Chapter 3: It was raining a little as Justin and Daphne set out to find breakfast and they settled for the nearest diner. “Where did you get to last night ... or shouldn’t I ask?” Daphne poured the coffee into both their cups and then set about buttering her toast. “Huh?” Justin looked at her, only pausing momentarily as he took a mouthful of eggs; he feigned innocence. “Don’t play dumb with me, Justin ... I heard you go out. Those walls are virtually paper thin ... so ….?” Christ, why did Daphne always have the knack of making him feel like a 14 year old caught out smoking or sneaking a quick beer? Justin took a gulp of coffee. “I ... I couldn’t sleep. I .. um… I took in a club. No big deal ... nothing much happening.” “What ... no hot guy succumbing to your charms?” Daphne tried not to grin too much. With his looks, Justin generally didn’t have to try too hard. Not looking for anything serious: he’d been there, done that and had got burned so these days it was a little fun and nothing more. But besides that, Justin was one of the nicest people she knew. He was smart, kind and generous and an extremely talented artist and she only wished he could hook up with someone who’d do the right thing by him. “No ... nobody to speak of.” The truth was, once the guy had served his purpose last night, he’d just wanted to get out of there. They didn’t linger over the meal, they wanted to get started and so Daphne finished her toast and juice and pushed her plate to one side. “Okay, boss ... what’s the plan for today?” and she reached into her purse and took out a notebook and pen. Justin put down his fork and picked up his coffee cup. “Well, can you get back to Dan and ask him to let you have all of Kinney’s credit card records ...going back say ... 3 years? See if you can track his movements, hotel ... air tickets ... car hire ... you know the sort of thing ... against the list of thefts Dan thinks he may have been involved with ... see if you can find a pattern or if he was anywhere near at the time”. Daphne jotted all this down. “Okay ... what are you going to do?” she waited and when he didn’t answer straight away, she looked up at him. “I’m going out to the house, see if he makes a move anywhere”. He saw her raise an eyebrow. “What? What?” Now she was grinning. “Did I say anything?” Justin frowned and swallowed the last of his coffee; she didn’t have to. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Surprisingly, Brian had fallen asleep almost immediately he’d got to bed when he returned from Babylon, but as he did so, a vision of a blond passed through his mind. It was 9:30 when he woke. Shit, he hadn’t meant to sleep in so late; there was stuff he wanted to get through and, getting up quickly, he moved to the bathroom and climbed in the shower, trying to wash away the cobwebs and then he dressed and made his way down to the study. He’d always loved the room; with its dark wood paneling and floors and filled with heavy carved furniture. But the carpet was beginning to wear badly and the wallpaper fading. With all the other expenses he hated to spend any money on the house. Besides with only him, Cynthia and Freddy, the lone servant now left working in the house that once employed a dozen people, it didn’t seem worth spending that kind of money. Freddy had been with the Sheridan family for many years and though it had never sat comfortably with Brian, having someone to wait on him, this was Freddy’s home and he was arguably more a family member than he had ever been allowed to be and Brian had insisted many years before that there be no formalities between them. He was Brian, not Mr. Kinney. “Good morning, Brian”. “Morning Freddy”. “Can I get you any breakfast?” “Thank you ... coffee and toast will be fine ... I’ll be in the study”. Forty-five minutes later, Cynthia found him at the desk, his half-drunk coffee and cold toast at his elbow, wading through paperwork that seemed to increase more each day. Coming to look for him, he hadn’t even heard her when she opened the door and stood watching him for several moments. He was deep in thought with a far away look she hadn’t seen for a very long time and it seemed to her that it wasn’t just the ever-increasing burdens that were now on his mind. “Penny for them” she said as she now made her way across the floor towards him. Brian started and looked in her direction. “Huh … sorry Cyn … didn’t see you there”. “You were miles away. What’s on your mind ... it’s not just all this, is it?” she asked, indicating the files piled high in front of him. Brian coughed and tried to collect his thoughts. Cynthia always could see straight through him and he could never bring himself to lie to her. “I ... I went out to Babylon last night ... there was a guy”. He stopped; this sounded so foolish. “Well, that’s great Brian and about time ...” but he held his hand up to stop her. “Don’t get too excited, Cyn ... I didn’t even speak to him, let alone anything else … but there was something about him. Maybe I’ll run into