'No,' Danny replied. 'I just need to check the address on the envelope.'
'Of course,' repeated Blundell. He tapped some keys on his computer, and a moment later an image of the letter appeared on the screen. He swiveled the screen around so that Danny could see it.
Danny copied down the name and address. 'Do you by any chance know if Baron de Coubertin was a serious stamp collector?' asked Danny.
'Not to my knowledge,' said Blundell. 'But of course his son was the founder of one of the most successful banks in Europe.'
'Idiot,' said Danny. 'Idiot,' he repeated as he turned to leave.
'I do hope, Sir Nicholas, that you are not dissatisfied with the result of this morning's sale?'
Danny turned back. 'No, of course not, Mr. Blundell, I do apologize. Yes, thank you.' Another of those moments when he should have behaved like Nick, and only thought like Danny.
The first thing Danny did when he arrived back at The Boltons was to search for Nick's passport. Molly knew exactly where it was. 'And by the way,' she added, 'a Mr. Fraser Munro called, and asked you to phone him.'
Danny retreated to the study, called Munro and told him everything that had happened that morning. The old solicitor listened to all his client had to say, but didn't comment.
'I'm glad you phoned back,' he eventually said, 'because I have some news for you, although it might be unwise to discuss it over the phone. I was wondering when you next expected to be in Scotland.'
'I could catch the sleeper train tonight,' said Danny.
'Good, and perhaps it might be wise for you to bring your passport with you this time.'
'For Scotland?' said Danny.
'No, Sir Nicholas. For Geneva.'
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
MR. AND MRS. Moncrieff were ushered into the boardroom by the chairman's secretary.
'The chairman will be with you in a moment,' she said. 'Would you care for coffee or tea while you're waiting?'
'No, thank you,' said Margaret, as her husband began pacing around the room. She took a seat in one of the sixteen Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs placed around the long oak table, and that should have made her feel at home. The walls were painted in a pale Wedgwood blue with full-length oil portraits of past chairmen hanging on every available space, giving an impression of stability and wealth. Margaret said nothing until the secretary had left the room and closed the door behind her.
'Calm down, Hugo. The last thing we need is for the chairman to think we're unsure about your claim. Now come and sit down.'
'It's all very well, old gal,' said Hugo, continuing his perambulations, 'but don't forget that our whole future rests on the outcome of this meeting.'
'All the more reason for you to behave in a calm and rational manner. You must appear as if you've come to claim what is rightfully yours,' she said as the door at the far end of the room opened.
An elderly gentleman entered the room. Although he stooped and carried a silver cane, such was his air of authority that no one would have doubted he was the bank's chairman.
'Good morning. Mr. and Mrs. Moncrieff,' he said, and shook hands with both of them. 'My name is Pierre de Coubertin, and it's a pleasure to meet you,' he added. His English revealed no trace of an accent. He took a seat at the head of the table, below a portrait of an elderly gentleman who, but for a large gray mustache, was a reflection of himself. 'How may I assist you?'
'Rather simple, really,' responded Hugo. 'I have come to claim the inheritance left to me by my father.'
Not a flicker of recognition passed across the chairman's face. 'May I ask what your father's name was?' he said.
'Sir Alexander Moncrieff.'
'And what makes you think that your father conducted any business with this bank?'
'It was no secret within the family,' said Hugo. 'He told both my brother Angus and myself on several occasions about his long-standing relationship with this bank, which, among other things, was the guardian of his unique stamp collection.'
'Do you have any evidence to support such a claim?'
'No, I do not,' said Hugo. 'My father considered it unwise to commit such matters to paper, given our country's tax laws, but he assured me that you were well aware of his wishes.'
'I see,' said de Coubertin. 'Perhaps he furnished you with an account number?'
'No, he did not,' said Hugo, beginning to show a little impatience. 'But I have been briefed on my legal position by the family's solicitor, and he assures me that as I am my father's sole heir following my brother's death, you have no choice but to release what is rightfully mine.'
'That may well be the case,' confirmed de Coubertin, 'but I must inquire if you are in possession of any documents that would substantiate your claim.'
'Yes,' said Hugo, placing his briefcase on the table. He flicked it open and produced the envelope he had bought from Sotheby's the previous day. He pushed it across to the other side of the table. 'This was left to me by my father.'
De Coubertin spent some time studying the envelope addressed to his grandfather.
'Fascinating,' he said, 'but it does not prove that your father held an account with this bank. It may be wise at this juncture for me to ascertain if that was indeed the case. Perhaps you'd be kind enough to excuse me for a moment?' The old man rose slowly from his place, bowed low and left the room without another word.
'He knows perfectly well that your father did business with this bank,' said Margaret, 'but for some reason he's playing for time.'
'Good morning, Sir Nicholas,' said Fraser Munro as he rose from behind his desk. 'I trust you had a comfortable journey?'
'It might have been more comfortable if I hadn't been painfully aware that my uncle is at this moment in Geneva trying to relieve me of my inheritance.'
'Rest assured,' responded Munro, 'that in my experience Swiss bankers do not make hasty decisions. No, we will come to Geneva in good time. But for the moment, we must deal with more pressing matters that have arisen on our own doorstep.'
'Is this the problem you felt unable to discuss over the phone?' asked Danny.
'Precisely,' said Munro, 'and I fear that I am not the bearer of glad tidings. Your uncle is now claiming that your grandfather made a second will, only weeks before his death, in which he disinherited you and left his entire estate to your father.'
'Do you have a copy of this will?' asked Danny.
'I do,' replied Munro, 'but as I was not satisfied with a facsimile I traveled to Edinburgh to attend Mr. Desmond Galbraith in his chambers in order that I could inspect the original.'
'And what conclusion did you come to?' asked Danny.
