re as deeply implicated in this as I am? You’ve known all along the mask was here, and haven’t told anyone. You even drove Edward down to pick it up that night. You went to Egypt with him, you even went to the museum with him. In fact, if it weren’t for you the bloody thing might not be here at all.’

‘Me! It’s got nothing to do with me!’

‘It’s got everything to do with you. Before you came along, the mask was just an object to him, a beautiful object that he admired. It was because of the way you treated him that the obsession started. He was crazy about you, Elizabeth, so crazy that when you abused his love, kicked him in the face time after time, the only way he could survive was to clutch at something that wouldn’t turn on him, wouldn’t keep reminding him that he wasn’t good enough. It was all a substitute for you. So, like it or not, you’re involved right up to your neck.’ She paused. ‘Now, fifty thousand pounds is what the forgers want. It’s the first instalment of what Edward promised them. And it would be better for both of us if you paid because, as I’m sure you realise, they have it in their power to send us to prison for a very long time.’

‘But I didn’t know anything about what Edward was doing! Oh God, this is all too ridiculous for words. Why didn’t he ever talk to me about it? I
did
love him, he must have known that. You must have known what was happening all along – why didn’t you stop him?’

‘Stop him! I could no more have stopped him than I could have forged the damned thing myself. He had to have it. As far as he was concerned, he was the only person in the world who could protect it. But he wouldn’t have needed to protect it if he hadn’t been afraid he couldn’t hold on to you. He had to have something he could cherish – Edward was like that.’ There was a cruel smile on her mouth as she continued. ‘And you ask why he didn’t talk to you about it. He didn’t tell you about it because you didn’t want to know. You were only interested in your lover. All you ever wanted from Edward was his money and his status. Well, you’ve got them – and now you’re going to have to pay for them.’

‘But I’m not going to pay, Christine. Do you hear me, I’m not! I’ll give the mask back!’

She threw her hands in the air, then slapped them against her thighs. ‘This is the Tutankhamun death mask we’re talking about, not some bloody hamper from Harrods! Don’t be naive! They want money, Elizabeth. Money! They’ve given us five days in which to pay, or they’ll start leaking what they know – and that includes the murder of a museum security guard, whose body is even now hidden in one of the sarcophagi.’

‘What!’ It was all too much for me to take in.

‘You heard me.’ Her voice was quiet, but the bitterness that coated her words sent shivers down my spine. ‘He was murdered, Elizabeth, because he found the forgers at work. You heard me scream that night, didn’t you? That’s what it was all about. I thought it was someone else who’d been killed at the time, but that doesn’t matter now. Are you getting the picture? These people aren’t to be messed around with. Pay – or I’m telling you, you’ll live to regret it. And so will those bastards of yours, too.’

I had been sitting at Edward’s desk when she’d come into the study, but now I was beside the sofa, gripping the back of it. ‘I’ll need time to think,’ I said. ‘I have to go up to London tomorrow, the children are starting back at school.’

‘You can think all you like, Elizabeth, but there’s only one answer, and the sooner you come to terms with it, the better. I’ll telephone you tomorrow night. What time are you seeing your lover? I’ll make sure I call before you leave. Or perhaps you’d like to give me the number of your flat in Chelsea?’

I walked out of the room, telling her to call me by seven. I refused to give her the satisfaction of asking her how she knew about our flat.

Long before she rang the next day I had made up my mind what I was going to do. She was mad to think I would allow myself to be blackmailed by the forgers. I would go to Edward’s solicitor and tell him the whole story. Then at least the mask would be taken away, even if there were dire consequences to be faced.

Christine was furious when I told her what I’d decided. ‘Don’t you care about your bloody children, for Christ’s sake!’ she screamed down the phone. ‘These people have no scruples, Elizabeth, they’ll stop at nothing.’

I told myself she was only trying to frighten me. The truth of the matter was that she had far more reason to be frightened than I did – there was evidence of her involvement in the crime scattered all over the world. So I remained firm, and ended up by putting the phone down on her.

Stupidly, I thought that would be the end of the matter – that I had only to piece together the facts before I went to Edward’s lawyer and got everything straightened out. I had no idea what would happen to Christine then, but I would warn her before I made my move so that she could decide what she wanted to do.

