Two years ago
Lancelot’s POV
When I was in college I had made a few friends but one amongst them stuck out prolificly. His name was Sebastian Casey.
We seemed to get along well, we laughed, made witty remarks, enjoyed some good films, and at times we went into deeper subjects of conversation. We hadn't known each other for long, but we sure did have a lot in common. It seemed like him and I would be good friends for a long time.
However, there was something different about it, some kind of feeling. When we were together we had a sort of tension between each other, you could call it a sense of awkwardness. It became more and more apparent as we became closer to each other. When I was with him I didn't feel like he was one of my usual stupid buddies, he was special to me, we listened to each, we made each other smile, it was one of the, " I felt like I could tellI've never seen a room with so much furniture and so many hues I'd never choose, nor a room I love so much. I've dedicated my purchases to clean lines, simple and mostly white; but these walls are all burnt orange and reds. The furniture is rustic and dark, sprinkled liberally with vibrant cushions. There is a table in easy reach of every seat and the walls are more photographs than paint. Every one is of a happy memory, a smiling child, a birthday, a new baby. There is lively Columbian music in the background and the scent of cilantro in the air. I want to sink into the couch and never move. It isn't just a house, it's a home; she's made it that way.“You really think that we needed to stop here before we started our tour to Bradburtshire?” asked Nathan as he called out to Jane who was in the bedroom closet packing her bags.“It is not only me who needs clothes and other stuff, Natha
Nathan’s Flashback POV‘What on earth have I done?’ I said under my breath as I walked out through the pub’s exit. I had a fixed expression of disbelief embedded on my face all the way up the hill to the train station. I shook my head in the street to coincide with my thoughts—I dare not think now what passers-by made of my lunacy. I felt dirty, ashamed, uncomfortable, drunk, and penitent about what had just taken place in the men’s toilet back at the Ewe’s Head.I kept asking myself whilst waiting for the train: Should I have done it? Will I be able to face him again? Did anyone guess what we’d done? The answer that kept reoccurring was: I don’t know. Oh it was such a muddle. The blasted train finally arrived twelve minutes late—but no surprises there. I sat down opposite some boy and let my head fall against the grimy windo
Nathan and Susan drive on to the direction of Bradburtshire, with glimpses of rolling green slopes when the gaps in the tall hedges gave them a view. They came to a point where the road descended into a village. Susan was the one who was driving for the second half after they had switched places. She drove slowly now, staring ahead.“Funny sort of place,” she commented,” I don’t happen to see any gorge about which this place has been so talked about.” Nathan who had been dozing until now and dreaming about his romantic interludes quickly woke up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and looked around.“Are you sure that we got the right place?” asked Nathan as he looked around again.“Yes, the map says that we are here. No mistake,” replied Susan.The village was indeed strange. On either si
“Well…… no!” the old woman admitted reluctantly as she said,” Baron’s rock hid who did her in. She was standing well back from a rock platform. Took me once up there in her car. “Don’t ever go near the edge, Dorothy. I don’t,” she says to me. I climbed there up a day later. Platform was covered with blood. They cleaned that up.”“Was there a strong wind that day?” asked Susan, finally intrigued hearing details of the murdered woman.“Not even a bit of breeze.”“The police would check it out,” Nathan suggested gently. He did not want to spook the old woman with more questions about details,” And how long ago did this tragedy occur?”“About six years ago. And you are correct, the police did check it out,” said the old woman in a
Even though Lancelot was worried because of the note and the man who had just met him while coming back home he could not help but notice that there was a new Honda Civic standing outside The Crest’s. As far as he was aware of no one new should not have come to visit because the showing of the properties and the houses did not start until next two weeks. There was still a bit of final paperwork which had been left and he needed to check upon it.As far as he knew this was not a usual tourist or holiday spot as well, so who would show up suddenly like this?But that was not the important matter that he needed to think about. At first Lancelot thought of sharing this with his father and ask help from him regarding that but then he remembered that his father would probably shoot him all by himself and he did not need that as of now. He preferred to stay alive and that too by a great extent.
