A Connoisseur's Case Read online

  ‘Would you be so very kind’ – Appleby said, with the unconscious extreme courtesy of a remote superior: so that Judith was amused – ‘as to take it down there, and put it beside the other one?’

  The constables did as they were told. Appleby nodded to them. They went away. And the company stared, stupefied.

  ‘This has been a connoisseur’s case,’ Appleby said. ‘Or, rather, two connoisseurs. Crabtree being the one, and my wife being the other. Crabtree had just one glimpse of the hall and staircase here. And he was a disconcerted and puzzled man. The fine things – which had chiefly drawn him back to Scroop – seemed not quite the same. Hollywood knew that, if this disastrously returned émigré‚ had one further straight look at the furniture, the game would be up. That is why he followed him to the Jolly Leggers, spied on him there, dogged him to the lock, and killed him. It’s why he took away the little barge. It must come back into nobody’s head that Crabtree had been the craftsman he was. Do I make myself clear?’

  Bertram Coulson was staring at the two identical writing tables, now standing side by side.

  ‘No,’ he said. ‘I can make nothing of it, at all.’

  ‘This morning, you showed Judith over Scroop. When I asked her about it, she reported that it contained some superb pieces, and a great deal of “ultra-shiny high-grade reproduction antique”. You mustn’t be offended by this. It’s important.’

  ‘My dear man, of course I’m not offended. Do you take me for a furniture dealer?’ Bertram Coulson spoke briskly and without self-consciousness – so that Appleby had an impression that he had listened, almost for the first time, to one who was the natural master of Scroop.

  ‘Later today, Mrs Coulson reiterated to my wife how you had a passion for keeping everything about the place precisely as it was in Sara Coulson’s time. And my wife had an obscure sense that she had been told something that simply didn’t match with something else. That something else was, in fact, all the nicely made replicas – the “high-grade reproduction antique” – which Miles Coulson, alias Channing-Kennedy, and Hollywood have been substituting over a number of years for the real thing.’

  ‘It doesn’t make sense.’ Alfred Binns spoke up violently. ‘It simply doesn’t make economic sense.’

  ‘I assure you that it does. Marketing stolen Old Masters and so forth is very difficult. Marketing stolen antique furniture, however superb, is dead easy. And fantastically profitable. Just you try to buy, in London or Rome or New York, a gentleman’s social table by Hepplewhite.’

  ‘Or a Gothic cabinet by Chippendale,’ Judith said. ‘Or a Louis XVI semainier, or a French provincial commode before about 1750, or a set of quartetto tables, or a Grecian squab, or a couple of Herculaneums, or some girandoles by Matthias Lock, or even a garden seat by William Halfpenny–’

  ‘My wife studies these things,’ Appleby interrupted rather hastily. ‘And you see the situation. It paid these people – your distant cousin Miles and the rascal Hollywood – many times over to have exact replicas made, and to substitute them, piece by piece, for the real thing. You yourself, you know’ – and Appleby glanced disarmingly at Bertram Coulson – ‘have never made a study of these things. Mrs Coulson is not one with any particular eye for the mere inanimate paraphernalia of living. And your guests – as Colonel Raven put it to me in a slightly different form of words – are not collectors and aesthetes and people of that sort. Miles Coulson – the dispossessed Miles Coulson, as he felt himself to be – was an actor, you remember, and had no difficulty in turning innkeeper. He enjoyed the part. A gentleman, pretending to be a vulgarian pretending to be a gentleman: it was great fun.’

  Appleby paused and glanced at his watch – perhaps with a shade of anxiety.

  ‘I don’t know whether,’ he said, ‘you’ll want me, just at this hour, to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. But consider your disused canal, and that mysterious tunnel. It would be hard to manage even a nocturnal traffic unobserved by way of Upper Scroop. The village presses hard upon the house. But the canal, the old boathouse and the tunnel were absolutely ideal for the job. By the way, you were never aware of any mysterious bumpings in the night?’

  ‘Never.’ Bertram Coulson passed a hand over his forehead in a dazed gesture.

