by Rebecca King
“God, you don’t mean you will have to dig him up, do you?” Elspeth cried.
Aaron looked frankly at her.
“Oh, good Lord.” Elspeth slumped into the chair beside her and felt her stomach turn over. “Who does that?”
“The doctor,” Aaron replied. “The magistrate will be there as well. I can identify Thomas if I need to. Otherwise, the family doctor will be able to confirm whether it is Thomas, for legal purposes you understand?”
“I know what you are saying,” Elspeth began. “What do we do if he isn’t in that box?”
“Find him,” Aaron replied succinctly. “Then we find out what the Hell he thought he was doing bringing everyone so much, well, grief.”
Elspeth shook her head. There was nothing she could do about the tears in her eyes, they were brought about by confusion more than anything else. She had a firm belief that it was Thomas she had seen at the window. Deep in her gut she knew it had been him.
“How much worse can this get?” she whispered.
Aaron hauled her into his arms and settled her against his chest.
“I will go and fetch the paperwork from home. One of the others can get the authorisation from the magistrate to have the coffin exhumed. Callum should be back from London in the next couple of days. Maybe he will have some information from Thomas’s friends as to whether Thomas went to London, and what for, who he met, that kind of thing. Once we have some facts, then and only then can we decide what we are going to do,” Aaron informed her.
“What do we do about Rollo Voss and Frederick in the meantime?”
“Well, if that wasn’t Thomas you saw at the window, it has to have been either Voss or Frederick. That means they are still trying to get in here. Once we have confirmed whether Thomas is alive or dead, then we can go and see Voss and Frederick and interrogate them. I will have no hesitation in throwing them behind bars if I have to. I can arrest them on suspicion of breaking and entering. A stint in prison will not hurt either of them given their willingness to break the law. It will also make them amenable to answering our questions because they won’t be released until they do.”
They will also pose no further threat to you, he finished.
Aaron gently stroked her hair. Elspeth sighed and rested her head against his chest. It was an intimate embrace that was so natural that she didn’t stop to question it.
“What are you going to do about your work with the War Office?”
“We actually work for the Star Elite. It is a division of the War Office that works on large scale crime, gangs and that kind of thing. We are – were – working on the kidnappings that have been happening in Leicestershire and Derbyshire when Thomas passed away. We followed our target, a man called Horvat, to London only for the news about Thomas to reach me. The men, by that time, were sick of the sleepless nights with little or no rest, and the constant flow of work without the ability to go home for a while. I think news of Thomas was the final straw for all of us. The men know that what happened to me could have happened to any of them. Unfortunately, my delayed letter arrived at a time when we were all still reeling from a serious problem that went wrong with our investigation.”
Aaron fell silent and stared thoughtfully into the fire as he relived the last several weeks.
“What is it?” Elspeth asked when she felt him go still.
She sensed his thoughts were troubled. Aaron wasn’t just revisiting the past, he was remembering a significant time that brought him distress. That was evident in the dark frown on his face. Slowly, gently, she traced a finger down the deep groove in between his eyebrows.
Aaron caught her hand and kissed it.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
Aaron sighed and leaned his head back against the seat. “A good friend of ours, Angus, is also one of our colleagues. He met a wonderful young woman, Charity, during one of our investigations as a matter of fact. She allowed us to use her house to observe someone we thought was responsible for the kidnappings. Unfortunately, we realised we were wrong, and left. But, we weren’t wrong, as it happens. The man tried to kill Charity, and very nearly succeeded in destroying Angus’s life as well.”
“What happened?”
“Charity was shot, and very nearly bled to death,” Aaron breathed. “We overwhelmed the gunman and his accomplice, but Horvat, the kidnapper, escaped.”
“Charity survived, though?”
“Yes, thankfully,” Aaron smiled.
“What happened to this man, Horvat?”
Aaron cursed. “He seems to have nine lives. Just when we think we have caught him, he slithers away. It is as though he has someone feeding him information on where we are going and when because he seems to do a better job of avoiding us than we do of keeping tabs on him.”
Elspeth sighed. “Are you going after him when Sir Hugo asks you to return to work?”
“I don’t know if he will,” Aaron replied. He studied her. “I don’t want to sacrifice my life, and a chance at a future with you just to chase criminals up and down the damned country. It’s a fool’s errand. Everyone seems to feel the same, which is something I didn’t expect. When I found out about Thomas and realised that I had been denied the ability to say a final goodbye to him, I quit. It was a shock when my friends rode out of town with me.”
“They are good friends,” Elspeth assured him.
“I know,” Aaron agreed. “Which is why we are good at what we do. We stick together and help each other no matter what.”
“It’s why they are helping you now,” Elspeth murmured, more to herself than to Aaron.
“It is. I think it gives them something to do with their time,” Aaron mused.
“Why do they not just go home?” Elspeth asked. “Are they so addicted to work they cannot stop?”
Aaron smiled at her. He couldn’t tell her that his colleagues knew how much he loved Elspeth. He would tell her, of course he would – one day – just not today.
“They must be,” he mused.
