Death at Knytte Read Online Free PDF Page B

side. ‘At least we have one piece of good news for Sir Martin. What did that man give you? I assume we’ve recovered a little of what has been stolen.’
    ‘I’d rather have taken the man than the goods,’ the sergeant said sourly. ‘That’s what I was sent here to do. Given another minute that poxy rogue might have told me something useful. He was asking about a market for something special.’ He reached within his rags and pulled out the package he’d been given, untying the string that secured the contents, and unfolding a piece of soft leather to reveal a black velvet bag. Gesturing to Docket to hold out his hands, the sergeant carefully poured the contents into them.
    The last flickering light from the fire sent bright shards of colour cascading from the stones that dropped into the young man’s palms. Docket gasped. His hands were almost overflowing with rich red rubies, white glittering diamonds and a scatter of blue and green, from sapphires and emeralds. Amurmur arose from the men who’d abandoned their task to edge closer, fascinated by the sight of a fortune in precious gems.
    Beddowes jerked his head and the two men moved further away before returning the loot to the bag. ‘Here, pretend to put it out of sight, then pass it back to me,’ Beddowes muttered, thrusting the packet at Docket.
    ‘Don’t you trust me, Sergeant?’ Looking annoyed, Docket did as he was asked, delivering the package back to Beddowes once he was sure the manoeuvre couldn’t be seen. ‘I’d assumed we’d go to Clowmoor House together at first light.’
    ‘I’m not going to Sir Martin. Don’t you see? If we return these jewels to their owners then we’ll lose any hope of catching the thieves. Of course, if his lordship decides that’s what he wants then I’ll obey his wishes. I can’t say I’d be sorry to lose these rags and get a decent meal inside me, but I’ve no wish to let the beggars go free.’
    ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘This little debacle will have put our villains on their guard. There’s just a chance, if I return their loot to them, that they might be persuaded to trust me again. That’s if I can find them, because you can be sure they won’t turn up at the rendezvous we arranged.’
    ‘No, they’ll be sure you betrayed them. Sergeant, you can’t seriously intend to try and keep up the pretence? Not after tonight? They’re sure to blame you for what happened, what other possible explanation could there be for their walking into a trap?’
    ‘I’ll need to come up with something, and fast,’ Beddowes conceded, scratching his head unthinkingly, before looking with disgust at his filthy broken fingernails. ‘Who coughed? Another minute and I’d have downed our man, and by now we’d all be on our way back to our beds.’
    ‘I set his lordship’s chief gamekeeper to find out,’ Docket replied. ‘Woodham, come over here and tell us who ruined our night’s work for us.’
    Woodham was a short square man; as they set up the trap he’d treated Beddowes with a lack of respect that bordered on contempt, but Sir Martin’s head gamekeeper was meek and obedient now, standing before his master’s secretary with a look of unease on his blunt features.
    ‘Well, it’s like this, sir,’ he began, twirling his cap nervously between his fingers. ‘We was a bit short of men, what with Abe Lidden and his bad back, and Tom Pencarne’s boy going off to join the navy so sudden. I asked around at the market in Trembury, and this chap was eager for a night’s work. Said his name was Bragg, and he’d worked for Mr Detreath at Clow Head, until the mine closed. He looked to be down on his luck, but he seemed a reliable sort, so I agreed to take him on. I told him I’d see how it went, and maybe put in a word with his lordship about taking him on proper like. Fact is though, he seems to have run off in all the kerfuffle. Nobody’s seen hide nor hair of him since them shots were fired.’
    ‘You