by Lauren Algeo
He winked over his shoulder and Brewer bristled at the implication but said nothing. Seok was being more talkative than ever, and had been since they’d left Downing Street earlier. Brewer hoped it meant that the man now trusted him so he could get away with pulling a few disappearing acts over the weekend. It would be far easier to scout around without a barrage of awkward questions from Seok.
The other man still confused the hell out of him. His behaviour would shift depending on the situation – when the full team was there, he was quiet and observant, but when he was alone with someone, he would be more vocal. Something about his chattiness now felt forced, as though he was mimicking how Adders would talk rather than expressing his own thoughts. The comment about Ellen was exactly the kind of lewd thing Adders would say.
They crossed the top of a staircase and suddenly the hallway opened out into a grand wing. There was a large double bedroom at the end of the corridor with an en suite bathroom and four-poster bed.
‘See what I mean?’ Seok put Connors’ case in the bedroom and Brewer saw Marie’s luggage already half-unpacked.
‘Yep this is much nicer.’ Brewer edged into the spacious room.
Daniel would be staying in a bedroom just along the hallway with his own bathroom. Brewer eyed up the heavy door, perhaps there was a way to get to the boy during the night without Connors and Marie hearing?
He glanced towards the wide window and saw that this room was directly to the rear of the house. The sprawling gardens were laid out beneath them.
‘I didn’t realise how big the grounds were.’ He walked over to the window and looked around in the fading light. The storm clouds were even thicker than they had been ten minutes ago.
‘It’s huge,’ Seok agreed. He stayed standing by the door – he’d seen the gardens before and didn’t need to look again.
Brewer quickly took in the carefully maintained lawns and flowerbeds. There was a maze further back and the sight of it sent chills through his body. There had been a maze at the Grand’s house in the Yorkshire Dales. He and Georgie had intended to hide in it until there was an opportunity to kill the Grand but he had known they were coming all along. Poor Georgie had died that night… Brewer swallowed hard and tore his eyes away from the neat rows of hedges.
There were clumps of trees dotted around, with some thicker woods to the right, and he couldn’t see what was beyond them. He would have to take a trip out there tomorrow morning to see if there was somewhere an ‘accident’ could occur.
He was aware of Seok shifting impatiently behind him and he reluctantly left the window and plastered a smile on his face.
‘I’m starving,’ he said with mock conviction. ‘I wonder if there’s any dinner ready yet?’
Memories of Georgie and the Grand had twisted his stomach into a painful knot and the thought of eating made him feel sick but he had to pretend to be normal. Besides, he might get an opportunity to see Ellen if they had the same meal.
‘We can go down and see.’ Seok led the way back to the stairs. ‘We can try and get a beer too if they’ve got any stashed in the kitchen.’
Brewer wet his lips – alcohol was just what he needed to calm himself down. Beer was nowhere near strong enough but it would do for now. If he was lucky, Connors might offer them a whisky nightcap later. There was bound to be some sort of lounge with an alcohol cabinet downstairs among the dozens of rooms. He could go in search of it himself if he got any peace after everyone went to bed. They technically weren’t supposed to drink on duty however the biggest risk was right inside the house.
Seeing the maze from the window had rattled him and panicked thoughts began to bubble their way to the surface. The Grand had known he and Georgie’s plan because one of his daughters, Celiah, was particularly gifted. What if Daniel was the same? The boy could already know exactly what he and Ellen were up to and be toying with them. Letting them think they had the advantage when they in fact had none.
‘Last time I came here with Richards, we caught two of the staff kissing in one of the lounges,’ Seok told him as they walked down the stairs and Brewer tried to keep half an ear on what he was saying. ‘I bet you get loads of affairs in these types of places.’
‘Everyone loves a good scandal,’ Brewer agreed.
Secret affairs were the last of his worries. There was a devil boy very close by and his wife might be in danger. Suddenly he had to find her to make sure she was ok.
‘Let’s go to the terrace first to make sure everyone’s all right,’ he blurted out.