him again …” “But that’s a good sign Brian ...” Brian shook his head, but she continued. “It means you’re ready to move on ...” He got up from the desk and walked across the room and stood looking out of the window into the garden. “I’ve had plenty of guys since ...” his voice trailed off; he didn’t really want to have this conversation, but Cynthia wasn’t about to let up and she now stood beside him, laying her hand on his arm. “Sure, you’ve slept with plenty of guys ... but how many have you actually connected with?” He looked down at the floor; he couldn’t answer her. Brian sighed inwardly as the phone rang; giving him the chance to move away from Cynthia’s concerned touch. It was the bank. A large sum of money had been deposited in a special account and, as authorized, the usual regular payments had been made on his behalf. Brian thanked the caller and replaced the receiver. “Well, that gives me a little breathing space at least”. Cynthia had understood the conversation; she’d overheard it several times before. “Brian, don’t you think it’s about time you stopped all this? You’ve done far more than honor any commitment you think you have”. “How can I stop now Cyn ... Christ, you can see what’s coming through ...” and he walked back over to the desk and picked up the top file; but the truth was he was going under. “You’re going to get caught Brian. You can’t carry on ... no one would expect you to”. Brian sighed deeply and sank down into the large leather chair. She was right, of course she was, but he couldn’t bale out, just abandon everything: everyone. “What’s really needed is just one big job ... my swan song. Have enough money to invest so that there’s sufficient coming in ... set up some sort of trust maybe”. Cynthia shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. Wait here ... I’m going to get something” and she left him in the study whilst she went upstairs. Ten minutes later, she came back down and put a satin-lined velvet case on the desk in front him. “Mother’s jewelery …” “No ... that’s yours!” and Brian moved the case back across the desk towards her. “I have a reasonable income left by Mom and Dad ... I don’t really need it. And then there’s the house and grounds and maybe there’s still one or two nice pieces left ... it would all fetch a tidy sum”. “This is your home .... I won’t sell it out from under you”. She hesitated; she’d been wondering how she was going to broach this subject with him for weeks. “Well”, she said at last, “the thing is Brian ... it may not be my home for much longer. Richard has asked me to move in with him”. Richard Delaney was a Consultant Paediatrician and well respected in his field and he and Cynthia had been seeing each other for some months. She’d hated deceiving him about Brian’s activities when he was curious about her sudden trips overseas, but so far she’d managed to come up with plausible excuses for her disappearances. She wanted to move on, even if Brian wasn’t able to, but she couldn’t leave him; not like this. Brian got up from his chair and went around to the other side of the desk and gave her a big hug. “That’s terrific news Cyn ... you deserve it”. She smiled up at him. “I haven’t actually given him an answer yet”. He pulled back and looked at her. “Why not?” but suddenly, he knew the answer. “ Hey ... you’re not worried about me are you?” She shrugged. “Well, I can hardly leave you rattling around this big old house on your own now, can I?” Brian turned away from her. “Cyn, we’re done with this conversation and besides I wouldn’t be on my own … Freddy’s here.” Cynthia was exasperated, why did he always dismiss this topic of conversation? “Don’t I even get a say in anything?” she asked. “Of course you do”, he answered her, sitting back down and picking up a pen, twirling it in his fingers. “Okay ... then this is what I have to say” and she moved the jewelery case closer to him. “Sell up ... sell everything and move back into the loft. Put the money in a trust if you have to, but you’ve done enough already and then start a new life” and with that Cynthia turned on her heel and left the room, leaving her words ringing in Brian’s ears. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was later than Justin had intended when he pulled up a little way down the street from the house and he hoped that jet lag had prevented Brian from venturing out too early. He picked up the sketchbook and pencil he always brought with him on these occasions to help keep him from getting bored and started to draw the street. He had an extremely good eye for composition, seeing a picture in the most normal of objects or settings. An hour later, his cell phone rang; it was Daphne. “Hi Daph.” “Hi Just. Look, I don’t know if this has a bearing on anything ... but I’ve been doing a little digging into the Sheridan’s. It seems they had quite a valuable art collection at one time ... though it does appear most of it got sold off after they died in an auto accident. The son, Paul, even studied art …. got