Revenge of the Brotherhood (Book 3 in the Tom & Laura Series) Read Online Free PDF

was using as a guide on how the lock worked.
    “Dolt’s only changed one number,” he said with considerable satisfaction. Even being able to see the tumblers didn’t make it easy to see what was going on as there was so much metal getting in the way. But with Trelawney’s combination to start with, it only took him three tries to get the safe door open.
    The safe contained several boxes as well as a lot of money. The folded five pound notes gave Tricky pause. This was more money than he’d seen in his life. It took him an effort to ignore them and investigate the boxes. The boxes contained manila folders marked with different colored stripes. It was only when he got down to the bottom of the last box that he found the folder with the blue stripe.
    Tricky put everything back the way he had found it. His fingers lingered over the money, ‘surely nobody would miss one?’ Making up his mind, he closed the safe and replaced the picture.
     
    “We have decided on your first mission,” Annelise told Cam.
    “Good, I was wondering when I would get to serve the Empire,” Cam replied in fluent German. If anything, she had a slight Bavarian accent.
    Annelise passed a Daguerreotype picture to her. She recognized it instantly and it was hard to suppress a gasp.
    “You know him?”
    “He looks a little bit like my father. Surely he is too old to be dangerous?”
    “That is Sir Ernest Trelawney; he was once the Director of Military Magic Department Three in the British Empire. He was dismissed in disgrace after a recent mission. The mission was a success, but the British like to punish success just as much as they praise failure.”
    “Why bother with him now?”
    Annelise looked serious and put her hand on Cam’s. “Ingrid, you are young and naïve. We are not the only people who prey on the British Empire. There is an organization that eats at it from within that is known as the Brotherhood. We do business with them from time to time and now they want this man dead.”
    “We kill this man so they are in our debt?”
    Annelise nodded. “He is getting married in less than three weeks. You speak perfect English and will be able to attend the wedding without attracting attention. You will kill Trelawney and his bride during the ceremony.”
    Cam nodded and then looked puzzled. “How will I get out without getting caught?”
    “That will be down to your ingenuity. We have no time for agents who cannot look after themselves.”
     
    Baxter settled down in his chair while Harris poured them a drink.
    “So Snood is in France or possibly Brittany. Can he speak French?”
    Harris handed him a glass and sat in one of the comfortable leather chairs that edged the wall. “Spellbinders write their spells in Latin. That’s pretty close to French.”
    “I found Trelawney’s premise that Snood changed himself into a dolphin highly unlikely.”
    Harris shook his head. “There were rumors that Snood was a better Spellbinder than his grade suggested. It’s as good a theory as any.”
    “I’ll write a letter tonight. Inform the Elders and let them decide what to do. Given our plans, I can’t take the time out to track him down.”
    “You note our bigger problem?” Harris asked.
    “Of course. Trelawney still has agents reporting directly to him. ‘Saw an article in a French newspaper,’ indeed. He probably had the story planted by the agent who spotted Snood. The Elders have told me not to worry about Trelawney, but I think I may have no choice.”
    The two men sat in silence for awhile. Baxter noticed something and sat up straighter in his chair.
    “Does that painting look askew to you?”
    He pointed at the large painting that hid the safe. Harris looked at the painting and shrugged.
    “Probably knocked by the cleaners.”
    “You may be right.” Baxter sat back in his chair, but his pig-like eyes continued to stare at the painting suspiciously.
     
    Tricky handed the folder to Belinda while the choir practiced hymns in