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“These are crooks of the worst kind; people who will lie to protect themselves. We can ask the gang what this man’s real name is. If they all give us different answers, then someone has to be lying somewhere,” Marcus sighed.
This time, Barnaby nodded. “We can pressure them into telling the truth or have additional time on their sentence for obstructing justice.”
“It could work,” Kieran reasoned.
Marcus nodded, but his attention had already turned elsewhere.
“We need to find Jess, and put that fire out if it hasn’t been extinguished already. Then we need to take a look at Mr Grant’s house. I have a feeling that with the gems Ben has in his pocket, and the contents of the Grant house, we may have stopped one very valuable branch of Sayers’ empire, regardless of who this man is. Sayers may not be dead, but that will work to our favour because while his crimes continue, he risks being found. The more we work on this, the more networks we can bring to a halt. At some point, it will become obvious who this Sayers person is.”
“Let’s get back and see to the house,” Barnaby growled. “We have a lot to do now.”
Barnaby and Kieran carried the corpse back through the woods to Jess’ house. Once there, they left him in the undergrowth, away from prying eyes, and turned their attention to the flames flickering in the upstairs window. As if to prove that it was already too late to gather evidence from any of the lodger’s rooms, the upper floor suddenly caved in.
The loud crash as the walls came down echoed all around them.
“Jess,” Marcus screamed.
He tried to race toward the house, filled with the horror at the thought that she might have gone back inside to try to save what remaine of her home. Tears stung Marcus’ eyes, but they didn’t even register on him. The world ceased to exist as the burning image of Jess’ beloved home crumbling to dust settled deep in the darkest recesses of his memory to return to haunt him later.
“Jess!” Marcus screamed again. He tried to run toward the house but was held back by his colleagues. No matter how much he fought them, he couldn’t break free of their restraining hold.
Ben was tackled by Barnaby in the middle of the garden before he was engulfed by the cloud of debris that billowed through the smoke filled air. When he tried to get back up, he found himself pinned to the ground where it was safe.
“Let me go,” Marcus demanded.
“You can’t go in there,” Kieran warned him.
Marcus refused to listen. He wrestled his arms free of Joe’s gentle yet firm hold; Marcus raced around the house. He stumbled and fell over the bricks and mortar that littered what had once been the lawn.
Jess was lost in the daze of watching her life fall to the ground. She stared at the space where a house had once stood; disbelieving that it could ever happen.
Was it real? Had everything just tumbled to the ground as though it had was built out of straw?
All of the work, all of the worry, all of the heartache she had endured over the years in that house had gone; vanished in an instant.
She frowned at the vague sound of someone calling her name. It filtered through the smog, the shattered emotions, and the heavy sound of the rain falling around her. When it sounded again, she jumped to her feet. The wild flurry of relief and hope rejuvenated her and poured life and light back into her battered senses.
“Marcus,” she whispered hopefully. Tears gathered on her lashes. Her voice came out no louder than a croak. She swallowed but then realised her throat was sore. She staggered forward, following the sound of his voice when he shouted her name again.
“Marcus?” she called. This time, her voice was blessedly louder. “Marcus?”
Temporarily forgetting about Lloyd, she stumbled and slipped her way through the debris. When she emerged through a thick plume of density to emerge into the clearer air, she immediately saw a desperate looking Marcus striding toward her.
“Marcus?” she gasped. Her knees nearly buckled to see him alive and well. There was no sign of Sayers, but she didn’t care where he was.
The man she really needed to see was there, right in front of her.
“Jess,” he growled. Within seconds he swept her into his arms and simply held her as tightly as he could.
Nobody moved or spoke. The house was beyond saving now, and they all knew it.
Ben, still on the grass, watched the burning outline of the kitchen disappear beneath the ceiling joists, and shook his head in despair. He had always wanted to live somewhere new, but not like this. Never like this. Everything had gone. They now had no money and no earthly way of purchasing anywhere else to start again.
“At least you are alive, son,” Barnaby murmured as he clapped the stricken lad on the shoulder. “For your help in all of this, we will see you right. We won’t allow you to be left out on the street.”
Ben nodded and turned to Jess, who was wrapped safely in Marcus’ arms.
“Another one down,” Barnaby sighed with a rueful shake of his head.
