This Side of Murder

by Anna Lee Huber

  But Sam had known what he was doing. Supposedly the plan was all Sidney’s doing, but what if Sam had decided to use it to further his own agenda? Perhaps he had decided to exact his own revenge for his brother’s death, killing the men one by one.

  It didn’t seem any more preposterous than any of the other theories I’d considered. After all, what did I really know about Sam? Next to nothing. And all of that had been vetted by Sidney or Mabel, who could be blinded to his true purpose here.

  If I were in Sam’s shoes, suddenly presented with the men who had played a part in my brother’s death, whether directly or indirectly, wouldn’t I be tempted to take matters into my own hands? Any loyalty he owed Sidney he’d more than reciprocated by saving his life and keeping his secrets. What was to stop him from doing just what he pleased now that the stage had been set?

  I needed to speak with Sam, to gauge for myself just what he might be capable of.

  Mabel returned to the room then, carrying a bowl of some sort of liquid. At the sight of me, she gave a tiny nod and crossed the chamber to set her remedy down on the table next to Walter’s bed.

  “I shall need Baxter’s assistance,” she informed us, glancing over her shoulder toward the door to see if the valet had arrived. “He should be along in a moment.”

  “Do you think it will work?” Helen asked anxiously, rising to her feet with me.

  Mabel’s gaze rested on Walter, her expression carefully blank. “We can hope.”

  Helen moved closer to smooth the covers surrounding Walter, and I beckoned Mabel toward the door.

  “Something important has just come to my attention, and I must leave to take care of it,” I told her, lowering my voice so Helen couldn’t hear me.

  Mabel’s eyes sharpened, grasping what I was implying.

  “I need you to watch over Walter. Do not leave him alone. With anyone.”

  She stiffened in alarm and I nodded.

  “I suspect he may be safe with Helen and Baxter, but I can’t be certain. So take no chances. None,” I emphasized. “If we’re to ever have the chance to hear what he knows, he must be kept alive.”

  Mabel might be Sam’s sweetheart and Helen’s cousin, but I trusted that her training as a nurse and a healer would override any loyalty she felt. Walter was in her charge, and she would see him through, if it was remotely possible.

  She swallowed before stating firmly, “Don’t worry. I’ll see to it.”

  “I knew you would,” I replied, squeezing her arm.

  * * *

  Hastening downstairs, I swept through all of the public rooms, my sense of urgency growing when I discovered Sam wasn’t there. At least, not in any of the obvious places. And neither was Felix.

  An uneasy premonition swept over me, and I quickened my steps, anxious to locate at least one of them. It was because of this haste that I turned a corner and almost bowled straight into Max.

  “Verity,” he exclaimed, grabbing hold of my arms to keep me from stumbling to the ground.

  “My apologies,” I gasped. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  Once we’d righted ourselves, he stared down into my face in concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  I opened my mouth to fob him off, but then I realized two people could search much faster than one. Not to mention the fact that, as a man, he could go into places I reasonably could not. I wasn’t certain yet whether I should trust him, but I made the decision to do so anyway.

  “I can’t find Sam or Felix.”

  Max needed no further explanation, deducing the reason for my alarm. “I’ll help you search. Tell me where you’ve already looked.”

  We divided the house into quadrants and each set out to search them. I made certain to give Max the bedrooms, while I took the section of the house nearest to the gardens, thinking that if I was to have any chance of encountering Sidney it would be there. But though I made no effort to hide my progress through the chambers, my husband did not make himself known to me, and I didn’t locate Sam or Felix.

  Max shook his head when we regrouped in the foyer some time later. “No sign of them anywhere.”

  I glanced toward the windows out into the dark, wind-swept night. “At least, not in the castle.”

  Max followed my gaze, his brow tightening as he came to the same conclusion I had. “We have to find them. Before . . .”

  I nodded, not needing him to finish that sentence. “Yes.”

  His expression was grim. “I’ll fetch my coat.”

  I dashed up the stairs beside him, peeling away from him toward the corridor where my bedchamber was located. All the way to my room and back, I couldn’t help searching the shadows for Sidney, wishing for once he would grab me and startle me. But he remained obstinately absent. Having no way of knowing precisely where he was, and no time to warn him, I hurried to meet Max.

  CHAPTER 22

  Max and I bumped along the main road cutting through the heart of the island in the castle’s lorry with the trees lashing each other overhead. The night was dark, illuminated only by the snatches of moonlight that managed to penetrate through the heavy clouds billowing across the sky, and the dim swathe cut by the lorry’s headlamps. More than a few limbs had fallen in the lane, making us swerve around them, but so far nothing large enough to block the single-track entirely.

  Max paused at the church, dashing inside with the electric torch to see if anyone was inside. Returning to the lorry, he shook his head in frustration and set off down the road again. If he’d noted the presence of Jimmy’s body laid out next to Charlie’s in the chill sanctuary, he chose not to speak of it, and I didn’t dare bring it up. Doing so would mean I would have to explain how I knew that Walter had deceived us, that the authorities had never visited the island the day before, and I didn’t particularly relish lying to him. Not now.

