Mistaken Identity (Saved By Desire 3) (14 page)

What had Mr Ball done in life to teach him?
He mused silently.

Beckoning to Ben to keep up, they set off after the artful lodger. They didn’t go far before someone else left the house through a side door.

“Who is that?” Ben gasped in astonishment.

“Mr Gillespie,” Marcus replied thoughtfully. “Strange time to be bird watching, isn’t it?”

“Just what the Hell is going on?” Ben growled. “There are more people up and about at night than there is in the daytime.”

Marcus looked at him. He was starting to like the lad. “I was hoping you might be able to tell me that.”

Ben shrugged. “Who do we follow?”

“Both of them,” Marcus replied confidently. “I have little doubt that they will both meet up somewhere.”

“How do you know that? Do you know them?” Ben peered at him suspiciously.

Marcus shook his head. He couldn’t explain because he would then have to admit to Ben that he had searched the other guest’s bedchambers.

“Does it look like normal behaviour to you?” he murmured with a nod toward the two men creeping, several feet apart, through the undergrowth in the middle of the night. It was clear that they were both heading in the same direction as well.

“No,” Ben murmured thoughtfully. “I think you had better tell me what is going on. Who you are, and what you are doing here.”

“Later. Right now, I am more interested in what the criminals are doing. Coming?” Marcus murmured before he disappeared into the shadows.

“Where are you?” Ben whispered as he tried to see him in the darkness.

Marcus sighed and stepped forward. “Come on, keep up.”

“Why am I coming with you?” Ben gasped, trying to prise Marcus’ hand off his shirt.

“Because whoever they are going to meet might be local. I need you to identify the men for me,” Marcus explained as he hauled Ben after him.

Ben also had a tendency to be a little elusive. Marcus had no intention of letting the lad go until he had seen just how much danger he was in and found out for himself what Ben was stealing. Preferably before he got himself, and Jess arrested.

That thought made Marcus’ lip curl. The prospect of Jess having to spend any time in the dark, fetid walls of a dank jail cell somewhere made him want to punch something. Propelled by that mental image, he hauled Ben across the village with him.

He knew he was taking an incredible risk, but also very aware that Ben had a wayward streak a mile wide that Marcus could use against him. Whatever people told Ben to do, he usually did the opposite.

Ben didn’t know it yet, but he was going to provide Marcus with the leverage to make sure he stayed on the straight and narrow from now on.

“What are they up to?” Ben whispered as he watched Mr Ball slip into the back door of the small cottage opposite the tavern.

Marcus hoped that Joe was around somewhere, and would come to find them but didn’t mention him to Ben.

“That’s Smithers’ residence isn’t it?” Marcus murmured as he studied the low light coming from within the room.

“Yes,” Ben replied. “Do you think they are playing poker or something?”

“That was Mr Grant’s house?” Marcus demanded.

“Yes, why?” Ben replied. “You can’t think that Mr Grant would be involved in whatever they are up to, do you? Mr Grant is ninety at the very least.”

“What family does this Mr Grant have?” Marcus continued to press, mostly because he knew the way Sayers operated.

“Well, none, I think,” Ben murmured thoughtfully. “His wife died yonks ago. He had a son, but he died several years back. I don’t think there is anyone else.”

Marcus nodded.

Mr Grant makes a perfect target. The house overlooks the tavern so Sayers can keep watch who comes and goes, but it is too close to the locals to use as a base. The lodging house is better for several strangers to converge in a dwelling without raising anyone’s suspicions. It is a perfect set-up.

“Do you think Mr Grant is involved?” Ben made no attempt to keep the doubt out of his voice.

“No, I don’t,” Marcus replied.

“Where is he then?”

Marcus pierced him with a hard look. “Dead most probably. That’s the way that lot work.”

He ignored Ben’s horrified look and turned away, but paused long enough to look back at his new, and clearly stunned, friend.

