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“Aye, but it won’t do you any good. The men had the jailers’ cart waiting, and the magistrate just around the corner. I think they are officials. I ran, but got followed.”
“What?” Chadwick boomed. He stood upright and leaned across the table. He wrapped one beefy fist around the courier’s shirt and hauled him out of his chair. “You were followed yet you came here?”
“I didn’t get followed here,” the man protested, trying to break free. “They followed me out of town, but I lost them. It’s why I am late. I had to shake them off. When I last saw them, they were going toward Retterton. I came here, but they weren’t behind me.”
It wasn’t the truth of course. The man knew it would be best to shoot himself in the head rather than tell any of them the truth. He randomly picked out the village name he knew was the furthest from where they sat and hoped they believed him. Unfortunately, the men who followed him weren’t going to Retterton. They were prowling around in the village somewhere. Hopefully, he would be long gone by the time either of them caught up with Sayers, Gutteridge, and Chadwick.
“I thought you said you went back to check on Bamber?” Sayers frowned across the table at him.
“I did. I was on my way back here when Bamber passed me in the jailer’s cart. I figured it was best to get the jewels to you before they caught me too,” the courier explained.
“But the jewels aren’t here, are they?” Sayers replied smoothly.
“I didn’t know that when I left,” the courier countered.
“Retterton, you say?” Sayers looked thoughtful.
The courier nodded, and looked slyly at the others. Unless he was mistaken, he had just gotten away with telling the biggest lie of his entire life.
“There is a winding road that is going to take them a while to search. By the time they get to Retterton, we will all be long gone.”
Sayers flicked the card thoughtfully. “How many followed you?”
“There are two of them, maybe three. Two were following me most of the time. To begin with, a third man followed, but he disappeared. I don’t know where he went. I didn’t hang around long enough to find out.”
“What did they look like?” Sayers asked.
“They were both tall and about five and thirty, maybe. One of the men, the one on the dapple horse, has brown hair and is wearing black. The other is blond, riding a large chestnut horse, is also wearing black.”
“What about the third one who disappeared?” Sayers murmured. “What did he look like?”
The man sighed and studied Sayers a little more closely.
“Well, he is a bit like you, but not so tall. He was about the same build as you but with sandy brown hair. I can’t be sure, though, because it was dark. I didn’t get to see much.”
“You did well, but not so well,” Sayers replied.
“What is the card?” the lad asked curiously.
Sayers suddenly slammed the lid of the box closed and pushed away from the table.
“It is best you don’t know too much,” he replied crisply.
Dragging on his cloak, Sayers stalked toward the door. He glared at Chadwick.
“Your services are not required at the moment; it seems, Chadwick. You had better be off home,” he ordered.
Chadwick sighed and glared at the newcomer as though the lack of gems in the box was his fault.
“Gutteridge, come.” Sayers snapped.
Like an obedient dog, Gutteridge hobbled toward the door.
The courier remained seated at the table and watched them go. He daren’t heave a sigh of relief just yet, and wouldn’t until all three of them walked out of the door without a backward look. He wished now that he had listened to his nearest and dearest, and not taken to a life of crime. At times like this, he wished he was tucked up safely at home where he should be right now. He had no idea what time it was, but he felt as though he had spent a lifetime in this room. Now, he was tired and wanted to go to bed.
Just hope you are still alive to have a bed to go home to, a stern voice warned him.
He stood. But, rather than follow everyone to the door, he waited beside the table. The candle was still lit, and couldn’t be left on, but then neither could he blow it out or else nobody would see where they were going.
