The Honest and The Brave

by Rebecca King

  Secretly, he knew she was right. It was highly unusual that Billy would allow any other criminal to work on his ‘patch’. That made Billy’s interest in Annalisa far more sinister, and far more of a worry. Tucking those thoughts away to contemplate later, Joshua refocused on the conversation Annalisa was having with her aunt.

  “Well, it isn’t quite like that. I don’t think the murder victims were stabbed in their backs in their beds,” Annalisa corrected.

  “Does it really matter if those people were in their beds when they died? They died at the hands of someone who broke into their house. Is that not enough?” Yvette snapped. She sucked in a breath and forced herself to calm down before Annalisa could chastise her for getting so het up over it.

  “I am sure the magistrate will catch whoever is responsible soon,” Joshua murmured.

  “How can he? He isn’t even here,” Yvette retorted.

  “Look, the burglar will make a mistake, the killer will be caught. Crime rarely pays, and criminals face justice. If you ever doubt that, go to the gaol and see how many criminals are behind bars. They didn’t get there through choice. The law will always take them off the streets, so they cannot target innocent people. Whoever is doing this, whether it is Billy or someone else, they are not immune from facing justice. They will face the appropriate sentence commensurate to their level of crime. There will be no stone unturned when it comes to getting these people off the streets, purely because people aren’t safe to sleep in their beds at night.” This time, it was Joshua who had to force himself to take a breath and calm down.

  He was aware that he had said far too much when he noticed the stunned look on both Yvette and Annalisa’s faces. Neither of them said a word for a few moments.

  “Let’s hope that justice will prevail soon then, preferably before someone else has to lose their life,” Yvette murmured eventually.

  “I am sure it will,” Annalisa added.

  Joshua nodded his thanks at her quiet support before quietly taking his leave of them both.

  Annalisa watched him cross the lawn and disappear into his house. She felt certain he had been greeted by someone because he had started to talk the second he opened the door and saw someone inside.

  “You two looked awfully close in that kitchen just now,” Yvette murmured.

  Annalisa sucked in a breath and turned to face her aunt. “We were talking about Billy and trying not to disturb you.”

  “Do you think he can be trusted?”

  “Billy?”

  Yvette sighed. “Joshua, of course.”

  “Yes, I do,” Annalisa announced flatly. “You heard his speech about people facing justice. Nobody would sound that determined about justice prevailing if they had committed murder.”

  Annalisa turned to study the house.

  “He has lied about who he is, and what he is doing in Mr Richardson’s house. He isn’t honest,” Yvette murmured. “Just don’t allow yourself to become too close to him, that’s all I ask. He is still new to the area, and a bit of an enigma. Until you get to know him, don’t put too much faith in him.”

  “I know he is brave. You should have seen him with that purse snatcher,” Annalisa argued. “He is one of the Star Elite.”

  “If that is the case then he is a very busy man and, right now, not someone we can expect to stay once this is all over.”

  With that Yvette left her niece to think about the wisdom of allowing a man like Joshua Holton to get too close. Yvette suspected Joshua was the kind of man who would break a woman’s heart, whether he worked for the Star Elite or not. She could only hope and pray that he didn’t break Annalisa’s heart before this was all over.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Annalisa failed miserably to put Joshua out of her mind. For several days, she did everything possible to distract herself from thinking about him, or looking at the house he lived in, but to no avail. The more she tried to forget about him, the more she found herself glancing out of the window, desperately trying to catch sight of him. The more she tried to ignore her curiosity, the more she wondered where he was, what he was doing, and how he was going about investigating the murders.

  “They live like ghosts, don’t they?” Yvette murmured over her shoulder when she caught Annalisa studying the house for the fifth time that morning.

  “I don’t understand it.”

  “You really don’t trust him, do you?” Yvette looked a little stymied by that.

  “Have you seen any of them enter or leave the house?”

  “I am sad to say that I haven’t, no.”

