Midnight Fire by TJ Green

Author:TJ Green [TJ Green]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mount0live Publishing
Published: 2022-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

Breakfast, Niel decided, felt more like a council of war. It was fortunate that the food was excellent, or he might have complained about the subject matter.

Harlan, Shadow, and his brothers were all dressed casually in either khakis or jeans, but Theo wore a shirt, trousers, and plaid waistcoat. They were sitting around a wooden table in an informal dining room on the ground floor of the castle that overlooked the moat. The windows were open wide to welcome in the warm breeze, and he could hear the gentle lap of the water against the stone walls.

Harlan was scowling at the other end of the table, having just described his encounter with Nicoli. “Unfortunately,” he said, savagely buttering his toast, “I don’t think that Nicoli did plant the bombs. Jackson was right. It’s not his style.”

“Any idea who might have?” Gabe asked. He looked calm and in control, despite the events of the previous few hours. Gabe did not rattle easily.

“Not yet. I’m running through potential rivals. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, none of them are usually this overtly violent.”

“A new player?” Nahum asked.

“Perhaps. Or an old one that is very motivated.”

Theo was twirling his moustache, and despite his obvious worry, was looking more animated this morning. “I shall just be much happier when the police have searched the house today. The thought of there being a bomb in here is quite terrifying.”

Niel stared at him, bacon halfway to his mouth. “And yet you didn’t want to move out last night?”

“Absolutely not! I will not be driven from my home by these thugs!” He banged the table with his fist.

Niel had to give the old man credit. He was belligerent, and not easily intimidated. Not many would be willing to stick around after two bombs had exploded on his property.

“As much as I would like to investigate the possibility of hidden rooms in this house,” Ash said, “I think that would be a bad idea until the whole place has been thoroughly investigated.”

“You think something else is hidden here?” Shadow asked.

“It’s possible. The blade was hidden here. I doubt the treasure will be, though.”

Niel snorted. “No. That would be far too easy.”

“There might be other clues to its whereabouts, though.”

Theo’s fingers drummed on the table. “But don’t forget that I have refurbished much of this castle over the years. I found a priest hole in one of the bedrooms, but that would have been added much later. Most of the cellars were converted to the cinema room, and all have been damp-proofed.” He grimaced. “The moat makes life difficult.”

A thought struck Niel. “The moat is original, then?”

“Oh, yes. It was part of the original castle.”

Niel peered out of the window at it. The water looked black in the shadow of the building, the sun still behind it at this hour. It looked low as a result of the recent dry weather, and he could see where the water level had been. The stones that were revealed were old and stained with lichen and mosses.

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