“Let’s go and see what they are doing, shall we? Just listen to me first,” Marcus began. ”Don’t make any noise, use hand signals only, and stay away from the windows. Watch your feet, and don’t – and I repeat, don’t - ignore what I tell you to do. We are just going to take a look at what they are doing, nothing more. Don’t speak and don’t panic.”

“How do we get a look inside? There are shutters on the windows,” Ben replied.

Marcus nodded. “I know there are shutters, but they haven’t closed them properly. They are closed enough for us to be safe while we try to get a look into the room. I need to see who else is in there.”

“What if someone else comes?”

“They won’t,” Marcus replied confidently. “They are already there. I followed them earlier.”

Ben glanced nervously around them. “What if Lloyd is out here?”

“He is,” Marcus said. “Just watch your back.”

“Look, I am not taking another step until you tell me who you are,” Ben demanded.

Marcus held a finger up to warn him to keep the noise down.

“I am someone you
really
don’t want to argue with,” Marcus warned.

Ben looked at him but eventually followed, once Marcus was on the verge of disappearing.

Together they circled the house and crept up to the rear window. Once there, Marcus peered cautiously through a small crack in the shutters and took a good look at the men seated around the wooden table. The solitary candle in the room did nothing but encase them all in shadow. It hindered their identification somewhat, but there was enough to pick out who was who.

Silently, Marcus motioned for Ben to take a look. He kept an eye out for anyone approaching while the lad peered through the shutters. When Ben stepped back, Marcus moved forward again and tried to see what the men inside were doing. They were all looking several items on the table, but it was too dim for Marcus to see what those items were.

Were they coins? Or gems? Either way, Marcus suspected they had not been obtained through legal channels. Absolutely nothing Sayers ever did was legal. With one last look, Marcus turned away. He had seen enough. He now knew one thing for definite; all of the men were wearing disguises.

For now, he motioned for Ben to move away. Once they were back in the trees, they quickly made their way back to the house and headed straight to the scullery.

“They weren’t playing cards were they?” Ben asked with a frown. “I will throw them out of here if they are up to anything illegal.”

“You shall not,” Marcus protested. “They need to stay here.”

“They are criminals,” Ben protested. “I can’t have them here. What about Jess?”

“Jess will be safe as long as we don’t take any risks.”

“How can you be sure about that? You said they had killed Mr Grant. He was an innocent old man. They have stolen his house,” Ben protested.

“Jess is as safe as anybody can be in this village can be. If you or Jess suddenly disappear then the entire village will start to ask questions, and all eyes will turn on the guests here,” Marcus sighed. “Not only that but they will have half of the War Office onto them as well.”

“The War Office?” Ben gulped and looked at him warily.

Marcus nodded and told him, quite succinctly, who he was. Ben looked a little stunned, but Marcus’ mind was thinking over what they needed to do next.

Ben could get over his shock another time.

“Tell me about the guests we just saw.”

“I don’t know much about them. Jess is the one who answered the door to them. I only had a say whether you stayed or not,” Ben replied frankly.

“Did they all arrive together?”

Marcus stopped Ben from lighting a candle and quickly explained that the men would be likely to return soon.

“No. Mr Ball came first, then Mr Gillespie and Mr Abernathy appeared about two or three weeks later, then Mr Brammall about a week after that.”

“How long have they been here?” Marcus propped his hips against the wall and folded his arms.

Ben stood sentry-like in the middle of the room, his eyes wide with surprise and a little fear.

“About two months,” Ben murmured, flicking a nervous glance at the door.

“Just stay calm and keep the noise down. I have a clear view of the back door. I will tell you if it starts to open.”

The calmness in Marcus’ voice was so cold, so unemotional, that Ben began to worry – a lot.

“What do you want with Jessica?”

“I like her – a lot,” Marcus assured him. “I might work for the government, but I am still a man. Your sister is a beautiful woman but is vulnerable here all alone the way she is. You are relying on the guests you have being honest and forthright individuals. Unfortunately, Ben, as you well know, not everyone is honest. You need to make sure she is well cared for before you go gallivanting off anywhere. You must watch Jess’ back while the guests are here. I am going to be here, and won’t leave until that lot have gone.”

