A Roman Shadow, page 3
“That’s a really rubbish reason to give someone a job,” replied Jimmy. Shadow smiled to himself. It was unlike his sergeant to be negative about anyone, but on this occasion, he agreed with him wholeheartedly.
“What if Dunnington is only pretending to be thick? Maybe he could have done it to claim the insurance.”
Shadow raised a sceptical eyebrow.
“Let me guess you’ve recently watched a film involving an elaborate insurance scam.”
“Yeh, sort of, The Thomas Crown Affair. Have you seen it, Chief?”
Shadow shook his head. He never watched television or went to the cinema. Unfortunately both forms of entertainment heavily influenced his sergeant’s theories.
“What did you make of Dr Shepherd?” he asked. “Didn’t you find it strange that she still wore protective gloves to handle the coins even though she knew they were fakes?”
“No.” Jimmy shook his head firmly. “I think she was just being extra careful. They were still pretty delicate, or maybe she did it out of habit. I thought she seemed nice and really interesting, especially when she was talking about St Valentine. There’s no way she’s involved. You know sometimes, Chief, you can be really suspicious.”
“Yes, well that is sort of my job, Sergeant,” replied Shadow tersely. Not for the first time, he thought his sergeant might have been better suited to social work. They were both silent for a moment as they watched the snowstorm stop as quickly as it had started.
“I’ve had an idea, Chief,” Jimmy said, his voice sounding muffled beneath his scarf. “You’d need to be pretty skilled at working with gold to copy those coins. Maybe we should ask a jeweller their opinion. Do you remember, Ellie Treanor? We met her when she designed a Viking bracelet in the Alfred Campbell case. She’s got a studio over on Swinegate. We could see what she thinks.”
Shadow gave a wry smile as he slowly nodded.
“And she’s also the lady you bought Sophie’s birthday present from, therefore maybe while we’re there you could look for yet more inspiration for Valentine’s Day. You really are about as subtle as a brick, Sergeant.”
“Well it wouldn’t hurt to look would it, Chief?” replied Jimmy.
“Come on then,” said Shadow with a sigh as he turned up the collar of his jacket. “I don’t care where we go as long as it’s warmer than here. Actually, come to think of it, didn’t there used to be a shop down Swinegate that dealt in old coins and stamps?”
Shadow thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket and the two detectives headed along the slush-covered pavement towards Petergate.
*
The Swinegate Quarter was situated off Petergate. It was a tangle of medieval streets laying roughly in a square. It was also bordered by Stonegate, Church Street and St Sampson’s Square. As well as Swinegate itself there was Grape Lane and Little Stonegate. For centuries the area had been the traditional haunt of the city’s prostitutes, but more recently it had gone through a process of gentrification and was now home to fashionable cocktail bars, exclusive boutiques and artisans’ studios. On the corner of Grape Lane, there was a shop selling handmade chocolates that happened to be Sophie’s favourite. As the two detectives passed by the window, the pretty young woman behind the counter looked up. When she saw Jimmy, she waved and gave him a huge smile.
“Oh wow! I haven’t seen Luce for ages. Is it okay if we call in here for a second, Chief?” Jimmy asked, pushing the door open before Shadow had a chance to respond. With a sigh of resignation, he followed his sergeant inside.
Luce’s full name turned out to be Lucy Wang and she was clearly a close friend of his sergeant’s. The young woman dashed from behind the counter and threw her arms around Jimmy’s neck. Looking a little embarrassed, Jimmy introduced her to Shadow, who then discreetly stepped back. He strolled around the piles of chocolates displayed artistically as the two young people caught up with each other’s news. It seemed Lucy had recently returned from a year in Taiwan. She was helping out in the chocolate shop, where she’d previously had a job as a student, because Valentine’s was such a busy time for them. Shadow peered through the small window in the door to the kitchen and saw a slightly harassed-looking man with a moustache spreading a thick layer of chocolate on to the marble worktop as two assistants carefully used tongs to place truffles into tissue-lined gift boxes.
“So, do you have any plans now that you’re home?” he heard Jimmy ask.
