William did just that. He scanned the text, reading what turned out to be a dismissal notice from service during wartime. It was dated 1940, and stamped, much like the telegram that Edward had shown him telling of Teddy’s death during World War Two.
He continued rooting through the draw until his hands found exactly what he was looking for: a stamp. William lifted the lid, and although the ink pad had dried, the symbol etched in rubber was clear.
It was the same stamp used on the letter supposedly from the government naming someone dismissed from active duty. It was the same symbol stamped on the telegram belonging to Edward.
There were more letters of the same, each with a different name. It was in some sort of alphabetical order. He already knew what he was looking for, so he continued searching and searching until he came across the first name he recognised.
“Andrew Dean,” William read aloud. “By declaration of Her Majesty’s loyal government, we declare Andrew Dean unfit for service…”
His eyes snapped up to the picture on the wall, where Andrew Dean stood in the middle of a sorry-eyed group, with Robert Thomas’s parents on either side of him.
“What’s that?” Edward muttered, barely able to get those two words out.
“I think I just found out the reason why no one from Stonewell served during World War Two.” William picked out the pile, spreading them all out across the table. He took it all in, scanning every name until he found another he recognised. “There’s one here for Robert as well. More for other names. Most of them are dated after Robert’s death…”
“So the Thomas family enjoy collecting official documents?” Edward asked. “Seems like an odd hobby. I thought stamps were more desirable for collectors…”
“No.” William pushed the pages around, scattering them on the floor. “No, this isn’t a collection. I think theyforgedthem. Edward, these are all fakes. Every last one of them.”
More family names stood out, the same ones etched into the brass plaque beneath the picture hanging on the wall. This is what Robert’s father was doing… forging documents for those he met with to keep them from fighting.
“I think… this group were forging documents to keep themselves safe,” William said, a seed of understanding blossoming in his gut. “There are loads of letters. The earliest dated in 1939 whilst the last one was in early 1941.”
“It… would make sense. If someone forged them, that is why there’s no official listing on government websites.”
“I think they forged Teddy’s telegram too.” All the evidence pointed to it. The paper, the stamp and the typewriter. It was all here – as well as the names of the men and woman involved in this strange group, all who happened to have children at the time of the war – children who evaded service. “This is the proof you wanted. Proof Teddy never left for the war like you first believed.”
But the realisation soon soured when William figured out the next part – Edward, too, because he spoke it aloud.
“So if they forged it, and knew Teddy never went, they knew he also never left Hanbury.”
William swallowed down the creeping bile, focusing on finding more information to piece this together.
“This is why the people in Stonewell didn’t want me here, isn’t it?” William asked, as he began rummaging through the final two drawers. In the second, he found a letter opener, its edge dull but still sharp enough to nick skin. He put it in the band of his trousers and moved on to the final drawer. “What’s to say Mike Dean knows about the illegal activities that happened here. Maybe a secret passed down his family line. And he… they didn’t want me finding out and bringing Stonewell’s dark past to light.”
“Perhaps,” Edward managed. “But how dark is this revelation really? Families protecting one another. Doesn’t seem like the most evil thing a person can do.”
“You’re right.” Sympathy swam in every vessel in William’s body. “It’s certainly a crime, but one made in the name of love.”
When Edward didn’t reply, William looked up to find his head lulled to the side.
“Hey,” William snapped. “Eyes open.”
Edward didn’t even try. “I’m so tired, Will.”
“Me too,” William replied. “Not long until we are out of here, I promise.”
He dropped the letter opener and kicked it over towards Edward. It cracked against his boot, the sound enough for him to pry his eyes open. “A gift?”
“You could call it that,” William said. “A gift that you can smack into Mike’s head if he tries anything when we open the door.”
“I don’t know if I have it in me…”
William snapped his eyes over to Edward. “If you want my forgiveness, you better goddamn try.”
William had something over Mike and the people of Stonewell. Deep down, he couldn’t blame the families for wanting to keep their children safe from the hell that was war, but at the same time, they paid the price to keep this secret buried, and Hanbury remembered.
Teddy’s fate was still an unanswered question.
