A Conundrum

by P. J. Peacock

  Bede studied him carefully. He was not strictly good looking, but with his dark well marked brows, chestnut hair, and the deep chocolate brown eyes of his gypsy heritage, there was a magnetism about him. He could obviously turn on the charm whenever it suited him.

  ‘What sort of dreams?’

  Gabriel was annoyed. ‘I don’t think that’s important at this point,’ he answered defensively.

  But Bede interrupted, ‘I think it is important. We all, that is Meredith, Hera, and myself have also been experiencing disturbing dreams. It’s one of the reasons we started relooking at James’s death. Our dreams have all been warnings, warnings of an unspecified looming danger to one or all of us.’

  Gabe raised his eyebrows, and then smiled engagingly and honestly for the first time. ‘Trust me, my dreams have not been about impending danger.’ He paused for a moment then continued, ‘Or at least I don’t think I can interpret them that way.’ He looked thoughtful again. Straightening up from the doorway, he raised his eyebrows in question.

  Bede looked fully into his eyes and smiled. ‘Okay, apology accepted, but I have a feeling we’ll have to revisit this at some time.’ She picked up one of the books and handed it to him. ‘Be very careful, they really are very old and quite fragile.’

  He frowned down at her for a moment then turned away. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, and muttered to himself, ‘Shit, shit, shit, bugger damn, shit.’

  Bede heard the muttered expletive and grinned quietly to herself. This might be quite entertaining.

  They moved back into the living room carrying the books.

  As they came back into the room, Martin saw that Bede was no longer scowling, so he presumed Gabe had managed to smooth over the looming problem with her. They needed her complete and willing cooperation. He glanced at the books in their arms and immediately stood up, moving eagerly toward them. The books did look old, and his spirits rose. Justin hadn’t been completely convinced about the books, but had enough respect for Meredith’s intelligence to send them post-haste on this amazing twenty-hours flight to the ends of the world. He hoped it would prove worth the trip.

  Mrs Robinson was quietly removing the tea things and Meredith smiled at her. ‘Thank you, Robby, that was delicious.’ She stood up, moved across the room to spread a clean cloth on the dining table. She then produced several pairs of cotton gloves. ‘They really are very fragile,’ she said. ‘We need to wear gloves when turning the pages. But I think, Bede, you should explain exactly what you saw, and why we were concerned.’

  Bede and Gabriel put the books carefully onto the cloth, donned gloves, and they all clustered around the table. Martin picked up another pair, and leaning over, peered at the cover of the book Bede was opening.

  The first book she opened, she reported was probably from the seventeenth century, but the provenance was a bit iffy according to James. He purchased it for the many references to the family name. He apparently hadn’t had time to check anything, but the book was a collection of original letters, handbound by Ariane, the author of some of the letters. They were in a combination of modern and middle French with a little Latin thrown in. A beautiful collection of drawings, poems, love letters, and general correspondence between several obviously related young people. The writing was crabbed with many inkblots obscuring some of the information on several of the letters, suggesting a young person writing. The pages had obviously been folded at some point and testified to James assumption that they were genuine letters.

  The young girl, whose name on the cover, Ariane Caruso-Kern, had obviously bound the book herself, and was the recipient of most of the letters and many she had written. One of the earliest letters in the book was a request for the return of letters she had written to two cousins, one Roberto and one Juliette. The book had been bound quite expertly, and had obviously not been rebound at any later date, which explained its fragility. James had made some notes in a journal he kept with the books, and some of the references he had checked did correspond to events around 1675 in France and Europe. All the letters referring to relatives were scathing of the morals and ethics practised by various named members within their family.

  The three children seemed to be in their late teens, well educated, very vocal, and articulate. There were many references to the less than ethical practices of one Uncle Stefan, and how he was using his daughter, Juliette, to consolidate a business arrangement with a rival family. Not that that was an unusual practice, the problem was that in this case, the proposed husband, the Conte de Lacey, had already buried three wives and was thirty years older than Juliette. Ariane had serious misgivings about the deaths of the Conte’s previous wives, but her uncle refused to reconsider the marriage.

