Free As if by Magic by Kerry Wilkinson Page B

professional.
    As a final trick in a career, it wasn’t a bad one to go out on – even if it was unlikely he would have ever got away with it. Jessica figured he never thought he would, he simply wanted to prove he still had it.
    ‘Let’s hear it then,’ Dave said as he drove out of the Longsight Police Station car park. She had just taken a confession from both Balthazar and Geoffrey Hunter for insurance fraud but had one final place to go.
    ‘What?’ she replied coyly.
    ‘Balthazar and Geoffrey, how did you know?’
    ‘Some of it was guesswork,’ Jessica replied. ‘But actually some of it was what you said about Ashleigh and the money.’
    ‘So I can take the credit?’
    ‘No, because I doubt you can remember what her face looks like. Anyway, all those posters from the stage area were from the past, while he’s stuck playing tiny venues now. He’s got this massive house and a young girlfriend – and everything will cost. But, unless he’s saved sensibly, where does the money come from? That’s what got me thinking about the appraiser.’
    ‘But he knew about your Dad’s medal...?’
    Jessica laughed. ‘Not really. We left the shop to have breakfast. The medal is quite distinctive with the word “Sudan” across the front, so it wouldn’t have taken much searching on the Internet to find it – or the information he gave us about Winston Churchill.’
    ‘He could have just known it though?’
    ‘Yes but you don’t know my Dad...’
    Dave stopped at a red traffic light and turned to face Jessica. ‘I might get to know him pretty well if he’s serious about that offer.’
    ‘Dad’s a bit weird...’
    ‘That would explain where you get it from...’
    ‘That medal isn’t an original and definitely isn’t worth two grand. Dad is paranoid about security around the house. He inherited a real medal but, because he thought someone might break in and take it, he commissioned this local guy to made him a second, fake one.’
    Dave edged away from the junction but sounded confused. ‘Why?’
    ‘I have no idea, it’s just what he’s like, but it was the forgery Geoffrey appraised.’
    ‘But why would he do that if he’s skilled at it?’
    ‘Because he’s not,’ Jessica said. ‘It was his father, Gerald’s, business. It was established in 1950 before Geoffrey was even born. On the paperwork he gave me, the signature says “G Hunter”. It will be his father who has the authority to judge values for insurance companies – but they would only ever get the headed paper and the signature with “G” on it. In the stage area at Balthazar’s, there was a picture of him with Gerald from years ago, so there was a connection there.’
    ‘What did Geoffrey tell you?’
    ‘That his father was seriously ill. He took on the business because he didn’t want it to fail – but he didn’t know the first thing about evaluating something’s worth. He had known Balthazar through his father over the years and together they came up with the scam to help out both of their financial problems. They would invent a list of items that would be assessed by Geoffrey and then stolen. Once the insurance payout came through, Balthazar would share it. It managed to keep both of them going.’
    Dave said nothing for a moment, focusing on the road, before he managed to process Jessica’s words. ‘“Invent” items?’
    Jessica laughed. ‘Exactly.’
    ‘But we have the items: The earrings, the watch and the rest.’
    ‘Why do you think Balthazar looked so surprised? We were handing him back things that never existed in the first place.’
    Dave spluttered over his words. ‘So where did they come from?’
    ‘I’m guessing from the person who paid Tony to leave the boxes around the city.’
    ‘The man in a suit?’
    Jessica smiled to herself. ‘Perhaps – that’s what we’re going to find out.’

NINE
    As the front door was opened, Jessica knew they were at the right house. Brenda Gale nodded while glancing