  “What do you think they do all day?”

  “You could ask that of Mr Richardson. He never used to go out anywhere either,” Yvette reminded her.

  “I know, but it is different with Joshua.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, he is younger for one thing.”

  “So are you. He isn’t all that much older than you.”

  “I know that, but he is a man of the world; an urbane gentleman. Don’t you think it a little odd that he has decided to come here, one of the most rural places in Leicestershire?”

  “It is not for us to comment, dear. Just because his circumstances are a little unusual doesn’t mean he is up to something sinister,” Yvette warned. “It is best that you don’t let him catch you snooping, or he is going to think that you are a little odd.”

  Annalisa threw her aunt a rueful look and turned away from the house. She almost succeeded in putting Joshua and his idiosyncrasies out of her mind for an hour or two, until she visited the grocery later that afternoon.

  “What was that?” Yvette whispered in horror as they listened to Mr Birtington.

  “There has been another burglary. Old Mrs Kempton across the village had her window forced open and several pounds taken. The blackguard also stole some jewellery. He even ventured upstairs and went into her bed chamber while she was sleeping. Why, I doubt she will ever be able to sleep in that house again,” Mr Birtington warned.

  “At least she is still alive,” Annalisa whispered in horror. She felt a little sick. “What time did it happen?”

  “Well, Mrs Kempton said she went to sleep around eight last night but only to doze in the chair, you know, as you do. She then got up and locked the house up tightly and closed the shutters and then went off to bed, she said about half past ten, but you know how poor her eyesight is. She was woken up just before dawn by how cold it was in the house, even though she had lit the fire. When she got out of bed, she said she thought it was a little odd because she felt sure she could remember closing her bed chamber door, but it stood wide open. Anyhow, she went downstairs only to find the kitchen window was open, and the lock on the shutters had been snapped. The thief had taken some money out of her desk in the study. She hurried upstairs to dress, and it was then that she noticed her jewellery box was missing. It hadn’t just been emptied. The whole thing had gone. She has looked for it, but it isn’t to be found anywhere. The blackguard has taken the whole lot and left her devastated. She has decided to go and stay with her sister for a while, but I think this is going to force her to sell up. I doubt she will be back.” Mr Birtington completed the transaction of the woman before them before lifting his brows at Annalisa. “Now, what can I get you?”

  Annalisa stared blankly at him for a moment. She couldn’t get her mind to work properly. It whirled around and tried valiantly to absorb the latest shocking news, but all Annalisa could focus on was that she knew Joshua had gone out late last night, not long after Yvette had gone to bed. Annalisa, unable to sleep, had sat in the rocking chair next to the window in her bed chamber. It gave her a perfect view of the house next door. She told herself that she wasn’t spying on Joshua, but she was. What she had seen was Joshua leave the house just after eleven and return three hours later with a man; another stranger.

  “Annalisa, dear? Are you all right? You look quite pale, you know. Maybe we should go home,” Yvette murmured gently.

  Annalisa j
erked when she realised her aunt was talking to her.

  “Yes, I think I need to go home,” she murmured weakly.

  As she spoke her gaze was drawn to a tall gentleman who was standing in the back of the shop. He was watching her. Annalisa knew immediately that he had something to do with Joshua. While the clothing was different, it was still cut of the same fine material, expensive yet urbane. It left her in no doubt he too was one of the Star Elite, or in the same gang as Joshua. He had the same broad shoulders, and arrogant stance that left anybody who saw him in no doubt he was able to deal with any problems that life threw at him.

  Their eyes met.

  Unlike as happened with Joshua, Annalisa didn’t feel any tell-tale fission of excitement when they looked at each other. Instead, Annalisa became cold, and slowly but surely grew increasingly uncomfortable. Very, very, uncomfortable. She wanted to ask him where Joshua was, if he was all right, but couldn’t.

  He might just be another random stranger.

  But that thought wasn’t reassuring either.