Seok gave him a strange look. ‘I’m sure they’re all fine but we can show our faces to Marie and Daniel. I haven’t seen her for a couple of days and the last time I did, she seemed distracted.’
They walked the length of the house to the terrace at the back. There was soft music spilling out as they approached and low murmurs of conversation.
Brewer saw Ellen near the door and his heart contracted in relief. She was talking to the chef from Downing Street and had a glass of white wine in her hand. She was perfectly fine. He wanted to go over and hug her tightly but instead he settled for a discreet nod.
‘Hello Marie.’ Seok was striding across to the sofas by the window. ‘Hi Daniel.’
Brewer followed him reluctantly and forced himself to smile at the Connors family. Marie was sitting beside her husband and grinning happily. She was wearing a flowing summer dress in spite of the cooler weather and imminent storm.
Connors nodded at them. ‘Did you find your rooms ok?’
‘Yes, sir,’ Seok replied. ‘Your bag is in your room too.’
Brewer finally made himself look towards Daniel. The boy was sitting on the sofa opposite his parents and there was a closed book on his lap, which Brewer couldn’t see the cover of – most likely it was a novel far too advanced for Daniel’s years. The boy was gazing up at him with his cold, dark eyes.
‘Nice to see you again, Daniel,’ Brewer said evenly then quickly turned back to the other sofa. ‘Marie, this house is beautiful.’
He was angling for a full tour and she jumped on the suggestion instantly. ‘It’s something else, isn’t it?’ she exclaimed. ‘I couldn’t believe how big it was when I came to visit the Davenports here. Do you want me to show you around?’
‘That would be great,’ he said.
She stood up from the sofa after a squeeze of Connors’ hand. ‘You can get unpacked while I’m giving Scott a tour,’ she told him. ‘Gi Joon, would you like to join us?’
‘I’m ok, thanks Marie,’ Seok said. ‘I’ve had a couple of stays here so I’ll just keep Daniel company.’
Brewer couldn’t imagine there would be any riveting conversation between those two – they both preferred to stay very private. It would be handy to have Daniel’s skill to know what Seok was thinking but he’d have to settle for the mystery.
Marie marched to the door enthusiastically. She seemed to enjoy having people around her and feeling needed. ‘We can start with the living rooms,’ she said over her shoulder.
Brewer gave Ellen another smile as he passed her although he didn’t say anything. She would already have had this tour from Marie before he’d arrived. He focussed on what Marie was pointing out and tried to absorb everything.
‘It’s very formal here.’ Marie led him into a second large living area. ‘The queen even visited a couple of years ago, before her health took a turn.’
The house felt like a museum to Brewer. It was even more dated than Downing Street, with patterned carpets and mismatched, ageing furniture. There were numerous paintings on the walls and small statues. The air felt stuffy and the rooms were deathly quiet. It was clear that no one spent any real time in them, except for a cleaner. He could smell furniture polish over the mustiness.
‘It’s very nice,’ he said quietly, running his hand over an oak table.
The house hadn’t been modernised and he wondered if there was an old basement or wine cellar underground where Daniel could suffer a misfortune. Maybe even a dusty a
ttic, with rickety furniture that was prone to fall over and crush small boys who went exploring in there. Only how could he lure Daniel to those places? He followed Marie back towards the main entrance hall as he thought.
‘There’s a guest book here that hundreds of people have signed,’ she told him. ‘There are world leaders and royals and presidents in there.’
That would make for interesting reading but Brewer didn’t have time for anything so trivial. He had come here for one purpose only.
‘What are the grounds like?’ he asked. ‘I saw a maze out back when we were putting Jack’s bag in your room.’
‘They’re huge,’ Marie said. ‘You won’t be able to get a good look tonight but we’ll go out there tomorrow. Last time we came with the Davenports it was summer and the weather was lovely. There are tennis courts through the small woods at the back and there’s a nature trail nearby too that crosses the rear of the gardens. The whole area is called the Chilterns. Daniel walked it a couple of times – he loves going out in the country air.’
