‘I can see you like your Christmas present,’ said Christina.
Grace phoned her father within minutes of arriving back at her flat in Notting Hill, and gave him a detailed report of her meeting with the professor.
‘I do believe the time has come for me to call the Director of Public Prosecutions and make an appointment to see him before any of my colleagues return from their Christmas breaks,’ said Sir Julian. ‘I need to get a trial date penciled in to the court calendar as soon as possible.’
‘That might not be so easy,’ suggested Grace.
‘There are always canceled slots that need to be filled. I’ll just have to make sure my name is near the top of the list.’
‘But why should the DPP pick you rather than any of the other equally worthy applicants?’
‘I’ll tell you why, Grace, but not over the phone.’
William kept a close eye on the packers as the heavy brigade carefully lowered the Rembrandt into its custom-built crate before carrying it into the hall to join its companions.
Every one of the crates had a large square sticker attached to it, declaring PROPERTY OF MRS. CHRISTINA FAULKNER. TO REMAIN ON BOARD. The only exception was the Rembrandt, which had an even larger circular sticker that read, PROPERTY OF THE FITZMOLEAN MUSEUM, PRINCE ALBERT CRESCENT, LONDON SW7. TO BE COLLECTED.
‘Are you confident,’ said Christina, ‘that the commander will be on the dockside waiting to welcome the Christina’s distinguished passengers when they arrive in Southampton?’
‘He’ll be the first person on board the moment we dock, with the cavalry not far behind,’ said William. ‘I’ll call him tomorrow, as soon as the paintings are all on board.’
‘He’ll only be interested in one of them.’
‘What’s going to happen to the rest?’ asked William, although he assumed Christina was unlikely to reveal their final destination.
‘Next stop, New York, where they’ll be joined by a remarkable collection of modern American artists who are presently residing in our Manhattan apartment.’
‘But by the time the yacht docks, your husband could be standing on the dockside waiting for you.’
‘No, I don’t think so. After Melbourne Miles plans to fly to Sydney so he’ll be among the first to see in the New Year, by which time all his paintings will be hanging in their new home — my new home.’
William didn’t waste his time asking her where that might be.
Grace and her father spent the evening holed up in his study.
‘The next thing Professor Abrahams needs to do,’ said Grace, ‘is study Arthur’s original two-page statement that was presented in court. He did warn me that it could also prove that Arthur has been lying and the jury got it right.’
‘If that turns out to be the case,’ said Sir Julian, ‘we’ll say nothing to Joanna or Beth other than that we’ve been unable to come up with any fresh evidence that would make it possible for us to apply for a retrial.’
‘And if Arthur has been telling the truth?’
‘My next call will be to the DPP’s office to request a retrial.’
‘You still haven’t told me, Father, why the DPP would give priority to this case?’
‘Desmond Pannel and I were at Oxford together. I was his campaign manager when he stood for president of the University Law Society, and you’d never believe who his main rival was. The president’s job was a thankless task, but then Desmond is a man who has always enjoyed taking on thankless tasks, which is why he’s ended up as DPP. And now, after thirty years, I intend to call in my marker.’
It wasn’t long after he’d climbed into bed that William heard the door open. Suddenly he was wide awake. A sylph-like figure silhouetted in the moonlight glided across the room, slid under the blanket, and began kissing him on the back of his neck.
He didn’t have long to consider what he should do next. Turn on the light and politely ask her to leave, was his first thought, or just get on with it but don’t tell Beth, was his second. And then he wondered what Beth would say if he told her he’d rejected Christina’s advances and sacrificed the Rembrandt. A one-night stand in exchange for a masterpiece. He wasn’t in any doubt which she would expect him to do.
Professor Abrahams made a second stopover in London on his way back to New York, and once again he was met at the arrivals gate by Grace. This time he was clinging on to what he described as his box of tricks.
The following morning Sir Julian and Grace accompanied him to a room in the basement of Scotland Yard where, in the presence of an independent witness, he spent the next few hours closely examining the two-page statement that had been submitted at Arthur’s trial.
Sir Julian and Grace returned to chambers, where they anxiously awaited the outcome of the professor’s findings. It was Grace who spotted him sauntering across Lincoln’s Inn carrying his box of tricks in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. She leaped in the air and cheered.
After listening in silence to the professor’s pronouncements, they both bombarded him with questions to which he always had an answer. Finally Sir Julian picked up the phone and dialed a private number. When the Director of Public Prosecutions came on the line, all he said was, ‘Desmond, I need a favor.’
A large removal van arrived outside the Villa Rosa at nine the following morning, and it took the heavy brigade nearly two hours to load all sixty-nine crates on board. They were then driven slowly, very slowly, down to the port, where it took another three hours to transfer them into the Christina’s hold. After he’d seen the door of the hold locked and bolted, William went ashore and called Commander Hawksby to let him know he’d be on the next flight home.
‘No you won’t,’ said Hawksby firmly. ‘Get back on that boat and don’t let the Rembrandt out of your sight until you dock at Southampton.’
‘But shouldn’t I be keeping an eye on Mrs. Faulkner?’
‘No. You should be keeping an eye on six Syndics from Amsterdam, who mustn’t be allowed to wander off again.’
William didn’t argue.
‘When you dock tomorrow evening, I’ll be on the quayside,’ said Hawksby, ‘along with a small army to make sure the painting is returned safely to the Fitzmolean.’
Christina was disappointed that the commander had insisted William remain on board, as she was rather hoping he would be keeping an eye on her. William leaned over the railing and waved to her as the yacht left the harbor. As soon as it was out of sight Christina told her driver to take her to the airport, so she could carry out the second part of her plan.
27
If it was all in the timing, as Christina Faulkner suggested to William, then she made one fatal error. She instructed her solicitor to issue a writ for divorce on December 22. The petition landed on Booth Watson’s desk on the 24th.
Booth Watson wasn’t surprised by the timing, as he assumed Mrs. Faulkner had chosen the date in a clumsy attempt to spoil his client’s Christmas. He decided not to contact Miles until he returned to his chambers on December 28. After all, what difference would a few days make? He locked the petition in his safe and went home.
Mike Harrison called Mrs. Faulkner from Melbourne on December 27, to report that her husband had spent the day in a hospitality box at the MCG, watching the second day of the Test match. After stumps, he’d gone to dinner with friends and picked up his room key from reception just after midnight.