  “Let’s go home.” Annalisa waited impatiently while her aunt paid for their purchases and followed her quietly out of the shop.

  “Poor Mrs Kempton,” Yvette whispered.

  “I don’t like this,” Annalisa whispered. “I don’t like this at all.”

  “Me neither, but there is nothing we can do except make sure our shutters are locked safely at night, dear,” Yvette murmured.

  Annalisa wasn’t talking about the burglary, or their safety, though. She was thinking about whether Billy or Joshua were responsible for the burglaries because, after what she had seen last night, Joshua looked just as guilty as the gypsy.

  Oblivious to her growing suspicions, Joshua settled his shoulders against the coarse bark of an old oak tree and settled back to wait. From his position nestled within the leaves several feet off the ground he had a good view of the gypsy camp on the outskirts of town. So far this morning, it was all peaceful and serene. Nobody appeared to even be up and about.

  Probably because they had a busy night.

  Unfortunately, the Star Elite were no closer to concluding their investigation. While they had succeeded in following Billy, they had lost several of his colleagues because there were only four operatives following eight people. Billy and his gang had been easy to follow while they had been together. When they had split up, the operatives had been forced to choose which youth to follow. Consequently, their night of gathering facts and information had been varied.

  “Well, there isn’t much happening here, is there?” Hamish whispered.

  Joshua shook his head. He didn’t answer because he was relishing the absolute peace of the forest he was in. The only sound he could hear were the rustling of leaves on the branches as they were teased by the gentle breeze. Below, nuzzling around on the forest floor, he watched a hare bob this way and that as it rummaged through dried leaves and twigs. A squirrel scurried up a tree several feet away and disappeared through a tiny hole at the top of the trunk. It was delightful. So much so, Joshua found himself relaxing and enjoying his job for once.

  “Bored?” Hamish grinned from his perch high in the tree beside Joshua’s.

  Joshua shook his head. “London feels like a different lifetime now.”

  “You must be eager to get back.”

  Strangely, Joshua wasn’t. When he contemplated the lodging house he had left behind, and the work he did, Joshua realised he didn’t miss it as much as he knew he ought to. It was his life – but it wasn’t now. The more Joshua contemplated going back to the dark and gloomy, crowded streets, the more irritable he became.

  “I have to wonder if life in London is actually considered living or surviving. London’s crime ridden, with grime everywhere, and smog. If you aren’t battling to breathe and find your way around through the cloying air, you are fighting pickpockets, other people jostling to get where they want to go faster, and market traders all eager to make a penny or two. If that isn’t bad enough and you do manage to find shelter somewhere, you are forced to be something you are not by the strict social dictates of others. It’s madness.”

  “Here is natural, Joshua,” Hamish whispered lazily. “There is no pretence here. People are surviving, but also face Nature’s elements. The animals don’t jostle, they scarper. The elements you face here are natural but no less dangerous. The snow out here can often leave you isolated for weeks at a time. The winters can be harsh, the summers too hot and full of bugs, but the people here are friendly and all face the same challenges. This latest challenge has everyone up in arms because this community supports itself. The villagers rely on each other. Crime rarely happens because people have so much to do to survive, but they know they can go to their neighbour or any of the locals if they need help. They all chat to each other, and oftentimes have grown up together. Many families have been here for generations. People rarely move out. If they do it is often the younger generation who move to find work, but even they come back and settle with their own families when they can. But going anywhere around these country lanes takes people twice as long as it does in London. Getting food can often mean an entire afternoon is taken out of your week because you must walk to town five miles away. Life here isn’t as easy as you might think.”

  “I know. Life anywhere is difficult.”

  “Staying?” Hamish lifted his brows and waited.

  “London doesn’t seem to have the same appeal as it once had.”

  As if to prove his point, Joshua tipped his head back and looked up at the sky overhead. It was azure and spotted with fluffy white clouds Joshua knew he would never have stopped and paid any attention to had he been in London. In London, one rarely looked up. Weather was only important when it brought smog with it. Now, he found it almost a challenge to try to predict what the weather was going to do.

