Precipice

'You did well. Very well. Look after yourself…'

When he returned to the house he made for the kitchen. It struck him as odd that there was no sign with the name Bradfields. Paula was pouring coffee from a large jug into cups on a tray.

'Look,' she said, 'Wedgwood. Keith has some lovely chinaware.'

'Keith indulges himself when he can't afford to,' Kent said and grinned. 'If you can put some work my way it would be welcome.'

'Investigate where Leopold Brazil gets all his money from.' Tweed whispered. 'It's urgent.'

They went into the living room with Kent insisting on carrying the heavy tray. Paula served coffee, not looking at Eve as she filled her cup. Not that Eve noticed: she was too busy chatting up Bill Franklin. Philip didn't look too happy at her enthusiasm.

Tweed sat in an armchair, sipped his coffee, and let the others do the talking. He noticed Philip's annoyance but he also noticed that he was scanning the room, looking for clues to Kent's personality and interests. He was doing his job.

Newman appeared relaxed, glancing first at his host and then at Franklin and was unusually quiet. Along one wall were shelves crammed with books from floor to ceiling. He had just seen that a number dealt with the history of old British banks when the house shook. Thump! Thump! Thump…! Six times altogether.

'What on earth is that?' Eve cried out. 'It sounded like thunder but then again it didn't.'

'Not to worry.' their host assured her. 'It's the tank range at nearby Lulworth practising. Gunfire from the tanks. At Bovington Camp, to be precise.'

'I wouldn't like to live here.' she said tactlessly.

'Oh, you get used to it. Like living near a railway line.'

Tweed leaned across, laid a finger on Kent's arm to attract his attention. He kept his voice low while the others continued chattering away.

'Keith, could we go for a short walk? I'd like to stretch my legs and get your opinion on an insurance problem.'

The reference to insurance was for Eve's benefit. Already Tweed suspected she had the gift of listening to one conversation and eavesdropping on another. Kent asked her, as he stood up, had she got a good job in London.

'A very good job.' Her eyes gleamed. 'In security. I can't give you any details. I had to sign a piece of paper.'

The Official Secrets Act? Tweed wondered. He stood up as Kent prepared to leave, opening a cupboard and taking out an expensive suede jacket which looked as though it had not been worn before. He apologized as he slipped it on.

'Hope you don't mind my leaving you for a few minutes. I am the host, I know…'

'I'll look after everyone,' Paula said quickly.

'Then I'd like some more coffee,' Eve said casually.

As they walked down the path from the house Kent gestured towards the land on either side, scruffy grass which was waterlogged.

'Step off this path and you're into a quagmire. I hear it's been raining solidly for a week. Dorset is under water. Lucky I've got that stone patio near the house or I wouldn't have been chopping logs. Now, what is it you really want to talk to me about?'

'You've heard about Sterndale Manor going up like a torch?' Tweed asked.

'No, I only got down here from Heathrow soon after the crack of dawn. You were lucky to catch me.'

'Heathrow? Been on your travels again, Keith?'

'Just a short trip to Paris. Waste of time. My potential client wouldn't give me enough data to go on. I insisted he paid my expenses. Bloody nuisance. I came back on the first flight and hared down here to get away from it all. But you've something on your mind. Is it to do with my checking on Leopold Brazil?'

'Yes. Of course you know about bearer bonds?' Tweed enquired.

'Usually issued by the big international oil companies. Other large conglomerates, too. They're a way of moving – or storing – really large sums of money. A single bearer bond can be worth a huge amount of money. The weakness is you have to guard them like gold – they have nothing on them to show the owner. So they're totally negotiable anywhere in the world. One bond could be worth six figures in pounds. You know this. Why are they significant?'

'Because General Sterndale, who perished in the inferno along with his son, Richard, kept the bulk of the bank's capital in a large old safe in his house.'

'God! Does that mean Sterndale will go bust if the bonds have been reduced to ashes?'

'No. Apparently he kept enough funds at his different branches to keep them solvent.'

'How do you know this?'

'Someone I trust who was close to him told me. But I'm wondering if the bonds were no longer in that safe. A number of other private banks in Europe have had bearer bonds stolen, especially in France and Switzerland…'

That's true.'

'Check out what form their capital was in.'

'This is concerned with my checking out Leopold Brazil?'

'Yes. Where did he get all this money from is the big question. And watch your back.'

'Will do. I'd better warn you this is going to cost you.'

'Bill me.'

'When you leave you ought to drive on to Kimmeridge. An interesting chap lives in a tiny cottage called the Bird's Nest. Useful bloke. I bumped into him in Paris. He's called Archie…'

10

When they returned to Bradfields Tweed had decided that a visit to Archie, the informant Marler also had met during his trip to Paris, would have to wait.

Marler had stayed in the back of Newman's car while the others were Kent's guests. Tweed had not invited him, which was enough to tell him, 'Stay under cover…'

The Mercedes was parked several yards behind Tweed's car and Marler had remained huddled in his corner. Now he wore wrap-around dark glasses and a deerstalker hat, which would make it impossible for someone who had not met him to recognize him.

Going into the house Tweed was surprised to find Eve in the kitchen with Paula, helping her with washing the dishes. Had Paula bulldozed her into giving a hand? The two women seemed to be chatting amiably. As Tweed entered Eve looped a tea towel over a wire hung above an old-fashioned stove to dry.

'Job's done,' she said cheerfully. 'What's next?'

'Back to the Priory for lunch, if we're not too late. Which I hope is not the case…'

As Kent accompanied them into the front garden Newman walked along a paved path leading to the patio where Kent had been chopping wood. Lifting the axe, Newman swung it high, brought it down on a very large log and split it into two smaller pieces.

'One more for the fire.' he said to Kent.

They thanked him for his hospitality and headed for their cars. Newman led the way alongside Tweed a short way ahead of the others.

'That's a very heavy axe,' he commented as they went out on to the road.

'Who is that chap who likes to keep to himself?' Eve asked chirpily. 'The man in the back of Bob's car.'

'A friend who came along for the ride.' Tweed said quickly.

'If it's all right with you I think I'll travel back with Eve in the Porsche.' Philip suggested.

'Why not?' said Tweed agreeably.

Paula joined him in his car, Tweed did a three-point turn and headed back for Corfe and Wareham, leaving the others to follow.

'Did you have to drag Eve into the kitchen by the hair?' Tweed asked.