  The island was not overly large, and there weren’t many dwellings, but there were still plenty of places Sam and Felix could have disappeared to. The question was where? I’d considered suggesting we explore the farm’s outbuildings, wondering if Sam had gone in search of Sidney, but that would put my husband at risk of discovery. So instead I let Max choose the direction we should go, first to the church, and then on to the abandoned village near the old pottery works where Jimmy had been found.

  We drove along at what I thought to be a spanking pace, considering the blustery weather and the state of the roads. Max hunched over the driving wheel, his eyes narrowed to peer through the darkness, while I gripped the seat beneath me. That’s when we saw a man dart across the road, out of the glare of the headlamps, and into the forest.

  Max slammed on the breaks, skidding the lorry through the mud. I lifted my hands just in time to stop myself from crashing headlong into the dashboard.

  “Stay with the lorry,” Max ordered as he threw open his door and catapulted out of the vehicle. He raced across the road in front of the lamps and plunged into the trees after the man.

  A narrow trail seemed to lead off into the woods to my left, only to be swallowed by overgrown foliage and the dark of the night. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the man who had run out of the road and into the forest, so I didn’t know whether it was Sam, Felix, or Sidney. I only hoped that if it was the latter, he managed to evade Max. Otherwise he was going to have some awkward explaining to do.

  And if it was one of the former? Well, I hoped Max could handle him on his own, because there was no way I could catch up with them at this point. The fact that the man had run did not bode well for his willingness to cooperate, or for his reasons for being out here on such a night.

  The lorry’s engine suddenly sputtered to a stop, and I inhaled a breath through the tightness in my chest, recognizing how alone and vulnerable I was. I glanced about me, trying to get my bearings. However, the acetylene headlamps still burned bright at the front of the lorry and proved more harmful than helpful, blinding me to anything beyond their glow.

  Pulling my tweed coat tighter around
me, I climbed out of the lorry into the wind and moved toward the bonnet, studying the bulk of the building several yards in front of me lit by the beam of the lamps. We were at the edge of the abandoned village, near the western tip of the island. Not being able to see much more, and fearful of what anyone beyond the beams could see of me, I switched off the lamps.

  I blinked several times, trying to adjust my eyes to the piercing darkness that settled around me. The trees and shrubberies rustled in the wind at the verges of the road, but at the front of the lorry I could sense the forest clearing created by those who’d originally built the village. There was a softening to the blackness above me, and a hazy sense of movement, no doubt created by the fast-moving cloud banks.

  The breeze felt sharp against my cheeks and carried very little scent except for the damp of the earth and the forest, and a slight tinge of the salty sea beyond. As my night vision improved, I began to make out the shapes of the other abandoned buildings—a cottage here and another one there. A round stone well stood to my left, its wooden winch hunched over it like a protective ogre.

  I turned to the left, trying to peer down the path Max and his quarry had fled. There was no way of telling exactly where the trail led, or how long Max would choose to pursue the man. So I elected to stay where I was, sheltered in the deep shadow cast by the lorry as I listened for any sound of their approach.

  Several minutes ticked by, marked only by the wind and the pounding of my heart, and yet there was still no sign of either man. I began to worry something bad had befallen Max, for surely he would have come to his senses and halted the chase if he had not caught up to the other fellow within a few dozen yards. He had not struck me as a man who took unnecessary risks, particularly with a female to protect. But I had been wrong about such things before.

  I glanced at the lorry and then toward the village, considering my options. Now that my sight was improved, I noticed there seemed to be a faint, wavering glow in the distance. It was very weak, probably because it was being blocked by several of the buildings, but there was definitely something there. I hesitated a moment longer and then ventured forward, stepping as softly as I could on the damp, leaves-strewn ground so as to avoid making noise.

  The closer I moved toward it, the brighter the glow became, though it was still more of a hazy wash of gray than an actual light. I had reached the first pair of old dwellings when a sudden noise behind me to the left made me race forward to conceal myself behind the closest building. My heart beat fast inside my chest, and I took a moment to catch my breath before peering around the corner.

  Two men had emerged from the tangled overgrowth of the forest, striding past the well into the village. However, this was far from a leisurely stroll, as the man in the rear was holding the other at gunpoint. I couldn’t see well enough to say for certain who the man wielding the pistol was, but from the manner in which the captured man tossed a glance in the direction of the lorry, earning a prod from the other man’s gun, I suspected the captive was Max.

  I watched as they disappeared behind the far building toward the center of the village and then sank my head against the wall before me, trying to think. I couldn’t just abandon Max to whatever fate the other man intended for him, for it obviously would not be pleasant. If only I knew what and who I was facing.

  Fearing I had already tarried too long, I retraced my steps to the lorry. The click of the door latch opening sounded overloud to my ears and I cringed before climbing up inside to search its contents for some sort of weapon. The glove compartment sat empty, but there was a wealth of detritus on the floor, under which I found a tire iron. Knowing that time might literally be of the essence, I snatched up the iron rod and set off after the men.

