A PAIR OF ELEPHANTS
Elephants are an interesting species and Ida Smith takes the idea further with
a light, but delightful mystery story.
very wealthy Georgina van der Hoven. He had worked exclusively for the rich, caring
for their magnificent homes and priceless collections of antiques.
In the fifteen years that he had been in 42 Laker Avenue, he would say that he had
maintained, if not contributed to, the tremendous increase in value of Georgina’s
investments in antiques, advising her on suitable acquisitions as well as accompanying
her to promising sales, locally and abroad.
“I tell the truth,” he said to Mary Jensen, Mrs van der Hoven’s companion. “Mrs van
der Hoven relies on my expertise.” Mary Jensen never doubted his integrity.
The day they brought home the miniature statue of the splendidly sculpted elephant
which had once stood near the Triumphal Arch of Nero in Rome, looted by Napoleon
and eventually returned to Venice in 1815, Mary was so intrigued by it that she stood
gazing at it completely overcome by its beauty. Parkins had placed it on the Georgian
table between the Sheraton tallboy and a Chippendale chair.
Parkins smiled gently at Georgina. “In five years this little masterpiece will have
doubled in price. What an investment! This has been the right time for a bargain of
this sort,” he said in his courteous and knowledgeable manner.
Georgina van der Hoven beamed. “Oh! Gregory you’ve found the right place for it!
Yes, what you say is true. My goodness, it is beautiful!”
Later when they were on their own, Georgina suggested that, because her new
acquisition was so valuable, it was not advisable to display it and because of its size,
it could easily disappear. Parkins should contact their man in London, a skilled
craftsman who would copy it – there were many pictures of it available. “it must be
done quietly of course,” she said. “No one but you and I will know. When it’s ready,
we’ll store this one with the other valuables in the bank.”
A year or so later, Georgina fell ill. Her illness was serious. She lay in bed thinking of
her stately home and of her most precious possessions, especially the little original
elephant which was worth a fortune. She needed to look at her will. Her heirs were
her two orphaned nieces,. Everything would be left to them. But there was her faithful
Mary Jensen. She so loved the little elephant statue. She would leave it to her. Why
not? She would certainly appreciate it more than anyone else. To Parkins she would
leave her motorcar, the Mercedes Benz SLK 200. He would love that.
Some months later Mrs Georgina van der Hoven died. Her photograph was in the
Daily Dispatch. There was a well-written story about her wonderful collection of
antiques. The twins arrived from overseas. They mourned their aunt deeply. She had
contributed so much to their upkeep and had paid their fees and support at the
University of London where they were studying.
After the funeral, all the legal matters were seen to. The girls were overwhelmed with
remorse because they hadn’t visited their aunt as often as they felt they should have done,
and were amazed that she had borne them no grudge and left them a great fortune.
Mary Jensen wept a great deal. She couldn’t speak much. The elephant had been
bequeathed to her. She went to look at it. What a wonderful gesture from Georgina!
Gregory Parkins came in. “Well, lucky lady!” he said. “You got what YOU wanted.”
“I’m so sad, said Mary, brushing away her tears. “But what a splendid gift she left me!”
“Well,” said Gregory said, “Cheers, dear! I’m off now... Good luck!”
He walked out of the room, the keys for the Mercedes Benz SLK 200 jingling in his
hand. Moving quietly he went to the cupboard under the stairs, where he picked up a
small box and put it under his arm. He quickly opened it and checked the contents.
Deep inside, covered with dry white packing grass was the figure of an elephant. It had
come from the bank that morning. Closing the front door behind him, he carefully put it
into the boot. Then, humming softly, he climbed happily into his beautiful car and drove
away.