“What happens when you do leave?” Ben asked. “I know what you are doing. I know she didn’t sleep in her bedroom last night. Are you just going to walk away?”

Marcus thought about that for a moment and then nodded. “Yes, I have to.”

He held a hand up when Ben opened his mouth.

“I am going to have to move on because my work demands it. However, I am going to take Jess with me, whether she likes it or not. We still have a lot to sort out between us; there is a lot we need to learn about each other but, seeing as you are going to be busy elsewhere, we have the time.”

“Am I going to be busy elsewhere?” Ben asked. He glanced around the room shiftily. “Where am I going? I am not stopping here, and that’s a fact. I am not going to gaol either.”

“I never said you were,” Marcus replied. “You are going to work here with me, but then you are going to move on with my colleagues. Call this your training ground of sorts. We could do with men like you in our line of work.”

He could see he had the lad’s interest and grinned. “Don’t you want to see Lloyds face when you are the one who arrests him?”

Ben snorted with laughter.

“If you work for the Star Elite, Ben, you will bring that corrupt magistrate down, and many more criminals like him.”

At Ben’s questioning look, Marcus explained who the Star Elite were, and what kind of work Ben would do.

“Good God,” Ben huffed. “I would love to do it.”

Marcus grinned at the plea in the lad’s voice. “I know. So, work with me on this and I promise you that when I move your sister to my house in Hertfordshire, you and I will then go off to continue our investigations with my colleagues.”

He held his hand out to Ben and waited. He knew the lad was sizing up the honesty of his offer, but it didn’t take long before he grinned and enthusiastically shook his hand.

“What do you want me to do?” he asked with a smile.

“Just answer a few questions, and then stick with me,” Marcus replied. “Now, where did you go today?”

Ben sighed and didn’t immediately answer.

“You may as well tell me,” Marcus warned him. “I will find out. I can follow you just as easily in daylight as I do at night.”

Ben’s shocked gaze flew to his. “I thought someone was following me.”

Marcus nodded. It hadn’t been him, but he suspected that Lloyd was following Ben everywhere he went. Ben didn’t know it, but the man had just tried to follow them. Marcus was too adept at avoidance manoeuvres, though, and had taken a circuitous route that had confused the rather inept magistrate.

What bothered Marcus more was why Lloyd hadn’t followed Ball and Gillespie. He had to have seen them because both men had passed right under his very nose. Was Lloyd providing protection for them? Was he the guard dog who patrolled around outside while the men in the kitchen of Mr Grant’s house carried out their illegal deals?

He lifted a hand. The silence lengthened. Motionless, they stood and listened. Only the very faintest rustle of clothing heralded the return of one of the men; Mr Gillespie.

He is good;
Marcus mused as he studied the shadows beyond the doorway and waited.

Was Gillespie military trained? Had the man had some stealth training at some point? Or was he a seasoned burglar used to entering properties in the middle of the night while people were asleep in their beds?

Whichever; Marcus now knew that the Star Elite had cornered not one, but four of Sayers’ gang.

The quiet click of a door deeper in the house announced the return of someone else. 

Two down, two more to go,
Marcus mused wryly.

He noticed Ben watching him expectantly. He waited. Several minutes passed. Ben shifted from one foot to the other with impatience. Finally, the soft creek of a floor board above the kitchens assured him they were safe for now.

“Has anyone ever visited them while they have been here?” Marcus whispered.

“I don’t know,” Ben murmured. “They are out most of the day, and I am busy doing the chores. I have never really noticed. You need to ask Jess.”

“Have you seen them going to Mr Grant’s house before?”

“No, but then I don’t notice much,” Ben replied thoughtfully. “What do you think they are up to?”

“Something illegal,” Marcus informed him. “And they are using this house as their base. That puts Jess in danger.”

Marcus explained about the missing key.

“It wasn’t me. It’s got to be one of the lodgers. They must have been watching Jess,” Ben whispered.

“I think they may have searched the place themselves.”

“Whatever for?” Ben asked in shock. “We don’t have anything worth taking.”

