The Unexpected Coincidence

by Amelia Price

  Kevin flew onto the bed, but not before he'd brought the knife down into Sebastian's arm. The younger Holmes brother grunted in pain but pulled the weapon out and threw it to one side as Kevin recovered and found his feet again.

  Trying to stand, Amelia scrabbled against the wall and floor. Eventually, she'd levered herself upright and watched as Sebastian tackled Kevin, sending him into the wardrobe, which broke under the force of the impact and revealed the few sets of clothing and other items.

  Several growls and grunts filled the room as the pair wrestled until a well-aimed right hook from Sebastian sent Kevin down for the count, right in front of the wreckage of the wardrobe. She watched as he checked her stalker's pulse and nodded in satisfaction.

  “I think the police can deal with him from here,” Sebastian said and smiled at her. She nodded gratefully and wobbled as her legs and head protested. Less than a second later Sebastian's arms were around her and she was resting her head against his chest.

  “It's over now. You're safe again.”

  Tears stung her eyes and she let out a deep breath. After being worried and nervous for so long she felt weightless now she knew who her stalker was and that he wouldn't be able to hurt her anymore.

  As her relieved mind kicked back into gear she remembered that Sebastian had been stabbed, but she could see his arm while he held her. The skin was smooth, and only a small amount of dried blood showed where the knife had gone in. Her eyes went wide, but she didn't say anything. Adrenaline still pumped through her quick enough to keep her mind one step ahead of her mouth.

  “I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner,” Sebastian said as he let her go.

  “It was quicker than I expected. How did you know where to find me?”

  “My brother. He found the car and followed it on all those cameras he has access to.”

  “Wow,” she said, trying not to stare at his arm and let him know she'd seen him heal.

  Thankfully, the police came hurrying in, followed by two paramedics, and distracted both of them from each other. Sebastian went into his official mode, something she'd only seen him do twice before, and told the police what they needed to know while both she and Kevin were seen to by a paramedic each.

  When Kevin showed signs of coming back to the waking world the police read him his rights and took him away. He didn't look at her and she ignored him.

  Only the wound on her eyebrow and the bruises Kevin had caused on her face needed seeing to, but her stitches were still in well enough that the woman tending her didn't think she needed to go get them done again. The police then asked her a few questions, mostly to confirm that events had happened the way Sebastian had already told them. They must have been used to handling cases where he was involved, because they didn't question how he knew what had happened while he wasn't there. Once she'd confirmed that Kevin had hit her twice and threatened her with the switchblade after taking her from Baker Street, they let Sebastian take her home.

  Mrs Wintern came rushing out of her flat as soon as she heard the door open, and Amelia gave the elderly landlady a small smile.

  “Oh my,” she said as she saw the swelling bruises on the side of her face. “I'll make you some tea, and get some painkillers.”

  Sebastian chuckled as she hurried away again.

  “Tea solves everything,” he whispered in Amelia's ear as he followed her up the stairs. A smile flitted across her face until the pain of moving her cheeks made her wince.

  Once she was sat in the extra armchair in the living room, Sebastian fetched her a blanket and arranged it over her lap. Before either of them could do anything else, Mrs Wintern returned with the usual tray.

  “None for me, thanks. I'm off out again,” Sebastian said as she set it down beside Amelia and poured the tea.

  “You can't go out and leave her like this! She's just had a scare.”

  “It's all right, Mrs Wintern, really, it is. I'm in the mood for some television, and it's not really Sebastian's thing, is it?” Amelia took the offered tea. “Would you mind having some company while you watch your evening programs?”

  “No, not at all, love.”

  “There, you can watch them up here on my television. Amelia won't be alone, and you can bond over the dramatic lives of fictional, larger than life, characters,” Sebastian said with as much fake enthusiasm and sarcasm as he usually used when talking about anything on the TV.

  Amelia and Mrs Wintern smiled, knowing that was the way he was. If Amelia was honest, the soaps were a bit too much for her as well, but they could be on in the background while she thought about what she'd seen and waited for the painkillers to dull her headache.

  If nothing else, going over the strange occurrence with Sebastian's arm would keep her from thinking about the rest of the events of the day. While the memories were fresh, it would be harder to be emotionally rational.

  At first she'd wondered if Kevin had missed Sebastian's arm with the knife, but she knew he hadn't. Not only did he have blood on his arm, but the knife had some on as well; she'd seen it when the policeman had taken it as evidence. The blade hadn't been used on anyone else, so it had to be Sebastian's blood.

  The more she thought about it the more she realised something similar had happened with Myron when she'd been kidnapped with him. A large, blood-soaked gash had appeared in his shirt. He'd told her it wasn't his blood but that of the Russian he'd fought. Now she wondered if that had been a lie as well.

  Whatever the explanation for it, she knew without a doubt, the Holmes brothers were hiding something, and she intended to find out their secret.