  ‘The letters are fascinating, almost like a novel,’ Bede said. ‘Hera and I became hooked, but the writing is hard to decipher in some parts and the language is difficult.’

  Meredith broke in, ‘I think we need Gabriel’s linguistic skills to translate most of it, but it does suggest questionable morals, which given the times, isn’t significant. It could be seen as an embarrassment, I think, if it’s genuine.’

  Bede turned to look at Gabriel. ‘I thought it significant that James had actually hidden the two books in a secret section in the bookcase.’

  Gabriel, with raised eyebrows and a decidedly sceptical cast to his mouth, opened the book and turned the first pages carefully. He talked or muttered to himself as he studied the writings. ‘Well, the pages are all different on extremely expensive paper, which seems to bear out James’s theory. The handwriting differs, but Bede is right, I need to study it all more closely for any real significance.’ He looked up finally. ‘It will take quite some time, and I’m not sure how significant it’s likely to be. On the surface, it doesn’t appear to contain anything that could be a threat to the Family. But let’s have a look at the other one.’

  Bede carefully put the second book onto the cloth, and carefully opened the front cover. She leaned over Gabriel’s shoulder, ‘The thing that I immediately saw was that there had been something inside the verso of the cover. Let me show you.’ The cover of the book was bound in tooled leather with beautiful hand-coloured botanical illustrations of various flowers and much gold leaf.

  Bede opened the book and showed Gabriel where the edge of the leather on the verso had been levered up. Originally, there would have been some padding within, but now, this had been filled with something from this century. She put her slim fingers carefully into the space and drew out part of a letter. The paper revealed was obviously twenty-first century, 80 grams ordinary, A4 cartridge paper. The wording looked like the end of a contract and revealed part of James’s signature.

  Bede looked up at Gabriel and across at Martin. ‘I think someone else knew about the books, and searched the library the day of his death. Or maybe someone else was searching the library, while James was being murdered by a colleague, or there is someone else entirely that knows about the bookcase. The thing that worries me is that I wouldn’t have thought that anyone knew about the secret compartment.’

  Martin shook his head. ‘You can’t know that the books were found if they were still in the hidden compartment.’

  Bede looked across at both Gabriel and Martin. ‘At first, I thought this could be part of the missing contract, We use ordinary eighty-gram paper, and this piece looks the same as the rest in the office.’ She continued thoughtfully, ‘but this signature is on the bottom right hand side of the paper, and all our contracts are signed on the left. It’s not conclusive, as none of us saw the bloody thing.’ Pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, she continued, ‘This is all conjecture, as we don’t have the contract. It has definitely disappeared.’ She moved away from the table and paced across to the window. Turning back, she looked across at them all. ‘I seem to be repeating myself, but I do know the library had been searched. I was in Sydney when I was contacted and caught a
flight immediately to arrive that day. Hera and Meredith seemed too distraught to take in much, and the police were everywhere. I spoke to Inspector Campbell, and he was concerned by the state of the library. It was a mess, but sometimes Dad would get so involved in a project that he did make a mess, and Robby had orders not to touch anything. Inspector Campbell did ask me about it, but I think I was shocked as well. It wasn’t until later when we were more relaxed that I realised James hadn’t actually been working on anything at that time, so the chaos was really suspicious.’

  Meredith got up and wandered over to join Bede at the window. She addressed Gabriel, ‘I think the missing contract has something to do with the conflict that existed between George and James, but what I don’t understand is why George would have anything to do with the shipping or receiving of fresh cut native Australian flowers. It would be beneath his dignity surely?’

