„Your tears aren’t worthy as long as you aren’t free”

Albert threw the pitchfork in the hay seeing Keen’s carriage leaving Lorenne’s property and he took a few steps toward the house. But he suddenly stopped and looked at the window of the living room from the ground floor and he saw how somebody was moving the curtain while spying on the detective and eagerly waiting for his leaving. And the same eagerness was felt by the teamster.

Actually, he felt it right from the beginning when they got in front of the house and he saw the detective because something was telling Albert that it isn’t just a simple visit, but he had no idea about what consequences it will bring. He would have wanted that Eva passed the detective and enter the house. But the girl pretended not to listen to his words when he stretched his hand and helped her to come out of the carriage and when they were very close to each other, he whispered: „be careful with this dog, Miss Stonebridge. You never know when he can bite.” The girl just smiled listening to his words and left him behind her.

While Keen and Eva talked, the teamster took care to be around them because he didn’t know what Keen can do or say and the young woman wasn’t in such good physical conditions to spend a lot of time out and this was what really scared Albert: that something will happen to her because in time he started to consider her as a daughter and he would have killed everybody who would have tried to make her suffer.

But eventually who needed that protection was Keen because Albert noticed the pale shade of his face when Emily left him in the middle of the yard and entered the house. But his intuition was telling him that Keen hurried to leave this house after watching him as if the detective saw something forbidden. „Was he scared of the pitchfork?” Albert wondered. „I don’t think so. He doesn’t look like a person that can be frightened easily. And still, his sudden leaving, as if he was chased by the devil, makes me think that he knows something or he is planning something. But … what exactly does this man know?”

The night before, he went to the hotel to obey Miss Davis’command. Actually, he would have liked to send someone else to do that job, but halfway he changed his mind because this job was very important and he couldn't afford the luxury to fail.

Arriving in the hotel yard, he looked at the building trying to find the proper place for climbing on it to the window of the detective’s room. But he suddenly saw Keen opening the window and watching the surroundings and he decided that it would be better to wait till Keen goes to sleep. So, he decided first to climb a tree to hide and to see better Keen. Being in the tree, he was amazed to see Keen lurking in the garden with his eagle eyes: „he felt death breathing behind him,” Albert mumbled. „In a past life, he had been a dog for sure. I don’t have another explanation for his “nose” that catches all the smells from miles away.”

Quarter an hour later Keen closed the window and turned off the light, but Albert didn’t hurry to descend off the tree and to enter the detective’s room. He decided that it would be better to wait for another half an hour. And he waited, but when he finally climbed on the building till the second floor and he tried to open the window he saw in amazement that Keen closed the window so well that it couldn’t be open from outside. „Should I break it?” Albert wondered. „No, it will be risky and it will be a problem later because of the noise.”

He descended off de building and looked around trying to figure out what to do next. „Let’s go in! Even if it is riskier,” he decided. First, he counted the windows to Keen’s room, trying this way to draw the map of the hotel in his head and to understand how looks the hotel from inside because „buying” someone to let him in wasn’t for sure a good idea. So, he was on his own!

Albert sneaked down the hotel walls and noiselessly entered the hotel. Then he squatted not to be seen by the receptionist who was dozing on his place and the teamster moved toward the curtains, where it was so dark that one could hurt himself if he wasn’t careful. After hiding, Albert looked again at the receptionist, who had no idea that someone else was in the same room as he was. Actually, the poor young man was so tired that even the glasses, that he was wearing for an aristocratic look, were hanging on his nose, making his breath so hissing and it was a sign that he could be easily awakened and if he awakens and sees Albert, then it will be a big problem because the teamster had no damn idea how to explain his visit in the hotel at that late hour at the night. More than this, the receptionist saw him a day before with Emily and if something happens here then the police will easily figure out who the guilty person is.

After minutes in a row of waiting, Albert managed to get to the second floor when he took advantage that the receptionist suddenly woke up, forcing him to hide behind the curtains. But even so, he could see how the young man noticed that he has no tea in his cup and after glancing around to make sure that nobody is there or around the hotel he hurried up toward the kitchen.

