‘How long was he with Ryder?’ asked Jamie.
‘Going on fifteen years.’
‘So, he probably knew a lot about Ryder’s personal life and his business dealings,’ said Kingston.
‘Well, he did, yes. Towards the end, Ryder was pretty much incapacitated and he relied on Mainwaring for just about everything. One of the first things we asked Mainwaring was how he got to know about the paintings.’
Kingston had been about to ask the same question. ‘How did he?’
‘He maintains that Girard had been at the house on several occasions and it was no secret that he and Ryder had been dealing in art for a long time. Mainwaring insists that he never actually saw any paintings but had been in the room a number of times when paintings and deals were discussed. He got to know about the three paintings, the ones that you discovered, directly through Girard. Right after Ryder died Mainwaring says he got a call from Girard offering his condolences on Ryder’s death and telling him about the three valuable paintings. He insisted they had been in Ryder’s possession all along and that, with Ryder’s passing, they rightfully belonged to him and that he wanted to pass them on to his son before he died. Apparently Girard had cancer and didn’t have long to live—which, unfortunately, turned out to be the case.’
‘That part of the story is true,’said Jamie. ‘At least, that’s what Fox—I should say, Mainwaring—told me.’ She paused for a moment, her look puzzled. ‘But wouldn’t Girard be entitled to only one half of what the paintings were worth?’
‘We asked the same question. Apparently Girard told Mainwaring that he had bought out Ryder’s share and Ryder had agreed to return them.’
‘That, we’ll never know, I suppose,’said Kingston.
Chadwick continued. ‘Mainwaring stated that Girard had hired him to find the paintings. And listen to this. He maintains that Girard promised him a fee of two hundred and fifty thousand pounds if he were able to deliver them to Girard in France.’
Jamie whistled.
‘The paintings were described in detail and Girard provided the dimensions of each but did not divulge the artists’ names. Mainwaring knew damned well that anyone prepared to offer a quarter-million-pound finder’s fee would know that the paintings were worth far more. He insists he had no idea that they might have been stolen, though.’
Jamie gave Kingston a quizzical look. ‘Lawrence, didn’t you tell me that Girard had another partner? How does he fit into all of this?’
‘First time I’ve heard of it,’ said Chadwick.
Kingston smiled. ‘Yes, that’s what we were led to believe. That information came from the Art Loss Register people. I only worked it out quite recently.’
‘Worked what out?’ Chadwick inquired.
‘I was told that Girard’s partner’s name was Jeremy R. Villesgrande. I think it was the very English first name and the French last name that was the giveaway.’
‘Giveaway? I don’t follow,’said Chadwick.
‘It’s an anagram, you see. Jeremy R. Villesgrande is an anagram of James Grenville Ryder. It was Ryder’s clever way of keeping anonymity.’
Sergeant Eldridge spoke for the first time. ‘Mainwaring also said that he was sworn to secrecy by Girard. One mention of valuable paintings to anybody and the whole deal was off.’
‘That should have rung some bells with him, wouldn’t you think?’ asked Kingston. ‘He couldn’t be that naïve. He must have known they were stolen.’
‘It’s irrelevant, actually,’ Chadwick chimed in.
Kingston frowned. ‘I’m confused. Is Girard still alive?’
‘No, unfortunately not. Sorry, I thought I made that clear. He died only last month.’
Brow furrowed, Kingston glanced at Eldridge then back to Chadwick. ‘By the way, did those books and papers ever turn up? The ones stolen from the cottage?’
‘No. But it’s a sure bet that once Mainwaring found they were of little use, he disposed of them. It’s reasonable to believe that Jack stole them after Dot told him Ferguson had brought them over, seeing how interested you were in them, Lawrence.’
‘All along I was convinced it was Jack I saw that night of the storm,’ said Kingston. ‘There was the hooded sweater in his house and then the incident at the chapel. It was obvious that he was up to no good. The chap was not only a bad apple, he was a bad actor, too.’
Chadwick stood, straightening his trousers and stretching. ‘That about sums it up so far. In the next few days, we’ll have enough information to file formal charges against Elliot but don’t you worry, he’ll go up for a long time. From now on, I think life will be a little more peaceful at Wickersham and you two can go about business as usual.’