Quietly, he rested his head on the chaise and stared blankly at the fire while Elspeth settled against his chest. When he sensed she had fallen asleep, he lifted the throw off the back of the chaise and draped it over her before he propped his feet on the small table before them.
Closing his eyes, Aaron finally slept.
CHAPTER NINE
Aaron yawned as he turned his horse into the end of the driveway to the house he called home. He was cold, tired, and very hungry, and so desperately wanted to go back to Elspeth that he wished he hadn’t made the journey now, but it was too late to go back empty handed.
“Might as well fetch the post then,” he muttered, and quickly made his way around the side of the house.
Once in the kitchen, he dropped the pouch of food Elspeth had packed him onto the table and paused for a moment to listen to the silence. The home he had always been able to relax in felt cold and unwelcoming. So much so, he briefly wondered why he had bothered to keep the property. He had barely spent more than a handful of days there in the last six months. It seemed a waste of a good family house.
“I will keep it in the hopes of a future with Elspeth,” he whispered to himself.
This was indeed the case. He had, until he realised he had burgeoning feelings for Elspeth, kept lodgings in London which he had been more than happy in. When he had started to understand the depth of emotion he had for Elspeth had nothing to do with any kind of brotherly love, he had gone out and purchased the large, family abode which was perfect for a growing family. Now, it stood as a solid reminder of all his hopes and dreams for the future.
Quickly, Aaron unwrapped his food parcel and began to eat as he wandered through the house to his study. He knew his housekeeper had sent the letter about Thomas’s death, but would have left the remainder of his correspondence on the desk. What he didn’t expect was the size of the huge mound of papers that littered every inch of the highly polished surface.
“Damn,” he cursed when he saw the
size of it. “It is going to take me hours to go through that lot.”
He knew there was too much for him to pack up in saddle bags and take with him. While he ate, he swiftly began to work his way through his post. The invitations to balls and the like with dates that had long since passed were immediately thrown into the fireplace. The notes from friends were tucked into the top drawer of his desk. The bills he set aside to pay later. Aaron knew that the pile he had yet to sort through would fit into saddle bags.
“That should suffice,” he murmured with no small measure of relief.
Satisfied that there was nothing else requiring his attention, Aaron removed his accounts book from his desk, and set to work.
Several hours later, with a tiredness that was bone deep, Aaron hurried across his lawn only to be stopped by his housekeeper.
“Hello, sir,” she called.
“Hello, Mrs Ablemire,” Aaron greeted her warmly. “How are you?”
“It is a fine pleasure to see you, sir, I don’t mind saying,” Mrs Ablemire replied with a toothy grin. “How long are you staying this time?”
“I am just on my way back out, but I am going to be coming back soon enough. I need you to do something for me.”
“Are they on the table then?” Mrs Ablemire looked enquiringly at the house.
Aaron shook his head. “There are no bills to pay this time. What I want to know is if anybody has called by here to speak with me? Or have you seen somebody hanging about the property?”
“That Mr Thomas called by for you but that was a few weeks ago now,” Mrs Ablemire reported with a thoughtful frown.
Aaron’s stomach lurched. “Really? Did he leave something for me?”
Aaron studied his house and wondered if he should check his bed chamber. He didn’t think Thomas would go in there but given the man had probably faked his own death, who knew what else he felt bold enough to do?
“He said he would leave you a note, sir. I left it on your desk.”
Aaron looked down at the saddlebag in his hand. “I think I had better come back inside,” he mused wryly.
It took a lot of effort to pretend that nothing was wrong. Even so, he sensed Mrs Ablemire studying him furtively as they entered the house.
“How long will you be back for?” she asked without preamble.
“I am going out again now, but will be back in a week or so. When I do return, I will be bringing somebody with me. Maybe it would be an idea to make up one of the spare bed chambers. The green room, I think,” Aaron murmured.
He hurried into his study again, sat down at his desk, and yanked the papers back out of the saddle bag. He studied the envelopes but none of the handwriting looked familiar. As far as he could tell, none of the notes had been written by Thomas.
“Maybe she was wrong?” Aaron grumbled.
Even so, he started to yank envelopes open and briefly read each missive inside.
“I’ll be off then,” Mrs Ablemire muttered from the door several hours later. “I will be back tomorrow.”
“I shan’t be here then,” Aaron replied. “I am going back to the group. I will see you again in a couple of weeks. Don’t forget the bed chamber.”
“Aye, it’s done already,” Mrs Ablemire replied. “I’ll see you then.”
“Mrs Ablemire? Are you sure Thomas didn’t leave me anything other than a note? Did he go upstairs at all? Or leave a message for you to give me?” Aaron asked before the woman disappeared.
“No, sir. I would have written it down if he had,” Mrs Ablemire replied. “Is there a problem?”
“No. Thank you, Mrs Ablemire,” Aaron said blankly.
He didn’t question her further because his housekeeper was, and had always been, extremely reliable. She had never failed him yet. If she said Thomas hadn’t left a verbal message then he hadn’t left a verbal message.
Aaron continued to rummage through the notes until he realised he was going to lose the light soon if he didn’t leave. With only half of the contents of his saddle bags opened, Aaron quickly shoved everything back into the pouches and tied the laces.
