Part 25 (1/2)

'Ah,' I said hopefully. 'Did your uncle recommend anyone?'

'Your brother suggested three or four possible names. My uncle said they were all trustworthy. He told your brother to go ahead with any of them.'

I sighed. 'Does he possibly remember who they were?'

Hans said, 'He knows one of them was Guy Servi here in Antwerp, because we ourselves do business with him often. He can't remember the others. He doesn't know which one your brother decided on, or if he did business at all.'

'Well, thank you, anyway.'

'My uncle wishes to express his condolences.'

'Very kind.'

He disconnected with politeness, having dictated to me carefully the name, address and telephone number of Guy Servi, the one sightholder Greville had asked about that his uncle remembered.

I dialled the number immediately and again went through the rigmarole of being handed from voice to voice until I reached someone who had both the language and the information.

Mr Greville Saxony Franklin, now deceased, had been my brother? They would consult their files and call me back.

I waited without much patience while they went through whatever security checks they considered necessary but finally, after a long hour, they came back on the line.

What was my problem, they wanted to know.

'My problem is that our offices were ransacked and a lot of paperwork is missing. I've taken over since Greville's death, and I'm trying to sort out his affairs. Could you please tell me if it was your firm who bought diamonds for him?'

'Yes,' the voice said matter-of-factly. 'We did.'

Wow, I thought. I quietened my breath and I tried not to sound eager.

'Could you, er, give me the details?' I asked.

'Certainly. Your brother wanted colour H diamonds of approximately three carats each. We bought a normal sight-box of mixed diamonds at the July sight at the CSO in London and from it and from our stocks chose one hundred colour H stones, total weight three hundred and twenty carats, which we delivered to your brother.'

'He . . . er . . . paid for them in advance didn't he?'

'Certainly. One point five million United States dollars in cash. You don't need to worry abouT that.'

'Thank you,' I said, suppressing irony. 'Um, when you delivered them, did you send any sort of, er, packing note?'

It seemed he found the plebeian words 'packing note' faintly shocking.

'We sent the diamonds by personal messenger,' he said austerely. 'Our man took them to your brother at his private residence in London. As is our custom, your brother inspected the merchandise in our messenger's presence and weighed it, and when he was satisfied he signed a release certificate. He would have the carbon copy of that release. There was no other - uh - packing note.'

'Unfortunately I can't find the carbon copy.'

'I a.s.sure you, sir . .

'I don't doubt it,' I said hastily. 'It's just that the tax people have a habit of wanting doc.u.mentation.'

'Ah.' His hurt feelings subsided. 'Yes, of course.'

I thought a bit and asked, 'When you delivered the stones to him, were they rough or faceted?'

'Rough, of course. He was going to get them cut and polished over a few months, as he needed them, I believe, but it was more convenient for us and for him to buy them all at once.'

'You don't happen to know who he was getting to polish them?'

'I understood they were to be cut for one special client who had his own requirements, but no, he didn't say who would be cutting them.'

I sighed. 'Well, thank you anyway.'

'We'll be happy to send you copies of the paperwork of the transaction, if it would be of any use?'

'Yes, please,' I said. 'It would be most helpful.'

'We'll put them in the post this afternoon.'

I put the receiver down slowly. I might now know where the diamonds had come FRom but was no nearer knowing where they'd gone to. I began to hope that they were safely sitting somewhere with a cutter who would kindly write to tell me they were ready for delivery. Not an impossible dream, really. But if Greville had sent them to a cutter, why was there no record?

Perhaps there had been a record, now stolen. But if the record had been stolen the thief would know the diamonds were with a cutter, and there would be no point in searching Greville's house. Unprofitable thoughts, chasing their own tails.

I straightened my neck and back and eased a few of the muscles which had developed small aches since the crash.

June came in and said, 'You look fair knackered,' and then put her hand to her mouth in horror and said, 'I'd never have said that to Mr Franklin.'

'I'm not him.'

'No, but . . . you're the boss.'

'Then think of someone who could supply a list of cutters and polishers of diamonds, particularly those specializing in unusual requirements, starting with Antwerp. What we want is a sort of Yellow Pages directory.

After Antwerp, New York, Tel Aviv and Bombay, isn't that right? Aren't those the four main centres?' I'd been reading his books.

'But we don't deala'

'Don't say it,' I said. 'We do. Greville bought some for Prospero Jenks who wants them cut to suit his sculptures or fantasy pieces or whatever one calls them.'

Oh.' She looked first blank and then interested. 'Yes, all right, I'm sure I can do that. Do you want me to do it now?'

'Yes, please.'

She went as far as the door and looked back with a smile. 'You still look fair . . .'

'Mm. Go and get on with it.'

I watched her back view disappear. Grey skirt, white s.h.i.+rt. Blonde hair held back with combs behind the ears.