Watson & the Countess 05 The Curse of the Singing Wolf by Anna Lord

Author:Anna Lord
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: murder, outlaw, france, wolf, sherlock, biarritz, Wolves, moriarty, cathar
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

13

Setting a Trap

Later that same evening Countess Volodymyrovna informed her two servants of the plan that had been hatched at the dinner table. She sent Xenia and Fedir back down to the kitchens to keep watch. It was ten minutes before eleven when the pair returned to the great hall to inform her that the other servants had taken themselves off to bed and that the doors leading into the courtyard from the kitchen, laundry room and scullery had been bolted. This was only slightly reassuring for the thought of a secret tunnel lingered at the back of everyone’s mind.

The return of Fedir and Xenia triggered a frenzy of activity. Bedding was dragged into the hall to create makeshift beds. Guns were checked and ammunition was counted.

“Don’t waste your bullets, gentlemen,” advised Reichenbach. “We don’t have an unlimited supply.”

“Are you thinking there will be more than one attack?” asked Dr Watson, thinking ahead to the next night and then the one after that with a terrible sinking feeling.

“It’s not something we can discount,” added the Baron grimly.

“Then we should aim to kill as many as possible tonight,” responded von Gunn. “I say an all-out assault should be our plan. Spare no bullets. Let Sarazan know we mean business.”

“How many brigands did Sarazan have?” posed the Countess. “You got the best look as they retreated, Colonel Moriarty. How many would you say?”

“I’d estimate there were about fifteen.”

“That’s not many,” said the Prince optimistically. “We should see them off easily. One bullet will have them fleeing down the stairs.”

“That’s not a good strategy,” countered the Colonel unequivocally. “We should let as many as possible enter the great hall before we open fire. If we allow them to flee back down the stairs we will not be able to follow without endangering our own lives. Once we break cover and give chase we are lost.”

“We also then open ourselves up to a long siege,” predicted the Countess. “Sarazan can sit it out for as long as it takes. He will simply wait for us to run out of ammunition or starve to death. I suggest one person gives the word to shoot. We should all hold fire until the signal is given.”

“I can do that,” volunteered von Gunn.

The Baron got his back up at once. “You have no military experience. Manufacturing munitions is not the same as leading a battle charge. My military record speaks for itself. My family history goes back to Charlemagne. I should give the signal.”

“You want to save bullets!” argued von Gunn vehemently. “You will simply wait until it is too late and the hall is flooded with brigands! And what has Charlemagne got to do with Sarazan?”

“I too have military experience,” chipped in the Prince in an attempt to take the heat out of the argument. “And though my family tree is not as illustrious as Reichenbach’s I know how to count to three.”

“This is serious,” interceded Moriarty, sensing further disagreement. “I can give the signal as I am unlikely to go off half-cocked.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.