Chapter 52

Next, I used Ms Edgeway’s phone to covertly call Dr Giovanelli’s cousin’s cellphone. I recognised Dr Giovanelli’s voice when she answered in Italian.

“Hello, it’s Jon Snow,” I interrupted.

“Hello Jon. I was worried when I did not hear from you.”

“We’re back home in England, safe and sound.”

“Good. And the coin too?”

“Yes. I’m still trying to decide what to do with it. I want researchers to be able to see and study it, but its value makes that difficult.”

“If our Ministry of Culture had not have been so greedy, perhaps you might have loaned it willingly to the Antiquities Research Centre.”

“I most likely would have,” I mused. “What is happening at your end? Have there been any consequences?”

“At first the authorities got very agitated when I reported the coin missing. They cannot work out how it got past the metal detector. I was questioned but I was less of a suspect than I expected. They decided that if I had wanted to steal the coin for myself, I had plenty of opportunities to do so earlier.”

“That’s good news,” I said.

“The loss of the coin is an open secret in the Antiquities Research Centre, but otherwise they are keeping very quiet about it. There have been no reports in the media. They are not keeping us informed of progress in the investigation, so I do not know whether they have discovered that you were present in Rome at the time of the loss. Although the coin has gone, I am to continue working at the Antiquities Research Centre until I have finished my academic paper. The paper will be published in both Italian and English. Would you like me to send you a copy of the English version? I can send it electronically via Dr Wells.”

“Yes please, I’d love to read it. Does that mean your time at the Antiquities Research Centre is coming to an end?”

“Yes, it was only a secondment while I studied the coin. I will shortly return to my university position. The university has obtained a grant to excavate the site of the villa where the Senator lived, because the historical value of the site has increased significantly now that we know he became Emperor. I will be the supervising academic and I will be entitled to call myself Professor Giovanelli,” she said with a laugh.

“Professor Giovanelli,” I repeated. “It will be nice to have a professor as a friend.” Except for Professor Palatinsky, of course.

I warned her that I would have to hand back the phone I was calling from very soon, after which any contact would have to be via Dr Wells. Dr Giovanelli said that her cousin hadn’t asked for her phone back, so I could continue to use that number for the time being.

We chatted a little longer and I promised to keep Dr Giovanelli up to date with my intentions for the coin, then we said our goodbyes,

After dinner, my family and I gathered for the family meeting.

“I’m sure you have quite a tale to tell,” started Dad, “but first I have a couple of news items to pass on. The police have offered you fifty pounds reward money for your role in exposing the drugs ring. It sounded mean to me but Richard Masson pointed out that the police won’t benefit from the asset seizures, so the money has to come from their operational budget.”

“That’s better than nothing, I suppose,” I grudgingly admitted.

“The other news is that Dr Rabdoolia is almost certainly no longer a threat,” Dad continued. “Despite co-operating with the police, he was still facing a jail sentence. He’s gone missing and police are confident he’s fled the country using a second passport. His car was found in Heathrow Airport’s long-term parking.”

“Good riddance,” said Janey, making stabbing motions and earning smiles all round.

“And now the interesting part,” said Dad. “You successfully stole a rare coin back from the Italian government so you must have quite a story to tell us.”

I looked at Mum and she looked at me, then she responded to Dad’s cue. “Actually, no. It was quite boring. We drove to Rome. Jon did his sleepwalking jiggery pokery when I wasn’t expecting, then he turned up back at the hotel with the coin. Then we drove home again.”