As he sat down, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize and he hesitated, debating whether to hit the decline button, but instead he answered it, warily, just in case it might be a new potential client. ‘Hello?’
He heard a buoyant, forceful male voice he vaguely recognized. ‘Mr Kipling?’
‘Yes?’
‘It’s Barnaby Jackson!’
‘Yes, hello,’ he replied, trying to place the name as well as the voice.
‘From Bonhams in London.’
Now it clicked. ‘Ah, yes, hello.’
‘How are you doing, Mr Kipling?’
‘Yep, OK,’ he responded.
‘Have you had a good day?’
‘Actually, I’ve had better.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. I was wondering if you still have that painting you brought along to us, the one that might be an original Fragonard?’
‘Actually yes, I do.’
‘Have you been able to establish anything more about its provenance, Mr Kipling?’
‘I’m afraid not, nope, it’s pretty much as you saw it.’
‘Well, OK, good. Fine. My colleagues and I have been doing some research and we are pretty certain it could well be authentic. The reason I’m calling is we have a major sale of art from the fête galante period coming up and I thought it might be of interest to you to consider entering this work.’
‘Really?’ He spoke quietly, although the only other people in the saloon bar were still engaged in their discussion with the landlord.
‘This will be the biggest sale of works of this period for some years and we’ll have the top buyers from around the world bidding. There won’t be an opportunity like this, to get top money for this picture, for some while. Obviously, we’d need to run further checks on its authenticity, but I thought I’d give you the chance to consider it for inclusion in this sale. That is of course if you haven’t already made other plans for it?’
‘No, my wife and I haven’t,’ Harry replied, perking up a little. Maybe this was the solution to his problems. So long as the experts Bonhams consulted gave the painting the thumbs-up.
And if they didn’t?
Then no one else would and they’d be no worse off. He didn’t need to speak to Freya, he knew what she would say. Sell it!
‘When is this auction happening?’ he asked.
‘23 January. So we have plenty of time to get its authenticity and provenance checked.’
23 January, Harry thought. Nearly three months away. Hopefully the bank would support them until then. ‘Could you send me an email with your thoughts on the value this could realize, if genuine?’
‘Absolutely!’ Barnaby Jackson replied.
77
Monday, 4 November
Roy Grace started the 6 p.m. briefing by handing a bunch of photocopies to Glenn Branson on his right and EJ Boutwood on his left to circulate. Crime Scene Manager Chris Gee looked like he was bursting to say something, but the Detective Superintendent signalled with a finger for him to hold fire.
After everyone around the table had a copy in front of them, Grace said, ‘What you’re looking at is a mock-up of a ring with a large stone. We sent the forensics expert at Liverpool University Hospital, Dr Colin Duncton, images of similar gash marks found behind both Charlie Porteous’s and Archie Goff’s right ears. The professor needs more time, but his initial assessment is that both contain sufficient identical features to link them, and he believes they were most likely caused by contact with a ring with a large stone cut as the one illustrated. He’s made a computer mock-up of the kind of ring, which is what you have in front of you.’
‘Christ!’ EJ said. ‘Who wears a ring like that?’
‘Someone into bling,’ Branson said. ‘Someone who likes to show off.’
‘Not you, then, Glenn?’ she ribbed him.
‘Haha.’
After studying the image intently, Potting glanced at Velvet Wilde. ‘Both Piper’s muscle men were wearing rings with big rocks, weren’t they?’
‘One red, one green,’ she confirmed.
‘Port and starboard.’ Potting turned to Grace. ‘Chief, I appreciate this is not conclusive, but in terms of matching height and weight, and now this information about the rings, Stuart Piper’s bodyguards are ticking a few boxes.’
Grace grinned. ‘Sounds like the Piper mansion could be a very happy little household, all cosied up together in the nick.’ Then he shook his head. ‘I agree with your thinking, Norman, but I don’t think we have enough yet to bring them in for questioning. As I’ve said, the information from the Audi gives us two people of similar height and weight, but we can’t extrapolate from that that they’re twins. A lot of people wear big rings – male and female. And you’re making the assumption it was a male wearing the ring, but we don’t have strong evidence for that at the moment.’
Chris Gee interrupted as if he couldn’t contain his news any longer. ‘Actually, sir, I have something that may be very helpful.’
‘Go ahead, Chris,’ he replied.
Gee held up another sheet of paper on which was a blown-up section of a fingerprint. ‘I’ve been doing some work around the partial dab recovered from a restaurant bill inside Porteous’s wallet. It was too smudged for a match to be obtained, but that was then, and this is now. Technology has moved on and while the owner of the print is still unidentifiable, the lab have discovered DNA on the bill. They’re working on it right now.’
Everyone stared at him in silent expectation.
Grace felt the beat of excitement he always got when the net was closing in on suspects. ‘When do they expect a result, Chris?’
‘I would hope within the next forty-eight hours, sir.’
He turned to Alexander. ‘I think Jack has something to add to this mix,’ he said, nodding at the DS.
‘I do, sir,’ he said, then addressed the team. ‘I was tasked with tracking Archie Goff’s movements from the time of his release from prison, which I’ve done with the assistance of Lewes Prison’s external CCTV cameras, ANPR and the CCTV network around Brighton. On the morning Goff walked free from Lewes Prison he was picked up by a Jaguar XJ6, registered to none other than Ricky Sharp – a gentleman well known to us!’
Grace smiled. ‘Good work, Jack.’
Alexander continued. ‘Sharp, assuming he was driving his car, then drove Goff to the Grand Hotel, depositing him there at approximately 10.15 a.m. At 11.05 Goff emerged and was driven in the Jag, again presumably by Sharp, to the home he shared in Hollingdean with his girlfriend, Isabella Reyzebal. After that, Sharp’s Jaguar headed back to the Southwick district of the city, where he resides.’
‘What about Goff – any vehicle registered to him or his girlfriend that could be tracked?’ Grace asked.
‘There is, sir – a Vauxhall Astra, index Alfa Victor Five-Two Uniform Yankee Romeo, was spotted, seemingly abandoned, by an alert lady walking her dogs. It was in a clearing in woods half a mile from the main entrance to Hope Manor, two days after Goff was nicked for attempting to burgle that house. She phoned it in and, guess what, the vehicle was registered to one Archie Goff! It was checked over, and then recovered to the police pound at Hickstead, where forensics went over it before releasing it for collection by Goff’s girlfriend, Isabella Reyzebal.’
‘Thank God for dog walkers!’ Exton said. ‘Would we ever solve any crime without them?’
‘God bless ’em!’ Chris Gee said. ‘I agree!’
‘I’ve done an ANPR trace on the Astra,’ Alexander continued. ‘It didn’t ping any cameras until the day after Goff’s release from prison, so it may have been parked up. Then over the days following his release – I have the exact dates and times – it twice pinged cameras close to the Kiplings’ house in Mackie Crescent. I’m guessing that the Kiplings’ house was his destination, but on each occasion he didn’t ping any further cameras. Other venues in that vicinity he might have visited are the Miller and Carter pub and the Elizabethan Cottage Tandoori.’