“Lord, Archie. Do you think he wants to kill you too?” Edward’s voice was horrified.
Archie nodded slowly, but he refused to be talked out of his quest for the truth. “I think that I have seen too much.” He turned solemn eyes on his friend. “I think that if we wait tonight, we will see him watch the house. If he is watching, we will be safe to leave out of the front door, go to Mr Harriman’s and get back in time to stop him getting in again.”
Edward shivered, wondering just what he had agreed to get involved in. “What if he isn’t there?”
“Then we will be really quick and go down the track to the tavern. It isn’t that far away. We can be there in a couple of minutes, and back again without being caught.” Archie knew the tavern was probably locked tight at night, and had no idea how they were going to get in without being noticed, but didn’t want to raise that point with Edward.
“What if the killer is there?” Edward gasped, sitting on the bed with a heavy thump.
“He has done with Mr Harriman. As far as I know, he had no idea that Mr Harriman was holding anything in his hand. If he did, he most probably already has the clue now, anyway. At least if we go and take a look ourselves, we will know for sure if the clue is still there. I doubt the murderer would want to go back and view the body.”
Edward admitted that Archie had a point.
“Alright, so we will go once your dad has gone to bed and we can be sure that the man is watching the house.” Edward held up one cautionary hand. “What if we get caught? What do we tell people?”
Archie sighed and turned to Edward with a scowl. Sometimes Edward’s logic was just a little bit irritating. Archie was more apt to jump in with both feet and ask questions afterward. Edward was more logical – he liked to think things over before he considered whether he wanted to take part. Archie knew he was lucky to have got his friend to agree to go with him so easily.
“I’ll tell them that I wanted to see Mr Harriman before he was buried, and didn’t want to tell my mum or dad because I knew they would try and talk me out of it,” Archie reasoned aloud, impressed with his own logic.
Edward considered this for a moment, before quirking his lips and slowly nodding his head. “It could work.”
“Archie! Edward!”
“Race you downstairs,” Archie said, hurtling toward the door. Jostling with Edward in the doorway, both boys raced toward the stairs, drawn by the delicious smell of food wafting toward them. Neither took a moment to glance out of the window.
If they had, they would have seen the solitary figure, standing with his back to the thick trunk of the largest tree – watching the house.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Archie!”
Archie snorted, and batted away the annoying hand that was shaking him. He was blissfully warm, comfortable, and lost in a haze of sleepiness that held him in a comforting embrace he didn’t want to break.
“G’way,” he grumbled, pushing at the relentless hands that continued to nudge his shoulder.
“Archie! Do you want to go to the tavern tonight, or not?”
He frowned as Edward’s words penetrated his exhaustion. The cold wash of reality abruptly chased away his contentment, leaving Archie to sleepily rub his eyes as he sat up to stare at his friend.
“You fell asleep,” Edward declared somewhat accusingly.
“I’m tired,” Archie grumbled.
Edward could see the dark shadows beneath his friend’s eyes and felt guilty for having woken him as instructed. But given what Archie had wanted to do, he had felt obliged to find out if Archie still wanted to go ahead with his plans. After all, this was the one and only night they would get the chance to go. If Mr Harriman was taken to the church to await burial, they would be done for. It was going to be difficult enough getting into the tavern. Breaking into a church was probably breaking all of the ten commandments in one go, and would undoubtedly get them mentioned in church by the Vicar, and not in a good way.
“Do you want to go and get whatever Mr Harriman was holding, or not?” Although the question was sharp, there was no anger behind the words. Archie had had quite a difficult few days and couldn’t be criticised if he wanted to back out of his plans. Edward knew that if he had been faced with the same set of circumstances, he would probably still be cowering under the bed. Secretly, he hoped that Archie would change his mind. Now that they were looking at heading out into the night to see a dead body, the plan didn’t seem such a sound one.