  ‘Miss Binns was. But she decided it was a matter of ghosts and so of no importance.’

  Everybody was silent. And, into the silence, broke the shrill summons of a telephone bell.

  ‘It will be for me, I think.’ Appleby turned to Bertram Coulson. ‘Do you mind?’ He went over to the instrument and picked it up. ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘Appleby.’ Then he listened in silence – in a silence that seemed unnaturally long. ‘Thank you,’ he said quietly, and hung up.

  ‘They’ve been – been caught?’ Daphne Binns asked timidly.

  ‘Not precisely that.’ Appleby glanced first at Judith and then at the rest of the company. ‘Hollywood had made himself scarce with the idea of having a car ready if the game should really prove to be up. I was in favour of giving him some play. Flight would be good evidence. That is entirely my responsibility, and not Hilliard’s.’

  ‘You mean they’ve got away?’ Peter Binns demanded.

  ‘Not that either. They got out of the park, and clear on the high road. But Hilliard was on top of them. They got to your county town. And there they crashed.’

  ‘Crashed?’ Colonel Raven said sharply.

  ‘Yes. Straight through a plate glass window and half across the shop that lay behind it. They’re both dead.’

  There was silence. And faintly from the stables of Scroop House, a clock was heard to chime.

  ‘Midnight?’ Judith asked.

  Appleby shook his head.

  ‘Eleven,’ he said. ‘I thought we’d have a margin.’ He smiled – and then looked seriously about him. ‘By the way,’ he said. ‘The shop. It was a furniture shop. And there’s nothing to do but disperse and go to bed.’

  Note on Inspector (later, Sir John) Appleby Series

  John Appleby first appears in Death at the President’s Lodging, by which time he has risen to the rank of Inspector in the police force. A cerebral detective, with ready wit, charm and good manners, he rose from humble origins to being educated at ‘St Anthony’s College’, Oxford, prior to joining the police as an ordinary constable.

  Having decided to take early retirement just after World War II, he nonetheless continued his police career at a later stage and is subsequently appointed an Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police at Scotland Yard, where his crime solving talents are put to good use, despite the lofty administrative position. Final retirement from the police force (as Commissioner and Sir John Appleby) does not, however, diminish Appleby’s taste for solving crime and he continues to be active, Appleby and the Ospreys marking his final appearance in the late 1980’s.

  In Appleby’s End he meets Judith Raven, whom he marries and who has an involvement in many subsequent cases, as does their son Bobby and other members of his family.

  Appleby Titles in order of first publication

  These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. Death at the President’s Lodging Also as: Seven Suspects 1936

  2. Hamlet! Revenge 1937

  3. Lament for a Maker 1938

  4. Stop Press Also as: The Spider Strikes 1939

  5. The Secret Vanguard 1940

  6. Their Came Both Mist and Snow Also as: A Comedy of Terrors 1940

  7. Appleby on Ararat 1941

  8. The Daffodil Affair 1942

  9. The Weight of the Evidence 1943

  10. Appleby’s End 1945

  11. A Night of Errors 1947

  12. Operation Pax Also as: The Paper Thunderbolt 1951

  13. A Private View Also as: One Man Show and Murder is an Art 1952

  14. Appleby Talking Also as: Dead Man’s Shoes 1954

  15. Appleby Talks Again 1956

  16. Appleby Plays Chicken Also as: Death on
a Quiet Day 1957

  17. The Long Farewell 1958

  18. Hare Sitting Up 1959

  19. Silence Observed 1961

  20. A Connoisseur’s Case Also as: The Crabtree Affair 1962

  21. The Bloody Wood 1966

  22. Appleby at Allington Also as: Death by Water 1968

  23. A Family Affair Also as: Picture of Guilt 1969

  24. Death at the Chase 1970

  25. An Awkward Lie 1971

  26. The Open House 1972

  27. Appleby’s Answer 1973

  28. Appleby’s Other Story 1974

  29. The Appleby File 1975

  30. The Gay Phoenix 1976

  31. The Ampersand Papers 1978

  32. Shieks and Adders 1982

  33. Appleby and Honeybath 1983

  34. Carson’s Conspiracy 1984

  35. Appleby and the Ospreys 1986

  Honeybath Titles in order of first publication

  These titles can be read as a series, or randomly as standalone novels

  1. The Mysterious Commission 1974

  2. Honeybath’s Haven 1977

  3. Lord Mullion’s Secret 1981

  4. Appleby and Honeybath 1983

  Synopses (Both Series & ‘Stand-alone’ Titles)

