Free The Unexpected Coincidence by Amelia Price Page B

and found a pathway or piece of
information that shone some light on who was running or funding
this splinter-cell of terrorists.
    Neither government
was claiming responsibility for the group, which didn't mean one of
them or both of them were uninvolved for certain, but it did mean
Mycroft had to dig further. At moments like this he wished he could
clone himself. When he had to rely on others to hold meetings and
keep an eye on places, he ran the risk of missing a vital clue.
Only Sherlock's involvement gave him a peaceful oversight.
    It took Daniels
seven minutes longer than Mycroft estimated it would to take Miss
Jones home and return to the club. One look at the chauffeur's face
let him know that his prediction wasn't inaccurate. Daniels had
talked to her about something before he left.
    “I hope you didn't
say anything of consequence to Miss Jones when you dropped her
off.”
    “No, sir. I wished
her well with her books and waited to make sure she was safe inside
a locked house before I left,” Daniels said, but they both knew he
hadn't said everything and Mycroft had picked up on it. “She gave
me a signed copy of the newest book, sir.”
    Mycroft rolled his
eyes as he got into the car. In less than a second his senses were
hit by the smell of her perfume still lingering near the other
seat. He tried to block it out but it was no good. Four blocks from
Sherlock's he had Daniels pull over.
    “I'll walk from
here. While I'm at my brother's have the car valeted. I want it to
smell of something other than Miss Jones by the time I'm done.”
    Daniels nodded his
assent to the command and Mycroft walked off. He could still see
the black car in the distance when he regretted his decision.
November was cold.
    Knowing he
couldn't appear indecisive, Mycroft tilted up his head and walked
as calmly as he could up to his brother's front door. After putting
the knocker straight, he walked in and made his way up the
stairs.
    Sherlock opened
the door and admitted him to the warmth of the flat before Mycroft
had put his foot on the top step.
    “I thought I'd be
seeing you this evening.”
    “Yes, I hoped
you'd seen this couple who had their boat stolen.”
    “Right, yes. I
did.” Sherlock paused and Mycroft found himself wondering why.
There was no other reason he would be visiting his brother this
late at night.
    “Did you find out
anything useful?”
    “The husband is a
control freak who checks up on his wife's spending habits without
her knowing. He's going to get a shock when he finds she's blown a
month's wages on jewellery.”
    “And how is that
useful?”
    “Not sure yet, but
I think it will be. I found this.” Sherlock handed over a small
coin. “A seven and a half, gold, ruble coin. It's genuine.”
    Mycroft examined
the coin and noticed it had Czar Nicholas II on one side and the
double headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire on the other.
    “These were only
made for one year.”
    “Eighteen-ninety-seven,” Mycroft said, not needing his brother to
tell him. In the mint condition this coin was in, it was worth a
lot.
    “He had more of
them.”
    “They paid for the
boat, then.”
    “It certainly
looks that way, doesn't it, brother of mine?”
    Mycroft nodded and
held the coin up to the light to see it better in Sherlock's dimly
lit living room.
    “Oh, that looks
pretty. Is it valuable?” Mrs Wintern asked as she brought in a tray
of tea and biscuits.
    “A thousand pounds
perhaps. To the right collector, even more.”
    “You'd better not
lose it, then.” With this last addition to the conversation she
left them to talk. Mycroft poured himself a cup and enjoyed the
warmth it brought. He really shouldn't have walked the last few
streets.
    “I've already put
a few friends on watch at the house, but I don't know if he'll be
the best of leads. It is a little early to tell.”
    “It's likely to be
a one-off purchase.”
    “Of course, when
he notices he has one less, he might try to warn them.”
    “Perhaps. He