CHAPTERONESheopenedthedoorofmyofficewithoutknockingandcamein.Shestood

infrontofmydeskandlookeddownatme.Iwassittinginmychairwithmyfeetonthedeskandreadingthesportspagesofanewspaper.

'You'reaprivatedetective,Ibelieve,'shesaid.Itookmyfeetoffthedeskandputdownthenewspaper.'That'sright.''Well,Ihaveajobforyou.''Good,'Isaid.'Icharge250poundsaday,plusexpenses.''Money'snoproblem.''Evenbetter,'Isaid.'What'stheproblem?'DuringthesefewsecondsIwaslookingatherclosely.Shehadbeautiful,

longredhairandenormousemerald-greeneyes.SheremindedmeofacatIhadonce - the eyes, not the hair. I also thought I recognised her, but I couldn'trememberwhere from. Shewas about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and verybeautiful.Shewaswearingatightgreen(thesameshadeashereyes)sleevelesssilkdress.Nothingon top;nocoat, nocardigan:wewere enjoyingaveryhotsummer in London that year. Shewas alsowearing expensive jewellery, veryexpensive;thekindmanywomenarepreparedtokillfor.Agoldwatch,aringwithahugeemeraldsurroundedbydiamondsonherlefthand,agoldbraceletonherrightwrist,andthreeloopsofthebestAustralianpearlsaroundherneck.Iknowquitealotaboutjewellery.Iknowquitealotabouteverythingthatcostsalot ofmoney. It's a hobby ofmine. For the same reason Iwas also receivingmessages from the perfume shewas using that day. Itwas something like thelatest perfume.But not the one alongwith all the other 'latest' of the perfumemanufacturerswhichfloodthedepartmentstoresaroundChristmas.Thiswasaspecialmade-to-ordermix, the kindproduced in small quantities for very richVIPs.Iknowquitealotaboutperfume,aswell.

Definitely,shewasthekindofclientthatIliketohave,andalsothekindofclientthatIneededatthatmoment.

'Well,theproblem,MrBoot,isthatIhavegreatdifficultiesinsleepingatthemoment.'

'Shouldn'tyouseeadoctor,notadetective?'Isaid.'No.Yousee,there'sareasonIcan'tsleep.'

'Andwhatisit?'Iasked.'It'saghost.''Aghost?''Yes.Aghost.Aghostinmyhouse.Andtwoorthreenightsaweekabout

midnightoroneo'clock,Ihearstrangenoisesinthehouse.'Now,Idon'tbelieveinghosts,butIdobelieveinrichbeautifulclients.So

Iaskedhertositdown.Whileshewasdoingthis,Itriedtothinkofintelligentquestionsthatyoucanaskaboutghosts.'Well,firstofall,whendidthisstart?'

'Aboutthreemonthsago.''And where do the noises come from? Fromwhich part of the house, I

mean.Inyourbedroom,or...?''No,notinmybedroomInfact,quitealongwayfrommybedroom.It'sa

very big house, you see.My bedroom is on the second floor. There are threefloorsaltogether.AllIcanbesureofisthatthenoisescomefrombelowwhereIsleep,notabove.'

'Isee.Andhaveyouevergonedowntofindoutwhat'sgoingon?''Yes.Twoorthreetimes.Buteachtimethenoisestopsamomentor two

later,while I'mgoingdown thestairs. I've looked intoevery roomon the firstfloorandthegroundfloor,andeverythinghasbeencompletelynormal.'

'Curious,'Isaid.'Tellmealittlemoreaboutthehouse.''Well, it'sabout350yearsold. It's inSurrey, in thecountry,not far from

Sutton.Itwasbuiltinthesecondhalfofthe17thcentury.Itslastownerwasmyfather.Hediedaboutayearago.Heleftthehousetome.Helefteverythingelsetome,aswell."'Hewasveryrich,Ipresume?'

'Yes,very.HewasSirArthurWilling.''GoodGod!You'reSirArthurWilling'sdaughter?''Yes.MynameisSelenaWilling.'Sir ArthurWilling's daughter! I couldn't believe it. Her photographwas

ofteninthenewspapers.Withoutdoubt,shewasthekindofclientthatIneededatthatmoment.

CHAPTERTWOEverybody inEnglandknewwhoSirArthurWillingwas.Hewas sixty-

threewhenhe died fourteenmonths before his beautiful daughterwalked intomyoffice.Andforthelasttwentyortwenty-fiveyearsofhislife,hewasoneofthe ten richest people in theUnitedKingdom. I knew this because anEnglishnewspaperpublishesa listonceayearof the1,000richestpeople in thatyear.Sometimes Sir Arthur was number one in the list, sometimes number two orthree, but always in the top 10. Surprisingly, SirArthurwas born into a verypoorfamilyinapoorpartofLondon.Heleftschoolwhenhewasfifteentosellfruitandvegetablesinalocalstreetmarket.ButSirArthurwasoneofthoserarepeoplewhohaveagiftforbusiness.Andalsotheambitiontogettothetop.Bythe timehewas eighteen, he ownedmost of the stalls in themarket.Thenheopenedhisownimport-exportbusinesswhenhewastwenty.Fromthattimeonhebecamericherandricher.Heboughtorfoundedmanymorecompanies,andextended his business interests into construction, furniture, insurance, and justabouteverythingelse.

