Free The de Vere Deception (David Thorne Mysteries Book 1) by Loy Ray Clemons Page B

quickly stepped inside to a darkened storage room. Knowing they would look for him in the alley or on adjacent streets, he felt around for a box, sat down, and waited.
     
    Roberts, upset at being given the slip, cursed and said, “There’s still a chance we can get him near the May Fair before he goes up to Stratford. If we miss him there we’ll get him in Stratford before he can do too much damage. In any case, our orders are to see he or Hollister doesn’t get a chance to find anything in the castle.”
                Kelly gave Roberts a puzzled look. “Hollister? Why is he—?”
                Roberts said, “Never mind. I’ll fill you in later."
     
    Thorne returned to the May Fair by a circuitous route and waited in a far corner of the lobby for the two men to appear. Fifteen minutes later he assumed he had shaken them, and  met Freddie for an early lunch in the dining room. Thorne had heard horror stories about English food, but had been pleasantly surprised at the quality of food at the May Fair. In his opinion it was as good as he found in the finest restaurants in the States.
                Freddie said, “Gil called and will meet you at the manor house in Stratford in a few days.  When would you be ready to travel up to Stratford?”
                “The alterations should be ready to pick up at Harrods on Monday.”
                “All right, I’ll be doing business here in London until then. In the meantime I’ll show you the sights of the city, if you like.”
                Thorne said, “I’m tired, but I suppose I should stay up until later tonight and get my internal clock started on England time.”
                “Good. Gil will send us a car and driver down from Stratford in a few days. In the meantime, you can visit the sights—or come with me on my visits to my publishers and distributers. We can have an early dinner this evening and I’ll have you back to the hotel and in your warm bed before nightfall.”
    Thorne nodded his agreement. He felt it best not to mention he had been followed when he left Harrods. He would have to be on guard. The two men who were shadowing him could know he was staying at the May Fair
     
    Roberts flipped open his cell phone as he and Kelly stood at a counter eating fish and chips. “Thorne gave us the slip when he came out of Harrods, but we’re in the process of following him now. He’s with Hollister and they’re just now leaving the hotel in a taxi. What do you want us to . . .?”
    He was silent as he listened before closing his cell phone. “Okay, if you say so.”
    Kelly asked, “What was all that about?”
    Roberts didn’t respond to Kelly’s question. Instead he dialed another number on his cell phone. “Danny? Vic Roberts here. I have a job for you and one of your men. Are you available?”
    Roberts gave instruction where he wanted to meet and closed his cell phone.
    Kelly asked again, “And . . . ?”
    “He wants us back in Stratford. We need to hire men here in London to take care of Thorne and Hollister on the road on their way back to Stratford.”
     
    The following Monday Roberts and Kelly sat in the back seat of a non-descript gray Vauxhall parked across from Harrods The driver finished smoking a cigarette and tossed it through the open window. In the passenger’s seat, Danny Graham, a young man barely out of his teens, was counting a stack of pound notes.
    He replaced the rubber band around the stack and put it in his pocket. “All right, Vic, what do you want me and Horst to do to these blokes?”
     
     

Chapter 16
     
     
    When Thorne picked up his clothing at Harrods, the gray Vauxhall was parked and waiting. As Horst Weigard started the engine and waited to follow the Bentley, Danny Graham said, “Hold back about three cars on the way up to Stratford, Horst. We’ll get them after they get out of the heavy traffic.’
     
    Thorne loaded the packages