“I will have to go through this at Elspeth’s house,” he whispered.
Eager to get back to her, he launched out of his seat and hurried to the door.
He didn’t notice anything was amiss until he saw Mrs Ablemire’s back disappearing into the trees along the narrow path that would take her back to her house. While the housekeeper had gone, Aaron knew immediately that he was not alone in the house.
He barely had the time to turn around to see what was behind him before he was jumped on. Hard hands settled around his neck and immediately began to squeeze tight. Aaron opened his mouth to gasp a breath, but the hands were too strong. He tugged on the forearms, his fingers digging painfully deep into the muscled flesh of his attacker. When that didn’t secure his release, Aaron grabbed the arm, planted one booted foot in front of the other, and hauled the man forward, up and over his shoulder.
Slamming the oaf down onto his back on the floor before him was the most satisfying thing Aaron had done. The man lay winded for a moment, but hurriedly tried to scramble to his feet. Aaron, though, was already braced. Backing sideways away from the door, just in case the intruder was not alone, Aaron kicked the assailant in the head. Once. Twice. He kicked until the man had to curl into a tight ball with his arms protectively over his head or die.
“Get up,” Aaron commanded. “Who are you? What do you want with me?”
When the man didn’t move, Aaron dropped his saddle bag beside the dresser and hauled the man’s arm away from his face. He knew immediately who it was. It wasn’t Rollo Voss, but a younger, fitter, leaner version of the man.
“You are a Voss,” Aaron bit out. “What do you want?”
The man still didn’t answer. Suddenly, just as Aaron was standing upright, the intruder on the floor launched to his feet, but only so he could grab a chair from the kitchen table and swing it wildly at Aaron.
Aaron dodged out of the way. Given the frustration, anger, pain and sheer emotional turmoil he had faced over the last several days, Aaron relished the opportunity to let off a bit of steam. He smirked at his opponent who eyed the door with a growing sense of unease.
“Well? Am I to know why you have chosen to break into my house?”
“Give us the cash,” the man ordered coldly.
“What cash?”
“The cash you took out of the bank. Three thousand pounds of it, I think,” the man replied.
“Ah, so that is why your father is trying to break into the Lincoln property,” Aaron murmured. “You fool. No sane person would leave three thousand pounds lying around. What? Did you think I had it? Is that why you think I am here?”
The man eyed Aaron’s saddlebags, then the distance to the door. Aaron knew what the man was going to do even before he made a grab for the bag and darted for the nearest way out of the house. Aaron, having pre-empted the man’s flight, kicked him soundly in the ribs before landing a volley of punches on the unsuspecting thief that left the man collapsed against the dresser, gasping for breath.
The man, with three thousand pounds in the offering, was not prepared to give up his supposed prize without a fight. With a smirk, he wiped a trickle of blood off his cheek, ducked low and charged at Aaron with a bullish roar that was nothing short of wild.
Aaron dodged sideways, ripped the saddlebags out of the man’s hand, and kicked him soundly up the backside with such a heavy boot that the man was propelled head-first into the back door. Before Aaron could finish the man off, he turned and landed a punch on Aaron that left Aaron seeing stars. Aaron squinted and tried to shake off the dazed feeling that threatened to make him succumb to the blackness. He knew the last thing he should do was give in to the need to fall to the floor. If he did that he might never get back up again.
With a feral grin, he turned to all his Star Elite training. Grabbing the next fist that was thrown at him, Aaron punched the man directly beneath his arm a
nd rammed an elevated knuckle deep into his opponent’s armpit. Then, with his opponent’s hand twisted at an uncomfortable angle, Aaron landed several punches into the empty space beneath the man’s ribs. Twisting the arm further still, Aaron bent it excruciatingly high, which left his opponent with no alternative but to bend over. Aaron then elbowed him in the tender area behind the man’s shoulder blade before he slammed a punch into the back of the man’s neck that drove him onto one knee. Aaron then slammed a boot into the back of the man’s other knee until he was kneeling completely. Once on the floor, Aaron slid a knife across the man’s throat.
“Move and you die. Nobody is going to miss you. This is my house. I can hide you in it anywhere, and nobody will ever know what happened to you,” Aaron murmured silkily. “Now, you are Voss’s son, am I correct?”
The man didn’t answer.
Aaron jerked and pressed the knife further into the man’s throat.
“Nephew,” the intruder whispered.
“Rollo Voss is your uncle?” Aaron asked.
“Yes.”
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?” he grunted.
The man remained quiet.
“What makes you think anybody has three thousand pounds?” Aaron demanded.
“My uncle said that Thomas fellow, the dead one, left it with his sister, but when you arrived, we knew you were there to fetch it,” the man admitted.
“You decided to follow me all the way here for three thousand pounds? Why did you not accost me on the way, at the side of the road like you did Thomas?” Aaron asked. He pressed the tip of the knife deeper into the man’s flesh in silent warning when the man didn’t answer.
“I didn’t hurt him,” the would-be thief replied.
Aaron suspected Frederick, although a bully, was not a cold-blooded killer either. That left Voss.