by Rebecca King
‘Let’s go and find the horses,’ she murmured.
Phillip took her hand in his and together they resumed their march through the village. He expected her to ask him more questions. Instead, she remained quiet yet thoughtful. She seemed to sense that he didn’t want to talk. She had picked up on the tension that thrummed through him and had decided to let him contemplate what he wanted to do.
‘Do you want to go and look at the harbour?’ she whispered when they arrived at the top of one of the roads leading down to the boats. She could see several still bobbing in the water. ‘Your friends might be there.’
‘I doubt the bodies will still be there if they died,’ Phillip replied sadly.
He remained tense and nervous as they crossed the road and entered a narrow alley running along the back of the shops on the main street. At the far end of it, they found a narrow cart track that led toward a small copse and open fields beyond it.
‘Damn,’ he whispered when they entered the copse and saw the horses still tethered to the trees the men had tied them to last night. His heart sank to his toes. All he could do was stare at them for several moments and try to steady his rocking world. He had never been more stunned in his life. It was difficult to know what to do; to say; to think.
Carlotta slid her hand into Phillip’s and stood shoulder to shoulder with him while she studied the horses. Half of them were waiting patiently to be released. The others appeared to have gone to sleep, their heads lowered, one hoof resting at an angle.
Phillip ran a hand down his face and forced himself to focus on the practicalities of the situation.
‘Might there be another reason why they are here? I mean, does it look like any of them might have been used and brought back here since last night? Would your colleagues have then ridden them back here to come and look for you?’
‘They don’t look like they have been moved,’ Phillip replied. ‘They are exactly as we left them. Callum left his at the end of the line. Jasper was beside him. They are all here. All in the same place.’
‘Do you want to wander around the village? You may be able to see them, or they might see you and come and find you.’ Carlotta stepped toward him. Her eyes were gentle when she met his stunned gaze. ‘It might help if we try to find out where they have put the bodies. You need to look for them.’
‘Let’s go,’ Carlotta urged when it became apparent that Phillip was lost in his thoughts. She steered him back toward the village, to the harbour at the bottom of the hill.
As they walked they both studied the bullet holes in the walls of the properties they passed. The fishing boats bobbed about in the harbour as they usually would. It was only closer inspection of them that revealed the shattered windows and holes in the hulls which made them unseaworthy. Men were already removing the damage, but it was going to be many days before all the boats were repaired. It was going to be far longer before the village returned to normal.
Carlotta took one look at the otherwise too quiet and calm harbour and knew the bodies had gone. ‘Wait here.’
‘Carlotta,’ Phillip growled but it was too late. She was striding toward the closest fishing boat upon which an old fisherman was coiling some rope.
Phillip studied the harbour; the places where he knew his colleagues had been hiding last night. In fact, now that he came to contemplate where he was he realised that he was in the same place where Oliver had been fighting last night. The house he had fallen into was now closed. The damaged door barred by a large piece of wood. Even from the other side of the harbour, Phillip could see the bullet holes, the small round flashes of sunlight, in the dark wooden walls of the large warehouse he had been hiding in. Now that he could see the damage in broad daylight he had to wonder how he had managed to survive. It was a stark warning that he should expect the worst because his colleagues had taken up positions that had made them more vulnerable than he had been.
I had the sea right next to me I could jump into. They didn’t.
Carlotta approached the fishing vessel and did her best to look distraught. ‘Please, sir?’ she called to the fisherman. He immediately stopped coiling the rope in his hand and turned to scowl at her. His boat didn’t seem as damaged as the others in the harbour, but that didn’t mean he was any more approachable. ‘I think my husband was in the skirmish here last night. He works with the magistrate. Have you seen the magistrate? Do you know where the bodies of his men might be?’ She batted her eyelashes and pretended to dab at her eyes.
The man frowned. ‘The dead have been taken to the church. The thugs the magistrate’s men were fighting have all be taken by this tall fella. No idea who he is. He said the criminals had to be identified and that they couldn’t be touched. You will need to go and talk to the vicar.’
