A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

CHAPTER ONE

Niall leaned back in his seat and crossed his booted feet. His colleagues were sitting in almost identical positions and were either staring at Oliver, who sat at the head of the table, or their feet, which rested on the table. What they weren’t doing was looking at each other because none of them wanted to do anything that would make them the focus of Oliver’s hawkish attention. He was looking for a volunteer and none of them were willing to be it.

“Will you just get on with it?” Phillip snapped when the tension began to turn ominous. “I have got people to meet, and a life to live.”

“I don’t want this blasted job any more than you do,” Oliver growled.

“Someone has to do it,” Will snorted.

“I won’t,” Niall declared flatly.

“We have to make a few decisions,” Oliver interrupted before anyone else could remove themselves from sorting out the problems the Star Elite now faced.

“About what?” Niall prompted when Oliver turned his attention to what was written on the paper in his hand and seemed to forget they were all still waiting.

“Oliver,” Will snapped, rapping his knuckles on the table in a rapid tattoo to try to get his colleague’s attention.

Oliver sighed and looked pointedly at Will when he became distracted by his hunger and bit noisily into an apple. He began to munch while he stared blankly at the floor beyond Niall’s shoulder. Outwardly Will was the epitome of bored male, but Oliver knew that Will had a fierce temper and was apt to leave if he was delayed much longer. Everyone was eager to get on with the Star Elite’s current investigation, not least because the lives of young women were at risk. Each day of delays and wrong turns was another day when the young women who had been snatched from the streets of Leicestershire and Derbyshire didn’t make it home.

“It’s about Sir Hugo, isn’t it?” Niall asked because their boss, Sir Hugo, was usually the man who led such meetings.

“What’s happened?” Will prompted when Oliver ran a weary hand down his face.

Oliver’s reticence was starting to worry everyone, who lowered their boots from the table and sat a little straighter in their seats as they waited.

“As you know, our target has disappeared. Claude Smidgley was living at his nephews’ house but left as soon as they were arrested,” Oliver began.

“We know all of this,” Niall grunted. “Not long after Smidgley disappeared, Sir Hugo vanished as well. Has anybody heard from him yet?”

“No, but last night I received a special request, and it comes from the highest in the War Office, so none of us are in a position to refuse to do it.” Oliver threw a pointed look around the men, who now all looked wary.

Everyone remained still.

Oliver took a deep breath. “I have received word from the local lads that Claude Smidgley was last seen heading toward Gloucestershire. Peregrine is

giving chase and has already sent word back that Smidgley is heading toward a small town called Micklemine. That was two days ago. He hasn’t sent another report yet, so we have to assume he has not moved on.”

“Does Claude have any contacts in Gloucestershire?” Harry leaned forward in his seat and braced his elbows on the large kitchen table they were all gathered around.

Their temporary safe house was just like any other, although was large enough to accommodate several men, and isolated enough that they could come and go at all hours of the day and night and not be noticed. Unfortunately, right now, it was the deathly silence within the isolated house that put everyone even more on edge.

“No. We have it on good authority that the bosses of the War Office don’t think Smidgley is on his way to meet contacts who can help him hide. That would be a hell of a lot easier for us, but nothing in this investigation has been easy. Unfortunately, our already difficult investigation is going to get a lot worse,” Oliver informed them dourly.

“How?”