Brewer nodded along as she spoke. If Daniel often went for walks on his own that would help them. He could have a fatal fall on the trail and no one would find him in time to suspect anything other than an accident.
‘I walked it once but it gets quite hilly and I wasn’t wearing the right shoes,’ Marie laughed. ‘Sandals don’t quite cut it with country hikes.’
Brewer forced a chuckle but his mind was focussed on a plan, rather than Marie’s lack of hiking boots. Hilly areas created opportunities for Daniel to take a tumble. Even if they weren’t particularly steep, they could orchestrate it so his body landed awkwardly or hit a few rocks or tree stumps – anything that would mask what really happened to him. A good scout around tomorrow morning would decide everything but he was certain that an accident outside, somewhere secluded, was the way to go.
‘Thanks for the tour, Marie,’ he said abruptly.
They had only covered half of the downstairs and she turned to him, perplexed. ‘Don’t you want to see the rest of it?’
‘I don’t want to keep you from your family any longer,’ he smiled. ‘Seok can show me the rest after dinner.’
Her face softened at the mention of her family. ‘Oh, ok. It is nearly dinner time so I should make sure Daniel washes up before we eat.’
Brewer followed her back to the terrace room. Ellen had disappeared and the chef had retreated to the kitchen however Seok, Connors and Daniel were on the sofas.
‘They’re just setting up the dining table for dinner,’ Connors told Marie. ‘I asked Seok and Ellen to join us. Scott, do you want to eat with us as well?’
Brewer really didn’t want to sit at a table with Daniel and choke down a meal. ‘That would be great, thank you,’ he said through clenched teeth.
Brewer watched as one of the housekeepers filled his glass with red wine. He’d seen her cleaning the hallway when he’d gone to change his shirt for dinner and her duties now extended to waitressing. There weren’t many staff in the house so he presumed they doubled up on roles. She was a young girl and she gave him a shy smile as she finished topping up his glass and moved along the table to Seok.
It felt strange to be waited on at a country house, and to dine with the likes of Connors. On another occasion, he might have enjoyed sharing a meal with the Prime Minister and his wife but the presence of Daniel overshadowed the event.
The boy was sitting next to Marie, and thankfully not directly opposite him. He was staring sullenly around and not engaging in much conversation. Brewer had tried to avoid looking at him for fear of attracting unwanted interest in his mind. Whenever he snuck a peek, Daniel was pushing his food around the plate and glaring at the table.
They had been served salmon, new potatoes and vegetables for dinner, with a creamy parsley sauce. There had been no starter or fine silver and Brewer figured they were saving the big culinary spectacle for the dinner party the following evening. There would no doubt be more than one waitress in attendance for that. He hoped that not too many extra staff would arrive – the current, minimal number worked in their favour. The less people there were at the house, the more they could get away with.
Brewer risked a glance down the table at Ellen. She was sitting beside Connors and had been doing a good job of holding conversation. Connors and Marie were both in high spirits and chatted animatedly about a variety of current topics. Ellen laughed and talked along with them, appearing completely relaxed, but Brewer could see that her actions were strained. Luckily no one else would be able to tell.
Seok had reverted back to his quiet, observant self now there were other people around and Brewer found himself contributing more to compensate for his lack of engagement. Ellen caught his eye briefly then looked away. He’d sent her a hasty text message on his way back down to the dining room and he didn’t know if she’d seen it yet.
He’d suggested trying to meet up after everyone had gone to bed so they could discuss everything they’d seen since arriving at the house. If she wasn’t keen on a risky meeting, they’d have to settle for a phone call. Brewer wanted to fill her in on what Marie had told him about Daniel’s walks and the nature trail. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that Daniel should meet his end on one of those hikes. He would need tomorrow to scout out the area himself to make sure it was fairly secluded and find any potential accident sites. Then they just had to lure Daniel out there on Sunday morning to put their plan into action. The boy might try to amuse himself with people’s minds at the dinner party but as long as he didn’t hurt anyone, they could hold off until the perfect cover on Sunday.
