The Scroll Read Online Free

for a coffee or a beer, and returned later. But today it was too urgent. He tried the door and found it unlocked.
    Inside the hall there was a harsh smell of smoke, as if Roger had burned a pan, or even a whole meal.
    “Roger!” he called at the foot of the stairs.
    There was no answer, and he went up, beginning to fear that perhaps Roger was more seriously ill than he had supposed. He knocked on the bedroom door and when there was still no answer, he pushed it open.
    He stepped back, gasping, hand over his mouth. Now the silence was hideously plain. What was left of Roger’s body lay stiff and black on the remains of the bed, charred mattress, blackened carpet beneath it. The whole room was stained with smuts and soot as if some brief but terrible fire had raged here, consuming all in its path, and then gone out.
    Monty fumbled his way back down the stairs to the telephone and called the police.
    They came from the nearest small town, taking only twenty minutes to get there. They asked Monty to wait.
    It was nearly two hours before a grim-faced sergeant from the county town told him that they believed it had been arson, quick and lethal. They asked him a great many more questions, including some about the bookshop, Roger’s personal life, and also to account very precisely for his own whereabouts all the previous day. To his great relief he was able to do so.
    Then with their permission he drove back to Cambridge and went to see Roger’s solicitor, both to inform him of Roger’s death, and to ask for instructions regarding the bookshop, for the time being. He was stunned, grieved and too generally disconcerted even to think about his own future.
    “I’m afraid it falls on you, Mr. Danforth,” Mr. Ingles told him gravely. “The only family Mr. Williams had is a niece in Australia. I can try to get in touch with her, but I already know from Mr. Williams that the young woman is something of an explorer, and it could be a period of time before we can obtain any instructions from her. In the meantime you are named as Mr. Williams’ successor in the running of the business. Did he not inform you of that?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry—by the look on your face, clearly he did not. I do apologize. However there is nothing I can do about it now.”
    Monty was appalled. The scroll! He couldn’t possibly make the decision on the sale of that!
    “When can you find this woman?” he said desperately. “How long? Can’t the Australian police or somebody get in touch with her? Doesn’t she have responsibilities? A telephone? An email address? Something!”
    “I dare say we will find her within a few weeks, Mr. Danforth,” the solicitor said soothingly. “Until then, I advise that you just run the business as usual.”
    Monty felt as if one by one the walls were falling down and leaving him exposed to the elements of violence and darkness and there was no protection left.
    “You don’t understand!” He could hear the hysteria rising in his voice but he could not control it. “I have an ancient scroll in the last shipment, and two people are wanting it. I have no idea what it’s worth, or which one to sell it to!”
    “Can’t you get an expert to value it?” Inglis said, his silver eyebrows raised rather high.
    “No, I can’t, not if it’s worth what the two bidders so far are implying. I don’t know what it is … it’s …”
    “You’re upset, Mr. Danforth,” Ingles said soothingly. “Roger’s death has distressed you, very naturally. I’m sure when you’ve had a day or two to think about it, or a good night’s sleep at least, you’ll know what to do. Roger had a very high opinion of you, you know.”
    At any other time Monty would have been delighted to hear that; right now it was only making things worse. He could see in Ingles’ face that already he was thinking of Monty as incompetent and possibly wondering why on earth Roger had thought well of him.
    “The Church wants it,” he said