The Last Enemy(20)

‘The year that Glastonbury was destroyed and The Index and the Journal vanished,’ said Jake.

‘And Edgar de Courcey died that same year. It wouldn’t surprise me to find he was a victim of Henry VIII’s purge of the monasteries.’ Lauren’s finger moved to the other name on the screen. ‘Earl William de Courcey, brother of Edgar. Direct ancestor of your cellmate.’

‘So it looks like it fits. Edgar de Courcey realises what’s about to happen, and gives The Index and the Journal of the Order of Malichea to his brother, William, for safe keeping. And the books get put away in the library at de Courcey Hall, right up until . . . when?’

‘Until very recently, if I’m right,’ said Lauren. ‘Earl William died in 1563 and the title continued to be passed on down the line, right up to the present day.’

‘Right up to the new earl, our vanished friend, Guy,’ murmured Jake.

Lauren nodded.

‘According to what I’ve been able to find out, the family lived in their ancestral home of de Courcey Hall in Kent right up until 2012, when the hall was given to the National Trust by Guy’s father — Earl Edwyn de Courcey.’

‘Yes, that’s what Guy told me.’ Jake nodded.

‘Shortly afterwards, Earl Edwyn died, and Guy inherited the title,’ added Lauren. ‘But, as Guy was away at the time, he didn’t immediately claim it. It’s possible he didn’t even know his father was dead. Apparently there was no love lost between Guy and his father.’

She typed in the words ‘Guy de Courcey’, and selected one of the entries that came up. It was a brief biog telling them that Guy de Courcey was the last surviving member of the de Courcey family, that he was twenty-two years old. Lauren flicked the keys again, and a series of reports came up, mostly from gossip columns. They learnt that Guy had been expelled from his public school, had been arrested on different occasions for smuggling contraband into foreign countries, but had usually been released after ‘judicial compensation’ had been paid.

‘Bribes,’ commented Jake. ‘He told me his solicitors had paid to have him bailed out, but he also said they weren’t the sort who paid bribes.’

‘So who did pay them?’ asked Lauren. ‘He told you he was broke.’

‘He told me quite a few things,’ said Jake. ‘I’m still not sure how true they all were, especially now he’s vanished.’

‘According to the internet gossip, Guy’s last known address was in Brazil,’ said Lauren.

‘But Pierce Randall traced him to Mexico,’ said Jake.

‘That’s what he told you,’ said Lauren. ‘We still don’t know for sure if he was telling you the truth.’

‘Or if Pierce Randall are telling the truth when they say that Guy is safe in their hands,’ said Jake. He frowned. ‘Know what I think?’

‘What?’

‘I think we ought to check out Pierce Randall at their HQ.’

‘Why?’

‘They’re the key figures here. Their CEO, Alex Munro, gets shot. They get one of his alleged killers out on bail and hide him away. Whatever’s going on, they’re the ones who are running things. They’re the ones who know what’s really happening.’

‘And how will that help us?’

‘Once we get to the bottom of what’s really going on, we’ll be able to prove I’m innocent of killing Munro.’

‘It’s worth a try,’ said Lauren.

‘It’s the only option we’ve got,’ said Jake. ‘Do you remember the name of their solicitor who bailed Guy out?’

Lauren shook her head.

‘I was only interested in getting you out,’ she said. ‘We could always ask DI Bullen.’

‘And my guess is he’ll tell us he’s not allowed to pass on information about other individuals,’ sighed Jake. Then an idea hit him. ‘That solicitor who got me out of custody before!’

‘When?’

‘When they found that dead body in my flat, when all this started. You know, the solicitor from Pierce Randall who arrived at the police station and got me out. What was her name?’ He frowned, struggling to remember.

Lauren shook her head.

‘I didn’t know anything about her. I had troubles of my own.’ She shuddered at her own memory of those times.

‘Sue Clark!’ he burst out. ‘That was her name!’ He picked up his mobile and began searching the listings for Pierce Randall’s phone number.

‘What are you going to ask her?’

‘I’m going to ask if she can arrange for us to see Guy.’