SirArthurwasknightedforservicestoBritishindustrywhenhewasthirty.Hemarriedwhenhewas thirty-two,and in thefollowingyears thecouplehadthree children. Selena was first, and then two brothers. A few years later SirArthur'swifedied.SirArthurneverremarried.

SirArthur's favourite childwasSelena.Shewas likeher father inmanyways.Shewasagoodstudentandaveryhardworker.Andshelovedherfatherverymuch.Shehelpedherfatherwithallhisbusiness,too.Shelearnteverythingthatherfatherwasabletoteachheraboutcompanies,finances,thestockmarket,andsoon.

On theotherhand,SirArthur's relationshipwithhis twosonswasneververy successful. They were not at all like their father. They were very badstudents, very lazy and only interested in having fun. They escaped from thehouseasoftenastheycouldintheevenings.Thiswasnotdifficultbecausetheirfather usuallyworked late and didn't return home until eleven or twelve. Theboyswent to the cinemaor todiscothequesor togamesparlors.Bothwent togooduniversitiesbutfailedalmostalltheirexaminationsandleftwithouttakingadegree.

Finally,whentheboyswerenineteenandtwenty,theirfatherlostpatiencewiththem.Hetoreuphiswillwhichwasmadeyearsbefore.Inthiswill,allhis

money and possessions and business interests were left to his three childrenequally.ThenhemadeanewwillwhichlefteverythingtoSelena.Well,exceptfor one little company in Bangkok, in Thailand, which exported hand-carvedteakfurniture toBritainandothercountries.Thiscompanydidnotmakeabigprofit,butenoughforhistwosonsasowner-directorstoearnaliving.

Of course, when Sir Arthur died and his will became known, the sonsreactedbadly.Theyfoundasolicitorwhoagreedtodefendtheirinterests.Alongcourtcasefollowed.Everydaytherewerearticlesaboutitinallthenewspapers.Finally,Selenawonthecaseandstayedinpossessionofallherinheritance.TheboysangrilyleftthefamilyhouseinSurrey,andwenttoshareatinyrentedflatinanotveryexclusivepartofLondon.

CHAPTERTHREEBeforeSelena leftmyoffice thatday, I toldher that I needed to seeher

house first. I wanted to look for clues. The next day I drove to the town ofSutton.Ileftthecarparked,andgotataxi.IhaddirectionswithmewrittenbySelena. However, I didn't need them; the taxi driver knewwhere theWillingmansionwas.Weleftthetownanddroveintothecountry.Afterfifteenminuteswearrivedatanenormousstonewallbesidetheroad.Wefollowedthiswallfora fewminutes until we came to a gatemade of iron bars. It was closed, andbehind it was a uniformed security guard. I paid the taxi driver and told thesecurity guard that I had an appointment with Miss Willing. While he wastelephoning thehouse, I looked throughthebarsof thegate.Therewasaroadwhichledfromthegatethroughsometrees.Well,manytrees;awood,infact.Inthedistance,Icouldjustseetheroofofalargehouse.

'Alright,' said the security guard. 'Walk up the drive until you reach thehouse.Oh,andbecarefulofthetigers.'

Becarefulofthetigers?Hesawthepanicinmyeyes.'Ha,ha,'helaughed. 'Justmylittle joke.Therearenotigersinthewood.

Notatthistime,anyway.They'reallintheircagesbehindthehouse.'Notatthistime,anyway?Intheircagesbehindthehouse?Iwasbeginning

tofeelthatIdidn'twanttovisitthishouse.ButtheguardopenedthegateandIwentinandwalkedquickly,veryquickly,upthatdriveway.Aboutseventy-fiveyards from the house, the trees stopped. Then there was an open space, aforecourt,andthenthehouse.Magnificent!ArealEnglishstatelyhome.Inthecentre was a huge wooden front door, open, and Selena was standing in thedoorway.

'Hello,'shesaid,brightly.'Howareyoutoday,MrBoot?'I needed three or four seconds to catchmy breath. 'Fine, thanks,' I said

surprised.'Andyou?'Wewentintothehouseandsheofferedmesometeaorcoffee.IsaidthatI

wanted to inspect the house first. She took me on a guided tour, first of theground floor: a living room at least twice as big as my flat, with a largeornamentalmarblefireplaceinthecentreofonewall;adiningroomwithadarkpolishedwoodentable,abouttenyardslong,inthecentre,withchairsaroundit;thekitchenand thepantry,a room thatSelenausedasanoffice;variousother

smaller rooms. Afterwards, we went upstairs to look at the bedrooms andbathroomson the first floor.Wedidn'tgohigherbecauseSelenawassure thatthenoisescamefrombelowwheresheslept,onthesecondfloor.

WereturnedtothelivingroomandSelenarangabell.Aprettylittlemaidabouteighteenyearsoldappeared,andSelenaaskedforcoffee.Itarrivedalmostimmediately,andwesatdowntotalk.

'Well,MrBoot.Anyclues?Anyideas?'Iconfessed that therewasnothingstrangeor suspicious that Icouldsee.

