into the room.
“Here, Sam, have a look at this.”
Bridges whistled when he picked up the bar. “Gold, isn’t it? Very nice. Worth a bit, I should think.” He took it to the window. “Eagle on one side and unicorn on the other. Wonder what that means?”
“I thought it was just a horse.”
“No, there’s a small horn at the front. Where did you get it?”
Merlin recounted to Bridges his experience of the previous night and his visit of the morning.
“Obviously something fishy going on. What did you say the name on the building was?”
“Grand Duchy and Oriental Trading Company.”
“Want me to check it out?”
“Please, Sergeant. Can you also get in touch with Inspector Goodman downstairs. There’s very little he doesn’t know about coins and bullion. See whether he or his contacts can identify this little item.”
Bridges turned to leave.
“Oh, and Sam, we have a missing person to investigate. I’ll tell you about it when you get back.”
* * *
Mikhail hurried out of the kitchen with the two plates for table three. It was surprisingly busy for a Monday. He hadn’t managed to get a bite to eat for himself yet today and the spicy fumes rising from the two plates of piping hot lamb stew he was carrying were getting to him. He deposited the plates carefully in front of the regular customers, Russian embassy officials, one civilian and one military, and smiled obsequiously. The man in the uniform, Grishin he thought his name was, nodded stiffly while the civilian ignored him. Mikhail looked up to see Voronov waving at him. Another vodka he supposed as Voronov was still waiting for his guest. As he made his way to the gloomy corner table at the back, which Voronov always favoured, he saw the restaurant door opening and a woman enter. No ordinary woman either. He paused to whistle under his breath. She had very short, very black hair, large pools of eyes and the most kissable lips. She was simply but elegantly dressed. She looked over at him. “Mr Voronov. I’m looking for Mr Voronov’s table.”
The lucky bastard. What did a beauty like this see in that ugly, old bear? Well , he thought to himself as he extended his arm to indicate where Voronov was sitting, that’s obvious isn’t it ; it’s what makes the world go round – money, property, gold, jewels – Voronov had plenty of all of those. Mikhail sighed. He and the woman arrived at Voronov’s table simultaneously. Voronov rose stiffly to his feet and kissed his guest’s hand.
“Ah, Mikhail, another menu please and another vodka. Would you care for something to drink, my dear? No. Well, perhaps some wine with the meal. Bring me the wine list, will you? And some water. Please sit down, Countess, I am delighted that you have found the time to join me. Delighted. And we have so much to talk about, you and I.”
As Mikhail handed a second menu to the Countess, he noticed that she was very pale and that her smile seemed forced. Ah well, perhaps Voronov would have to put in some extra work for this one.
* * *
Merlin was still puzzling about the gold he had found when he realised it was lunchtime. He decided to find out how his friend Jack Stewart was bearing up. As he walked down the stairs, he toyed with the idea of getting a car from the pool, but just as he got outside he could see a bus moving slowly along the Embankment. He broke into a run and managed to get onto it just as the traffic lights in front of Big Ben were turning green. Twenty minutes later he jumped off on the King’s Road, turned down Flood Street and found the Chelsea AFS station around the corner from one of his and Stewart’s favourite haunts, The Surprise pub.
As soon as he pushed through the swing doors, he found Stewart, or rather heard him, tearing a strip off a couple of firemen.
“Why on earth haven’t you got that pump fixed? You’ve had six hours since we got back. I said everyone could have a little rest, but by little rest I didn’t mean six hours. It’s a small
“Here, Sam, have a look at this.”
Bridges whistled when he picked up the bar. “Gold, isn’t it? Very nice. Worth a bit, I should think.” He took it to the window. “Eagle on one side and unicorn on the other. Wonder what that means?”
“I thought it was just a horse.”
“No, there’s a small horn at the front. Where did you get it?”
Merlin recounted to Bridges his experience of the previous night and his visit of the morning.
“Obviously something fishy going on. What did you say the name on the building was?”
“Grand Duchy and Oriental Trading Company.”
“Want me to check it out?”
“Please, Sergeant. Can you also get in touch with Inspector Goodman downstairs. There’s very little he doesn’t know about coins and bullion. See whether he or his contacts can identify this little item.”
Bridges turned to leave.
“Oh, and Sam, we have a missing person to investigate. I’ll tell you about it when you get back.”
* * *
Mikhail hurried out of the kitchen with the two plates for table three. It was surprisingly busy for a Monday. He hadn’t managed to get a bite to eat for himself yet today and the spicy fumes rising from the two plates of piping hot lamb stew he was carrying were getting to him. He deposited the plates carefully in front of the regular customers, Russian embassy officials, one civilian and one military, and smiled obsequiously. The man in the uniform, Grishin he thought his name was, nodded stiffly while the civilian ignored him. Mikhail looked up to see Voronov waving at him. Another vodka he supposed as Voronov was still waiting for his guest. As he made his way to the gloomy corner table at the back, which Voronov always favoured, he saw the restaurant door opening and a woman enter. No ordinary woman either. He paused to whistle under his breath. She had very short, very black hair, large pools of eyes and the most kissable lips. She was simply but elegantly dressed. She looked over at him. “Mr Voronov. I’m looking for Mr Voronov’s table.”
The lucky bastard. What did a beauty like this see in that ugly, old bear? Well , he thought to himself as he extended his arm to indicate where Voronov was sitting, that’s obvious isn’t it ; it’s what makes the world go round – money, property, gold, jewels – Voronov had plenty of all of those. Mikhail sighed. He and the woman arrived at Voronov’s table simultaneously. Voronov rose stiffly to his feet and kissed his guest’s hand.
“Ah, Mikhail, another menu please and another vodka. Would you care for something to drink, my dear? No. Well, perhaps some wine with the meal. Bring me the wine list, will you? And some water. Please sit down, Countess, I am delighted that you have found the time to join me. Delighted. And we have so much to talk about, you and I.”
As Mikhail handed a second menu to the Countess, he noticed that she was very pale and that her smile seemed forced. Ah well, perhaps Voronov would have to put in some extra work for this one.
* * *
Merlin was still puzzling about the gold he had found when he realised it was lunchtime. He decided to find out how his friend Jack Stewart was bearing up. As he walked down the stairs, he toyed with the idea of getting a car from the pool, but just as he got outside he could see a bus moving slowly along the Embankment. He broke into a run and managed to get onto it just as the traffic lights in front of Big Ben were turning green. Twenty minutes later he jumped off on the King’s Road, turned down Flood Street and found the Chelsea AFS station around the corner from one of his and Stewart’s favourite haunts, The Surprise pub.
As soon as he pushed through the swing doors, he found Stewart, or rather heard him, tearing a strip off a couple of firemen.
“Why on earth haven’t you got that pump fixed? You’ve had six hours since we got back. I said everyone could have a little rest, but by little rest I didn’t mean six hours. It’s a small
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