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Marcus finished his ale and followed, throwing Carruthers a disinterested look as he left. Shaking his head at the complexity of the problems before him, he made a mental note to write to his boss, Barnaby Stephenson, to inform him that he and Joe would be in Smothey for a while. Hopefully, Barnaby would come to help. He suspected that he would need all of the available Star Elite men to pitch in if he wanted to get to the bottom of Ben’s crimes. The most important of which was transporting the gems for Bamber to the Smothey.
Once outside, Marcus walked casually toward the lodging house. As expected, he managed no more than twenty paces before the magistrate fell into step beside him.
“Evening,” the magistrate said amiably enough.
“Evening,” Marcus replied in a tone that didn’t invite conversation.
“You are new to this area,” Lloyed began. It was evident that the man expected Marcus to stop and talk to him.
Marcus didn’t slow his pace. Rather than go to the boarding house with the magistrate in tow, he took a random route around the village. He didn’t even speak to the magistrate again before he took the opportunity to get rid of the man, and crossed the street. He dodged around a passing cart as effectively as he had avoided conversing with the man and left him behind on the opposite pavement. When he glanced across the street, he was unsurprised to find Lloyd glaring at him.
Marcus had seen men like this Lloyd and Carruthers before and knew that they were itching to assert their authority over the newcomers in the village. If Marcus were to give either man a chance, they would undoubtedly question him about why he was there, and issue some threat, or veiled warning. It would all happen in an attempt to leave Marcus either in awe of Lloyd, or worried about taking a step out of place. Given the locals’ reaction to Lloyds presence in the tavern, both the magistrate and Carruthers had most probably offended most of the villagers at some point. Still, it had nothing to do with why Marcus was in the village, so he turned his attention back to the investigation he was there to carry out.
Minutes later, he tapped Joe on the shoulder.
“I have been waiting for you,” Joe murmured.
“Sorry. I was trying to follow that lad but got waylaid by the magistrate.”
Joe snorted. He knew that look on Marcus’ face. It said everything about just how worthwhile the law in the village was.
“Let’s go,” Joe murmured and led the way out of the tavern.
They took a seat beside the small stream that flowed through the village so they could talk without being overheard. The position Marcus and Joe chose had a good view of the main street. They were able to watch the activity of the locals while they chatted.
“The two who represent the law around here are corrupt,” Marcus murmured.
Joe nodded. “It doesn’t surprise me. I followed our target to the far end of the village. He circled a few times, but I lost him near the row of cottages we passed on the way in here. I have been keeping watch, but he has yet to resurface.”
Marcus frowned at him. “But, I followed the contact all the way to the lodging house over there.”
He nodded to the opposite side of the village and shared a worried glance with his colleague.
“Who did I follow then?” Joe murmured.
“I don’t know, but one of us has followed the wrong lead,” Marcus replied thoughtfully. “I am sure that the man I followed was the right one. He had the same build, the same cloak, and the magistrate has just warned him about poaching, so he has a criminal side.”
“Well, the man I followed looked identical to our thief as well and was furtive when he left the woods further down the road last night. He hurried home as soon as he thought we had gone. He hasn’t been seen since, but I suspect he is still in one of those houses somewhere.” Joe sighed and yawned. “Do you think one of them was a decoy?”
Marcus shook his head. “I am not sure. If they were, how did he get word to his associate that a decoy was needed?”
“Good point,” Joe sighed. “Great. Now we have two suspects to find, and two corrupt officials to avoid.”
“I am going to sort out lodgings at the boarding house. The man I followed lives there with his sister. If I can get inside, I can find out whether that Ben chap is the right one or not.”
Joe nodded his agreement. “I am going to take lodgings at the tavern. If I pay extra, I should be able to get a room at the front that overlooks the houses I need to monitor. Between us, we should get something to prove which man is the one we are after. He is here somewhere; I can feel it. We have just temporarily misplaced him.”
Marcus grinned. “What do you think we should do about the authorities?”
“Avoid them for now,” Joe replied thoughtfully. “If you write to Barnaby, ask him for help. We need someone to watch them.”
Marcus frowned at him. “Do you think he might have something to do with the jewels as well?”
“I am not sure. If the man is corrupt, we will find out soon enough. There is no telling what that man is up to if there is nobody around to watch him.”
“What a mess.” Marcus yawned and pushed to his feet. “I am going to sort out a room at the lodging house then. What did you do with the horses?”
“They are in the tavern, but let’s just say that they are hardly prime horsemeat. It might be best if we source a couple of fresher horses while we are here. You know, just in case we have to chase anyone. If we have to rely on those two nags we might just be better off walking,” Joe murmured as he pushed to his feet.