Carlotta thanked the man and hurried back to the alley. When she reached Phillip, she turned him away from the harbour and deeper into the shadows of the alley.
It was then that he stopped her and hauled her into his arms. Carlotta knew she didn’t need to ask him if he was all right. She doubted he would be until he found out about his friends.
‘We have to go,’ she whispered reluctantly.
Stepping back to look up at him, their gazes met. Without hesitation, she gave him the comfort his eyes pleaded for. He never said a word but in that moment he looked so vulnerable, Carlotta had no hesitation stepping toward him and pressing a kiss to his lips. She had no idea why she did it. It was a terribly bold thing for her to do. It also was a natural thing to do. She couldn’t imagine ever doing it with anybody else. Passion wasn’t what compelled her to kiss him. It was the need to offer him comfort; physical contact; a gentle touch; a sweep of reassurance that she was there for him. She wanted him to know that she would do what she could to help him. That was supported by the embrace she wrapped him in.
Phillip lowered his head to her shoulder and savoured the moment. He had never experienced anything like this before. It was humbling that, despite her problems, she was there for him. That was what her embrace told him. It was comfort. Support. Affection. That brought forth a deep and abiding respect for her. Despite his fear for his friends, Phillip felt something warm and rather wonderful start to build deep within his chest. He struggled to know what it was because it was something he had never felt before. Further, it was difficult to understand given the other emotions he was battling. What he knew was that within his turmoil, that one feeling, that one softer emotion took root and remained solid. It was his anchor, his strength, his determination. It created a rope, a cord that kept him calm and made him strong enough to face the problems that challenged him. It gave him hope.
‘We have to go to the church,’ she whispered eventually. It was with great reluctance that she stepped away from him. ‘The fisherman said that someone, a tall man, ordered everyone to leave the bodies at the back of the church so they could be identified. The rest of the men, the magistrate’s men, were taken into the church.’
Phillip nodded. ‘I need to see if any of the Star Elite are considered the magistrate’s men. If they aren’t there, it might be that Sir Hugo has arranged for the men to be taken away before they are buried here by the locals and potentially lost to their families.’
Minutes later, they let themselves into the cold, empty church. They had no sooner stepped through the door than a small clergyman stepped out of a small anteroom.
‘Can I help you?’
‘We are here to see the bodies. We think we know who a few of them are,’ Carlotta explained.
‘Have you identified them all yet?’ Phillip asked. As he spoke he was aware that his voice seemed to come from miles away. It didn’t sound like his. He couldn’t believe he was asking to see the corpses of his colleagues.
He studied the shrouded bodies all lined up on the floor in front of the alter. His heart began to pound. For a moment, he wasn’t at all sure that he could do it. When he reached out, Carlotta’s hand slid into his to steady him. His long fingers immediately entw
ined with hers. Phillip braced himself.
The vicar looked down at their clasped hands before taking a closer look at Phillip. Having seen the look on his face many times before, the vicar instantly became sympathetic and smiled gently at him.
‘Not all of them, no. Might I enquire who you are?’ the vicar asked looking from Carlotta to Phillip and back again.
‘I work with the War Office. My boss, Sir Hugo, has he been here?’ Phillip asked.
The vicar nodded. ‘He has asked that the men be kept here until the magistrate arrives.’
‘Has he been to identify his men yet?’ Phillip’s voice was harsh, but he made no apology for it.
‘Not yet. I believe he is out of town now with Sir Hugo.’
‘Did Sir Hugo have a look at the men?’ Phillip bit out.
‘Yes,’ the vicar replied.
‘Did he – did he say if any of them were men from the Star Elite?’ Phillip whispered.
The vicar immediately snapped to attention. His eyes widened. ‘The Star Elite? Why, no. No, he didn’t. He just looked at the bodies and said that I was to keep them here until the magistrate arrived.’