Nathan and Susan freshened up after their lunch and they were going out on their way to meet Lord Billington when Bertie, the landlord appeared full of apologies.“I am afraid that I misled you both about His Lordship. He still has two of his younger daughters living with him at Bradburt Manor. And he also has a younger son called Lancelot. He has been trying for years to get the son as a male heir to carry on his name but it seems that the Lordship’s son is not at all interested in the matter and now it might seem that he has lost his enthusiasm for the idea. And I fear that I also misled you about the Lordships’s third daughter,” said Bertie.“In what way, exactly?” asked Susan. Even though this should not have been up for discussion but it seemed really odd to hear that.“She did not walk out with her elder sisters. They think that s
“Bill have you heard? Did someone tell you that you need to be at the crime scene as soon as possible? I mean, you need to get the fresh evidence right?” asked Commander and Bill felt that his ears would burst at the volume of his voice.“Boss….it is four in the morning and definitely an ungodly hour. Then why on earth are you screaming like hell?” asked Bill as he started pulling his boots over his feet.“Right right…my wife has been complaining her whole life that my pitch is high but right now you need to go to that crime scene as soon as possible. Chop chop,” said his boss and Bill rolled his eyes.“Yes boss I am all decked up and going to sing Deck the Halls on the way to my scene of crime,” said Bill as he spewed the sarcastic comment out loud before he could think what he was saying,&
“You are so welcome here, Mr. Frost. A visitor of great importance who arrived at Bradburtshire yesterday ad is staying at the Crest’s,” said the huge man in a booming voice.He smiled warmly as he shook Nathan’s hand and then turned towards Susan to shake hers.“I must be losing my manners, dear me, I should have greeted you first, Ms. Rollo, the delightful and enigmatic assistant to Mr. Frost. Mr. Frost’s brilliant aide-de-camp,” said the man with a charming smile. And Susan could not help but wonder if this man was Lord Billington.“Lord Billington?” she queried in a small voice. Even after trying to be coquettish like Nathan had advised her, her voice came out stronger than to be expected. She tensed her hand hoping that it would crushed in that giant bear paw of his but instead he held her hand gently and squeezed it so
Nathan’s POVI will always remember the barn. How could I ever forget it? It was a big, corrugated iron one, dull with age and with no windows on the lower level and just one at each end, up in the gable. Tall narrow windows that let light into the loft, while below the barn was dark and silent, cluttered and filled with dust. But I didn't know that when I first saw it. I came upon it slowly as I emerged onto the top of the mountain, after a steep climb from the bay below, which had taken me through the untouched forest of the National Park. And I came at it from the rear, seeing the high window lit with the full afternoon sun, and I saw him there caught in the sun, naked and golden, like some lost angel. Perched up there on the windowsill with his arms spread wide hanging on to the frame. He is the reason I remember the barn so well. I stopped there, breathing hard, recovering from the climb, and
This is getting to be familiar territory, Susan thought as they entered the corridor and turned to go towards the library. They knocked politely, turned the handle and then gradually descended down the steps. In his smoking jacket Lord Billington sat there crouched over a table occupied by the game of chess in progress. He frowned.“My dear chap. Welcome…. And also to you, Susan. The frown was about me being puzzled by the state of the game. Join me for a few moves, eh, Frost?” asked the earl.He waited for Nathan patiently as he toured the board from all angles. Sitting opposite to Billington, he moved one of his pawns. Billington looked perplexed.While waiting Nathan picked up the imposing Queen. He used a clean handkerchief to wipe off the wwaist a tiny mark. Then he placed her back on the board.“She is a heavy lady,”
After more valuable conversation with Acheson, Nathan left the table and headed with Susan for the garage. Once inside the car he stared straight ahead and then just sat there without even saying a thing without moving.“Billions and billions, MacArthur said that the moor is worth and Neville Guise offers Lord Billington only one million for this entire property like this. He must have been furious when Acheson sent him that phoney report through that courier--- and returned the huge fee that Guise had sent him, rather paid him…”“Which is why he tried to kill Acheson that day in the moor. That night I mean,” said Susan as her eyes widened with the realization,” He spotted the fake. We will now drive over to Bradburt Manor and I would like to have a conversation with Lord Billington on an immediate basis.”“But he will be asleep
