Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“Maybe he would be safer behind bars,” Rose shrugged.

Barnaby instinctively scoffed at the notion. Given that Sayers had valuable contacts behind bars, he would ensure that Mainton was ‘dealt with’ even in prison. It was no safer for a traitor in gaol. In fact, Mainton wouldn’t be able to escape Sayers’ clutches even under armed guard if Sayers had a mind to kill the man. Maybe Rose was right. Maybe Mainton was safer on the run. Unfortunately, he was now a hunted man. He was a veritable mind of information that was extremely valuable to the Star Elite, and someone Sayers wanted to silence forever. Barnaby couldn’t figure out which situation was best.

“Maybe you are right,” Barnaby murmured. “However, he is a criminal and needs to be behind bars. While he is free for now he has to live every day with the knowledge that Sayers, Chadwick, and others in Sayers employ, all want him dead. He has to live with the threat that he could be found one day, and will inevitably be murdered.”

“Not only that, but his sister will be murdered as well,” Rose said solemnly. “It is enough of a punishment on its own really, isn’t it?”

Barnaby lapsed into thoughtful silence while he thought about that. He had to admit that she was right. If only they could find out where Mainton was, and get there first they could ensure the man remained hidden, carried on with the life he had established away from crime, and hopefully create enough trouble for Sayers to focus his attention elsewhere. It would be for Sir Hugo to negotiate some bargain with Mainton to ensure he gave evidence to a judge in court when needed in lieu of a lighter prison sentence. At least the Star Elite would get the valuable facts they needed to break the crime syndicate up once and for all.

“Why were those men in the coal yard? I mean, it is miles away from London. It is an obscure place to meet,” Rose asked making a valiant attempt to shake off the melancholy that had settled over her.

“They are looking for Mainton,” Barnaby said simply. “It was a mere fluke that you came out onto the balcony at the same time that Chadwick caught up with his traitors.”

Rose hated to have to ask her next questions, but she did.

“Are they likely to know who you are, Barnaby?” Rose asked quietly.

Barnaby thought carefully. “I should like to say no, but in all honesty I am in just as much danger as you right now. I have to be honest with you Rose, of late Sayers always seems to be one step ahead of us. Since we arrested Chadwick’s brother a couple of months ago, and killed a man whom we thought was Sayers, we have always been one step behind the thug. We just don’t seem able to get a lead, or a break, or a kernel of information that would mean we are ready and waiting for Sayers to walk into a trap. It is so frustrating but has happened so often that we have all started to look for a reason.”

Rose thought about that but couldn’t offer him any solution. She had no idea what this Star Elite organisation was doing so couldn’t really offer any advice.

“How many of you are there? I mean, this Star Elite organisation, is it very big?”

Barnaby grinned. The transformation in his face was so startling that it stole her breath. She stared at him for a moment and watched the animation in his face in bemusement while he spoke about something he really cared about.

“There are about thirty of us but the numbers are growing each month. Some of my colleagues have married and moved into the smaller groups working in the Shires. The men who work in London are mainly single and able to move up and down the country at will.”

“Like this,” Rose sighed. It was evident from the enthusiasm in his tone that he loved what he did.

“Yes. It is an easier job to do if you are not married. This kind of work is incredibly dangerous,” he grinned at her. “As you know, you have to be able to move at a moment’s notice. That is difficult if you have a family to consider.”

“Yet your colleagues manage it,” she replied.

Barnaby shrugged. “They seem to have found their niche in life, yes.”

But it isn’t your niche, Rose thought but didn’t actually say the words.

Silence settled between them while she contemplated the impossible situation she was now in. While he had told her a lot about what he did, she knew absolutely nothing about him – the man. She wanted – no - yearned to ask but knew it was foolish to do so. While theirs was a relatively new acquaintance, she couldn’t contemplate what her life would be like without Barnaby in it and knew, even now, that she would miss him. To know everything about him, the man, would just make that loss even harder to bear. Clamping her lips firmly closed she turned her attention to his work. It was then that something dawned on her.

Barnaby had been watching the shifting emotions on her face as she cogitated over what he had told her. He had expected more questions abo

ut what his daily job involved but was surprised when she finally did speak.

“Do you plan to capture Chadwick?” she asked, well aware that someone like Chadwick wasn’t going to be put behind bars quietly. Neither could she ask Barnaby outright if he intended to kill the man.

“We are going to stay alive, Rose, whatever we have to do,” was all he said in reply. “However, Chadwick is far more valuable to us alive because he works so closely with Sayers and can identify him, so we need to get the man behind bars for questioning if we can.”

Rose didn’t know why but she heaved a sigh of relief. “Have you caught any of his other friends?”

“We caught Chadwick’s brother a couple of months ago but he died in prison from a heart attack not long after he was arrested. He was grossly overweight and had led a tough life. He got set on by a cell mate who took exception to Roger’s behaviour. Not long after the fight, Roger was found dead in his cell. The Coroner said he had died of a heart seizure.”

“Good Lord. He didn’t tell you what this Sayers looked like before he died?”

Barnaby shook his head. “We tried everything. We offered him a more lenient sentence, plenty of money, all sorts of things for his family, but he refused to tell us. He just kept saying that Sayers isn’t Sayers anymore.”

“Of course, the Russian Count,” she murmured with a nod.

“We think he is masquerading as a Russian count,” Barnaby prompted. “We just can’t be sure.”