Phillip nodded at the bodies because he couldn’t decide what Sir Hugo’s actions meant. ‘Can I look at them?’
‘Of course.’ The vicar stepped away but with a new respect in his eyes.
Phillip sucked in a deep, fortifying breath and turned to front of the church. His heart thundered in his chest when he leaned down to ease the first cloth away from the deathly pale face. Thankfully, it wasn’t one he recognised. Nor was the second, third, fourth, or fifth. There were three more to look at. He knew that the chances were that one of the three might be his one of his colleagues. Determined to get it over and done with, Phillip yanked the sheets off the faces of the remaining three in rapid succession. When he had taken one brief look at the last body, he dropped his head and tried to calm down.
‘Did any of the bodies get taken anywhere else?’ he asked of the vicar who had remained in the aisle and was watching him closely.
‘I don’t know, sir. All I know is that I was told to keep these men in here because they are the magistrate’s men. The rest are all outside, sir. Have you checked those?’
Phillip shook his head. His face was grim as he strode outside, around to the back of the church. He slammed to a stop when he saw two long rows of bodies. Carlotta raced outside to join him and gasped when she saw how many bodies were there. Her gasp of horror made Phillip look at her. She met his gaze over the distance. Without hesitation, she hurried toward him and clasped his hand in hers. Phillip looked over her head at the Vicar, who stood beside the door and watched.
‘Might I look at them?’ he asked politely.
The vicar nodded.
Carlotta stayed where she was and watched Phillip look at each body in turn. He didn’t do anything more than lift the covers on the faces; cloaks, sheets, blankets, shirts. Anything that had been easy to find that would block their faces from view. Their injuries were irrelevant because each body was far beyond help. What mattered now was identifying each one and making sure the relatives were informed.
When he had finished, Phillip turned to the clergyman and offered him a brief smile. ‘Thank you. None of them are with the Star Elite.’ His voice thickened as he spoke. So much so he couldn’t say anything else for fear of it cracking completely.
Carlotta stepped closer and smiled at him. ‘That’s good news then,’ she whispered hopefully.
Phillip nodded and pressed a kiss onto the back of her hand. ‘For now.’ He turned to look at the vicar. ‘If the magistrate returns, could you give him a note for me? It has to go to my boss in the Star Elite, Sir Hugo.’
‘Of course. Of course. Come on inside.’ The vicar disappeared inside the church.
Phillip and Carlotta followed him. Once Phillip had penned a quick note, he folded it and gave it to the vicar with a smile. ‘Thank you.’
‘You are one of them, are you? Were they here last night?’ the vicar asked.
‘Yes, but we were outnumbered.’
The clergyman looked at the door. There were at least forty bodies outside. All of them had been heavily armed and shot. His gaze slid to the holes in the man’s shirt. He had no doubt that the man had been involved in the battle.
‘Why Bladley Weeks?’ he asked mostly because it was the question everyone was asking.
‘Because it is quiet, rural and a fishing village not too far away from France. The thugs were working to create a diversion. They wanted to stop us being able to stop two known criminals from escaping the country and having to face justice for the kidnap of several women.’
‘There has been one boat that has raised everyone’s suspicions,’ the vicar whispered. ‘I don’t know much. I just know that some of my parishioners are worried that a new boat has just appeared in the harbour. Nobody knows who the man is, where he came from, where he is living or why he is here. After last night, everyone is on edge, especially now the man has gone. All the fishermen swear that the stranger isn’t a fisherman. They have never seen him in the fishing grounds. Moreover, he never seems to bring any catch ashore,’ the vicar murmured. ‘It might be an idea to ask the villages nearby to see if he has turned up there.’
‘He is the one who was going to help Smidgley to escape,’ Phillip warned. ‘If the boat does return to the harbour here, notify the magistrate. It might be best if you alert everyone in the harbour to keep an eye out for him. If he isn’t catching fish on his fishing vessel, what is he doing?’