ThenIaskedherifImightsleepinthehouseforatleastonenight.'Whynot,MrBoot?Theservantswillprepareabedroomforyouon the

samefloorasmine.Willyoucometonight?'Isaidyes,andatthesamemomentIrememberedthetigers.'Tellme,'Isaid.'Wasthesecurityguardjokingwhenhewarnedmeabout

thetigers?''Well, yes and no,' said Selena. 'I do have five old tigers in cages just

behindthetreesatthebackofthehouse.Butweonlyletthemoutforexercisebetweentwoandthreeinthemornings.'

'Youletthemout?''Well,Idon't,personally.Butoneofthegardenersworkedinacircusfor

manyyears.Heletsthemoutandthenputsthembackineverynight.''Howdoesheputthembackin?'Iwantedtoknow.'Oh, they're well-trained, Mr Boot. They know that while they are

exercising, the gardener puts their dinner in the cages.A half a cow for eachone.'

'Ahalfacow?''Yes.Tigerseatalot.Theybringthecowsdownfromoneofmyfarmsin

Scotland.''Butisn'titratherdangeroustolettigersroamaroundthegrounds?''No,notreally.We'reall inbed,myselfandall theservants,at that time.

Andifwearen't,wedon'tgooutside.Anyway,asIsaid,they'requiteoldnow,andwell-fed,andprobablyquiteharmless.'

'Butwhydoyouhavethesetigers?'

'Theybelongedtomyfather,MrBoot,andwerepartofmyinheritance.Helovedthetigersandbecauseofthat,I'vekeptthem.Butwhentheydie,Iwon'tgetanymore.'

Iwasgladtohearthat.'Buthavetheynevergivenyouanyproblems?''Well, not really, well, yes, from time to timewhen they were younger.

Aboutsixyearsagooneofthemateoneoftheservantswhilehewassmokingacigaretteontheforecourt.Itwasashame.Hewasaniceman.'

'GoodGod!'Iexclaimed.'ButisitlegaltohavetigerswanderingaboutinagardeninEngland?'

'Ihavenoidea,MrBoot,'shesaid.

CHAPTERFOURIwent back to the house at ten o'clock that evening. I had a fewmore

questionstoaskSelena.Thistimeanothersecurityguardopenedthegate.Selenamet me at the front door again. She was dressed for bed, in pyjamas and adressinggown.

'Ialwaysgotobedatteno'clock,'sheexplained.'Ihavetocontrolallmyfather'sbusinessinterests,andIgotobedearlyandgetupearly.'

'That'snotmuchofalifeforagirlofyourage,'Isaid.'Anyway,Miss-ordoyoupreferMsWilling...?'

'"Miss"isfine,butcallmeSelena,'sheinterrupted,withasmile.'Fine,Selena,' I said. 'CallmeRichard,' Iadded,withwhat I think ismy

most attractive and seductive smile. 'First, then, I haveoneor twoquestions Iwanttoaskyou.'

'Ofcourse.Pleasecomein.'Ifollowedherintothelivingroomandwesatdown.

'Well, firstly, do you ever see your brothers these days?Do you have agoodrelationshipwiththem?'Iasked.

'No is the answer to both questions, I'm afraid.We've never had a goodrelationship,evenwhenwewerechildren.Theywerealwaysagainstme.Theyusedtocallme'daddy'slittlegirl'becauseIlovedmyfatherandIwantedtohelphim - especially aftermymotherdied.They left here after theproblemof theinheritancewasover.Youknowallaboutthat,Isuppose?'

Inodded.'Thatwasaboutayearago,'shecontinued, 'andI'veonlyseenthemonce

since,bychance.IwaswalkingpastacafenearKnightsbridgeandIsawthemthroughthewindow.Theyweretalkingtotwoorthreeothermen.Foreignmen,Ithink.Darkhairedandfairlydarkskins.FromsomepartofAsia,perhaps.'

'Isee,'Isaid. 'Butanotherquestion.Dotheyhavekeystothegateandtothehouse?'

Selenalookedsurprised.'Doyoususpectthemofsomething?'sheasked.'Let'ssayI'mtryingtoeliminatepossibilities.''Well,yes,Isupposetheystillhavekeystothehouse.Butnottothegate.

Noonehasakeytothegateexceptthesecuritymen.Therearefiveofthemandtheyworkshifts.Twoworknightsandtheothersduringtheday.Atleastoneofthemisondutytwenty-fourhoursaday.'

'Andanotherquestion.Doesanyoneelseliveinthehouse?''No, not even the servants. There were some old stables which we

convertedintoapartmentssomeyearsago.Closetothehouse,ononeside.Alltheservantslivethere.'

'So,' I said, 'after eleven or twelve at night, there's no one in the houseexceptyou?'

'That'sright,'sheanswered.'Alright. Just one more question before you go to bed. There isn't a

basementorcellarbelowthishouse,isthere?''No,nothing.Somewheretherearesomeoldplansofthehouse.I'veseen

themandthere'snothingbutthethreefloors.''Alright,' I said. 'No more questions for today. Oh, except where do I

sleep?''Oneoftheservantswillshowyoutoyourroomwhenyou'rereadytogo

to bed. If youwant something to eat or drink, you just have to ring this littlebell.'

