Chapter 5
That voice belonged to Claire's personal maid, Linda, the one who never left Claire's side.
My blood turned to ice. My heart nearly stopped.
Linda? How did she find this place? How could she possibly know?
Through the gap beneath the bed, I could see her smug face as she stood outside, pointing at the room and grinning at the lead officer.
Linda said, "Right here, sir. I saw it with my own eyes. That woman Helen, bold as brass, clutching that little brat and drifting into this courtyard like a ghost."
The officer scowled. "A dead woman running around with a dead baby? You'd better not be wasting my time."
She was annoyed. "I swear it's true! Claire always said Helen was full of tricks and played at being mysterious. She has to be hiding in that room."
The officer's eyes hardened. He gave a sharp wave. "Search it."
The guards stormed in like a pack of hounds, turning the place inside out. Tables overturned, chairs kicked aside. Chaos everywhere.
Two guards held Grace and James at knifepoint.
Grace's eyes glistened with tears, but she didn't dare make a sound.
James, however, stayed calm. He raised his voice. "Officers, mind telling me whose warrant gives you the right to break into a private home?"
The lead officer sneered. "Sheriff's orders. We're hunting fugitives. Everyone else, clear out."
James didn't flinch. "Fugitives? Since when is a barrister and an elderly woman a threat to the Crown?"
He pressed on, his voice steady but sharp. "If you have a warrant, show it. Let's see it."
That hit home. The officer's face flickered. There was no warrant, only a fat envelope from the Hayes family and a promise to look the other way.
He tried to bluster. "Enough! The Sheriff's office doesn't answer to some barrister."
Then he barked at his men. "Search everywhere. Under the bed, too."
My heart slammed against my ribs. A guard was already moving toward me, sword drawn.
Andrew stirred in my arms, his tiny face crumpling, ready to cry.
I clamped my hand over his mouth, pulling him tight against my chest.
Please, baby. I begged Andrew silently, hoping he didn't make a sound.
My eyes were burning with tears I refused to let fall.
The guard bent down to look.
Then James roared. "Try it."
He wrenched free from the guards holding him and planted himself in front of the bed, blocking the way.
He pointed at the officer, his voice ringing with authority. "This is my friend's private residence.
"You have no warrant. No evidence. You've already broken the law by forcing your way in. Do you really want to add assault to the list?"
His eyes blazed. "I'm James Mason. Tomorrow morning, I'll be at the High Court filing charges against every man here. We'll see if the law still means something in this city."
His words carried weight.
The guards faltered. Barristers like James didn't make empty threats. They had connections. And the High Court didn't take kindly to officers who played dirty.
If things really got out of hand, they'd be the first to take the fall.
The lead officer hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face.
Linda shrieked. "Don't listen to him! He's stalling.
"She's under that bed. I know it!"
Before anyone could move, everything changed.
The gate crashed open with a deafening bang.
A tall figure stepped into the courtyard, his presence sucking the warmth from the air. Sunlight framed him in shadow, but I knew that silhouette. I had loved it once.
Now it filled me with dread.
It was Philip Hayes.