  “The boss won’t mind you asking for a permanent transfer. In fact, he will be overjoyed by it,” Hamish added, as if sensing Joshua’s thoughts.

  “I will think about it,” Joshua admitted ruefully, carefully ignoring Hamish’s widening grin.

  “You’ll stay,” Hamish added knowingly.

  “I only said I will think about it,” Joshua countered.

  Slowly and carefully, Joshua jumped to the ground and brushed leaves off his sleeves. He had to go back to the Star Elite’s temporary safe house to take over the watch but managed to cover no more than six feet of distance before Billy appeared before him like a ghoul.

  “My, my, you have to do something about your sense of direction,” Billy murmured.

  “I know exactly where I am, thank you very much,” Joshua growled.

  He eyed the men who appeared out of the trees like a silent army behind their leader. There were at least eight men, two of whom Joshua suspected were professional fighters. Well, professional in as much as they fought for their living. Joshua doubted either of the men had real jobs. They fought in back rooms of pubs, or any place where bets could be placed, and no holds barred fights could be as brutal as they liked as opponents fought until one of them dropped.

  “What do you want?” Joshua murmured idly while he waited for the men to strike. This open display of force came with a warning, he didn’t doubt. Joshua just had to wait to see if that warning was going to be verbal or physical.

  “What is your connection with Annalisa?” Billy asked. He propped a shoulder against an old cedar tree and looked at his nails.

  “What were you doing last night at Mrs Kempton’s house?”

  Billy grinned and looked at each of his cohorts. “What makes you think that was us?”

  “Do you really expect me to believe that it wasn’t? Look at you. I bet all of you have felt the magistrate’s cuffs at some point in your life,” Joshua snorted. “Am I wrong?”

  Billy didn’t answer but his gaze turned hard and direct. “Stay away from her. She is nothing to do with you.”

  “Nor you,” Joshua replied smoothly. “I don’t take warnings from
strangers, especially of your kind. Stay away from her if you know what is good for you or you are likely to feel the magistrate’s cuffs again sooner than you realise.”

  Billy began to laugh but it was forced. “Oh, so the smart man thinks he can threaten us, gentlemen. I think we have ourselves a fop who thinks he is better than us.”

  “I know I am better than you,” Joshua growled. “But it has nothing to do with where we come from.”

  Joshua ran an insulting look down the shabbily dressed man before promptly turning his back. He didn’t get far before Billy’s men circled around him, effectively trapping him. Hamish left his perch in the tree and dropped down beside Joshua, making it clear that Joshua was not facing them alone.

  “Having fun?” Hamish growled.

  “Quite. They seem to think that I need a warning for living next door to the Carringtons,” Joshua snorted. “Although why gypsies would want to warn a neighbour away from a certain property is questionable, don’t you think? I mean, it makes one wonder if they intend to target that house next. Do we need to look any further than them for the culprits?”

  “I think not,” Hamish mused.

  Joshua lifted an arrogant brow at Billy and waited.

  “That isn’t us,” Billy replied, this time considerably more forcefully.

  “Really. So why are you trying to isolate those women?”

  “I am not. I told you to stay away from Annalisa,” Billy snapped.

  “But I live next door.”

  “No, you don’t. Mr Richardson lives next door.”

  “Not anymore.” Joshua folded his arms. “Mr Richardson has gone away. To visit relatives. Did he not tell you?”

  “Probably not seeing as he wants a house to return to. Given how houses around here have been burgled since this lot arrived, he probably kept it quiet to make sure the family silver was where he left it when he returned.” Hamish eyed a beefy man who edged closer while he had been talking. He knew the man was used to brawling and suspected he was going to be a worthy opponent for any man. Unfortunately for this brute, he had no idea how much of an opponent he had with Hamish.