  Gabriel’s lips twitched slightly and he looked across at Martin with raised eyebrows. ‘It doesn’t sound much like George’s usual con. I’ll need to look carefully at both books before I can make any sort of judgement.’ He turned to face the three women and spoke sincerely, ‘What you three have been through in the last few weeks is appalling and without the support you should automatically expect. That in itself is strange, and I mean to find out what’s been happening. But if I’m right, there is a greater danger that someone within the committee is manipulating us all. The question I have at the moment is whether George is the culprit or whether he’s the scapegoat. We all acknowledge he is a total shit, excuse my language, but he is a perfect candidate for a scapegoat.’ He relaxed slightly and continued, ‘We haven’t been able to find him, so it seems that George is missing, or is aware of a threat and is lying low. He’s being more secretive than usual, and is proving difficult to track. Justin has been looking for him as well, while ostensibly looking for what he quaintly refers to as the bloody book. An arch-rival of George’s name of Lucien is also looking for him, so both Lucien and Justin are collaborating at the moment.’

  Meredith laughed. ‘I know Lucien very well, and yes, he and George have always been rivals of some sort, but they also collaborate on some projects as far as I remember.’

  Gabriel grinned at her. ‘So you know Lucien, I did wonder if perhaps you were aware of the subtlety of the relationships. You lived for quite a time in France and Paris, didn’t you?’

  ‘I only came back to Australia after Bede was born, so I lived in France and mostly Paris for over ten years.’ She was thoughtful for a time then continued, ‘I enjoyed my time there and the work I did, I suppose you both know about George’s scheme with the stolen Turner?’ Both Martin and Gabriel nodded in sympathy. Meredith continued, ‘That was when James and Penny decided to get out. He was living and working in New York at the time, but he wanted Bede to grow up in Australia, so I decided to come back with them. By that time, I was missing the wide open spaces, the silence, and the colours. I don’t suppose either of you can understand that.’ She smiled gently at them.

  Gabriel sat quietly for a few moments, then said thoughtfully, ‘Do you know, Meredith, I think I have an inkling. I was stunned by the magnificence of the landscape we flew over, and there is a consciousness of freedom here that I have never experienced before, perhaps it’s the incredible space, or the light you can see for miles.’ He was frowning and looked pensively across at Bede. Gabriel thought again about his dreams, and wondered about this beautiful girl who had invaded them. A relative of some sort, but quite distant with a lifestyle and experience poles apart from his and Martin’s.

  They were self-sufficient, these three strong women. They had managed James’s death, continued to run this complex business, and dealt with their grief without demanding any support from their relatives. He suspected that if not for the discovery of these two books on the table, they would have pursued their own investigation into James’s death. Dangerous though he knew that route would be, he respected their right to go that way if they insisted. But he wanted to be able to direct this investigation. He and Martin were better equipped to deal with what was shaping up to be a very nasty family row. They had only suspected before an involvement from the highest echelons of the Family, but it now seemed beyond suspicion.

  Gabriel put his hand gently onto the book of letters, raised his head, and frowning, looked first at Bede, then Hera, and finally Meredith. ‘I think I need to study these two books carefully to see if I can make any connections to present day members of the extended family. It’s not going to be easy or quick, I suspect, but I need to get started immediately.’ He raised both brows and grinned. ‘Can I use the study?’

  ‘Of course.’ Meredith moved forward. ‘I’ll show you to your rooms first. I’m sure you’d like a shower and change of clothes before you start. In the meantime, I’ll get hold of Robby, and we’ll set the study up so that you can use James’s desk.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  Supper

  It was very late, Gabe had been ensconced in the study, reading and translating for almost eight hours. He looked up as the door opened. Bede angled through the door carrying a tray, and he smiled at her and waited. She pursed her lips. ‘I was suddenly aware that you hadn’t gone to bed yet, so thought I might see if I could help in any way.’ She put the tray on the desk and indicated with a wave, ‘Coffee and sandwiches. It’s 2 a.m. and you’ve been at it since seven, and you probably need food by now.’

  ‘Couldn’t get to sleep, or did something disturb you?’