  ***

  A message from the police had finally allowed Mycroft to relax and know Amelia was safe once more. It didn't surprise him that his brother hadn't said anything. Sherlock only informed him when something wasn't satisfactory, not when it was.

  Despite that, he hadn't expected his brother to visit him and almost dropped his tea cup when the younger Holmes strode into his study. Without saying a word, Sherlock sat in the nearest armchair.

  “I assume Miss Jones is safe?”

  “Oh, of course. She's got quite a bruise on her, going to ruin her looks for a week or so, but she'll recover.”

  Mycroft nodded and waited. Something wasn't right, and it would come out in due time. If it was time-sensitive it would have been said already. After a minute of sitting there with his eyebrows bunched forward together and his head rested on his arched hands, Sherlock seemed to remember he was in Mycroft's company. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and threw something small and shiny at Mycroft.

  Raising his eyebrows, Mycroft caught the coin. He didn't really need to look at it to know it was another seven and a half ruble coin.

  “The boy?”

  Sherlock nodded. Mycroft closed his eyes for a moment. It was the only outward sign that he'd received bad news.

  “Many?”

  “Enough. They were in the wardrobe. Noticed them when his body broke the side. I'd say it was a rather unexpected coincidence, but neither of us believe in coincidences.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “Safe.”

  “Good. Keep this between us, brother of mine.”

  “And Amelia?”

  “We'll both keep her safe.”

  Sherlock nodded at this reassurance. They both knew it might not be possible. Neither of them knew enough about what they were up against. But he also knew his brother was asking him to protect a person caught up in their affairs and he'd just promised to do it, something he wouldn't normally have done.

  Now it seemed he had an agreement with both of them to teach her as much as she could learn, but he knew when she'd requested to be taught she'd not expected her life to depend on her results.

  Just as Sherlock had shown himself in, he saw himself out, leaving Mycroft once more alone in his study. There was nothing more to be said.

  Mycroft sat there for several more minutes staring at the Russian coin. The same person b
ehind the terrorist attack on London had funded Amelia's stalker. Whoever they were, he had put the young author on their radar and now they wanted to hurt her.

  When the email from the most powerful voice in the UK had come through and told him to drop the matter, he'd considered doing so. And as long as the UK itself was safe, that would have been enough, but now he had a conflict. Did he follow the monarch and country as he always had, and keep his promise to the crown, or did he break that promise and do what he needed to keep Amelia safe and keep his word with his brother?

  After an hour of deliberating, Mycroft made his mind up. It would be done outside of official channels, but by morning he would know all the information there was on Mr Delra.

  Epilogue

  A sigh escaped Amelia's lips as she finished the first draft of her next novel. It had taken her six weeks of effort and hard work, but the next Dalton story was told and nothing had ever felt quite as satisfying as writing the last words of a tale and knowing it was told and done, at least for a little while.

  To reward herself, she ordered another hot chocolate and sat back in her favourite writing café to people-watch. She'd been in Bath since Sebastian had declared her recovered enough to be on her own. The care he'd shown had been sweet, but even she had craved coming back after three days stuck in his flat with him, especially once her hand had healed well enough to write again.

  While processing her emotional response and preparing for Christmas, she'd decided to write another novel and she'd finished the three tasks at about the same time. Not only was she ready for the chaotic season of the year, but she felt like she could face Myron and danger again. And now the book was complete. If nothing else, Shane would be pleased.

  As she drank she noticed the other people around her. A couple of mums, laden with shopping bags full of toys, were taking a break over coffee, while a couple of students huddled in one corner with their laptops, trying to concentrate in the hustle and bustle around them.

  When her eyes caught those of an elderly gentleman who'd been sitting a table over reading a newspaper for the last hour, Amelia smiled. He returned the gesture, the corners of his eyes wrinkling up in a way men seemed to manage with more dignity than women. Just as she was finishing up her hot chocolate, he decided he was leaving and packed away his things. After taking up his walking stick and leaning on it, he hobbled in her direction.

  He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and threw her a wink as he gave it to her. She had to stop herself from laughing as she realised it was the same man who had passed her a letter before. Myron was up to his usual tricks.

  “Merry Christmas, pet,” he said and then hobbled off. Knowing he wasn't old only made her more impressed. One day, she hoped to be as good at disguising herself.

  Once she'd watched the messenger leave, she tore open the sealed envelope and pulled out her next letter.

  My first is in soccer, my second in polo, hockey contains my third, and the equestrians have my fourth, while my fifth lies in tennis; what am I?

  Some of these are soft and some of these are full of nuts. Everything has one, even the world, but you can't journey to it, despite the story.

  We like hot T and tolerate cold C, we're adrift in the water, but not alone, with a castle for every man. What are we?

  I am no fearsome beast, but my thin teeth are bared. I can't befriend the bald, but find love with the haired.

  Realising it would take her a little while, Amelia ordered another drink. Staying a little longer wouldn't do her any harm.