'Thankyou,butIdon'twantanything.I'llgotobedsoon,too.I'vebroughtabooktoreadinbed,'Iadded.ItookoutofmypocketthebookIwasreadingatthemoment, a paperback copy ofHenry Esmond, awell-known 19th-centuryEnglishnovelbyWilliamThackeray.

'Youlikegoodbooks,Richard,'saidSelena.'SodoI,whenIhavetimetoread. I've read that one, and everything else by Thackeray, I think. It's verygood.'

IwasbeginningtolikeSelena.Young,verygood-looking,andwithgoodtasteinliterature.Justmykindofgirl!

CHAPTERFIVENothing happened that first night. No noises, nothing. I saw Selena at

breakfastandIaskedtostayanothernight.ShesaidthatIcouldstayaslongasIwantedto.

Therewerenoises the secondnight.As Iwasgettingup, I realised theywerenotinsidethehouse,butoutside,inthegrounds.Andtheywerenothumannoises,butanimalnoises. I lookedatmywatch. Itwas twenty-fivepast two.Isupposedthetigerswerelookingforanotherservanttoeat.Iwentbacktobed.

Thethirdnight,yes,noises.Thistimeinsidethehouse.I thoughtIheardfootsteps.Andperhapsadooropenedandshut.Igotupimmediately,putonmydressinggownandwentoutofthebedroom.Selenawascomingoutofherroomatthesametime.

'Doyouhearit?'sheasked.'Icanhearit.I'mgoingdowntoseewhatitis.'I went into every room on the first floor, and then on the ground floor.

Nothing! Nothing unusual, nothing suspicious. And Selena was right; themomentIleftthebedroom,thenoisesstopped.Iwentbacktothesecondfloor.Selenawasstillwaitingatherbedroomdoor.

'Well?'shesaid.'Well,nothing,'Ianswered.'Yourghostisveryelusive.'Thenextmorning,Isatdownatmydeskinmyoffice.Ileftthenewspaper

onthedeskwithoutopeningit.Ineededtothink.ItwasthefourthdayonthiscaseandIdidn'thaveevenoneclue.Thoughts,possibilities,cameintomyheadandwentoutagain.Nothingseemedtomakeanysense.IknewwhatIhadtodo-gohomeanddrinktwoorthreecupsofmyspecialcoffeebrew.ThisideaIgotfrom the 19th-century French novelist, Honore de Balzac. This enormouslyproductivewriter(hewroteandpublishedaboutninetynovels)wrotemainlyatnightandusuallyforfourteenorfifteenhourswithoutstopping.Thenhewenttobedforafewhoursandtriedtosleep.Notverysuccessfully,Iimagine,becausetokeephimselfawakeand,moreimportantly, tokeephis imaginationworkingonallcylinders,hedrankmanycupsofcoffeewhilehewasworking.Notjustanycoffee,buthisownspecialmixtureofcoffees,inexactproportions,boughtfromvariouscoffeemerchantsinParis.Whilehewaswritinghisfirstbooks,heexperimented until he had a coffeemixture as strong as coffee can be. Then,

fromtimetotime,hevisitedhiscoffeedealersinParistorenewhissupply.Now,Idon'twritenovels,butIdosometimeshavecaseswhicharevery

difficulttoworkoutandwhichcallforsomereallyimaginativethinking.AndasBalzac'srecipeforhisspecialmixturehasnotsurvived,asfarasIknow,severalyearsagoIdecidedtoexperimentwithcreatingoneformyself.IwenteveryfewdaystoacoffeedealerwhohasalittleshopinSohoandwhosellsonlycoffee,coffee fromeverywhere. Idon't rememberhowI started,but itwassomethinglike this: 'Put twoouncesofColombian, thenmix inoneounceof Indonesian,now threeouncesofBrazilian...,' and soon.Bychanging theproportions, andsometimesthesourcecountries,eachtimeforaboutayear,Iachievedmyownspecial,verystrongblend,onethatcouldhelpmetothinkofpossibilitiesthatIcouldn't reachwithouthelp.Now, just asBalzacdid, I go tomycoffeedealereverytwoorthreemonths.Heknowsmewell.'Twopoundsofyourspecial,MrBoot?'heasks,withasmile.

Athome,Imadeapotofmymixture.ThenIpouredthefirstcupfulandwhileIwassippingit,Ididsomehousework.AsIlivealone,thisisanecessityfromtimetotime,althoughI'mnotverygoodatit.So,stillsipping,Imadethebedforthefirsttimethatweekandwashedanddriedsomeplatesandcupsandsaucerswhichwerewaitinginthesinkformeforthesamelengthoftime.ThenIsweptthekitchenfloor,andIcouldn'trememberthelasttimeIdidthat.Afterthis, I sat down in my armchair and started drinking another cup. I began toconcentrateon thecase.But, after the secondcup, I stilldidn'thaveanygoodideas.SoIpouredanothercupful.HalfwaythroughthatcupIdecided thatmyspecialmixturewasn'tworkingthatday.Thebestthingtodowastotaketherestof thedayoff and relax. Idecided tomake some lunchand then return tomyarmchairandfinishreadingHenryEsmond.HenryEsmond?Suddenly,yes,anideacame!Theevents inThackeray'snovel takeplace in the lastyearsof the17thcenturyandthefirstyearsofthe18th.The17thcenturywasaveryviolenttimeinEnglishhistory;civilwars,theexecutionofaking,andbloodybattlesallaroundEnglandbetweenroyalistsandparliamentarians.AndIrememberedthatonceIreadthatduringthisperiod,secretroomsorcupboardswereinstalledinsomebigcountryhouses.Roomsorcupboardsbigenoughtohidepeopleduringthe wars. There is one secret cupboard, 'big enough for a man', in HenryEsmond.Ofcourse,thesesecretplacesdon'tshowonanyplansthatstillexistofthehouses.