“Of course I want to go,” Archie yawned, and slowly pushed the blankets off his legs. “It’s now or never.” He was aware of the soft snores of his brothers sound asleep on the bed, and quietly stood beside Edward.
“Have you had a look outside?” He wasn’t surprised when Edward nervously shook his head.
Stifling another yawn, Archie shuffled along the wall until he was standing beside the shutter. He jumped and huffed an impatient sigh when Edward bumped into his back. Shaking his head, the scolding hovering on his lips was immediately forgotten when his attention was drawn to the visible outline of a man beneath the tree opposite.
Although it was windy out, the clouds had broken enough to allow the moon to cast the entire area in silver and grey shadow. It was enough to provide the boys with meagre light so they wouldn’t need a lantern to guide their way, and risk giving away their whereabouts in the process. It was also enough to penetrate even the darkest shadows enough to see what was hidden.
“Can you see him?” Archie whispered, knowing that Edward could indeed see the watcher staring at the house by the sudden intake of breath behind him.
“Oh Lord, that’s creepy,” Edward gasped directly in his ear.
“At least he is there, and not trying to break into the house again.” Archie knew from general conversation around the table that his dad had repaired the damage to the window frame earlier that afternoon, rendering the house safe once more. If the killer wanted to get into the house tonight, he would have to find another way to do it.
“What are you two doing out of bed?”
Archie gasped at the harsh whisper directly behind them. Unused to having young siblings in the house, Edward squeaked as he spun around.
“Mr Balfour!”
“Ssshh,” Mr Balfour replied, raising a warning finger to his lips as he glanced toward the two wriggling bodies in the bed. Everyone froze as Sammy and Ben wriggled and jostled for several moments before finally settling back down, at which point everyone suddenly heaved a sigh of relief and imperceptibly relaxed.
“I was just looking to see if the man I saw last night was there again,” Archie admitted reluctantly, glad of the darkness that hid his silent squeezing of Edward’s wrist.
“Is he?” Jack’s voice was sharp as he scowled at his son. He moved toward the window, only to find Archie directly in his path.
“Yes, directly beneath the tree opposite, but keep out of the window or he will see you. The moon is out tonight, and you can see his outline a bit more clearly.” Archie saw the surprised look on his dad’s face and wondered if he had just made a colossal mistake.
Nevertheless, his dad did as Archie had done and used the protection of the shutter to glance out of the window.
“Would you look at that?” Jack whispered, frowning down at the solitary figure standing beneath the yew tree directly opposite the house. Turning toward Archie, he scowled deeper than ever before. “I know it is dark, but does it look like the man you saw in the spinney?”
Archie nodded slowly. “The man was tall, and thin. The one under the tree is the same shape, and the cloak is familiar,” Archie said, nodding toward the silhouette. “He is definitely the man who tried to break in last night.”
Jack turned to stare at the figure while he tried to decide what to do. He could sneak out of the front door and go and get Georgie, but that would mean leaving his family unprotected. Given how brutal Mr Harriman’s murder had been, there was no possibility Jack was going to leave his family vulnera
ble, even for a second. If he was honest, he was surprised that the murderer had the audacity; the sheer arrogance, to try to break into the village constable’s house at all, let alone be stupid enough to try again on a second night.
Turning toward the boys, he was unsurprised to find them watching him, waiting for his direction.
“I think that we have a stupid burglar on our hands. Given he has already tried to break in once, I need to be ready for his second attempt.” He glanced toward the window again, unsurprised to find the figure still standing there. “This time, though, we will be ready.”
“Are you going to fetch the villagers?” Archie asked, feeling his carefully made plans to go the tavern break into tiny pieces.
Jack considered the possibility for a moment. There was nothing to say that the man watching the house hadn’t been put there by Lord Brentwood to keep an eye on Archie. After all, he was the only one who had seen the murderer up close. It was unlikely that Lord Brentwood would go to the time, trouble or expense but, just because Lord Brentwood hadn’t said anything to Jack about it, didn’t mean it wasn’t possible. The more he considered it, the more he realised that Archie was probably right. The man beneath the tree probably was the murderer.