  She sat in the chair beside the desk and frowned at him. ‘No, I don’t sleep easily at the moment, too anxious about’, she waved vaguely around the study, ‘all of this, really. I just keep waking suddenly, and worry about Hera and Meredith wondering if they’re in any danger.’ Her eyes were shadowed, and she was very pale. ‘I’ve always felt completely safe here. We’re so far from anyone. The people on the property we’ve known forever, with a few exceptions of course, but a very few. If there had been strangers around when James was killed, someone would have noticed them.’ She looked up at him suddenly. ‘We’re a very small community. Even outside the property, strangers are visible, but Inspector Campbell checked around with the locals, and the township beside the lake, there were no strangers.’ She paused. ‘You do realise what that means, don’t you?’

  Gabriel looked across at her with sympathy on his face, and leaning back from the desk, asked, ‘Do you suspect anyone? Has anyone behaved differently, seemed anxious, or worried?’

  She shook her head. ‘That’s why I haven’t been able to sleep. Obviously, this person could be anyone who knew James’s habit of sailing on Mondays on his own, which means everyone on this property, in the local township, and everyone who sails on the lake, about 100 people, not including children.’ Bede sighed, got up and said, ‘Shall I pour you some coffee? I’m going to have one, and I’ve just made the sandwiches so they’re fresh.’

  He drew in a deep breath, flexed his shoulders, and stood up. ‘Yes, a good idea, I need a break.’

  He took the coffee she handed him, put some of the ham and cheese sandwiches on a plate, and moved across the room to sit more comfortably in an easy chair. He leaned back and took a bite. ‘Just what I needed, a good dose of normalcy to combat the intensity of these letters, it’s starting to become a bit surreal.’

  ‘Have you been able to discover anything that could have anything to do with James’s death?’ Before he could reply, she burst out, ‘You knew him, didn’t you? You knew some of the things he was involved in when he wasn’t here.’ Her eyes were glistening very bright, and Gabe hoped she wasn’t going to cry. He really wasn’t good with weeping women. But she got to her feet and moved to the window, drawing the curtain aside. ‘It’s a beautiful night. I love this time of the year, the air is so clear and still, and the stars seem so low you can almost touch them.’

  He stood beside her and spoke gently, ‘Yes, I knew James, and liked and respec
ted him. I also knew some of the projects he was involved in, but there was nothing that was in the least dangerous.’ He paused and thought for a few moments. ‘He was a very private person, almost secretive in a way, but I assume you know that better than I do.’

  ‘Yes, sometimes I thought he missed the stimulation and intrigues of Europe. He was always a little unsettled when he got home from one of his trips. I tackled him about it after his last trip, he just laughed. He said “Bede, I wouldn’t live in Europe now for any reason.” Then he hugged me and took one of the horses out for a gallop.’

  She put her cup back on the tray. ‘I’m for bed, goodnight.’

  Gabriel watched her leave, finished his coffee, and decided he, too, needed some sleep. She really was beautiful, he thought, with that rich chestnut hair and those amazing eyes. She had obviously been asleep, and the night being warm, she wore baggy short pyjama bottoms and a skimpy T-shirt. That beautiful long expanse of leg made his mouth water, and with a deprecating grin at his thoughts, turned the lights off, and shut the door on the study.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Travel

  ‘Gabriel, I don’t know that this was such a good idea. I’m exhausted. Maybe we should stay here in Dubai for a night just so we can sleep. I’m tired and so worried about Meredith and Hera to say nothing about Martin.’

  ‘Take it easy, Bede, I know it was a lousy flight, but we’re safe on the ground, and the flight to Paris leaves in just two hours. I promise you will sleep on this flight if I have to knock you out with my fist.’ Gabriel grinned down at the beautiful, slim, and dishevelled girl in the seat beside him. He put his arm around her and gently pulled her head onto his shoulder. He was gradually becoming accustomed to the strange feeling of protectiveness toward Bede.