Chapter 21

I escorted the sergeant to join his almost scowling boss, and showed them both to the door, while Dawes pointedly stood at his study door to observe the departure at a distance. I said farewell to the policemen, and closed the front door.

Turning round, I raised an eyebrow in query to Mr Dawes. He gestured towards the study, and I nodded. When we had both entered, he closed the door, then exploded.

“That cop, Jeeves? He was an insufferable popinjay, with his innuendos and snide remarks. I prefer a policeman who talks straight, and you know where you are. Do you know what it was about? I bet you do.”

“The Egyptian artefacts, sir. It seems that full identification and valuation was required before they could proceed with their enquiries. This was another probe as to your purchase of them with lack of provenance. It arouses their suspicions that you may have known they were stolen property.”

“You are spot-on, Jeeves. How did you know al that?”

“A quiet conversation with his sergeant, over a good coffee can work wonders, sir.”

Dawes laughed. “I will never complain about the use of my top quality coffee in that office, Jeeves.”

“That is most kind, sir.”

“Right. What is your estimation of the continuing police enquiries now, Jeeves?”

“Sir, we are now entering the realms of supposition, so my opinions may be suspect from here onwards. I would suppose that they will wish to investigate the man who sold you the artefacts. Did you supply his name to the Inspector, sir?”

“I did. Go on from there, Jeeves.”

“Ah. Well, even if you could not pursue him, the security service should be able to assist the police in a similar endeavour. I would expect them to be able to locate him, at a minimum, even in a foreign country. They will ask the local police to conduct an interview into his dealings with these artefacts.

Apart from that precise question, they will pressure him to reveal what he knows of you and your prior activities. They surely remain keen on finding some breach of the law that involved yourself. Should they do so, they will come back to you with their evidence, and use it as an excuse to question you thoroughly under their own conditions. By that, I mean they will haul you in to be interrogated thoroughly in a police station. It would be wise to engage a lawyer to be at your side in such an interrogation, to avoid you admitting things which would not be to your benefit.

Beyond that, I am at a loss, sir.”

Dawes examined me with care. “Are you sure you haven’t been hauled up before the police in the past, yourself? You speak as if from prior knowledge, Jeeves.”

I deliberately blushed as I responded, “Sir, during my stint in the army, there were occasions when I and my colleagues did not perform at our best within the local community, and the police wished to interview us as to the details of certain occurrences. My experience is what suggested the need for a lawyer on your side. I regret I did not have that available to me at the time.”

“I can see that the experience told on you, Jeeves. It is still close to the surface of your memory, I conclude.”

“I would not disagree, sir.”

“Very well. I will speak to my lawyer to be on standby, and if the constabulary come for me, you, Jeeves, will discover the destination and alert my lawyer to attend me immediately. I will give you his card, which you will secrete about your person, to assist you. Are you ready to oblige me that way, Jeeves?”

“I am sir. You can depend on it.”

“Right.” He walked over to his desk, and rummaged in an open box on his desk. Finding what he sought, he handed it to me. “This is your contact card for the lawyer. Keep it handy, Jeeves.”

“Sir,” I acknowledged.

He now questioned me again. “What, in your opinion, could they possibly charge me with, Jeeves?”

“Mostly, being an accessory after the fact. You effectively acted as a conduit for stolen goods, so might be assessed as part of the process of the theft of, and later dealing with, the stolen goods. It is enough that the police think that you accepted the goods in the belief that they were stolen property. That gives them the right to question you. You have to show that you did not believe it was stolen property, or that there was justification in presuming them not to be stolen.

I must caution you, sir. Purchasing a collection of ancient artefacts at the cheap price and with no provenance, is a strong indicator that your DID believe they were stolen property, and consequently you can be assumed to be guilty of dealing in stolen goods. Your lawyer should be able to clarify my assumption, and I recommend you do so at your earliest convenience.”

“That does not sound encouraging, Jeeves.”

“It was not meant to be, sir. A Jeeves offers his master the best quality of advice possible, no matter the gravity of the situation. I can retire from personal involvement at any time it suits you, sir.”

“So, you think that at some point in the near future, I can expect to be pulled in for a grilling?”

“That is a distinct possibility, sir.”

“If that happens, Jeeves, I have instructions for you. You are to assist Mrs Dawes and our daughter Catherine in whatever they think most appropriate at the time. You job has nothing to do with Walter or Frederick. They are grown men now, and should stand on their own two feet. If they need financial or other assistance, their father should be the one to come to their aid. Got it?”

“I have, sir. My principals are your wife and daughter; no one else.”

“That is it, Jeeves.” He hesitated before adding, “Oh, and Jeeves?”