“No. I think we will sit and wait, and see what he does. He was scared off last night.” He clapped a hand on Archie’s shoulder proudly. “Tonight, he doesn’t know that we will be waiting for him.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I think that I’ll keep an eye on him. When he approaches the house, I will be ready to pop outside and go and have a little word with him. If he ends up in the tavern cellar, then so be it.”
Archie’s eyes grew wide. “The tavern cellar?” His eyes flew to Edward, who groaned softly. Thinking fast on his feet, Archie’s turned back to his dad. “Isn’t that where Mr Harriman is?”
Jack scowled down at Archie. In reality, most prisoners were kept in the tavern cellar until a cart could be prepared to take them to gaol. But, given the cellar was now occupied with the murderer’s victim, it didn’t seem appropriate to put the murderer of the dead person in there too.
“Quite right, Archie,” Jack coughed, uncomfortably. “I’ll have to take him over to Leicester at first light. Right now though, the man doesn’t know we are watching him. If he doesn’t approach the house, we’ll leave it. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to the men, and we will set a trap for his visit tomorrow night.” He made no mention of telling the Justice of the possible murderer’s whereabouts. After all, it could just be a very inept burglar. But, as it appeared at that moment, it looked as though the murder knew exactly where Archie was, and wasn’t prepared to leave until he had silenced his witness.
Over the course of yesterday, Jack had spoken to enough men in the village to know that almost everyone considered there something was strange about Lord Brentwood, and didn’t trust him as they ought to. Careful questioning had confirmed that nobody had found a tricorn hat like the Justice had claimed, and that left Jack with a lot of questions that right now, he was unable to answer. It was down to him, as constable of the parish, to bring this matter to a conclusion by himself, and if that meant he had to arrest the Justice of the Peace, then so be it.
Archie glanced at Edward, who lifted his brows in silent query. Archie read the silent question. Was Archie still planning to go through with visiting the tavern? Archie nodded imperceptibly and immediately felt guilty that they weren’t going to take his father into their confidence about their plans. But, it was only because Archie didn’t want to get his dad into trouble. If his dad found the piece of paper and didn’t tell the Justice, he could get into serious trouble, especially as constable for the village. If Archie found the piece of paper, he could claim he had no idea how important it was, or something like it, and would probably only get a stern ticking off. If the piece of paper was still in Mr Harriman’s hand.
“Right then, boys, I suggest you go off to bed now, and leave this to me,” Jack said, heading toward his own room to collect his shirt. The room was chilly without any clothing on, and it was going to be a long night, he just knew it.
“Can’t we sleep downstairs?” Archie asked, glancing at Sammy and Ben who lay sprawled in sleepy abandon across the wide bed. “I won’t be able to sleep with you standing on guard like that.”
The cottage was only three bedroomed. His parents had one bedroom, his sisters shared a bed in the second room, and Archie and his brothers shared a bed in this room. There was nowhere else to sleep except for either the sitting room downstairs, or the front room.
Jack frowned at them. He knew they could be trusted, but was wary of leaving them alone downstairs with a murderer on the loose. Still, it would help if they were within calling distance if anything untoward happened.
“Alright,” Jack said with a sigh, wondering when the boys had grown up so quickly. “Go and settle in the front room, but leave the door open in case something happens.”
Archie gasped and stared in dismay at his friend. With the door closed, they could make the quick trip to tavern and back without anyone being any the wiser. With the door open, it would be obvious that they weren’t in the front room. The opening and closing of the front door would undoubtedly get them caught, even if Archie’s dad stayed upstairs on watch.
Gathering up their blankets and pillows, Edward and Archie made their way downstairs and settled in the front room. Despite his dad’s warning to leave the door open, Archie closed it while they spread their blankets out on the floor. He could feel Edward was bristling with questions, but motioned for him to remain quiet - for the time being at least. If he was honest, he was frantically thinking of a way they could get out of the house without being seen by either the man keeping watch out back, or his dad who appeared to have taken watch in order to protect his family and home.