  Of all the riddles, the third was the easiest, so she scribbled the answer beside it on the letter. She used pencil just in case she'd got it wrong, but she knew that one without a problem.

  Out of the other three, the first one looked easiest. It also appeared like the first, second and so on meant a letter in each of the words. She used the envelope as scrap paper and wrote the words out one under the other with plenty of space between the letters, not bothering to repeat any if they occurred twice in a word.

  She eliminated the Q immediately, as there was no U to follow in tennis. After eliminating a few other letters she found only two words jumped out at her and only one made sense, given the context of the lines. She wrote in the first word still using pencil, and then tried to work out the other two riddles.

  For several minutes, she nibbled on the inside of her lip and tried to work out what the second riddle could mean. Eventually it came to her. The classic book, Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

  She then turned her attention to the fourth, but she agonised over it far longer than the rest had taken her combined. Eventually, she went back to the three words she had already.

  Sport, Centre and British

  A frown flitted across her face. The words didn't make much sense. The first two appeared to be telling her something about a sports centre, but with British as the next word, it didn't make enough sense on its own.

  When Amelia realised the mistake she'd made she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. She then crossed out British and wrote English instead. A grin spread across her face when she remembered there was a sports centre on Englishcombe Lane nearby. The answer to the fourth riddle dawned on her. Bald people didn't need a comb but someone with hair did.

  After picking up her phone, Amelia tapped the type of building and the road into the map section and soon had directions to the Baskerville Fitness and Gymnastics Centre.

  Less than a minute later she was outside the café and walking towards it. It wasn't far up the hill from where she was, so she didn't bother getting a bus or calling a taxi. It would be quicker to walk.

  Breathless and a little sweaty underneath her coat, Amelia arrived at the building and walked into the reception. Before she had time to think about where to go, a well-built male in what looked like a martial arts gi came up to her.

  “Amelia Jones?” he asked. She nodded. “Brilliant, you're early. It gives us plenty of time to get your training under way.”

  ~

  Thank you for reading The Unexpected Coincidence. The sequel, The Invisible Amateur, is available on November 27th 2015 and can be bought or pre-ordered here.

  While you wait you might like to try my fantasy works, beginning with a free short, Wandering to Belong.

  If you would like to subscribe to the new release email to be notified of the next publication by Jess Mountifield (or Amelia Price) you can do so here.

  For a complete list of all works by the author and her pen name, separated by genre, please continue. If you have enjoyed the book you just read and would like to let the author know you can email her via books@jessmountifield.co.uk or alternatively leave a review at your place of purchase.

  Books by Jess Mountifield

  Already published

  Historical Adventure:

  With Proud Humility (#1 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

  Chains of Freedom (#4 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

  Fantasy (Tales of Ethanar):

  Wandering to Belong (Tale 1)

  Innocent Hearts (Tale 2 & 3)

  For Such a Time as This (Tale 4)

  A Fire's Sacrifice (Tale 5)

  The Hope of Winter (A short story in the anthology 'Flights of Fantasy' - Tale 6.05)

  Sci-Fi:

  Sherdan's Prophecy (#1 in the Sherdan series)

  Sherdan's Legacy (#2 in the Sherdan series)

  Sherdan's Country (#3 in the Sherdan series)

  Sherdan's Road (A short story in the anthology 'The End of the Road')

  The Slave Who'd Never Been Kissed (A novella in the anthology 'The Kiss')

  Find purchase links here

  Coming soon

  Historical Adventure:

  Victorious Ruin (#2 in the Hearts of the Seas series)

  Fantasy (Tales of Ethanar):

  The Fire of Winter (#1 in the Winter series, Tale 6.1)

  The Tales of Ethanar anthology - containing:

  The Tales of Ethanar 1-5


  A Brief History of Ethanar

  Maps of Ethanar

  A Note on Dragons

  A Note on the Humanoid Races of Ethanar

  Fantasy (other):

  Angel of the Sands

  Books under Amelia Price

  Already Published

  The Hundred Year Wait (#1 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

  The Unexpected Coincidence (#2 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

  The Boy Next Door (A short story in the anthology 'The Bitten')

  The Invisible Amateur (#3 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

  Coming soon

  The Female Charm (#4 in the Mycroft Holmes Adventures)

  About the Author

  Jess was born in the quaint village of Woodbridge in the UK, has spent some of her childhood in the States and now resides near the beautiful Roman city of Bath. She lives with her husband, Phil, and her very dapsy cat, Pleaides.

  During her still relatively short life Jess has displayed an innate curiosity for learning new things and has therefore studied many subjects, from maths and the sciences, to history and drama. Jess now works full time as a writer, incorporating many of the subjects she has an interest in within her plots and characters.

  When she's not working she can often be found with friends, enjoying a vast array of films, ice skating or trekking all over the English countryside.

  You can find out more about the author and her upcoming projects by following her on twitter or her fanpage on facebook or at her blog www.jessmountifield.co.uk