Brewer ate another mouthful of potato however the food kept sticking in his throat. He’d refrained from drinking too much wine and merely sipped from his glass at the same leisurely pace as everyone else. Maybe once the house was quiet, he could find something stronger to calm his nerves. Sitting so close to Daniel and having to pretend that everything was fine was unbearable. The boy was a murderer.
He knew it would be far worse for Ellen though. Every now and then a grimace of pain passed across her face and she did her best to disguise it. She must have been very uncomfortable with the constant pressure of his presence yet she was strong enough to keep going. If she could do it then he had to.
He took another gulp of wine to wash down his food and nodded along to what Connors was saying – something about a theatre show he wanted to see, which Brewer had never heard of. He just had to make it through this meal then he could steal away for some time with Ellen. Everything would seem more achievable when they were together.
Chapter 33
Brewer stood at the door and listened carefully. It was all quiet beyond. He eased down the handle then opened the door wide enough to poke his head through. The hallway was dark and empty.
The bathroom was two doors along so it would make sense for him to be up in the night, although he didn’t want anyone to hear him and get up themselves to use the toilet. He padded along the hallway in his socks, pausing briefly outside Seok’s door. He could hear deep, steady breathing through the wood and waited there long enough to be sure the man was asleep.
He tiptoed down the hallway and turned left, towards Ellen’s room. They’d exchanged a few texts after dinner, while Brewer was having a glass of whisky with Seok and Marco the chef, and she didn’t think the rooms immediately next to hers were occupied. They’d decided it would be safe to meet there at around 1am, when the rest of the house was asleep.
The floorboards outside Ellen’s bedroom creaked horribly as he approached and she flung open the door before he had time to knock. She was wearing a white dressing gown and her hair was tousled. She glanced around the empty corridor quickly then pulled him into the darkened room without a word. As soon as the door was closed, she let out a sigh and embraced him in a tight hug.
‘I’m so glad you’re here too,’ she murmured against his neck. ‘Having to spend all day and night so close to him is awful.’
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br /> Brewer stepped back and studied her face in the dim light. ‘Is it too much? Can you cope with the pain for the whole weekend?’
‘I think so,’ she nodded.
He reached for the light switch, wanting to see her eyes more clearly but she waved his hand away.
‘Leave it off,’ she whispered. ‘If anyone passes, the room should be dark. I don’t want them to know I’m awake.’
‘Ok,’ he said quietly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
It was a small single and the covers were thrown back, where she’d sprung out as soon as she heard him coming. Ellen sat beside him and he squeezed her hand.
‘You did a great job at dinner,’ he said.
‘It was torture but at least Daniel didn’t try to enter my mind during it. Did he try to get in yours?’
‘No,’ Brewer shook his head. ‘He’s left me alone since I arrived. I don’t think he likes me much after the Hunter’s charity night so I expect him to try at some point. He’ll want to know more about me.’
‘Just don’t push him out as well,’ Ellen said. ‘That would really make him curious if two of us did it.’
‘I won’t,’ Brewer said in a hushed tone. ‘I’ll keep him on the surface.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. ‘It’s hard being so close to you when I can’t talk to you properly.’
‘Well, you’ve got a shadow all weekend,’ Ellen shrugged. ‘I can see what you mean about Seok now – I can’t read him at all. He barely spoke over dinner and when I bumped into him after, I couldn’t tell anything from his face.’
‘He’s a closed book that one,’ Brewer agreed. ‘In the morning, I’m going to tell him I’ll be doing a walk of the perimeter grounds to get away for a while. One of us has to stay close to Connors in the house so it should work.’
He paused briefly. ‘That was what I wanted to talk to you about tonight. Marie told me there’s a nature walk that crosses close to the gardens. Apparently Daniel hiked it a couple of times when they were last here so we can see if he does again. She said parts of it are quite hilly so that could help our plan.’