“I’d really like to help out with Dad’s business. I’ve got a couple of great ideas that I think could work, but you know what he’s like. He doesn’t handle change well,” replied Lucy.
“He and my mum both.” Jimmy laughed, then glancing over to Shadow. “Look, I’ll have to go, but I’ll catch you later okay, Luce.”
Shadow nodded politely to the young woman as they left.
“What business does her father own?” he asked when they were outside.
“Mr Wang has a tea shop off Goodramgate, Chief. He imports and sells loose tea from China and there’s a room where you are served tea in the traditional Chinese way. It’s always been popular with tourists and the Chinese community here in York. My mum and her friends still go all the time, but I hear it might not be doing as well as it used to. It’ll be good for him to have Lucy back to help out. Her mum died not long after I lost my dad. I guess that’s why we’ve always been really close.”
“Like having another sister?” suggested Shadow.
Jimmy shook his head. “No way, Angela is such a pain. Luce is much cooler. She’s a great cook too. Hopefully, she’ll make her fortune cookies for the New Year dinner. They aren’t really traditional, but the English guests think they are fun, so Mum always serves them. You are still coming aren’t you, Chief?”
Shadow made a noncommittal grunting noise in response. Rose had insisted he join them, but he really didn’t enjoy parties. He would have to try and think of an excuse.
“Look, this used to be the coin shop,” he said instead, pointing to the shop next to the chocolatier’s. It looked like it had recently been painted, but it was now empty with only a ‘to let’ sign in the window. A little farther along the street was Ellie Treanor’s Design Studio. They stepped inside the warm, subtly lit studio and the jewellery designer recognised them at once. Ellie Treanor was a large woman with a fondness for dressing in velvet smocks. Her long dark hair was piled up on her head as always with two pencils sticking out. Shadow was never sure if they were securing the hair or had just been placed there for safekeeping.
“How nice to see you again, Sergeant Chang, Chief Inspector Shadow. Should I be worried or is this a social visit?”
“Nothing to worry about, Miss Treanor,” Shadow reassured her. “We just hoped you would be able to give your professional opinion on something.”
Miss Treanor blushed, and her hands fluttered around her face self-consciously.
“Goodness me! I don’t know if I’ll be much use, Chief Inspector, but I’ll certainly try my best to help you if I can.”
“Thank you very much. Sergeant Chang has some photographs of various Roman coins and a ring we would like you to look at,” Shadow explained, but when he turned to look for Jimmy, he found his sergeant was already distracted. He was peering into a cabinet holding various rings set with precious stones. Shadow cleared his throat loudly. Jimmy looked up.
“Yes, Chief?”
“The photographs when you have a moment please, Sergeant.”
Jimmy gave an apologetic smile as he fished his phone out of his pocket and showed the screen to Miss Treanor.
“Do you ever produce replicas of coins like these, perhaps to be worn as a pendent?” asked Shadow, as Jimmy scrolled through the images.
“If only,” replied Miss Treanor with a wistful sigh. “They are beautiful, but unfortunately it would simply be too time-consuming to be profitable.”
“But there is a market for them?”
“I don’t know about coins, but there definitely is for Roman-style jewellery. I believe the Russian and Chinese buyers are especially interested.”
“And if I wanted to buy an original piece of Roman jewellery rather than a replica, where would you advise me to go?”
“I would probably contact one of the international auction houses down in London. They check the authenticity of each piece and, as I said, they are very popular with foreign buyers.”
“Are there any other jewellery designers in the city?” Shadow asked. He didn’t think the original museum pieces were likely to still be in the country let alone York, but he wondered if the copies could have been created close by. Surely whoever copied them would have needed time to study each piece. Perhaps they had visited the museum when the stolen pieces were on display.
“You could try speaking to Jacqui. She used to be my neighbour here but a few months ago she moved to one of those new units at Monk Bar Court.”
“I thought the shop next to you used to be the coin shop,” queried Shadow.
“Oh that was several years ago, Chief Inspector. Long before my time. Mr Level was the owner’s name. I hear he was quite a character. Jacqui took over the shop when he died a couple of years ago, but it was empty for a while before then.”