Themore I thought of the possibility of a secret room in Selena's 17th-

centuryhouse, themore I liked it.BothSelena and Iwere sure that the noisecamefrominsidethehouse.Idecidedthatthenextthingtodowastosearchforasecretroom.

CHAPTERSIXIdidn'tfinishthethirdcupofcoffee.ItelephonedSelenaimmediatelyand

askedherifIcouldgobacktoherhousethatday.ItoldherthatIhadanideaand that I needed to look at the house again. She said I could gowhenever Iwantedto.Shealsosaid thatshehadmeetings toattendin twoor threeofhercompanies in the city. The security guards and the servants were alreadyinstructedtoletmeinanytimeIwentthere.

IthoughtforamomentbeforeIlefthome.Idecidedtotakeatorchwithme.Itmightbeuseful.

IarrivedatSelena'shouseatabouttwoo'clock.Iwasletinand,firstly,Iwentthroughalltheroomsonthefirstfloor.Icouldn'tfindanysecretcupboardsoranypossiblespaceforasecretroom.Iwentdowntothegroundflooranddidthesame,withthesameresult.Isatdowninanarmchairtothink.Itriedtorecallmy conversationswith Selena. Perhaps therewas a clue in them. Suddenly, Irememberedthatshetoldmethattherewasnobasementorcellar.Shealsotoldmethatsheoncesawtheplansofthehouse,andnobasementwasshown.Butsecretspacesdon'tappearintheplansofhouses.Idecidedtolookforawayintoapossiblesecretroombelowthegroundfloor.

Iwentintoalltheroomsonthegroundflooragain,nothing.Ihadtostartthinkingagain.ThenIrememberedthatinfilms,secrethidingplacesareusuallyopenedandclosedby levers. Iwent throughall theroomson thegroundflooragain. I was looking for a lever, or somewhere to conceal a lever. Again,nothing.Isatbackdowninthearmchair.Iwasfeelingfrustrated.Myeyeswerestillmovingaroundthelivingroom,hopefully.Theywentbacktothefireplace.Ofcourse!Whatbetterplacetohidealever!Iputmyhandinsideandbegantogropefromthebottomtothetopoftheleft-handside.Nothingbutcoldmarble.Itriedtheright-handside.Thesame.ThenImovedmyhandalonginsidethetoppart.Halfwayalongmyhandtouchedapieceofmetal.Alever?

Iwasfeelingexcitednow.I tried tomove thepieceofmetal to therightandtotheleft.Butitdidn'tmove.Itriedgoingup.Nothing.Iplacedmyhandabovethemetalandbegantopushdown.Thepieceofmetalmovedeasily,threeorfourinchesdownwards.Atthesametime,alargepanelonthewallnexttothefireplaceslidbehindthepanelonitsothersidetoleaveaspaceaboutthesizeofadoorway.Itwaspitch-blackinside.Itookmytorchfromoneofthearmsofthearmchairandshoneitintothisnewspace.Isawthreeorfoursteps.Iwentdown

them.Then,therewasaturntotheright,andthreeorfourstepsmore.WhenIarrivedatthebottomofthese,IsawthatIwasinasmallroom.Ishonethetorchallaround that room. In thecentrewasa long table.On topof this table therewerethreeoillamps.Inonecorneroftheroomtherewasapileoflargecolorfulcushions, thekindyouseearound the living roomonchairsandsofas.Besidethese,therewasasmallerpileofthesamecushions,butwiththetopsurfacescutopen.Iwenttolookatthem.Iputmyhandinsideoneofthecuts.Nothingbutfeathers.Suddenly,Isawinanothercornersixorsevenbrownpaperbags,withthetopsfolded.Iunfoldedoneofthem.Itcontainedwhatlookedatfirstsighttobe a lot of little pieces of dirty coloured glass. I reached in and took out ahandful.WhenI lookedagain,IknewimmediatelywhatIwaslookingat.Notpiecesofglassbutpreciousstones,dirty,uncut,unpolishedandstraightfromthemines.Rubiesandsapphiresmainly,butsomepearlsaswell.

Itwasnowobviouswhatwashappening.Gemswerebeingsmuggledintothe country inside the cushions. These then somehowmade their way to thislittlebasement.Thenthecushionswerecutopenandthestoneswereextracted,readytobesold,Isupposed,todealerswhodidn'taskquestionsaboutwherethestonescamefrom.Theywouldthenbecutandpolishedandusedinthemakingofrings,necklaces,earrings,braceletsandsoon.

