The End.
CLOAK AND DAGGER (STAR ELITE) - THE HIGHWAY ROBBERY SERIES
BEGINS FEBRUARY 2020
Highway robbery in England? Never! It is preposterous. But too many reports of people being robbed in carriages by a gang of masked and cloaked thugs begin to surface and cause a stir amongst the Star Elite. The newest team members are on hand to try to capture the criminals responsible, however are plagued by a series of mysteries and problems which lead them to a completely different set of challenges to the ones they set out to resolve. Can they avoid matrimony to the various women they meet along the way, or will the highwaymen put an end to any possibility of future happiness for any of them?
Meet Albert (Don’t call him that or he will shoot you – it’s Al), Duncan, Elias, Gregory, Morgan, Reuben, Evan, Zachary, and Jarvis as they set about working together, and independently, to capture the men responsible for a series of brutal attacks which leave several people dead. Trained by experienced investigators in the Star Elite, the new team are trained for any eventuality their investigation might bring them. What they are not trained for is having to deal with the difficult women who interfere in the smooth running of their work. Can they find the highwaymen in Regency England before they claim another victim? Will the meddlesome women be helpful or a hindrance? Whatever happens, the Star Elite begin a new investigation and there is certainly going to be heartbreak and adventure along the way.
Excerpt…….
Duncan yawned widely and watched the latest arrivals walk through the door. Amidst the opulence of the boss’s office deep within the War Office he felt decidedly out of place, but that might have had something to do with his attire.
‘What the Hell are you wearing?’ Morgan demanded with a smirk.
Dungan grinned. ‘I am a chimney sweep today,’ he mused with a shrug. ‘I had to get into the house somehow.’
‘What did you find?’ Reuben asked as he slid into a chair at the long, highly polished table in the centre of the room and helped himself to a large dose of brandy.
‘Nothing. Apparently, the house has been empty for several years,’ Duncan sighed. ‘At least we have proven that it isn’t being used as a base for anything underhand.’
‘Good evening, gentlemen,’ Sir Hugo called as he strode into the room. He nodded at Zachary and Jarvis, who loitered beside the fireplace. ‘Take a seat.’
Evan was the last to arrive. He slid through the door and mumbled an awkward apology before sitting next to Sir Hugo. Eventually, all the men had gathered at the table.
‘Now, after the successful conclusion of the kidnapping organisation, I can safely confirm that all victims have now been accounted for and the culprits caught. The investigation is therefore closed.’
‘We know,’ Gregory replied.
Sir Hugo smiled briskly. ‘Justin, Angus, Aaron, Jasper, Oliver, Niall, Callum, and Phillip have all asked to establish a new regional branch of the Star Elite in Kent. Apparently, they find the climate there more to their liking.’ He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. ‘That means that you are our new London team and won’t get their experience or support on this new investigation.’
‘Are we all involved in this new investigation?’ Al interrupted.
‘Yes. We are going to need all the hands we can spare,’ Sir Hugo replied. ‘Have you read the newspapers lately?’
‘The winter is the coldest in a generation?’ Elias suggested.
Sir Hugo rested his elbows on the table and clasped his hands. ‘There has been a quite wealthy businessman on the Great North Road murdered. He was found with a knife in his back. It was assumed by the magistrate that it was just a random attack.’
‘It’s not?’ Al sat up a little straighter.
‘No. It is not. To date we have had six reports of people’s carriages being stopped and the occupants being relieved of their valuables. Money, jewels, guns, even clothing has been taken off the victims. Anything that can be of any use,’ Sir Hugo told them.
‘What in the Hell? This isn’t the 1500’s. We don’t have highwaymen anymore,’ Evan snorted.
‘Well, we have someone who is trying to bring them back into fashion apparently. Of the six carriages who have been stopped, three of them have had the occupants stripped of their valuables and their lives. Two of the occupants in the other carriages are still too seriously ill from the gunshot wounds they received during the robbery to talk to us. One is likely to die from their injuries. There is one who remains alive. He, only through the grace of God, managed to jump out of the carriage and disappear into the darkness before the highwaymen could kill him. The coachman was not so lucky and was shot in the head. However, what the victim has told us is that one highwayman was tall, cloaked, and wore a muffler. He actually said: ‘stand and deliver’ like they used to do in the olden days.’
‘Jesus,’ Zachary hissed.
‘It is being talked about all along the Great North Road. Taverns, shops, people are all gossiping about who it might be. Everyone is fearful of using the road. People are scared. The boss wants it stopped. We have a Royal procession heading north in six months’ time. It cannot be hindered. Naturally, those in hierarchy want the route secured. This highwayman must be caught, gentlemen. I don’t care what you do, where you go, or what you must do to make it happen. Put the bastard out of business, preferably before he takes any more lives.’
‘Is there any clue who it might be? Is there a particular area the robberies are happening? Has anyone disappeared?’ Evan asked.
Sir Hugo sighed. ‘We cannot ascertain if someone has been snatched because half the occupants of the robberies have been killed so cannot confirm if everyone is accounted for. There are rumours that the second carriage that was stopped had a young girl in it. A homeowner who lives near to the place where the carriage was robbed can distinctly remember hearing a woman scream. However, no trace of her has been found in the area and the locals have searched it twice. With regards to area, there is a twenty-five mile stretch along the Great North Road where all the incidents have happened. Someone lives near it to be able to strike it so frequently and disappear almost instantl
y. I will not tolerate a group of highwaymen, for God’s sake.’
‘Do we have any witnesses, other than this single victim of course?’