David called me later that evening to say that he and Jenifer were returning to Gstaad. He hated to admit it, he said, but neither of them liked being in the same house as the mask. I wished I had the courage to ask
him
to sort the whole thing out, after all he was Edward’s brother, but I knew the problem was mine – David had washed his hands of it before it had even entered our lives.

The resolve that had carried me through so far was shaken when I called Edward’s lawyer, Oscar Renfrew, and found he would be out of town until the following week. I had assumed he would take control of everything; now I wasn’t sure what to do next. I left a message for him to ring me the moment he got back.

That weekend I took the children down to Westmoor. I would have avoided it if I could, but it was the weekend that Charlotte was opening in
Romeo and Juliet.

Christine had already gone out by the time we got there on Saturday morning, but she had left me a note attached to the previous day’s newspaper. The headline on the page she had directed me to read: ‘Tutankhamun Death Mask Under Scrutiny’. My heart skipped a beat, and I turned to her note before I read on. ‘Dear Elizabeth, perhaps now you will believe me when I tell you that these people mean business. It won’t be long before the experts discover the mask’s a fake, but that is the least of our problems. Britain has no extradition treaty with Egypt, but
we
will still have to face charges of illegal import and God only knows what else this end. This leak of information to the Egyptian authorities is just a warning from the people Edward and I have been dealing with. As I told you, they couldn’t care less about the mask, what they want is money. I suggest you start saying your prayers, and keep an eye out for those children of yours. Be a good girl and destroy this note when you’ve read it.’

At long last it got through to me that I was in danger. Christine was right, these people would stop at nothing to get the money that was owed to them.

My first concern was the children. Charlotte was at the village hall with the rest of the theatre group, where she would be staying until after their first performance tonight. Jeffrey was with Jonathan in the garden. For the moment they were safe.

Next I called Oscar Renfrew’s home. His wife answered, but said Oscar wouldn’t be there until Tuesday.

‘Can I contact him wherever he is?’

‘I’m afraid not. He’s, walking somewhere in the Pennines.’

Almost sick with fear, I paced the room, not knowing what to do next. Every now and again I glanced at the newspaper article. It was an innocuous enough piece, but in my agitation I read all manner of threats into it.

At two o’clock the phone rang. It was Christine. ‘Oh, thank God,’ I gasped, ‘where are you?’

‘I’m at the warehouse. Now, listen to me carefully. Things have moved faster than I expected. Someone is on their way to see you.’

‘Who?’ I almost screamed.

‘Customs and Excise, the Foreign Office, I don’t know. What I do know is that someone here has had a tip-off from the Egyptians that Edward is in some way involved in the investigation going on in Cairo. The security guard’s body has been found and the Egyptians want an investigation this end.’

‘How do you know all this?’

‘I just do. Now listen. The mask is still in the house and somehow or another we’re going to have to get rid of it. But that’s not our only problem. It’ll only be a matter of time now before it’s discovered that Edward’s entire Egyptian collection was acquired as illegally as the mask – and that’s enough to create an incident on its own. There’s more. It’s about time you knew everything, then perhaps you’ll realise just how serious this is. You remember all those visits we made to the villages along the Nile? The purpose of those little trips was to grease the palms of the villagers – who, my dear sister-in-law, are sitting on wealth such as you’ve never dreamed of. All those houses are built on ancient tombs you see, full of priceless antiquities – and while the Egyptian authorities try to buy the householders off, people like Edward give them money to keep them there. In return the householders do a little excavation . . . . The bulk of the money goes to Cairo. It’s used to buy arms for the PLO, or the Libyans – the Israelis even, it doesn’t matter; all that matters is who’s paying the right price that day. It was there, Elizabeth, going on right under your nose, and you were too stupid to see it.’ She paused, and I thought I could hear her laughing softly. ‘Now, just get yourself out of the house and meet me here. Make it look as though you’ve gone shopping, and don’t for God’s sake tell anyone where you’re going.’

When I didn’t answer she spoke again. ‘Elizabeth,’ she breathed, and the coldness of her voice curled my insides into a knot of terror. ‘You were his wife, you have inherited everything. And I mean everything.’

