The changeling

“Your welfare has always been my concern. You were left in my care by ...” He faltered a little. “By your mother. I looked upon it as a trust. I know that you resented me right from the moment we were married. I tried to understand it. She explained it to me. She said that because you had no father you and she had been particularly close. You didn’t want change. ?y]e never got together, did we? And then ... she died.”

He turned away and I said: “I know. I lost her too.”

“She was ... everything I wanted ...”

I nodded.

“There has been animosity between us ... It was not my wish ...”

“I see that now.”

And I was seeing a completely different person. He was vulnerable as I had never thought of him before. He might be the stern ruthless man but he had his weaknesses... and he had loved my mother and needed her ... he needed her now. I was sad and lonely. I had lost her, as he had, and then I had thought I could have a happy life with Pedrek, and now I had lost him, too.

He said: “We should try to help each other, you and I ... instead of which ...” He was silent for a short while and then went on: “There was only ever one trouble between your mother and me. It was these clubs. She hated it when I inherited them from my grandfather. She wanted me to get rid of them. I should have listened to her. It was the only time there was contention between us. She knew my grandfather. He was an adventurer. Everyone said I was like him. But I think there is a difference.

I should have listened to her. I should have got rid of them long ago.”

I said: “I heard something about ... was it The Devil’s Crown?”

“Yes ... I was considering acquiring it. Gerson believes I already have. He does not know as much as he thinks he does. I can’t imagine how he has so much information about my affairs.”

A sudden memory came back to me.

I said: “Do you keep confidential papers in that locked room?”

“Yes,” he said.

“So it is not entirely a shrine. I thought you kept it as it was because ...”

“I did,” he admitted. “Then it occurred to me that it was just the place to keep secret documents.”

I was surprised that at such a time I could feel a twinge of amusement. I supposed that was typical of him, that in the midst of his emotions he could think of such a thing. He had made that shrine to her memory and he could at the same time use it as a secret cache for important documents. I seemed to see my mother’s face smiling indulgently, whispering: “Yes, but that is Benedict.”

I said: “You kept private documents in there yet you let Oliver Gerson have access to them.”

He stared at me in amazement. “No. Never,” he said.

I went on: “He was here in that locked room.”

“When?”

“Not very long ago. I heard noises there and I made Mrs. Emery get her key. We went there and he was there with some papers before him ... at the bureau. He said you had given him your key.”

He was incredulous. “He must have got hold of Mrs. Emery’s key.”

“No. She had hers. We had gone in with that and found him there. He had locked the door on the inside.”

“I can’t believe this. My key has never left the ring on which I keep it.”

“Well, it was not Mrs. Emery’s because she had hers.”

“I am astounded, Rebecca. I can’t imagine how this could happen. There are only two keys.”

“If one of them had been in his possession for a while couldn’t he have had another made?”

“That’s the answer. He must have stolen one of the keys at some time.”

“It seems the only reasonable solution.”

“And he has been examining papers ...”

“Does that make any difference to what he can bring against you?”

He shook his head. “You know so much now, so let me tell you this. The clubs which my grandfather started and owned for many years brought him great riches. He was a clever man who loved adventure. Life without risks would not have been exciting enough for him. He enjoyed what he did. Some would say he was a rogue ... but many loved him. I have realized that we are different. I am not of his caliber. I have inherited some of his qualities ... but not all. You know my ambitions are great. They mean more to me than that fortune which comes through questionable channels. For some time I have been working on disposing of the clubs and concentrating entirely on politics. As you know I made a fortune from the goldmine. I still have a small interest in that. Money is no problem. It was just the thought of more that tempted me. Now I am following the advice which she gave me ... all those years ago. I shall dispose of my interests in the clubs. That is what Gerson does not know. He has worked for me for some time. He is ambitious. He plans to have a big share by acquiring a partnership ... well, you’ve heard all that.”

“And this attempt to blackmail you, what harm could it do you?”

“This Devil’s Crown which I was considering adding to the others ... is more than just a night club. There are activities going on there which are quite unsavory. I think it is possibly the haunt of drug traffickers. It was that which decided me that I wanted to get out.”