'How much money was there in the bag you were given in Cheltenham?' asked Peter.
'We don't know,' said George. 'They didn't tell us and we didn't count it.'
'That's very odd,' said Peter, 'in the world of finance all amounts are counted and recounted then recorded in the books by double entry.'
'I always thought those golden sovereigns were handed over rather casually,' said Jack. 'Those secret service bods are a rum lot.'
'Yes, that's right,' said George, 'they seemed to place little value on them.'
'Perhaps they had little value,' said Peter.
'How can gold coins have little value?' protested Jack.
'By not being gold coins,' answered Peter.
'You mean we were given counterfeit money?' gasped George.
'That seems a distinct possibility,' said Peter.
'We don't know,' said George. 'They didn't tell us and we didn't count it.'
'That's very odd,' said Peter, 'in the world of finance all amounts are counted and recounted then recorded in the books by double entry.'
'I always thought those golden sovereigns were handed over rather casually,' said Jack. 'Those secret service bods are a rum lot.'
'Yes, that's right,' said George, 'they seemed to place little value on them.'
'Perhaps they had little value,' said Peter.
'How can gold coins have little value?' protested Jack.
'By not being gold coins,' answered Peter.
'You mean we were given counterfeit money?' gasped George.
'That seems a distinct possibility,' said Peter.
The triumvirate sat in silence for some time, each trying to access the full implications of this scenario. George and Jack both felt relief because if the coins were fake they would not have to account for a large sum of money. Peter, on the other hand, was anxious, because it appeared that a full investigation would be necessary and he was reluctant to get involved with the secret service.
At length Peter resumed the discussion by saying, 'The prime minister assured me that one hundred golden sovereigns were released by the treasury to secret service headquarters specifically for your mission to King Duncan.'
'One hundred pounds!' gasped Jack.
'That's the first time we've been told the amount,' said George.
'It seems a lot,' Peter agreed, 'but it was intended to prevent a serious international crisis.'
'And it did,' asserted George, keen that his achievement should not be overlooked.
'But not by expenditure of the gold,' Peter insisted.
'Then where is the gold?' asked George.
'One hundred pounds!' gasped Jack.
'That's the first time we've been told the amount,' said George.
'It seems a lot,' Peter agreed, 'but it was intended to prevent a serious international crisis.'
'And it did,' asserted George, keen that his achievement should not be overlooked.
'But not by expenditure of the gold,' Peter insisted.
'Then where is the gold?' asked George.
'That's what we must find out,' said the grim-faced official of His Majesty's Revenue and Customs. 'This investigation won't be easy. We can't just walk into secret service HQ and say we are conducting a financial audit. Those chaps are pretty smart.'
'Not quite as smart as perhaps they ought to be,' said George. 'They weren't much use in Outremer and they didn't give us much help on our mission to Scotland.'
'Don't underestimate your adversary, especially where money is concerned,' warned Peter. 'It's amazing the schemes that people work out to avoid paying their taxes.'
'Not quite as smart as perhaps they ought to be,' said George. 'They weren't much use in Outremer and they didn't give us much help on our mission to Scotland.'
'Don't underestimate your adversary, especially where money is concerned,' warned Peter. 'It's amazing the schemes that people work out to avoid paying their taxes.'
Older Children, teenagers and adults will enjoy reading the humorous tales of Saint George: Rusty Knight and Monster Tamer, as he serves as Minister for the Environment under King Freddie and Prime Minister Merlin the Whirlin. The first book of a trilogy was published in September 2015.
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