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“They must have decided to stay in one of the taverns because there is no sign of them,” Luke reported darkly. “I have ridden around several times, and been to the meeting place Wally told Hetty to go to by the church. They have not appeared at Mabel’s house either. Joseph is there still, but he hasn’t seen anyone.”
“Hasn’t Meldrew made a house call yet?” Barnaby’s brows lifted when Luke shook his head.
“Not yet, but it is inevitable I suppose.”
“There is nothing to link the two. Hetty and Mabel are friends, but there is nothing to suggest that Mabel had anything to do with this morning,” Wally said firmly.
“Joseph knows to bring them here the moment they arrive.” Luke helped himself to an apple and took a bite of the zesty fruit. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment.
“Is there any sign of the men from the tavern?” Wally growled with a frown.
Luke shrugged. “I don’t know what many of them look like. There is nobody out and about around Hemsley, if that answers your question. The entire town is almost deserted. Only the jailers are out in Derby. I think everyone there has gone home to wait for their houses to be searched. Those who don’t live in town have taken to the taverns. It was quite obvious that I was one of only a handful of the public who dared venture outside, the rest were jailers. I think Hetty and Mabel must be hiding somewhere so that Hetty doesn’t get stopped.”
“They can’t stay in Derby overnight,” Simon protested. “If Meldrew catches them, they will be held to ransom, and all of this will have been a complete waste of time.”
Charlie took a deep breath, braced his hands on the kitchen table and leaned over them for a moment while he contemplated what to do. It was difficult to understand if he was angry, or worried sick. He knew he would go stark raving mad if he had to endure a single moment more of the torture of not knowing whether Hetty was safe or not.
Joshua sighed. “We went back to the tavern in the village but, in contrast to town, it was empty. We don’t know if people are just keeping their heads down because of what happened, or whether they are caught up in Derby somehow. The innkeeper has never known the place to be so empty.”
“There was something odd about that innkeeper,” Luke growled.
“Why?”
Joshua shook his head and took a seat beside him. “He kept asking us questions about who we were, and where we came from.”
“Innkeepers make conversation,” Charlie said quietly.
“I know, but he was too conversational; and too probing for an innkeeper,” Joshua countered with a scowl. “Damned if he didn’t want to know my boot size.”
“What did you tell him?”
“Just that we had been to see the hangings, but we making our way home seeing as the convicts had escaped,” Joshua sighed.
“Did he ask about me, or say anything about knowing us?” Simon asked.
“Not
a thing. Strangely closed mouthed about it, but I got the feeling that he knew something,” Luke replied. “Damned shady character, if you ask me.”
“He wasn’t involved in today’s arrangements. As far as I am aware, he shouldn’t even know about it,” Wally replied.
“Any sign of Hetty at the mill house?” Charlie asked hopefully only to curse when Luke shook his head.
“Sorry, no.”
“We have to go into Derby again and take a look for ourselves,” Brendan sighed and glanced at Marcus, who nodded his agreement.
Charlie sighed. “If they have taken a room for the night, they will set out as soon as it is light. We need to make sure that we are in town to look out for them.”
“What if they have already got out though?”
“We will go to Mabel’s first and see if they are there. If not, then we know we have got to go into town,” Charlie countered.
Now that he had started to push his worries to one side, logic had started to work for him again. It felt like he was slipping on a comfortable pair of boots. For the first time in several days, he began to relax as his years of experience working with the Star Elite came surging forward, driven by his determination to find his wife.
The helpless prisoner facing death by execution was gone. In his place stood a ruthless warrior who would do whatever he needed to do to protect the woman who mattered more to him than anything, or anyone else, in the world.
He glanced at the clock on the mantle. “We have about three hours before we need to leave.”