I went upstairs, back to the living room. As I was leaving through the'doorway', I saw another small lever at the top of the stairs. I took a risk andturned itupwards.Thepanel shutbehindme. Ididn't like the feelingofbeinglocked inside that secret basementwith onlymy torch for company. I quicklypushed the level downwards. The panel sprang open again. Thank God, Ithought.Iwenttothefireplaceandpushedtheleverupwards.Thepanelclosed.Howclever,Ithought.Asecretroomwithaleveroutsidetoopenandcloseit,andoneinsideaswell.

CHAPTERSEVENI knew what I had to do first. Back in my office, I telephoned Chief

InspectorSnout atScotlandYard.RonaldSnoutwas theheadof adepartmentwhich dealt with contraband goods. I knew himwell because he was a greatfriend ofmy father's. Also, Snout and I once collaborated on another case ofminewhichinvolvedthesmugglingofhumanorgansfortransplants.

Snout himself answered the telephone. 'Richard!How nice to hear fromyou.'

WechattedforawhileandthenItoldhimthatIhadsomethingforhim.Iaskedifwecouldmeetlaterthatdayat'DirtyDick's'cafe,onlyafewyardsfromScotlandYard.'DirtyDick's'isopentwenty-fourhoursadayandiswell-knownfor its enormous English breakfasts - eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, andanythingelseyouaskfor-whichtheywillserveyouatanymomentofthedayornight.Itismuchusedbypolicemenwhoaregoingonoroffdutyaroundtheclock.Weagreedtomeetthereatsix.

ThenI layon thesofa inmyoffice togoover things inmymind.Somepeoplearegoodlateralthinkers.I,personally,amahorizontalthinker.Atleast,whenI'mnotdrinkingmyspecialcoffeemixture,IthinkbetterwhenI'mlyingdown.

IwantedtoputthingstogetherbecauseIwantedtotellSnoutasmuchaspossible.IstartedtoreviseeverythingIknew.Fromthenewspaperreportsabouttheinheritancecaseayearbefore,tomyconversationswithSelenaandmyvisitstoherhouse.Theboys'inheritance:afurniturecompanyinBangkok.Andalotof the precious stones which are smuggled into Europe come from Asia andAfrica.Theboysweretalkingtoforeignmeninapub.PossiblyAsians,Selenasaid.Theboysprobablystillhadkeystothehouse.Thefactthattheydidn'thavekeystothefrontgateworriedmealittle.Werethesecuritymenmembersofthegang?

Iarrivedat'DirtyDick's'alittleearly.Isatdownatatableandorderedapotoftea.Tenminuteslater,RonaldSnoutarrived.Helookedjustthesameashe always did. In his late fifties, but tall and slim, with an athletic build, aluxuriantbutwell-trimmedmoustache,andverywell-dressed.He lookedmorelikeacompanydirectorthanapoliceman.

Wegreeted eachother andhe ordered tea and two scones.Oncehewasseated,andafterchattingforacoupleofminutes,I toldhimthewholestory.I

started from themoment thatSelenacame intomyoffice.He listenedwithoutcomment.Agoodpolicemanmustbeagoodlistener.

Ronaldwasvery interested,ofcourse, inwhat Ihad tosay.Heknewallabout theWilling family, but he had no idea what the boys were doing.Wetalkedaboutthebestwaytodealwiththiscase.Onepossibilitywastoarrestthebrothers immediately and interrogate them.Butwe agreed that thiswasn't theway to do it. Theymight not saywho their accomplices were. And, anyway,thesemightleavethecountrythemomenttheyfoundoutthattheboyswereinthehandsof thepolice.Finally,wedecided to try tocatch them, theboysandtheiraccomplices, inflagrantedelicto; that is,whentheywerein thebasementcuttingopenthecushions.WedecidedthatIshouldstayatSelena'shouseagainthat night, and formore nights if necessary.Ronald askedme if I thought thegangwerearmed.IsaidIhadnoidea.Incasetheywere,Ronalddecidedtohaveagroupofarmedpolicemennear thehouseduringthenight,preparedtoforcethesecuritymantoopen thegate. If Iheardnoises, Ihad to telephoneRonaldimmediatelyonmymobiletelephone.Hismenintendedtomovequicklyuptothehouse.Bythattime,Ihadtobedownstairswiththefrontdooropenandmyhandontheleverinthefireplace.

We said goodbye outside the cafe and I went back to my office. ItelephonedSelenatotellherIwantedtostayatleastanothernightinherhouse.ThenItoldherthatsomethingmighthappenthatnight,andthatIwantedhertostayinherbedroomuntilIwenttocallher.Sheagreed.Asaprecaution,Iaskedhertoinstructthegardenernottoletthetigersoutthatnight,buttogivethemeachtheirhalfacowandleavethemintheircages.Sheagreedtothataswell.Shewantedtoknowwhatwasgoingon,ofcourse,butItoldherIwouldtellherlater.

CHAPTEREIGHTI arrived atSelena's house at about eleven.The security guard letme in

withoutanyquestions.Fromoneortwojokeycommentshemade,IunderstoodthathethoughtthatIwasSelena'sboyfriend.Theprettylittlemaidletmeintothehouse.

