Proof - By Dick Francis Page 0,84

different liquids in small loads on the same journey, if necessary. Anyway, each segment has its own particular key, to avoid mistakes with unloading, so the scotch tankers each have a bunch of nine valve keys. With goods in bond Charter has always posted a set of keys in advance to both shipper and destination so that they are never carried on the tanker itself, for security.’

‘Most prudent,’ I said.

‘Yes. So Kenneth Charter went to the Simpers shop himself this afternoon, and sure enough they said they’d twice made a set of nine keys like that, and both times they’d had to send away for the blanks. The young man who’d ordered them had given his name as Harrison each time. Kenneth Charter is spitting mad as of course the shop has no record of the shapes they cut into the blanks, and he doesn’t know which of his tankers is now at risk.’

‘Awkward.’

‘He says if he loses the whole business it won’t matter a damn. What upset him most was Kenneth Junior going to such lengths.’

‘Does he know how Kenneth Junior got hold of the keys?’ I asked.

‘He says they’re usually kept in his office, but when the tankers’ valves are being steam cleaned the keys are out in the workshop. He reckons Kenneth Junior took them from there.’

‘Cunning little beast.’

‘Absolutely. Incidentally, both Kenneth Charter and Deg-let’s have now received from Rannoch the profile analysis of all three of the stolen loads of scotch. Apparently they are all slightly different because they were blends from more than one distillery. Too technical for me. Anyway, they’re in our office ready, if we find anything to match.’

‘Mm. I wonder if Mrs Alexis’s neighbour still has any.’

‘What a thought! Get onto her pronto.’

‘Pity she poured hers down the drain.’

Gerard and I disconnected and I got through to Mrs Alexis who sounded breezily unaffected and said she would find out at once; but she called back within ten minutes to say her neighbour had sold the lot some time ago and couldn’t get any more at that price because Vernon had discontinued the discount, but she thought Vernon must have got the wind up after his brush with her and had closed down altogether in her area.

Damn, I thought, and told Gerard.

‘Whenever we get near that stuff it seems to recede from us like a phantom,’ he said wearily.

‘Maybe I’ll find it tomorrow.’

He sighed. ‘It’s a very big haystack.’

SEVENTEEN

Flora came breathlessly into the shop soon after I’d opened it on the Saturday morning, saying she was on her way to fetch Jack home and wanted to thank me again for my help with Howard and Orkney Swayle.

‘There’s no need. I enjoyed it.’

‘All the same, Tony dear, I want you to have this.’ She put a gift-wrapped parcel on the counter, and when I opened my mouth to protest said, ‘Now don’t argue, Tony dear, it’s for you and it’s not enough, it’s very small and I expect you have one already, but I’ll have my hands full when Jack’s home so I thought I’d bring it for you now.’

She patted my hand in motherly fashion and I bent to kiss her cheek.

‘You’re very naughty,’ I said. ‘But thank you.’

‘That’s right dear. Where’s your sling?’

‘I forgot it this morning. It’s at home.’

‘Don’t tire yourself, dear, will you? And we’ll need some more drinks whenever you’ve time.’ She fished in her handbag and produced a list. ‘After Jack’s home the owners will start coming again and some of them drink like fish, though I shouldn’t say it, and Jack says he’s going to add it on their bills as medicine for the horses, which you can’t blame him for, can you, dear?’

‘Er… no.’

She put the list on the counter beside the present, and, saying she had a thousand things to see to on her way to the hospital, went lightfootedly away.

I unwrapped the parcel curiously and found that although it was small in size it couldn’t have been in price. The box inside the glazed white paper had come from a jeweller in Reading, and it contained, in a nest of red velvet, a silver penknife.

Not one that would necessarily gladden the hearts of Boy Scouts. Not knobbly with thirteen blades and a hook for taking stones out of horses’ hooves, like the one which had been the pride of my childhood. A slim elegantly tooled affair with a sharp steel cutting blade tucked into one side and a second blade on the other which