Page 86 of Betrayal from Beyond
“Tom Hawkins?” he said even louder. “It’s Sedwick. I’m looking for Harold.”
No answer.
Giving in to frustration, Niall gave the door a thundering pounding, to no avail. With a sigh, he turned and left the building. He would find a vantage point nearby where he could wait and watch.
He hoped Kara was having better luck.
“Niall?”
Joy and relief flooded through him. “Harold!”
The boy was crossing the street, running toward him. With a whoop, Niall scooped the lad up into a crushing embrace.
He felt Harold stiffen a moment in surprise, before the lad squeezed him back.
Letting out a whoosh of relief, Niall released him, not wanting to overly compromise the growing boy’s dignity. “Thanks be to all of the gods. You scared us witless, lad.”
“How did you even know I was gone?” the boy asked, baffled.
“Turner.”
“Oh.” Harold seemed to take it for granted that Turner could be responsible for all things difficult or miraculous.
Because it was so often true.
“What happened?” Niall asked. “What are you doing here? Did Preston force you to come?” For the first time, he really looked at the boy. “And what in blazes are you wearing?”
Harold curled his hands proudly around the tattered edges of his bedraggled coat. “Beggar’s clothes,” he answered proudly. “I’m in disguise.”
“So I see. Where did you get such an…authentic disguise?”
“Off an old mate of mine. I gave him enough coin for a couple of nights in a dosshouse, and in exchange, he let me borrow his coat, hat, and blanket.” The boy looked up and down the street. “Come on,” he urged Niall. “I’ll show you the spot I’ve been watching from.”
Niall followed him back to the other side of the street. “Well, if you are watching Preston, then I must surmise that he didn’t force you to leave Bluefield.”
“Oh, no!” The boy sounded proud and excited. “He don’t even know I saw him there, but I came upon him in the grounds, stickin’ to the shadows, sneakin’ his way to the lab.” Harold stopped and ducked into a narrow alley between two homes. He took a deep breath and made an effort to drop the street slant to his words. “I’m watching from here. It’s got a good view of the front of the house.” He raised a hand. “And before you ask, there is a gate in the back garden that leads into an alley, but only the landlady has a key. She doesn’t want her boarders going in or out that way. She likes to keep track of them.” He grinned. “I’ve been thorough. Just the way you taught me.”
Niall knew he had never given Harold lessons in surveillance, but he hadn’t had to. If the lad applied the lessons he learned from them to the skills he’d learned in his early life, well, hewould likely become a force to be reckoned with as he grew. “And how did you discover the landlady’s preferences?”
Harold shrugged. “People like to talk. Especially about their neighbors.”
Hiding a grin, Niall glanced back toward Preston’s lodging house. “Well, tell me all, then. What happened after you found Preston skulking toward the lab?”
“I listened when he went in to talk with Tom.” Harold raised a defensive hand. “He was definitely skulking, and he had not gone to the house to announce himself, so I didn’t feel guilty about it.”
“And what did you hear?”
“He didn’t want Tom to stay at Bluefield. He said Petra must surely be having the place watched. Preston told him that the woman had come to him, making threats against Tom.”
“What was Tom’s response?”
“Tom didn’t want to hear it. He had no wish to leave. Leastways, not until Preston told him he might be putting everyone at Bluefield in danger. Then he agreed to go, but he didn’t like a bit of it. Preston said he knew a place to hide him.”
“So they went, and you followed?”
“I wanted to know where Tom would be.” Harold hesitated. “And there was something else.”
Niall waited while the lad gathered his thoughts.