“Jacqui…?”
“Oh yes of course, Chief Inspector, a surname would help wouldn’t it? Jacqui Heaton.”
“Why did she move? Surely being here is more central?” asked Jimmy.
Ellie pursed her lips. “You’ll have to ask Jacqui about that. She obviously found something attractive about the place. Personally, I couldn’t see the appeal.”
*
The two detectives left the Swinegate Quarter and headed past the Minster towards Monk Bar.
“You know, Chief, Ellie had a really pretty ring in her studio. It looked a lot like the Roman one Dr Shepherd showed us,” began Jimmy, but Shadow held up his hand to halt him.
“Was it an exact replica and therefore a possible link to our investigation, Sergeant?”
“Er, no, Chief.”
“Then I don’t need to hear about it.”
They turned down Goodramgate with Jimmy stopping briefly to buy a takeaway coffee on the way. Shadow watched in amusement as his shivering sergeant tightly gripped the cup of hot liquid in his freezing hands.
“Have you never thought of emigrating to a warmer country, Sergeant?” he asked.
“Oh I couldn’t live anywhere else, Chief. I absolutely love it here. I just don’t like the cold and the damp, or the wind and the rain.”
“Well then fortunately for you that only describes North Yorkshire for about eleven months of the year,” replied Shadow.
*
Monk Bar Court was a narrow alleyway that ran alongside the city walls. It was next to Monk Bar, one of the gateways into the city. Shadow could remember when it had been called Elbow Lane and was known as one of the most rundown and dilapidated streets in York. Like the Swinegate Quarter it had recently been gentrified and the row of broken-down cottages were being renovated with a view to accommodating artisans.
Mr Wang’s tea shop stood on the corner at the entrance to Monk Bar Court. Unlike the businesses opening behind him, his shop had been a feature of the street for over twenty years. The owner was outside sweeping the remaining slush from the pavement in front of his door.
“Good morning, Mr Wang. How are you?” asked Jimmy politely.
“I am well, but business could be better,” replied the older man bluntly. “I blame the younger generation and their obsession with coffee,” he said pointedly glaring at the paper cup in Jimmy’s hand. Jimmy turned red with embarrassment.
“I’ve just seen Lucy. You must be pleased she’s home.”
Mr Wang waved his hand dismissively. “Lucy is a good girl, but she wants to change everything. Sometimes the old ways are the best.”
With that he turned and went back inside his empty shop and the two detectives carried on through the archway to the new shops. ‘Chocolates from Old Elbow Lane’ stood next to ‘Monk Court Jewellery’. The third and fourth units at the end of the row looked like they were still being renovated, with a builder’s van and a cement mixer standing outside.
Shadow and Jimmy stepped into the jewellery boutique. Like Ellie Treanor’s place it was small and carefully lit with white walls, polished wood floor and glass cabinets displaying various items of jewellery. Jazz music was playing in the background, although it was so loud, the lady sitting behind the counter didn’t hear them come in.
“Miss Heaton?” enquired Shadow raising his own voice above that of Fred Astaire’s singing about his ‘Top Hat, White Tie, and Tails’. The lady behind the counter stood up and smiled.
“Yes, can I help you, gentlemen?” she asked. Shadow introduced himself and Jimmy.
Jacqui Heaton was a thin, angular woman with a sharply cut geometric black bob. Like Ellie Treanor she dressed a little eccentrically. As she came to greet them, Shadow could see she was wearing black lace fingerless gloves, a white high-necked frilly blouse beneath a purple crushed velvet suit with a skirt that reached down to her ankles. Peeping out below that skirt were a pair of crimson high-heeled court shoes.
“We were wondering if we could ask you some questions about Roman jewellery?” he said.
“Ask away, Chief Inspector, but it’s not really my thing. I’m strictly an art deco girl.”
Shadow’s eyes briefly scanned the room and took in the geometric designs of the silver jewellery on display and the posters adorning the walls from the 1920s and 30s.