Selenawasalreadyinbed.IwashungryandIaskedthemaidtobringmeasandwichandacoke.Isatinthelivingroomandlookedatthefireplace.Iwaslookingforwardtoalittleaction.Atabout11:30,Iwentupstairstobed.BeforeIwent to sleep, I telephonedSnout tomake sure that everythingwas ready.Hetoldmenottoworry.Heandhismenwerereadyandwaiting,hiddeninasideroadonly200yardsfromthehouse.

Ifellasleepimmediatelywithouttakingmyclothesoff,justmyshoes.Atoneo'clock Iwaswokenupby the samenoises as the night before. I putmyshoes back on and telephoned Snout. Then I left the bedroom, and the noisesstopped. I went downstairs and opened the front door. I waited in the livingroom.Afterafewminutes,Iheardcarsonthedrive.Afewsecondslater,Snoutand six policemen armedwith pistols and torches came into the living room.Snoutlookedatmeandnodded.Ipushedtheleverinthefireplacedownwards.Thesixpolicemenrushed into theopeneddoorwayanddownthestairs.Snoutand I followed. Before I reached the bottom stair, I heard two shots.When Iarrived in the room, itwas brightly lit by the oil lamps. I saw that oneof thepolicemenwaswoundedinthearm.Oneofthefiveothermenintheroom,oneoftheAsians,waslyingonthefloorwithabulletinhislegandapistolbesidehim.Thetwobrotherswerethere,unarmed,astonishedandveryfrightened.Thetwoothermen,bothobviouslyAsiansalso,hadpistolsintheirhands.Butwithfivearmedpolicemenwiththeirweaponspointedatthem,theydidn'tseemverysurewhattodowiththem.'Droptheguns!'orderedSnout.Thepistolsfelltothefloor.

Allthatwaslefttodowastohandcuffthemembersofthegangandtakethemtothecarswhichwerewaitingontheforecourtandthentotakepossessionofthegems.Theuncutcushionswerealsocarriedtothecarsandloadedintotheboots.Twoambulanceswerecalledforthewoundedmen.SnoutandIspokeforaminuteortwobeforetheyallleft.Hetoldmethattheywouldinterrogatethemensometimelater.Hepromisedtotelephonemeafterthat.

IwentupstairsandknockedonSelena'sdoor.Shewasawake,ofcourse,

and I told her everything. 'No ghost,' I said. 'Just some villains making adishonest living.'Sheseemedrelieved,butabitdisappointed.I thinkshequitelikedhavingaghostinthehouse.ItoldherIwouldringherlater,afterItalkedtoSnout.

CHAPTERNINESnout telephonedme about two o'clock that afternoon. He told me that

duringtheirinterrogationthebrothersconfessedeverything.Snoutsaidthattheywere like two frightened littleboys.Theywere first offenders, so theyhadnoexperience of being questioned by police authorities. The Asians were moredifficult, obviously hardened criminals.But theywere caught red-handed, andthepolicehadall theevidence theyneeded toprosecute them.Snoutalso toldmethatthetwonightsecuritymenwerealsoincustody.Theywerepaidbytherestofthegangtoopenthegateandhelptocarrythecushionsupthedrivewaytothehouse.Theotherthreesecuritymenwereclean;theyknewnothingaboutit.

Then, because therewere some things I didn't have clear, I askedSnoutsomequestions.Forexample,howdidtheboysknowaboutthesecretroom?

'Theyfound itwhen theywereonlykids,while theywereplaying in thelivingroom.Theydecidedtokeepitasecret;theirprivateplacethatnooneelseknewabout.Onenight,afewmonthsago,whileMissWillingwasintheUnitedStatesonbusiness,theycarriedthetabledownthere.Theyneededasurfacetocutopenthecushions.'

'Andhowdidthisoperationstart?'Iwantedtoknow.'Well,' said Snout, 'two or three months after they received their

inheritance,thebrotherswenttoBangkok.Theywantedtoseethefactory.Theywerethereabouttwoweeks.Somehowtheygotinvolvedwithagroupoflocalpeople.Youhavemetthreeofthem.OneisBurmese,bytheway,andtheothertwo Thais. These people are, in fact, experienced jewel smugglers, but thebrothersdidn'tknowthatatthetime.Andtheideaforthisoperationcamefromthem,notfromthebrothers.Now,thebrothersareprettysimple-minded,frankly.Theywere takenout todinnerseveral times togoodrestaurantsby these 'nice'people.Always invited, alwayspaid for.After that, I think that itwas easy topersuade them to take part in the scheme.Now, the companymakes furniturefrom teak, and the accompanying cushions. So the planwas that the brothersreturntoLondonwiththethreeAsians,whichtheydid.Afterthat,asmallgroupof localpeople, in thepayof the smugglers, began to enter the factory late atnight,twoorthreenightsaweek.Theirjobwastomakethecushions.Andintoevery third one, before they lined it, they put a bag of precious stones. Theymarkedthesecushionswithatiny'x'onthebottomsurface.Then,togetherwith

other furniturewhich thecompanymade, theywereexported toEngland tobestored in the company warehouse in West Kensington. So, when eachconsignmentarrived,thebrothersandthethreeothermenvisitedthewarehouseat night and filled a vanwith all the cushionsmarkedwith an 'x'. They thendrove to Miss Willing's house in Surrey. They arrived between eleven andtwelve.Itwasthebrothers'ideatostorethestonesintheirsecretroom.'

