and repainted.
Hugo survived for another month.
With no other available assets to dispose of, he began to steal from his mother. First, any loose change left lying about the house, followed by coins in purses and then notes in bags.
It wasn't long before he bagged a small silver pheasant that had graced the centre of the dining-room table for years, followed by its parents, all of which flew to the nearest pawn shop.
Hugo then moved on to his mother's jewellery. He started with items she wouldn't notice. A hat pin and a Victorian brooch were quickly followed by an amber necklace she rarely wore, and a diamond tiara which had been in the family for over a century and was only worn at weddings or ceremonial occasions. He didn't anticipate there being many of those in the near future.
He finally turned to his father's art collection, first taking off the wall a portrait of his grandfather by a young John Singer Sargent, but not before the housekeeper and the cook had handed in their notice, having received no wages for over three months. Jenkins conveniently died a month later.
His grandfather's Constable (The Mill at Dunning Lock) was followed by his great-grandfather's Turner (Swans on the Avon), both of which had been in the family for over a century.
Hugo was able to convince himself that it wasn't theft. After all, his father's will had stated and all that therein is.
This irregular source of funds ensured that the company survived and only showed a small loss for the first quarter of the year, that is, if you didn't count the resignation of three more directors and several other senior members of staff who hadn't received their pay cheques on the last day of the month. When asked, Hugo blamed the temporary setbacks on the war. One elderly director's parting words were, 'Your father never found it necessary to use that as an excuse.'
Soon, even the removable assets began to dwindle.
Hugo knew that if he were to put Barrington Hall and its 72 acres of parkland on the market, it would announce to the world that a company that had declared a profit for over a hundred years was insolvent.
His mother continued to accept Hugo's assurances that the problem was only temporary, and that given time everything would sort itself out. After a time, he started to believe his own propaganda. When the cheques started to bounce again, Mr Prendergast reminded him that there was an offer of £3,500 on the table for his properties in Broad Street, which, Prendergast pointed out, would still show him a profit of £600.
'What about the thirty thousand I was promised?' Hugo shouted down the phone.
'That offer is also still on the table, Sir Hugo, but it remains subject to your purchasing Mrs Clifton's freehold.'
'Offer her a thousand,' he barked.
'As you wish, Sir Hugo.'
Hugo slammed the phone down and wondered what else could go wrong. The phone rang again.
The Sins of the Father
Hugo was hidden away in a corner alcove of the Railway Arms, a hotel he'd never frequented before, and never would again. He nervously checked his watch every few minutes, while he waited for Mitchell to arrive.
The private detective joined him at 11.34 a.m., only minutes after the Paddington express had pulled into Temple Meads station. Mitchell slipped into the chair opposite his only client, although he hadn't received any remuneration for several months.
'What is so urgent that it couldn't wait?' demanded Hugo, once a half pint of beer had been placed in front of the private detective.
'I'm sorry to report, sir,' Mitchell began after taking a sip, 'that the police have arrested your friend Toby Dunstable.' Hugo felt a shiver shoot through his body. 'They've charged him with the theft of the Piotrovska diamonds along with several paintings, including a Picasso and a Monet, that he tried to offload on Agnew's, the Mayfair art dealer.'
'Toby will keep his mouth shut,' said Hugo.
'I fear not, sir. I am reliably informed that he has turned King's evidence in exchange for a lighter sentence. It seems Scotland Yard are more interested in arresting the man behind the crime.'
Hugo's beer went flat while he tried to take in the significance of Mitchell's words. After a long silence, the private detective continued. 'I thought you'd also want to know that Miss Piotrovska has hired Sir Francis Mayhew KC to represent her.'
'Why doesn't she just leave the police to deal with the case?'
'She did not seek Sir Francis's advice on the