“So I see, Miss Heaton. You are also a jazz fan,” he replied, struggling to make himself heard above Marlene Dietrich who had now taken the place of Fred.
“Absolutely, sorry if it’s a bit loud. Paul rigged up the sound system for me, but the volume keeps sticking.”
“Paul?” enquired Shadow. He was a huge jazz fan himself, but how on earth did Jacqui ever manage to converse with her customers?
“Paul Le Vel. He has the chocolatier’s next door. We moved here together,” she explained and Shadow noticed she blushed a little as she spoke about her neighbour, then as if reading his mind: “Fortunately, most of my customers are online at this time of year.”
“Would it be possible to speak upstairs instead?” he asked.
“Sorry, I don’t have the keys. There’s a flat above here, but I can’t move in for another six months, when the lease on my current place runs out. Paul’s trying to sublet it for me until then. He lives above his shop you see. That means he’s always here to let any prospective tenants view it. He’s such a star. I don’t know what I’d do without him. I’ve got a workshop in the back, but it’s just as noisy in there.”
Shadow nodded and tried to press on.
“So, nobody has approached you to design any Roman jewellery or coins for them?” he asked. Jacqui shook her head and was about to answer when the door swung open and a tall, good-looking, blond man strode in and planted a kiss on Jacqui’s cheek.
“Hello, gorgeous girl! How’s my favourite jeweller? Honestly, I turn my back for two minutes and other men are trying to chat you up.”
He turned and winked at the two detectives as Jacqui blushed and giggled.
“Oh, Paul, don’t be silly! This is Chief Inspector Shadow and Sergeant Chang,” she told him.
Paul held up his hands in a dramatic gesture of surrender. “It’s all right, officers, I’ll come quietly,” he said with a grin.
Shadow remained stony-faced. He couldn’t recall ever taking such an instant dislike to someone as he had to the irritating man in front of him, who was now holding out his hand.
“Paul Le Vel, local businessman and general nuisance, isn’t that right, Jacs?”
“Oh, Paul, you are funny!” gushed Jacqui as Jimmy shook Le Vel’s hand and Shadow reluctantly did the same.
“Why don’t you come next door where it’s quieter and I’ll even throw in a couple of our handmade chocolates—exactly what you need to go with that coffee, Sergeant,” Le Vel suggested.
“That would be great, thanks very much,” replied Jimmy before Shadow had a chance to decline the offer.
“Always happy to help the boys in blue; besides you can’t hear yourself think in here. I promise to fix the volume soon, Jacs darling,” he called over his shoulder as he headed out the door followed by Jimmy and Shadow, who had begun grinding his teeth. Jacqui stuck a back in five minutes sign on the door before locking up and joining them too.
Parked on the cobbles outside the shops were two vehicles. A vintage delivery van painted brown and bearing the name ‘Chocolates from Old Elbow Lane’ and a bright red MG sports car with the registration 100 LEV that Shadow assumed belonged to Le Vel. With Jimmy there, he didn’t need to assume for long.
“That’s a beautiful car you have, Mr Le Vel,” remarked his sergeant.
“Yes, it’s a nifty little number and very popular with the ladies—a bit like her owner.” Le Vel laughed.
They followed Le Vel through the door of his own shop that was fitted with a shiny brass jangling bell. The interior was styled to look like a Victorian chocolatier’s with dark wood floors and cabinets, an old-fashioned cash register, marble countertop and brass weighing scales. Vases of red roses were tastefully arranged here and there along with neatly stacked dark red gift boxes. The elaborate gold writing on the boxes gave the name of the shop and declared that the chocolates inside were sent with love. Shadow doubted the recipients would be quite so keen to eat the contents if they knew that Elbow Lane had once been the site of the city’s midden. He guessed this fact wasn’t something Paul Le Vel would be using to promote his business.
“Hello, my lovelies, how are we all?” Le Vel called out to four teenage girls, who were wearing Victorian-style black dresses with frilly white aprons and white mop caps. Two were standing behind the counter and two could be seen through the open door into the kitchen, their faces covered by protective masks as they decorated a tray of chocolates with red and white icing.