“They will have been trying to find out more about you. I don’t think it is Lloyd, and Smithers knows Jess hates him, so he wouldn’t want to come anywhere near here. It has to be one of the lodgers,” Marcus replied.

“I want to throw the whole lot of them out,” Ben growled.

“I know, but it is not just them who are the criminals, Ben. Lloyd is up to something as well. Until I can get to the bottom of that, no more stealing, I mean it. These are not men to cross. They are hardened criminals, and will stop at nothing to get rid of anything that stands in their way. Besides, you cannot be a thief if you want to work with me,”

“I want to help you,” Ben murmured.

Marcus nodded his thanks. “For now, just keep your eyes and ears open. If you see them, try to carry on as normal. Don’t question them. Try not to behave any differently in front of them, and do not start to rummage through their rooms. They will be very acute to things like that. If you do have to go out after dark, watch your back. Now, tell me, where did your cash come from, and why doesn’t Jess know about it?”

Ben sighed. “I have taken a job over at the brewery in Retterton. I am just a runner. I haul kegs and the like. It’s hard work, but it’s a job. I am trying to save up. That’s the only secret I have.”

“To repair this place?” Marcus asked, studying the peeling paint on the ceiling.

“No. Try to buy both me and Jessica tickets to somewhere else. She doesn’t want to sell this place but, given that our guests are criminals facing arrest, we are going to be in serious financial trouble in the not too distant future.”

“You didn’t know that when you took the job, though,” Marcus said.

“No. I just wanted to get some money together. I planned to pressure Jess into leaving here. Jess won’t sell the place. I have tried many times over the years to persuade her to take a look at some of the other villages in the area, but she just won’t budge.”

Marcus’ ears pricked up. “Is she so attached to this place?”

Ben shook his head. “No, but I think she is worried that it is in such a bad state, nobody will want to buy it. If it was sold, we wouldn’t get much for it. Nevertheless, I think we should cut our losses and go. Jess just won’t hear of it.”

“Would you go, even if Jess didn’t come with you?” Marcus studied him and watched the guilt on the lad’s face. “There is nothing wrong with wanting a life of your own.”

“She is my sister. I don’t want just to abandon her, but I hate it here. She works such long hours, but the house is falling apart around her. I just thought that if I stopped working, she would get fed up of doing my chores too and would at least think about moving somewhere else,” Ben sighed.

“So you took a job at the tavern to earn some money so that one day you could move on, even if Jess adamantly refused to leave,” Marcus murmured.

Ben’s reluctant nod said everything about just how miserable the lad was. 

“Well, the problem will sort itself out eventually, Ben,” Marcus warned him. “The guests will be arrested in time, and this house will then be without lodgers.”

Ben nodded. He didn’t look phased at the prospect of leaving at all. “If we don’t have any guests we cannot run a lodging house. Jess will have to give up and move somewhere else.”

“Why don’t you like it here?” Marcus asked curiously.

“It is too much work, and it is decaying around us. Jess is worried all the time. She used to laugh a lot, but now hardly ever raises a smile. She doesn’t complain, but you saw the room she occupied. I thought the scullery was bad enough, but her room has pots everywhere because the room leaks. It is as cold as Hades in the height of summer because the tree outside blocks the light. I don’t have the tools to cut it back, though, and cannot afford to buy any.”

Marcus yawned. “Well, I have plans for your sister, and they don’t involve her living here.”

He sensed Ben was going to start to ask him questions, but he didn’t want to discuss them until he had thought them over a bit more.

“Right, well it is time I was off to my bed. I will lock up and make sure the house, what’s left of it, is secure. Meantime, I think you need to tell your sister about that job.”

“Which one?” Ben grinned.

Marcus smiled back. “Both.”

“I will think about it,” Ben replied.

Marcus knew Ben wouldn’t tell Jess, just in case she put a stop to either. Hopefully, if everything went to plan, Ben would be rather busy working for the Star Elite by the time she found out about his work for them. Marcus hoped that by then she would be too busy with her new life to be all that bothered.