  Published by House of Stratus

  The Ampersand Papers

  While Appleby is strolling along a Cornish beach, he narrowly escapes being struck by a body falling down a cliff. The body is that of Dr Sutch, an archivist, and he has fallen from the North Tower of Treskinnick Castle, home of Lord Ampersand. Two possible motivations present themselves to Appleby – the Ampersand gold, treasure from an Armada galleon; and the Ampersand papers, valuable family documents that have associations with Wordsworth and Shelley.

  Appleby and Honeybath

  Every English mansion has a locked room, and Grinton Hall is no exception – the library has hidden doors and passages…and a corpse. But when the corpse goes missing, Sir John Appleby and Charles Honeybath have an even more perplexing case on their hands – just how did it disappear when the doors and windows were securely locked? A bevy of helpful houseguests offer endless assistance, but the two detectives suspect that they are concealing vital information. Could the treasures on the library shelves be so valuable that someone would murder for them?

  Appleby and the Ospreys

  Clusters, a great country house, is troubled by bats, as Lord and Lady Osprey complain to their guests, who include first rate detective, Sir John Appleby. In the matter of bats, Appleby is indifferent, but he is soon faced with a real challenge – the murder of Lord Osprey, stabbed with an ornate dagger in the library.

  Appleby at Allington

  Sir John Appleby dines one evening at Allington Park, the Georgian home of his acquaintance Owain Allington, who is new to the area. His curiosity is aroused when Allington mentions his nephew and heir to the estate, Martin Allington, whose name Appleby recognises. The evening comes to an end but just as Appleby is leaving, they find a dead man – electrocuted in the son et lumière box which had been installed in the grounds.

  The Appleby File

  There are fifteen stories in this compelling collection, including: Poltergeist – when Appleby’s wife tells him that her aunt is experiencing trouble with a Poltergeist, he is amused but dismissive, until he discovers that several priceless artefacts have been smashed as a result; A Question of Confidence – when Bobby Appleby’s friend, Brian Button, is caught up in a scandalous murder in Oxford, Bobby’s famous detective father is their first port of call; The Ascham – an abandoned car on a narrow lane intrigues Appleby and his wife, but even more intriguing is the medieval castle they stumble upon.

  Appleby on Ararat

  Inspector Appleby is stranded on a very strange island, with a rather odd bunch of people – too many men, too few women (and one of them too attractive) cause a deal of trouble. But that is nothing compared to later developments, including the body afloat in the water, and the attack by local inhabitants.

  Appleby Plays Chicken

  David was hiking across Dartmoor, pleased to have escaped the oppressively juvenile and sometimes perilous behaviour of his fellow undergraduates. As far as he could tell, he was the only human being for miles – but it turns out that he was the only living human being for miles. At least, that is what he presumed when he found a dead man on top of the tor.

  Appleby Talking

  Arbuthnot is paying for a rash decision – he recently married a beautiful but slightly amoral girl whose crazy antics caught his rather cynical professional interest. His wife has taken a lover, Rupert Slade, and Arbuthnot wants nothing more than to see him dead – but the last thing he expected was that he’d walk into his living room and find just that!

  Inspector Appleby shares the details of this and many other fascinating crimes in this un-missable collection.

  Appleby Talks Again

  Ralph Dangerfield, an Edwardian playwright who belonged to the smartest young set of his day, kept a scandalous diary recording the intimate details of his own life and those of his friends. After his death, it was believed that his mother had burnt the incriminating evidence, but fifty years later, a famous collector of literary curiosities claims to have the diary in his possession and threatens to blackmail fashionable London with belated secrets about people now in respectable old age. Sir John Appleby reveals how he uncovered this unscrupulous crime and talks about his key role in seventeen more intriguing cases.