'Andthen?WhentheygottoSelena'shouse?''Well,' said Snout, 'they couldn't drive the van up the drive - too much

noise. So, the guard on duty opened the gate and the six men carried thecushionsupthedrive to thefrontdoor.Then,before theyopenedthedoor, theguardreturned to thegate.Oneof thebrothers thenopened thefrontdoorandwentquicklyandquietlytoopenthesecretdoor.Asecondlater,theothermenwentintothehouseasquicklyandasquietlyaspossiblewiththecushions,andtheyalldisappeared throughthedoorwaybeside thefireplace.Theyclosed thedoorusingtheleverinside.Thewholeoperation,fromopeningthefrontdoortoclosing the door of the secret room, took only a few seconds. You andMissWillingprobablyheardnoiseswhen themenweregoing inwith thecushions.Butbythetimeyougotupandstartedtogodownthestairs,everythingwasallover.Theboyssaidthatitisimpossibletohearanynoisefrominsidethesecretroominanyotherpartofthehouse.Andtheystayedthereuntilaboutoneinthemorning,while theywere taking thestonesoutof thecushions.Then they leftquietly.'

'All very impressive,' I said. 'Butwhy didn't Selena and I hear themenwhentheyweregoingupthedrive?'

'Well, firstly, because they were trying to be as quiet as possible. And,secondly, because Miss Willing's bedroom is at the back of the house. Itoverlooksthebackofthegarden.Wheredidyousleep,Richard?'

'The same, yes.My bedroom overlooked the back, too. I didn't think ofthat.But,justonemorequestion,Ronald.Wheredidthestonescomefrom?'

'Well,fromBurma,actually.ThereareseveralgemstoneminesinBurma.And they don't seem to be very well controlled. They mine various preciousstones, but rubies and sapphires are the most valuable. Now, Burma andThailandareseparatedbyanaturalborder, theMoeiriver.Alongthisriver,onthe Burmese side, are little border towns. And a great number of the stoneswhichareminedarestolenandsmuggled to these towns.The twobest-known

border towns areMaeSot andMaeSai.Then the stones are rowedacross theriver - sometimes people swim across the river carrying bags of stones - intoThailandandtheeagerhandsofinternationalsmugglers.ThesmugglerspaytheBurmese relatively little, compared towhat they earn by selling the stones inEurope.

Oh,andyes,theBurmesealsohaveapearl-farmingindustryatMerguiinthearchipelagooftheGulfofMartaban,tothesouthoftheBurmesemainland.Manyofthepearlsfromtherealsoendupinthebordertowns.'

CHAPTERTENItelephonedSelenanext.IsaidIwantedtoseeher.Shetoldmetogoto

thehousewhen Iwanted to thatday, as shewasworkingathome. I arrivedacoupleofhourslater,aboutfouro'clock.Wesatinthelivingroomandhadtea.ItoldherallIknewaftertalkingtoSnout.Sheseemedalittlesad.

'What'swrong?'Iasked.'Well,'shebegan,'I'mabitsorryformybrothers.Iknowwedon'tgeton

well,but...'ItoldherthattherewasnothingIcoulddoaboutthat.ButIcheeredherup

alittlebysayingthatherbrothersmightlearnalessonbyhavingtospendalittletimeinprison.And,anyway,theirsentencesweresuretobemuchsmallerthanthoseofthethreeAsiarringleaders.Herbrothersdidn'thavepolicerecords,andItoldherthatitwascleartothepolicethattheywereusedandmanipulatedbytheothergangmembers.

'IsupposeIshouldpayyou,Richard,'shethensaid.'That'sagoodidea,'Ireplied.Shewent toachestofdrawers,openedadrawer, and tookoutacheque

book.'Isachequealright?'sheasked.'Fine,'Isaid.ButIdidn'tgotoSelena'shousejusttotellherwhatSnouttoldme.Norto

bepaid.Ihadsomethingelseonmymind.'Selena...Iwaswondering...well,Imean...thefactis,whenIfinishacase,

I like togooutandcelebrate.There'sa littleFrench restaurant inSoho...verygoodfood,excellentfish...and,well,Iwaswonderingifyouwouldliketohavedinnertherewithmetonight?'Finally,Isaidit.

Her eyes brightened and she gave me a beautiful smile. 'I'd love to,Richard.'

SowemadethearrangementsandIleftthehouse.Iwantedtodancedownthedriveway.Thecasewassolved.Ihadsomemoneyinmypocket.AndIhadabeautifulgirltotakeouttodinnerthatnight.Lifewastreatingmewell.Thelastline of one of everyone's favourite old films came tomymind. As I tried tosoundlikeHumphreyBogartinCasablanca,Irepeatedittomyself.'Yes,'Isaid,

'thiscouldbethestartofabeautifulfriendship.'

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