“Yes, sir?”

“There are indications that Catherine is interested in you in a romantic sort of way. She is almost grown up, and must seek her own future. A top butler is a worthy, well paid profession, so should you and she wish to take your acquaintance to another level, I would not expect to raise major objections.”

“Sir, I assure you; I have not made any overtures of that sort. I have been entirely correct, and made this plain to Miss Catherine.”

“I accept your assurances, Jeeves. I am merely telling you that should you and she wish to become romantically attached in the future, that is up to the two of you alone. Understand?”

“I do understand, sir. Thank you for your confidence in me.”

“You have performed above and beyond what was expected of you in this household. It indicates a calibre of man that Catherine would be happy with.”

I nodded, without saying anything. There was nothing that I could say, I concluded.

“You are dismissed for now, Jeeves.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I left, astounded at this turn of events. I not only had Miss Catherine flirting with me; her father was encouraging it! I had expected to be reprimanded for countenancing a romantic entanglement with the teenager, if only for her age, but now actively encouraged to participate? I was caught between two opposing thoughts.

One was that this was a manoeuvre to put me in a position where, challenged, I would have to resign for improper behaviour with a member of the household. Dawes would simply refute any protestations that it was encouraged. He would get rid of an expensive butler without himself breaking the contract. I would be deemed to have done so, and in his present financial difficulties this would help his outlays.

The other scenario was that it was genuine. This would assume a similar subterfuge; this time in passing to me a daughter whose care and future might be expensive. Taking her on, I would be taking on the costs presently absorbed by Dawes. Would he treat his daughter so dastardly?

I doubted he was so cold-hearted to see everything in money terms. Yet, Catherine herself had said clearly that she thought he only looked at what would benefit himself.

She was critical of her father. Would that be a basis for passing her off to someone like me? Most fathers would try to ensure that their offspring bettered themselves. Would marrying (or otherwise) a butler fit that view?

Look at it another way: the sons of his wife were pampered by having their education at University in America. Now he has learned that they were owners of a garage business. Nothing was as he had assumed.

Might he be imagining that Catherine was not his own flesh and blood? The presence of the listening devices in the car proved that someone had an ear out for what was being said in the confines of the car. That could surely only mean Brighton himself, without anyone else knowing?

Or might he be thinking that Mrs Dawes was involved in that deceit? And follow that concept with a conclusion that Catherine was another deceit? I decided that I was taking the possibilities to extremes. Perhaps I should wait? If he actually had doubts, he would be seeking a DNA test of parentage. I should watch for that happening.

It came to me that I was starting to worry that I was becoming too involved with this family. I was losing my detachment; a dangerous distraction from my true purpose. My only course at present was to continue to keep my distance from Miss Catherine; give no opportunity for my position to be misconstrued and/or misrepresented.

I steeled myself for this course of action. My mind turned to Felicity Frobisher. She was another entanglement; one which I had earmarked for further involvement. I would like to discuss my problem with Felicity, now that she was clear of the household. Dare I communicate with her so soon after she left? Would it look bad, if the Dawes family became aware of my continued contact with Frobisher? If Dawes got an inkling that she was a competitor for my affections, would he go the trouble to having her investigated, in hopes of undermining her chances with me, and in course of so doing, reveal her police connections?

I was tying myself in mental knots. Occam’s razor: reduce the problem to its minimum. Solution: do nothing in the meantime, I concluded.

So I returned to my standard duties in the household for the next day or two, until Dawes got a phone call, and five minutes later yelled for me: “Jeeves!”

I wondered what I had done to deserve his ire, so it was with due care and attention that I appeared at his study door.

“You called, sir?”

“I certainly did, Jeeves. Come in and close the door, man.”

His tone was angry, but apparently not at me. I did as he ordered, and stood just inside the door once I had closed it. He scowled at my standing there.

“Come here, Jeeves – over by the desk. I need your advice again.”

“Certainly, sir; if I can be of assistance.” I moved to the desk, and stood there.

Dawes looked at me again, and growled, “Grab a chair, and sit down, Jeeves. This could take some time.”

“Yes, sir.” I did as instructed, and sat myself down, looking attentive.

“Jeeves, I have just had a call from my lawyer. He tells me that my bank accounts have been frozen, so that I have no access to them, and he tells me this is legal!”

“As I understand it, sir, the government quite some time ago passed a law authorising the seizure of moneys presumed to be assets from criminal activity. By seizure, I mean that the banks must temporarily suspend all activity of these accounts. They are effectively frozen as they stand, to allow for recovery of such assets if they can be proved to be the proceeds of crime.”