Four Warned

‘I have nothing to hide,’ said Jeremy haughtily, ‘so naturally I’m happy to help.’ Back on script.

‘In that case,’ said Granger, ‘perhaps you’d be kind enough to take off your shoes, jacket and trousers.’

Jeremy kicked off his loafers, which Granger picked up and placed on the table. He then removed his jacket and handed it to Granger as if he was his valet. After taking off his trousers he stood there, trying to look appalled at the treatment he was being subjected to.

Granger spent some considerable time pulling out every pocket of Jeremy’s suit, then checking the lining and the seams. He failed to come up with anything other than a handkerchief. There was no wallet, no credit card, nothing that could identify the suspect, which made him even more suspicious. Granger placed the suit back on the table. ‘Your tie?’ he said, still sounding calm.

Jeremy undid

the knot, pulled off the old Etonian tie and put it on the table. Granger ran the palm of his right hand across the blue stripes, but again, nothing. ‘Your shirt.’ Jeremy undid the buttons slowly, then handed his shirt over. He stood there shivering in just his pants and socks.

Granger checked the shirt, and for the first time the hint of a smile appeared on his lined face as he touched the collar. He pulled out two silver Tiffany collar stiffeners. Nice touch, Arabella, thought Jeremy as Granger placed them on the table, unable to mask how annoyed he was. He handed the shirt back to Jeremy, who replaced the collar stiffeners before putting his shirt and tie back on.

‘Your underpants, please.’

Jeremy pulled down his pants and passed them across. Another check which he knew would reveal nothing. Granger handed them back and waited for him to pull them up before saying, ‘And finally your socks.’

Jeremy pulled off his socks and laid them out on the table. Granger was now looking a little less sure of himself, but he still checked them carefully before turning his attention to Jeremy’s loafers. He spent some time tapping, pushing and even trying to pull them apart. But there was nothing to be found.

To Jeremy’s surprise, he once again asked him to remove his shirt and tie. When he had done so, Granger came around from behind the table and stood directly in front of him. He raised both his hands, and for a moment Jeremy thought the man was going to hit him. Instead, he pressed his fingers into Jeremy’s scalp and ruffled his hair the way his father used to do when he was a child, but all he ended up with was greasy nails and a few stray hairs for his trouble.

‘Raise your arms,’ he barked. Jeremy held his arms high in the air, but Granger found nothing under his armpits. He then stood behind Jeremy. ‘Raise one leg,’ he ordered. Jeremy raised his right leg. There was nothing stuck under the heel, and nothing between the toes. ‘The other leg,’ said Granger but he ended up with the same result. He walked round to face him once again. ‘Open your mouth.’ Jeremy opened wide as if he was in the dentist’s chair. Granger shone a pen-torch around his cavities, but didn’t find so much as a gold tooth. He could not hide his worry as he asked Jeremy to accompany him to the room next door.

‘May I put my clothes back on?’

‘No, you may not,’ came back the reply immediately.

Jeremy followed him into the next room, feeling worried about what torture they had in store for him. A man in a long white coat stood waiting next to what looked like a sun bed. ‘Would you be kind enough to lie down so that I can take an X-ray?’ he asked.

‘Happily,’ said Jeremy, and climbed on to the machine. Moments later there was a click and the two men studied the results on a screen. Jeremy knew it would reveal nothing.

Swallowing the Kandice Diamond had never been part of their plan.

‘Thank you,’ said the man in the white coat politely, and Granger added reluctantly, ‘You can get dressed now.’ Once Jeremy had his Etonian tie back on, he followed Granger back into the questioning room, where Crombie and the two guards were waiting for them.

‘I’d like to leave now,’ Jeremy said firmly.

Granger nodded, clearly unwilling to let him go, but he no longer had any excuse to hold him. Jeremy turned to face Crombie, looked him straight in the eye and said, ‘You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.’ He thought he saw him grimace. Arabella’s script had been perfect.

The two flat-nosed guards marched him off the premises, looking disappointed that he hadn’t tried to escape. As Jeremy stepped back out on to the crowded Piccadilly pavement, he took a deep breath and waited for his heartbeat to return to something like normal before crossing the road. He then strolled confidently back into The Ritz and took his seat opposite Arabella.

‘Your coffee’s gone cold, darling,’ she said, as if he’d just been to the loo. ‘Perhaps you should order another.’

‘Same again,’ said Jeremy when the waiter appeared by his side.

‘Any problems?’ whispered Arabella once the waiter was out of earshot.

‘No,’ said Jeremy, suddenly feeling guilty, but at the same time excited. ‘It all went to plan.’

‘Good,’ said Arabella. ‘So now it’s my turn.’ She rose from her seat and said, ‘Better give me the watch and the cufflinks. I’ll need to put them back in Daddy’s room before we meet up this evening.’

Jeremy reluctantly unstrapped the watch, took out the cufflinks and handed them to Arabella. ‘What about the tie?’ he whispered.

‘Better not take it off in The Ritz,’ she said. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. ‘I’ll come to your place around eight, and you can give it back to me then.’ She gave him that smile one last time before walking out of the morning room.

A few moments later, Arabella was standing outside De Beers. The door was opened at once: the expensive necklace, the designer bag and the Chanel watch all suggested that this lady was not in the habit of being kept waiting.

‘I want to look at some engagement rings,’ she said shyly before stepping inside.