by Peter James
Oh yes, there was nothing to beat an original.
Aileen had shown it to her once, a few years ago, taking it out of the secret compartment at the rear of her safe. And the sweet old lady had never noticed it missing for that week, earlier in the year, when she had taken it to Dubai, to the little workshop that made such exquisite reproductions.
Clearly, Gareth Dupont had not noticed the difference either when he had stolen the fake in that horrid robbery which had totally shocked her. She had never realized the bastard had been using her.
But all that was history now. Just like Lucas, facing a decade – and probably longer – behind bars, both in Spain and England.
Good riddance, at last.
As the third glass of champagne slipped her into a pleasantly woozy state, she was thinking that, given all that had happened in these past weeks, Aileen would have been proud of her.
She had a buyer in Moscow, willing to pay two and a half million pounds, in cash, and he wasn’t concerned about a detail like provenance.
That was good – no hassle. What the hell did proving provenance matter – the watch was real. Just as the cabin steward had said, the real item spoke for itself.
Her father always told her that only two things really mattered in life: health and the time you had left. So, she was in good shape. She had her health.
And she had her time.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Two important health notes:
1. You will have read in my story of the tragic death of one of the characters from Malignant Hyperthermia. This is a real condition that very nearly killed the son of a close friend. It is an hereditary problem causing contracture of muscle and disruption to metabolic functions during general anaesthesia. It is undetectable until a family member reacts under anaesthesia. Diagnosis is by muscle biopsy at the MH Investigation Unit in Leeds. Once diagnosed MH susceptible people can have anaesthesia, provided triggering drugs are avoided and correct monitoring is undertaken. MH is potentially fatal if undetected by the anaesthetist. More information can be found at www.bmha.co.uk
2. One of the characters is diagnosed with Prostate cancer. Information on this disease was kindly given to me by Colin Stokes and John Davies of the Prostate Project, Purbecks House, Grosvenor Road, Godalming, GU7 1NZ, which offers support and awareness. www.prostate-project.org.uk. Tel no: (+44) 01483 419501. The charity supports the local hospitals to improve services and they are now centres of excellence.
* * *
My biggest research debt is to New York detective Pat Lanigan, grandnephew of Dinny Meehan, leader of the White Hand Gang, who was murdered at his home in Brooklyn on 31 March 1920. It was through Pat sharing his family history and archive material that this book came into being.
Another huge debt is to the many officers and support staff of Sussex Police, who give me such constant and enthusiastic help and advice. Most of all, thank you to Chief Constable Martin Richards, QPM, for being so very kind and constantly supportive.
Retired Detective Chief Superintendent David Gaylor of Sussex CID, the inspiration behind Roy Grace, not only helps me constantly to hatch my plots, and to ensure Roy Grace and all his team think and act the way real police officers would, he is also my slave driver, making sure I keep up the relentless writing pace through the seven months or so of the first draft … and beyond.
Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, Divisional Commander of Brighton and Hove Police, has also been immensely helpful on this book. Chief Inspector Jason Tingley has been a total star, helping me both creatively and procedurally on many aspects of this story. As also have DCI Nick Sloan, DCI (retired) Trevor Bowles, Sgt Phil Taylor and Ray Packham of the High Tech Crime Unit, and Inspector Andy Kille of Ops 1.
Huge thanks also to Detective Superintendent John Boshier; Detective Chief Inspector Nick May; Chief Inspector Paul Betts; Senior Support Officer Tony Case; DI William Warner; Inspector Richard Delacour; PC Darren Balkham; DS Simon Bates; Sgt Lorna Dennison-Wilkins and the entire Specialist Search Unit; Scenes of Crime Officers, James Gartrell, Chris Gee, Lucy Steel, Becky Henderson; Sgt Mehdi Fallahi; PC Laura Stanley; PC Jon Anstead; Sgt Gemma Firth; PC Karl Brown.
Retired Detective Sergeant Simon Muggleton, formerly of the Sussex Police Antiques Unit, gave me invaluable information about Brighton’s historic antiques underworld.
