Page 115 of The Impossible Fortune

‘A number of different techniques,’ says Ibrahim. ‘Bit of creative imagination, bit of brute force. Was there luck involved? Well, I daresay you need luck in this business. But I find sometimes that the harder you work, the luckier you get.’

He looks very pleased with his contribution, and that makes Elizabeth happy.

‘And where is it now?’ Davey asks. ‘Do you have plans to sell it?’

‘Would you be in the market to buy it if we did?’ This is Joanna again – not a bad question.

‘Me? No,’ says Davey. ‘But I’d be keen to know that it’s safe?’

Wouldn’t we all, thinks Elizabeth.

‘It’s quite safe,’ says Elizabeth.

Davey turns to Joyce. ‘You were saying something aboutFlog It!’

‘Only that someone brought in Victorian pornography,’ says Joyce. ‘I missed what it went for, but even so.’

Elizabeth’s phone buzzes. Donna again.

‘Five grand,’ says Davey. ‘I was watching the end because I didn’t want to missSouth East Tonight.’

‘I’ve putSouth East Tonighton pause, because these two arrived in the middle of it,’ says Joyce, putting her hand on Paul’s arm. ‘This is my son-in-law.’

‘Lovely,’ says Davey. ‘And does he have a name?’

‘Paul,’ says Paul.

‘It’s the button with two parallel lines,’ says Joyce.

Elizabeth sees Joanna start to fidget. It is important not to be too direct sometimes, but it’s also possible to swing too far the other way.

‘Any other questions?’ Joanna asks.

‘So if you’re not selling it,’ says Davey, ‘what’s the big plan?’

Elizabeth takes this. ‘We simply want to use it to find Holly’s killer, and perhaps discover what on earth has happened to Nick Silver.’

‘Well, I can help you with both of those,’ says Davey.

There is safety in numbers, certainly, but if Davey Noakes chooses to kill them all he would be well able.

‘Let me make us all a cup of tea,’ says Davey. ‘Joyce, you can come through to the kitchen and we can have a natter aboutSouth East Tonight? I have such a crush on Mike Waghorn.’

Joyce doesn’t need asking twice and pushes herself up, leaning on Elizabeth’s arm. How pathetically delicate the two of them feel, how their bones show themselves these days.

There is a third message from Donna.

‘And when we come back,’ says Davey, ‘I’ll tell you exactly who killed Holly Lewis.’

‘And where Nick Silver is?’ Elizabeth asks.

‘I can’t tell you for sure,’ says Davey, taking Joyce’s arm. ‘But I suspect the two are very much connected.’

66

Ron sits in the darkness and waits. The lights are off, the curtains drawn. A casual observer would think there was nobody home, but Ron knows he was followed. He’s frightened, because what if? What if?

But Ron is tired of being frightened.