The Stone Wife Read Online Free Page A

the Official Secrets Act, he put his mouth within six inches of Diamond’s ear and said, “The British Museum.”
    A moment was needed to absorb this. “Yes?” Diamond said.
    “Yes.”
    “I hadn’t thought of them.”
    “Now do you see my difficulty?”
    “I suppose they would have an interest.”
    “Please keep your voice down. If it got out, all manner of complications would arise.”
    “But the sale didn’t take place.”
    “We still represent them. And the tablet may come up for sale again.”
    “Not for some time, it won’t.”
    “We wouldn’t want to alert the other great museums of the world. And we wouldn’t want to be pushed to some exorbitant price by someone acting for the seller. Or the auction house.”
    “Does that happen?”
    “It’s not unknown in the provinces. They call it bouncing a bid against the wall. They artificially inflate the bidding.”
    “On the assumption that someone will go higher?”
    “Or has unlimited resources.”
    “How much would the British Museum have gone to?”
    The eyes opened wide in shock. “I’m absolutely not authorised to tell you.”
    This time Diamond didn’t press. He’d asked out of curiosity, no more. “But you would have won eventually?”
    “I assume so.”
    Diamond was deflated. He’d begun to believe all the secrecy was about shielding some sinister Mr. Big, an oil-rich Russian with mafia connections, or an African dictator with blood money to bury in objects of art. “So what can you tell me about Professor Gildersleeve? Would he have been bidding on his own account?”
    “I can’t say for certain, but from his whole demeanour I gathered this was a personal matter, as if he was on some sort of mission to own the tablet. It became so obvious that I almost felt guilty topping his bids. He couldn’t have known he was up against one of the great institutions of the world.”
    “And do you know of any other parties with an interest?”
    “Obviously America and Japan, who were bidding by phone, but they stopped at ten thousand.”
    “I mean was there any hint of other interest before the auction?”
    “I heard of none, but the sale was widely publicised in academic circles.”
    “Were you tipped off that Gildersleeve was a bidder?”
    “No.”
    “You seem to know all about him.”
    “Only by reputation. I did my homework before coming here. When they identified him as the man who was shot, I recognised the name. He’s the author of several books on Chaucer.”
    “Could he have been bidding for some rival museum?”
    “I doubt it. My firm belief is that his interest was personal, which is why he challenged the gunmen.”
    “Makes sense,” Diamond said. “Did you get a good look at them?”
    “No more than anyone else.”
    “Did you notice the one who first produced the gun?”
    “I was far too caught up in the auction to notice anyone except Professor Gildersleeve. Your attention is all on the rival bidder and the auctioneer.”
    Understandable. Diamond glanced across the room, his thoughts moving on. He’d got what he needed from Sturgess. “Unless there’s something else you can tell me, I have no further questions.”
    Sturgess didn’t need any more encouragement to move off fast.
    Diamond called Bath Central and asked if there was any progress tracking the getaway van. A world-weary voice told him nothing had been reported and without a registration number or even the make, he shouldn’t get his hopes up. They couldn’t do hard stops on all the silver vans across the city. Maybe if it had been stolen they would find it abandoned later. Professional robbers generally arrange for a car change along the escape route.
    All down to CID, then, he told himself. What’s new?
    In the far corner of the auction room, several of the team were at work interviewing witnesses. They had commandeered some elegant chairs and small tables that could have been Chippendale or Sheraton for all he knew. DI John Leaman and DC Paul Gilbert