Chapter 54

I realised I hadn’t mentioned Janey’s idea. “My sister, Janey, had a suggestion,” I said to Dr Wells. “Would it be possible to have a replica cast of the coin so you could display it in the museum?”

“What an inspired suggestion,” said Dr Wells. “It should certainly be possible, and I’m sure the museum would love to display a replica in recognition of the coin being found locally. I’m not personally familiar with how it would be done but I’ll consult with my contacts at other institutions and get back to you.” Then, musing aloud, he continued, “Any replica coins made wouldn’t affect the value of the original. Once a mould has been made from the original, it should be possible to cast a number of replicas from it.”

“Janey thought you might need two to display; one showing heads, the other tails,” I said.

“That’s very good thinking,” admitted Dr Wells. “I wish some of my colleagues here had the smarts of your sister. Perhaps we could send a replica to Dr Giovanelli too. Discreetly, of course. I’m sure she’d appreciate a souvenir to commemorate her work.”

“I’d like that,” I agreed. “it’s the least she deserves for helping us.”

That effectively concluded our business. We said our goodbyes then left Dr Wells to start calling his contacts.

“Are you okay with that?” I asked Dad as he drove away from the museum. “Are we okay for money at the moment?”

“Son, you found the coin so the decision what to do with it is yours,” he replied. “But we’re doing fine at the moment. Better than fine actually. I know your mother likes to downplay her work but she’s very valuable to her firm and decently rewarded for her position. If she were to commit to working full-time, they’d double her pay and make her Junior Partner immediately, and within a year she’d probably be a Senior Partner and earning more than me.”

“I didn’t know that,” I admitted.

“Kathy has always insisted the welfare of you and Janey comes first. Janey proved herself trustworthy and able to look after herself while you were away, although you’d better not let on I said so. I think Kathy will choose to go full-time sooner rather than later and your jaunt to Italy was a last hurrah.

“We’ve been saving money in a rainy day account, thinking of your and Janey’s likely need for college funds, and also we were half thinking about moving to somewhere bigger. Instead we’ve decided we will spend a little more freely. Your mother is going to buy the new washing machine she wants, and we intend to pay for Janey to have riding lessons and perhaps grant her wish for her own pony in a year or so, if she can show she’s mature enough to look after it. For God’s sake, please don’t tell her.”

That explained why Mum wasn’t worried by the expense of summer tuition. I gestured zippering my mouth.

I noticed Dad was taking an unfamiliar route out of town and my heart leapt into my mouth. Surely he didn’t have something nefarious planned. Then I brought my fears under control. Ever since we’d got back, Dad had seemed mostly back to his old self. At that moment I had no reason not to trust him.

“Where is the office with the secure storage facility?” I asked, keeping my voice casual.

“It’s about thirty miles from town in a modest business park near a small village,” he replied, giving the name of the village. “It’s the sort of place that makes you wonder how such an eyesore got planning approval for such an otherwise unspoilt location.”

Now that I knew where we were headed and I could follow our progress from the road signs, I felt a lot happier. The thirty miles took us nearly an hour because the roads close to our destination were little more than twisty country lanes. Then, just when I expected to see yet another farm field, we came to a side entrance with a large sign proclaiming the business park. Dad indicated and turned in.

There were some half dozen disparate buildings, only one of which looked remotely like an office building. It was a two-storey building with lots of green-tinted glass and could have served any number of functions. It even had more than a passing resemblance to the most recent addition at my school. I had my doubts about how such a flimsy-looking building could possibly host a secure storage facility, but it bore the name of the financial company Dad worked for. Dad pulled into a visitors’ spot in its reserved parking area.