The dining room was very quiet. Few tables were occupied. Acheson was at a table inside a secluded alcove. He waved. As Nathan and Susan sat on either side of him he took out a package nicely wrapped with a bow and all out of the pocket of his tropical drill jacket, and handed it to Susan.“I have never been able to properly thank you for saving my life up on the moor.. Otherwise I would not be here tonight. Just a small gift,” said Acheson with a smile and gratitude shining in his eyes.Susan took it gingerly. It had been quite long that she had been presented with gifts from men. And now that she had it she was not sure any longer. She opened the gold wrapping paper which was gauzy and then the green soft coloured paper underneath and took out an expensive leather case.Taking a deep breath she unfastened the case and gasped.Inside was a
“This map,” Marley started speaking,” I have obtained from a mariner friend high up in his service. They know of the island’s existence but do not know that the island belongs to that bastard, Neville Guise. Here goes….”From the cardboard roll he extracted a large map, spreading it to flatten it. Susan immediately recognized it as showing the west coast of Brittany, the Channel Islands with vast stretch of the Atlantic with another island well west to the Channel Islands group. The island was circled in red.Near the bottom of the large sheet was another map, a detailed outline of the map of Roab. A drawing on this map showed steep cliffs and a section of dotted lines shaped like a triangle with the narrowed apex ending at the gulch. Marley pointed the dotted lines projecting into the Atlantic.“That’s a trap,” he explaine
The pleasant maid had cleared away the breakfast clutter that the three of them had made altogether, but Susan was still puzzled by Nathan’s reply. Another factor entered her mind, she looked across the bed where Nathan’s note pad was still open and Nathan was studying it.“Island of Roab. Could that be somewhere important? I mean, somewhere remote out in the Atlantic?”“All great minds think alike,” he smiled,” I was just wondering about that myself.”“And there is a strange item in the paper. Something about the Asiatic pirates who grabbed an oil tanker about a few months back, fully laden. Do you think that this could be connected with that?” asked Jane who was also trying to contribute in the best way that she could, given that she had missed out on a lot of the investigation in the past few days.
The stranger strolled casually into the parking lot. It was dark and, despite the fact that it was Saturday and there were several bars around, the parking lot was not busy at 10:45. She would be getting out of the library soon and he wanted to be ready for her. He slipped a small screwdriver from his pocket and knelt by her license plate. He quickly removed the one screw, catching her spare key as it fell to the ground. He replaced the screw and let himself into her car. In the back seat he took a few other things out of his pocket; a small cloth, folded thick, a tiny bottle, a gag and some lengths of rope. He grinned. She was going to be surprised. He settled himself to wait. Another 10 minutes and her work would be done. He must've dozed because the pinging of her remote starter startled him and he almost sat upright. He slouched down further as the locks popped up. "Lazy bitch," he thought. "What's so hard about turning the
Susan looked at his expression of listening to every word she said had returned. She concluded finally the story with her walking away from the cottage with the crooked chimney and she had already earlier told about Jane’s rescue.“I am sorry,” said Susan,” I should have never take the risk without…”But Nathan was fuming and he could not help any longer. He finally burst out.“Wrong!!” he exploded. “ You were right and I have been a fool from the very beginning not hearing what you had to say. Have I not told you earlier that any of my members of the team that they must use their initiative? Which you have done and I must say that you have done successfully and admirably. And I am glad that you did not wait for the team and brought Jane back yourself. Otherwise we would have been missing a very crucial piece of information
“I think we ought to have a full breakfast up here,” said Nathan as he picked up the phone and said,” I am ordering it.” His voice was firm.“Won’t the landlord think that it is funny that I am in your suite so early?” she ventured.“Mr. Barnie has been running this place long enough, I am sure. So in his time it is an honest thing that he must have seen or he will be quite used to serving breakfasts to men who have spent night with a lady friend.. Par for the course.”Over the phone he ordered for a huge breakfast for three people, to be served in twenty minutes. Tea, more coffee, a carafe of creamer, since Jane took hers with cream and sweet, toasts, marmalade, scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, toasted muffin…“We will both be in a fighting fit after that,” he said refilling Susan&rs