  Appleby’s Answer

  Author of detective novels, Priscilla Pringle, is pleased to find that she is sharing a railway compartment with a gentleman who happens to be reading one of her books – Murder in the Cathedral. He is military officer, Captain Bulkington, who recognises Miss Pringle and offers her £500 to collaborate on a detective novel. To everyone’s surprise, Miss Pringle is rather taken with Captain Bulkington – is she out of her depth?

  Appleby’s End

  Appleby’s End was the name of the station where Detective Inspector John Appleby got off the train from Scotland Yard. But that was not the only coincidence. Everything that happened from then on related back to stories by Ranulph Raven, Victorian novelist – animals were replaced by marble effigies, someone received a tombstone telling him when he would die, and a servant was found buried up to his neck in snow, dead. Why did Ranulph Raven’s mysterious descendants make such a point of inviting Appleby to spend the night at their house?

  Appleby’s Other Story

  During a walk to Elvedon House, palatial home of the Tythertons, Sir John Appleby and Chief Constable Colonel Pride are stunned to find a police van and two cars parked outside. Wealthy Maurice Tytherton has been found shot dead, and Appleby is faced with a number of suspects – Alice Tytherton, flirtatious, younger wife of the deceased; Egon Raffaello, disreputable art dealer; and the prodigal son, Mark Tytherton, who has just returned from Argentina. Could the death be linked to the robbery of some paintings several years ago?

  An Awkward Lie

  Sir John Appleby’s son, Bobby, assumes his father’s detective role in this baffling crime. When Bobby finds a dead man, in a bunker on a golf course, he notices something rather strange – the first finger of the man’s right hand is missing. A young girl approaches the scene and offers to watch the body while Bobby goes for help, but when he returns with the police in tow, the body and the girl are missing.

  The Bloody Wood

  An assorted party of guests have gathered at Charne, home of Charles Martineau and his ailing wife, Grace, including Sir John Appleby and his wife, Judith. Appleby’s suspicions are soon aroused with the odd behaviour of Charles, and the curious last request of Grace – who desires that upon her death, Charles marries her favourite niece, Martine. When Charles and Grace die on the same day, foul play is suspected.

  Carson’s Conspiracy

  Businessman Carl Carson decides to make a dash for South America to escape the economic slump, leaving his home and his barmy wife. But
he has a problem – if his company were seen to be drawing in its horns, it wouldn’t last a week. His solution is his wife’s favourite delusion – an imaginary son, named Robin. Carson plans to stage a fictitious kidnapping – after all, what could be more natural than a father liquidating his assets to pay the ransom demand? Unfortunately, Carson has a rather astute neighbour – Sir John Appleby, ex-Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

  A Change of Heir

  George Gadberry, ‘resting actor’, packs his bags and heads for obscurity when the Tax Inspector beckons. Then he receives a mysterious invitation and a proposition that could lead to enormous riches. Wealthy imbiber, Nicholas Comberford, wants George to impersonate him in order to secure a place in the will of fabulously affluent Great-Aunt Prudence, who lives in a Cistercian monastery and won’t allow a single drop of liquor in the place. Gadberry’s luck seems to have changed – but at what cost?

  Christmas at Candleshoe

  When an American multi-millionaire is keen to buy an Elizabethan manor, she comes up against fierce opposition from a young boy, Jay, and his band of bowmen, who are prepared to defend the manor and its nonagerian owner against all comers. It seems likely that that behind a monumental, seventeenth-century carving, by the hand of Gerard Christmas, lies a hoard of treasure.

  A Connoisseur’s Case

  When John Appleby’s wife, Judith, sets eyes on Scroop House, she insists that they introduce themselves to the owners – a suggestion that makes her sometimes reserved husband turn very pale. When Judith hears the village gossip about the grand house, she is even more intrigued; but when a former employee is found dead in the lock of the disused canal, and the immense wealth of Scroop’s contents is revealed, Appleby has a gripping investigation on his hands.