As it was, events unfolded around them without warning, and handed them the perfect opportunity to escape on their daring adventure.
They had no sooner settled on the blankets, quietly discussing what they could do, when Archie’s dad tiptoed down the stairs. Archie lifted his head. His gaze met and held his dad’s stern look, and he knew without asking that the killer had moved toward the house again. This time though, his dad was ready for him, and immediately lit a spill, using the twisted paper to light several candles in the sitting room, along with several more in the kitchen. The loud cough his dad gave was most definitely masculine. Archie had never heard a cough be threatening before and knew Edward was impressed too, by the astonished lifting of his brows and respectful look he threw at Archie’s father.
“I’ll go and check upstairs,” Archie whispered, tugging Edward behind him. Together they made their way to the shutters in Archie’s bedroom. One glance was all it took to reassure themselves that the man had once again taken to the protection of the shadows beneath the old tree.
“Let’s go and tell your dad,” Edward whispered after several minutes, when it appeared that the man wasn’t going to move again for a while yet.
“He’s back under the tree,” Archie whispered when they were downstairs.
“Good, let’s leave him there. Go to bed, boys, I’ll stay and keep watch down here,” Jack announced, settling down in one of the chairs beside the table, and propping his booted feet on a second chair.
Edward and Archie glanced at each other, unsure whether to go back upstairs and keep watch for a while so they could forewarn their father of another impending visit, but decided against it. If they had any chance of getting outside, they needed to be downstairs.
Edward yawned, wondering if they would get any sleep at all that night. He glanced longingly at the rumpled comfort of the blankets and wished he was back at home with his mum and dad. Although he worshipped Archie, this was too mad, even for him. With a sigh, he followed Archie’s lead and settled down on the blankets, fervently hoping that this time he would be able to stay there long enough to fall asleep. He suddenly wished he hadn’t woken Archie up ea
rlier. With a sigh, he snuggled down into the coarse cushion, and yawned widely.
He must have fallen asleep because, moments later, he was drawn out of blissful oblivion by Archie shaking his shoulder.
“Go ‘way, sleepin’,” Edward grumbled, pushing at Archie’s persistent hands.
“We’ve got to go,” Archie persisted. “Do you want to come with me, or not?”
“Not,” Edward replied, trying hard not to snap but feeling his patience wear thin anyway.
“Alright, I’ll go by myself,” Archie whispered, feeling guilty for his friend’s tiredness. After all, Edward hadn’t asked for any of this; he was merely a victim of circumstance.
It was several moments later, when Edward felt a cold draught sweep across his shoulders, that Archie’s words sank in. His eyes snapped open and he stared through the open front door, directly at the gardens at the front of Archie’s house. Sitting bolt upright, he gasped when Archie made to leave.
“Wait! I’m coming,” Edward whispered frantically, lunging to his feet.
Archie sighed, biting back his impatience. He paused for a moment, listening for several minutes to his father’s deep, raspy snore from the sitting room before standing back to let Edward out before him.
“Go over to the stone wall,” he ordered softly, closing the door behind them. Unfortunately, by leaving this way, it wasn’t possible to lock the door behind them. Archie could only hope that the murderer wouldn’t try another way of getting into the house and try the front door while they were gone. They could only hope that this time, things would go according to plan and they could get to the tavern without incident, or delay.
Easing the door closed behind them Archie followed Edward, and together they crouched behind the low wall. A quick glance was all that was needed. Assured that the coast was clear, they crept along the low wall that ran along the front of the row of six terraced houses. At the end of the row they followed the wall, all the way around to the main road that ran past the back of the houses and straight through the village, past the tavern’s front door.
Archie's Battleflat Adventures: The Harriman Mystery Page 8