“Quite right, my apologies,” Elizabeth said briskly. “How did you end up carting this idiot around?”
The man flicked a glance to Colin, who snorted. “I do me job, miss. This is business. Don’t take it personal.”
“Seems awfully personal to me. Where are you taking us?”
She could see through the window where they were well on their way to going, but she wanted it confirmed.
“Boss sent us on a little errand,” the man said.
“Would that be to the laboratory in Harpenden?” Elizabeth asked.
He squinted at her, then at Colin. “Maybe.”
Blast and damnation, Elizabeth thought. He’d looked to Colin. That meant Colin was the one in charge, and that made this all the more complicated.
“Why are you taking us to the laboratory?” Saffron asked. “There are people there now. You can’t break in to steal anything.”
“Don’t need to break in,” grumbled the man driving. He was as bulky as the other in the front, but his bright red hair distinguished him. His eyes found Saffron in the mirror. “You can just waltz in there.”
“I see,” Saffron mumbled.
Elizabeth exchanged a look with her, and though they said not a word, they were in agreement. This was not good. From the panic on Saffron’s face, Elizabeth took it that she’d discovered something worth stealing from the lab. If only they’d been able to speak before Colin turned up!
“Jeffery Wells was paying off his debt to Alfie with information, wasn’t he?” Saffron asked suddenly. “The police found papers from the lab in Wells’s house. But he started holding out on Alfie. Was that why he was killed?”
The two men in the front exchanged a look, all but confirming Saffron’s guess. Beside her, Colin spoke without opening his eyes. “In a word, yes. Wells was an idiot. I didn’t know him myself, but anyone crossing Alfie is digging their own grave. Unfortunately, the man Alfie works for is even worse. He was tired of Wells attempting to pull the strings.”
“Ol’ Alfie ain’t going to be pleased you said he ain’t the one in charge,” grumbled the gorilla-like man.
Colin dismissed him with a superior sniff. “We all know I’m too valuable for him to do much about it.” The man scoffed. “As I was saying, the other fellow involved in this is the sort to give even a man like Alfie pause. He called him a ruthless radical, and that’s saying something, considering the people he usually consorts with. I hope that information inclines you to cooperate. We all know radicals can get a bit edgy when things don’t go their way.”
CHAPTER43
They stopped on the outskirts of Harpenden. The driver pulled over and remained in the car, but the dark-haired thug pulled Saffron and then Elizabeth out and made them stand on the side of the road next to the cab.
The midmorning sun, though high and bright in the clear sky, did little to warm Saffron. Next to her, Elizabeth was bouncing on the balls of her feet and puffing out angry white clouds.
“Why are we here?” she asked, waving a hand to indicate the empty field next to the road.
“Waitin’ for someone,” said the dark-haired man.
“And why can’t we wait inside?” she demanded, pointing to where Colin sat in the cab.
He shrugged and lit a cigarette.
“Ridiculous,” Elizabeth muttered.
Saffron inched a bit further away from the man and whispered, “Should we run?”
“They have guns, I have no doubt,” Elizabeth replied. “What did you find at the lab last night?”
“Someone discovered a fungus that reminded Alexander of one he heard about in Brazil, one that can alter the behavior of insects. The bit of the report we saw said it had devastating potential.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “I cannot even begin to understand that. Do they have it in the laboratory?”
“I think Wells stole the samples and the reports on it. He must have given them to Alfie to pass to the radical. We found only bits and pieces of evidence left over at the lab. And Sergeant Simpson was there, he had more information.” Saffron quickly explained about Simpson’s efforts to solve the mystery on his own.
“So he’s in town, and he knows what is going on!” Elizabeth looked relieved.
