Chapter One #2
Legally, they hadn’t enough proof to involve the police.
The detective they hired had been a police officer and quickly informed them they would have to find enough evidence of wrongdoing to try and have the man charged.
It had been suggested they get the ring from Crenshaw, but that could only be done by force as Crenshaw must know the ring had belonged to Arthur’s father.
There was an inscription inside the ring from the first duke, and if Crenshaw had seen it, he wouldn’t give it up without a fight.
A couple of reliable men could be hired for the task.
Crenshaw would, of course, quickly figure out who was behind that.
The other way would be to make it appear a robbery.
He would be suspicious of them, but he would have no proof it was them behind it.
Arthur was afraid if they did manage to get Crenshaw into custody, he’d be full of excuses of how he came into possession of the ring.
All might be seen as plausible. The Crown prosecutor would have to be tough and show the court their evidence, though slim, that Crenshaw had indeed taken part in the deaths of his parents.
He would go over his thoughts, share them with Graham before any decisions were made.
It would be worth their time to go to Liverpool and speak with their man, but if they did, they’d risk Crenshaw seeing them.
After he and Graham spoke, he would write a letter and discuss his thoughts of what he viewed needed to happen.
Taking a second plate of food, he walked to his desk to begin a missive to Hawksbury.
See if they couldn’t meet for a ride in the morning with the purpose of getting his friend’s thoughts on this.
Hawksbury was married to Arthur’s sister and was handling her interest in finding the killer or killers.
They could also discuss this mysterious gray horse and rider and where they came from.
Since his estate was next to Hawksbury’s, it was always possible the horse had wandered onto his lands as well.
Before he knew it, Arthur had not only finished his letter to his friend, but he’d also taken care of anything else needing his immediate attention. He rose from his desk as he and Roddy left in search of the butler.
*
Arthur met Hawksbury the following morning at a lone rowan tree the pair always used as a meeting spot on Arthur’s estate.
He’d ridden his favorite mount, Midnight.
The horse was not only black as night with no markings, but he was also tall and muscular.
Midnight was the sort of horse that had to be ridden daily or his temperament would turn.
If that happened, no one was safe from his ill temper.
Upon seeing his friend sitting his horse beneath the shade of the tree, Arthur reined in the stallion, slowing him down as they approached.
“You haven’t been waiting long, I hope,” he said as he walked his horse under the canopy of the rowan.
“No, not at all.”
“You haven’t caught that gray with or without their rider, have you?”
Graham shook his head. “No. The beast has not been on my estate. Not that we know of.”
“I plan to begin visiting estates on the off chance the gray lives close by.”
“I’m sure the horse lives close. It obviously knows its way home,” Graham said as he urged his horse to begin walking.
Arthur followed as they began to walk to the large meadow. “I’ve instructed everyone at my stables to be on the lookout for the gray, and if they can catch it, bring it back to the stable.”
“Good idea. Lure the owner out once and for all.”
“Yes. Whoever they are, they are reckless,” Arthur said. “Any place in particular you should like to go?”
“No, I’ll leave that to you today. And yes, this rider is reckless and needs to be stopped.”
“Why don’t we ride over to the lake. Men have been clearing and cleaning it up like you did at your lake.”
“I wanted Roxanne and me to have a place we could go and have total privacy,” Graham said with a cocky smile on his face. He grinned at his friend even wider. “It was totally worth it, too.”
“I can imagine. I’m glad the two of you found each other because I haven’t seen her this happy in years.”
Graham grunted his reply.
“Come on; let’s stretch these two’s legs,” Arthur said, urging Midnight forward into a canter.
He had brought Roddy along but hadn’t seen him except for a tail.
He was always off chasing something. The setter came bounding out of nowhere when he heard the change in the horses’ gait.
He stayed at a steady pace, keeping up with the two horses, and unless something caught his attention elsewhere, he didn’t miss a stride.
Slowing down to a walk to allow the two horses time to rest from their run, Arthur began to tell his friend what their man had been able to find out about Crenshaw. He agreed they didn’t need to make a trip to Liverpool on speculation they might run into Crenshaw.
“Let’s leave it to the professionals. I think we need to see if what we have on Crenshaw is enough to at least pick him up for questioning,” Hawksbury said.
“I agree. If we don’t have enough, we can reevaluate what we do have.”
Hawksbury stopped his horse and turned towards Arthur. “The man simply can’t be allowed to get away with murder.”
“Agreed, and he won’t if we have anything to say about it.”
“Shall I send word to our man and have him move forward?” Arthur asked.
His friend nodded. “Yes. The sooner we can put this behind us, the better. I know Roxanne will breathe easier.”
The pair slowly continued their journey to Arthur’s lake.
Recent rains had made the meadow and surrounding land a lush green.
Soon, though, autumn would set in and the transformation would begin.
Everything would be rushed to get the fields picked for the last time and readied for next spring, and fruit trees would be picked to make jams and pastry filling.
Buildings and cottages would be readied for winter.
It was a cycle of life like it had been for generations past and would be for generations to come.
Both men’s estates were self-sustaining.
Finally, the lake came into view. It was a fair size, though some might think of it as a pond.
There was plenty of room for small boats to take people on a leisurely ride around the perimeter.
As they rode closer, Arthur could see a small group of three men cutting back some heavy growth on the other side.
They were almost finished with this monumental task.
“It looks a lot nicer than mine,” Graham grunted. “But then my wife wanted things a certain way since she likes spending time there.”
“Painting?” Arthur asked.
“That and sketching, and sometimes she photographs flowers and trees and the occasional bird.”
“I imagine Mary is one of her top subjects,” Arthur said with a chuckle at the thought of his sister trying to get a squirming infant to be still.
Mary was Graham’s bastard who had been left at his door.
Since then, he and Roxanne had been raising her, and Arthur had seen a softer side of his friend he hadn’t seen in a while.
“Every month she takes a new photograph. Sometimes, if the weather is good, she photographs her outside in the garden.”
Arthur whistled for Roddy. The dog came running out of whatever tall grass he’d found to Arthur’s side. The dog was that loyal.
“Never thought I’d see you bonding with a dog.”
“He’s a good distraction,” Arthur said. “I never realized how quiet the house was until Roxanne married you. He fills the silence with his antics.”
“I bet he does. Enjoy the quiet while you can. Marriage makes a lot of changes in one’s lifestyle.”
“I’m sure it does,” he replied as he urged his horse forward. “I think we need to check out the orchard. That is, if you have the time.”
Graham arched a brow. “I have nothing planned today.”
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Arthur and his stallion flew by, leaving him to follow in their dust, though there wasn’t any dust to be had.
Racing like this made Arthur think of the gray and their mysterious rider, but he and Graham weren’t reckless.
They knew the land like the back of their hands since they’d been riding here and on Graham’s estate since they were boys.