The vicar wholeheartedly agreed and promised to hand the note to the magistrate just as soon as the man could be found.
Phillip and Carlotta took their leave of him. Carlotta remained quiet as she left the peace of the churchyard. ‘What do we do now? Do we go and fetch the horses ourselves? Why didn’t Sir Hugo fetch them?’
‘He probably didn’t know they were there,’ Phillip murmured thoughtfully. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. ‘There is just something not quite right.’
‘Because your colleagues have all disappeared.’ It wasn’t a question.
Phillip nodded and smiled at her. ‘They might be hiding.’
‘But why leave their horses?’ Carlotta whispered. ‘Maybe they have done what you have. Maybe they have had to use the sea to escape but are still making their way back here. What do you think we should do?’
‘You may have a very valid point. Just because I saw Oliver on the harbour side doesn’t mean he would stay here. All roads out of the village were full of Smidgley’s men. Even Oliver would have been able to drop into the sea if he could reach the harbour wall and swim through the boats to safety.’ The more Phillip contemplated that the more he began to suspect it might have happened.
‘There are a lot of bodies in that churchyard, Phillip,’ she whispered.
Phillip nodded. ‘There were a lot of gunmen.’
Carlotta shook her head. ‘And you escaped with only two grazes.’
Phillip ran a hand through his hair. ‘I was lucky.’
‘Very lucky. Let’s hope your friends have been just as fortunate,’ she replied fervently.
‘We need to go back to the safe house and take the horses with us,’ Phillip announced suddenly. ‘Do you ride?’
Carlotta shook her head. ‘I was never given the chance to learn. I don’t like the idea of riding side-saddle and cannot ride astride.’ She adopted a prim tone. ‘It isn’t proper behaviour for a lady.’
Phillip rolled his eyes. ‘Well, walking several miles isn’t proper behaviour for a lady either, not when you are in the presence of a Star Elite investigator and several horses. Up you go.’
Carlotta emitted a squeak of surprise when she was effortlessly hoisted into the air and unceremoniously deposited onto a horse. She clutched at the saddle and warily eyed the ground several feet below with a gulp.
‘Just hold on to the saddle not the horse. We aren’t going any faster tha
n a walk but will be quicker than if we walk on foot.’ As he spoke, Phillip untied four horses and attached them to one another in a long line which was then secured to Carlotta’s horse. He then tied the other three horses to each other and secured them to his horse, which he then mounted.
‘Hold on,’ he urged her quietly before he led the horses into the open field. ‘We are going to have to go slowly because we are leading so many horses. As long as none of them get spooked we should be all right. If anything does happen, the first thing you must do is untie them. Tug on the long, thin rein behind you so the loop is released and let them fall away. We can’t do anything about the rest of the horses. They will have to run still tied together. Hopefully, it won’t happen.’
Carlotta shook her head. She was terrified and made no attempt to hide it. Rather than at least try to speak, she focused on holding onto the saddle and began to pray that she wouldn’t fall off.
Phillip could only hope they didn’t stumble across Haugham, if he was still alive, or Carlotta’s thugs, or they were going to have a Hell of a problem.
CHAPTER SIX
‘What will happen next? I mean, we cannot just stay in the safe house,’ Carlotta asked when they were several miles away from the village.
‘I will see if I can get in touch with Sir Hugo. I need to find out if my colleagues are with him. What we cannot do is stay in Bladley Weeks,’ Phillip replied.
He looked over his shoulder at her and realised then that he had been so lost in his thoughts he had not really said much over the last half hour or so. Moreover, he hadn’t been paying much attention to their surroundings either. Cursing himself for every kind of fool, he slid a quick glance over the massive field they were ambling through, and scowled when he saw two riders on the road.
‘We are being followed,’ he growled, turning to face forward.
Carlotta’s heart began to pound when she saw who it was.
‘Stay calm,’ Phillip soothed. ‘Don’t let them see that they have troubled you.’