a degree.” “Thanks Daph … that might be useful. Hang on a minute ...” The gates to the house had started to open and a car pulled out onto the road. It was Brian. “He’s on the move Daph ... I’m gonna have to go. Speak to you soon” and he threw the cell down onto the passenger seat and started the engine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian had picked up the jewelery case and sat holding it for quite a few minutes before making a decision. He phoned the auction house and spoke to the owner, Martin Grainger, an old Sheridan family friend and one he’d gone to before. Martin said he would be only too willing to look at the pieces and arrange for them to go to auction if that’s what Cynthia wanted, but that he’d arranged to meet a client at his office and couldn’t get away today. Needing to go into town himself, Brian said he would drop them by, and this is where he was now heading. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Keeping a safe distance behind him, Justin followed Brian into town, pulling up across the road to the auction house, which Brian was now parked in front of. He debated what to do, but decided there was only one course of action and that was to follow him inside. An auction was due to take place with some smaller pieces laid out for showing beforehand and Justin picked up a brochure on the way in, leafing through the pages, quickly scouring the crowd for any sign of Kinney. He spotted him in the far corner of the large room and carrying an attaché case. He was shaking hands with an elderly man who now beckoned him into his office. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hello, Brian …. good to see you. Have a seat.” Brian sat down in the chair indicated and opened his bag. He took out the jewelery case, which he placed on Martin’s desk. “Cynthia’s asked me to put these up for auction”. Martin sat down behind his desk and picked up the case; he opened it. “Yes, she telephoned me, confirming you had the authority to act on her behalf.” He picked up the eyeglass, which he then ran over the pieces. They were exquisite, a necklace, drop earrings and bracelet; diamonds and sapphires. He smiled. “I well remember Margaret wearing these ... Charles gave them to her on their wedding day ... she looked beautiful”. He closed the case. “They should fetch an extremely good price … probably more than you might think. There’s a sale coming up in a couple of weeks ... I’ll get these included as a late item and inform anyone I think might be interested. Let me write you out a receipt”. Having completed the necessary paperwork, Martin placed the jewelery in the safe and both men shook hands. “Please, give my regards to Cynthia and I’ll let you know about the auction. One of you might like to be there”. “Thank you, Martin .. I appreciate it” but before he could be escorted from the office, Martin’s telephone rang. Brian put up a hand to halt him. “Don’t worry about me … I’ll see myself out” and he opened the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Justin had wandered over to a table near the window, keeping one eye on the office door and was looking over some prints; one was especially charming; a pencil drawing of a young boy with a puppy. The artist was exceptionally talented, the wide-eyed innocence of the child with a beloved pet looking lovingly up at him, shining through, tugging at the heartstrings of any potential buyer. He had in fact become so engrossed in the print that he failed to notice Brian exit the office door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian closed the door behind him and stepped out into the large room; he sighed. His heart weighed heavy at the prospect of selling what was, after all, a Sheridan family heirloom, but he’d conceded that at this time, it was a very necessary course of action to take. By chance, he glanced over to the window and, standing at a nearby table, studying some artwork, was the blond he’d seen at Babylon. Brian’s heart suddenly missed a beat at the sight of the man who’d so fascinated him and now, in daylight, he was even more attractive. A smaller build than himself and with a head of fine blond hair; Hair that was shining golden now in the sun that had finally come out and was spreading in through the window. He hesitated, but there was something about him that drew Brian towards him, an almost innocent, untarnished look and Brian couldn’t stop himself from approaching him. Reaching the table, he stood beside him and spoke quietly. “That’s a nice piece”, he stated, indicating the print that had caught Justin’s eye. Surprised at being spoken to, Justin looked up suddenly, his jaw dropping slightly before he had a chance to check himself as he found himself looking at the face of the very man he was supposed to be investigating. Brian had realized he’d made the other man jump when he’d spoken to him, but what he’d not been prepared for was to now be staring into the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. To be continued