  My pursuit was slow, necessitated not only by my desire to remain undetected, but also the crumbling piles of masonry, tree roots, and low-lying shrubs that had sprung up between the deserted cottages. I could no longer see the men, but I had already guessed they were headed toward whatever the source of that light was. As I crept closer I could hear the sound of voices, the first of which was sharp and mocking, while the second was raised in anger. I nearly stumbled when a third voice joined the conversation, for by now I had recognized the mocking man to be Felix and the angry one to be Max. The third voice, which I realized must be Sam, for it certainly wasn’t Sidney, sounded almost listless, making me wonder just what had happened to him.

  The soft, wavering glow proved to be a lantern shining through the openings of a building near the village pier. I paused to survey the area around the building and then dipped low to skitter across the ground toward the window on the side nearest me. Remaining hunched over, I waited to hear if my approach had been noticed, but the conversation inside continued without interruption.

  Slowly rising up on my toes, I peered over the ledge through a hole in the corner of the broken glass. Felix stood with his back to the door, his eyes hard and his mouth curled into a nasty sneer while he aimed a pistol across the room at Max. But far from being cowed, Max appeared furious. He glared at his captor as if daring him to pull the trigger. I tightened my grip on the tire iron, fearful Felix might just do it.

  Beyond Max, crumpled in the far corner, sat Sam. His hands were bound, and blood poured from a cut over his eye down the right side of his face. Or at least, at one point it had. Now it seemed, as I looked harder, that most of it had dried.

  “How did you do it?” Max demanded to know. “How did you convince Jimmy to kill Ben on that night raid?”

  Felix’s smirk widened. “I didn’t have to convince him of anything. He understood what had to be done.”

  “But he couldn’t live with it.”

  “Some men are weaker than others.”

  Max’s jaw tightened. “Some men have more of a conscience than others.”

  Felix shrugged one shoulder. “Conscience, cowardice—it’s all the same.”

  “And what of Sidney? I suppose that was your doing, too.”

  “It wasn’t exactly my ‘doing,’ but I exerted the right pressure to make it happen.”

  My blood surged indignantly at the insinuation in his voice, the utter lack of remorse. Felix might not have pulled the trigger, but he had just as assuredly been behind the attempt on my husband’s life. I wondered idly if Walter, Jimmy, or Charlie had been the one forced to do the deed, as I focused my thoughts on the open doorway behind Felix.

  If I could sneak up on him, catch him by surprise, I might be able to land a blow to his head or at least knock the gun from his hands. The difficulty would be in crossing those five feet between the doorway and where Felix stood without making a noise or Max and Sam giving me away.

  I frowned, wondering if I had time to find Sidney, but then just as swiftly discarded the idea. I had no idea where on the island he was, and Felix could shoot and kill Max and Sam in the matter of a moment. I was alone in this. Just as I was in so many other things.

  Taking a firmer grip on the tire iron, I began to back away from the window, but Max’s next words arrested me in place.

  “Why did you decide to frame those men for desertion? As I understand it they were only messengers.” He lowered his voice. “Or was it because they were at risk of exposing you for treason?”

  There was a beat of silence followed by the snap of Felix’s voice. “How the devil did you know that?”

  I cursed Max and his rash decision to push for answers. As annoying as Felix was when he was behaving so blasé and scornful, it was far preferable to the irate and panicked version. An infuriated Felix was more likely to fire that pistol, whether he intended to or not. There was no time to lose.

  But as I shifted position to slink down the wall toward the doorway, I heard the crunch of a foot shifting in the debris behind me. Before I could turn to face them, or even lift my hand, I felt the cold press of metal against the back of my neck. I inhaled sharply, recognizing the round object for what it was—the nozzle of a gun.

  “Drop the weapon.”
>
  My senses froze in shock as I let the tire iron drop from my numb fingers, for I knew that voice. I had listened to it sob into my shoulder such a short time ago. She was quite the accomplished actress, it seemed.

  “Now move,” she ordered, prodding me toward the doorway with her other hand.

  As I stepped to the left, the kiss of the metal lifted from my now-icy skin, but I knew without looking that she kept it trained on my back. The center of my spine tingled as if aware that it had transformed into a bull’s-eye. When we reached the doorway, I could see that Max and Sam remained in their previous positions, while Felix had pivoted so that he could see who approached.

  “Over there. In the corner with the others,” she instructed me in a cold voice.

  I did as I was told, moving close to Max’s side as I turned to get my first glimpse of Helen. Her eyes sparkled with malice, though the rest of her remained chillingly composed, never wavering as she lowered her gun to her side.

  “Well, now, isn’t this a charming tête-à-tête,” she proclaimed.

  I was tempted to correct her French and remind her that a tête-à-tête was between two people, not five, but then I would be no better than Max prodding Felix. We needed one of them to remain calm, no matter how their contemptuous countenances irked me. It would have been nice if she could have at least looked bedraggled and swollen from all of her fake crying earlier, but she seemed perfectly coifed and dewy fresh. Even her feet were shod in a pair of darling kid leather half boots.

  “But before we continue, Verity,” she drawled my name mockingly. “I really must insist you bind his lordship’s hands. After all, we don’t want Max to force me to shoot him prematurely.”