Thank you to Giles Ellis of the Schofield Watch Company; Richard Robbins; Derek le-Warde; Michael Keehan; Chris Tapsell; David Wiltshire. Hal Mileham; Simon Schneider. Wayne and Vanessa Manley; Steve Reynolds; Danny Reardon; Norman Torrington Geneaology Research; Louise Yeoell; Liberty Taylor.
Forensic Podiatrist, Haydn Kelly; Forensic archaeologist Lucy Sibun; Alan Setterington, Deputy Governor of HMP Lewes.
Thanks also to Michael Beard, Editor, the Argus. My terrific researchers: Tara Lester and Nicky Mitchell; Dr Russell Emerson MRCP DM MB ChB; Sarah London; Sherree Fagge, Chief Nurse, The Royal Sussex County Hospital; Rob Kempson; Peter Wingate-Saul; Hans Jürgen Stockerl; Peter Hale MA, MS, FRCS (Gen); Tim Parker; Felix Francis; Graham Sones; Phil Homan; Jeannie Civil; Giles Powell; Bill Shay.
Tony Parker, Director of Engineering of Shoreham Port; David Miller, Deputy Harbour Master; Chris Jones, Dave Smith and Keith Laker.
A very special thanks to Alan Prior MD of the Pinnacle Publishing Group, who so very generously let me into many of the secrets of the arcane world of telesales!
My gratitude as ever to miracle worker Chris Webb of MacService who managed to keep my Mac going after I dropped it, and restore crucial files that had disappeared.
Very big and special thanks to Anna-Lisa Lindeblad, who has again been my tireless and wonderful ‘unofficial’ editor and commentator throughout the Roy Grace series, and to Sue Ansell who has read and helped me with every single book I have written, and to Martin and Jane Diplock
I’m blessed with a truly wonderful agent and great friend, Carole Blake. And with my dream publicity team of Tony Mulliken, Sophie Ransom, Claire Richman and Becky Short of Midas PR; and there is simply not enough space to say a proper thank you to everyone on Team James at Macmillan, but I must thank my wonderful editor, Wayne Brookes, and my incredibly patient copy-editor, Susan Opie, as well as my great US team: Andy Martin; my editor, Marc Resnick; my publicists Hector DeJean and Tony Fusco, and all the rest at Team James USA!
Massive, massive thanks also to my totally brilliant and long-suffering PA, Linda Buckley.
Helen has, as ever, been unswerving in her support, and putting up with my long nights locked away in my cave. And our three hounds, Phoebe, Oscar and Coco who lie permanently in wait, always ready to remind me that there is a life – and a lot of buried bones – when I care to step away from my desk!
I have to reserve the biggest thank you of all, as ever, to you, my readers. Your emails, Tweets, Facebook and Blog posts give me such constant encouragement. Keep them coming! And I will keep new Roy Grace books coming, I promise you!
Peter James
Sussex, England
[email protected]
www.peterjames.com
www.facebook.com/peterjames.roygrace
www.twitter.com/peterjamesuk
ALSO BY PETER JAMES
Dead Letter Drop
Atom Bomb Angel
Billionaire
Possession
Dreamer
Sweet Heart
Twilight
Prophecy
Alchemist
Host
The Truth
Denial
Faith
Perfect People
Children’s Novel
Getting Wired!
The Roy Grace Series
Dead Simple
Looking Good Dead
Not Dead Enough
Dead Man’s Footsteps
Dead Tomorrow
Dead Like You
Dead Man’s Grip
Not Dead Yet
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, a
nd events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DEAD MAN’S TIME. Copyright © 2013 by Really Scary Books/Peter James. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
James, Peter, 1948–
Dead man’s time / Peter James.—1st U.S. Edition.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-03018-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-03019-1 (e-book)
1. Grace, Roy (Fictitious character)—Fiction. 2. Police—England—Sussex—Fiction. I. Title.
PR6060.A472D428 2013
823'.914—dc23
2013025273
First published in Great Britain by Macmillan, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
First U.S. Edition: October 2013
eISBN 9781250030191
First eBook edition: September 2013