I tried not to rush as I gathered my things together, to make it look as though I was going into Tunbridge Wells. As I drove into the village I saw Miss Barsby giving directions to someone, and then I suddenly remembered I’d left Christine’s note lying on Edward’s desk. Quickly I reversed the car back round the bend, praying I would get to it before anyone else did.

When I finally arrived at the warehouse Dan, the warehouse-keeper was waiting at the door. I rushed past him and up to the second floor. I looked round for Christine. There was no sign of her. Because it was Saturday the place was eerily silent. I flinched at the sound of my own footsteps as I walked to the storeroom at the other end of the building.

When I pushed open the door, I cried out in horror. The entire contents of the storeroom had been smashed to fragments; all Edward’s lovingly cherished artefacts were now no more than piles of dust and rubble. His desk had been overturned and the contents strewn over the floor. On top of everything lay torn canvases, all that remained of Edward’s collection of old masters, and broken pieces of antique furniture.

I spun round as I heard a noise behind me, then recoiled in terror as I found myself looking into a pair of manic, staring eyes.

– Alexander –

– 27 –

It was the first time I’d been to Westmoor. On any other occasion I might have been impressed by its grandeur; as it was I was driving too fast to notice the beauty of the gardens or the breathtaking views over the countryside. I skidded to a stop outside and rapped hard on the front door.

Canary answered, but I pushed past her and was on the point of calling out when suddenly Elizabeth appeared at the top of the stairs. I looked at her, my heart somewhere near my throat. She was dressed in black. Her face was stark, and her hair, her beautiful raven hair, had gone.

She stared back at me, and then I saw the terrible fear in her eyes. Slowly I lifted my arms and held them out towards her.

She clung to me. I could feel her bones jutting through her skin. ‘I didn’t do it,’ she whispered. ‘I didn’t kill them.’

‘I know, it’s why I’m here.’

Behind Elizabeth I could see Charlotte standing at the top of the stairs, as beautiful and tragic as her mother. Canary went to her and led her back along the landing.

It was all too bizarre to be real. In an attempt to cover up what looked as if it might turn out to be one of the biggest and most complex art crimes in history, someone had set fire to a warehouse on the outskirts of London. Daniel Davison, the warehouse-keeper, had died in the fire. Two days later Elizabeth had been arrested for murder, then released on bail. Police were still searching the warehouse debris for Christine’s remains.

I spent the next three days with Elizabeth, going over all that had happened. She was still in a state of shock, and so distressed that I felt callous in the way I coaxed and cross-examined her. But I had to find out the truth. Of course she was innocent, I never doubted that, but how was I to defend her if I didn’t know exactly what had happened?

I knew the Bar Council would never condone my taking the case, so when Henry told my father that this was precisely what I intended to do, I wasn’t surprised that he summoned me to his office.

I leapt up from my chair. ‘For God’s sake, father, she’s been charged with murder.’

‘And arson.’

I glared at Henry.

‘Whatever she’s been charged with, Alexander, you cannot defend her. It’s simply not ethical.’

I rounded on him. ‘Ethical! Who the hell gives a fuck about ethics! This is Elizabeth we’re talking about. She wants me to defend her, and I’m damned well going to.’

‘Freddie Rees has offered to take her on,’ Henry said. ‘He’s about the best.’

‘She doesn’t want Freddie Rees. What the hell are you doing here anyway?’

‘I asked him to come,’ my father answered. I hoped he might be able to talk some sense into you. Does Elizabeth know what it could do to your career if you take her case?’

‘Of course she doesn’t know. And no one’s going to tell her. She’s frightened half out of her mind as it is.’

‘Do
you
realise what it could do, Alexander?’

‘Do you think I care a damn about that? I’ve told you, I’m going to defend her.’ I couldn’t tell them how, when I had suggested someone else should defend her, Elizabeth had begged me not to hand the case over. She didn’t understand, didn’t even know, how the bar would view it, and it would have been selfish and insensitive of me to have told her. I couldn’t explain that I loved her too much to let her down, and that, as far as I was concerned, what she wanted and how she felt came before my career – before anything else.