Actually, “making sure that nobody was around” it’s just a say, because he just rolled up his eyes, and after sweetly yawning he left his place. This made Albert shake his head reproachfully: „with such guardians, I’m not even surprised that people die like flies.” Then, he quickly sneaked out of his hideout and climbed the stairs, but when he got to the second floor he saw in amazement how another man was trying to enter the detective’s room and this made Albert first wonder if the other one was also sent here by Emily, in case he doesn’t make it, but he calmed down when the „intruder” looked around before entering the room and Albert saw his face: „he’s not one of us,” Albert whispered and took a step back hiding from the other’s sight.

„So, it seems that death made a pact with the devil for the detective’s life,” Albert mumbled in mockery, and he hid again. Later he heard a noise coming out of the room and he understood that „the intruder” failed because if he was in that room, he wouldn’t have been that stupid to kill somebody and be heard so loudly. „A sharp dagger, a skillful movement of the hand while the blade passes next to the convict's neck, and a finished job in silence.” This way Albert planned that „mission,” but it seemed that fate had other plans for Keen.

Later Albert heard the gunshot and he winced and for seconds in a row he didn’t even breathe because a lot of questions were spinning in his head: „who grabbed that gun and who died?” But he hadn’t to wait much because the guests exited their rooms in a hurry hearing the shot and all as one approached Keen’s door.

At first, the teamster didn’t know what to do, but in the end, he took advantage of the crowd gathered in front of the open door and, posing as one of the hotel guests, he also approached the door, but he quickly had been forced to take a few steps back when the receptionist ran toward Keen’s room, bringing the police with him. But even so, Albert could see for a few seconds that the dead one was the „intruder,” while Keen looked frozen with the gun in his hand. „This game is over,” Albert mumbled and left the floor in a hurry because it was dangerous for him to continue there and the most important: he couldn’t finish his job. At least not that night or in the foreseeable future.

Leaving the hotel without being seen hadn’t been a problem because everybody was at Keen’s floor, watching the dead guy as if they were at a circus. Then, Albert climbed on Bachaco’s back and galloped all the way home. However, even if he left so quickly the hotel and unseen, Albert decided not to move straight home, but to bypass the area and this way to be sure that nobody followed him. He entered the property on a secret path that wasn’t leading only toward Lorenne’s house, but also to many other houses that were around, and even if someone followed him Albert was sure now that it will be difficult to understand which house the rider had chosen.

He jumped off Bachaco right in front of the stable and left him free because the horse was used to enter alone his stable and to going straight toward the scented hay because he was always starving.

Albert hurried and entered the house and a few moments after he was already on the second floor and slowly knocked on Emily’s room door. He hadn’t to wait long, because she wasn’t sleeping, but waiting for good news.

Emily opened the door and Albert entered the room, but before doing this he made sure that no servant saw him entering. „Tell me that this job is well done,” Miss Davis asked nervously, but Albert only shook his head in denial. „Damn it, Albert. It was such an easy job. How could you…”

„It wasn’t my fault, Miss Emily. There was someone else there, with the same order as I had,” the man whispered, making Emily look at him in amazement.

„What do you mean with there were others with the same orders as yours? Do you mean that someone else wants Keen dead?”

„Yes, but who was that man or for whom he was working, I can’t tell you.”

„Was?”

„Yes. He’s dead. Keen shot him after they fought for minutes in a row. I must accept that this detective has some cold blood in his veins. He fought for his life: with teeth and claws.”

Emily grinned, unsatisfied. „Not for nothing he had been a policeman. My question is: who sent that assassin and why? I don’t think Sophie Anderson Bell is that stupid to send someone to kill him after being she who hired him to find her rival.”

„Then? Do you think that Brian Beneath…”?

„No. Beneath is dangerous, but only in politics and he’s too honest to do things behind someone. Well, I mean that he won’t do ever something illegal as to send an assassin after someone. More than this, he also hired Keen to find Eva and if the detective dies, he will be also a suspect. It isn’t something that he likes, especially after being accused by Sophie of killing her father.”

„Well, then I have no idea who’s the one who sent that intruder to the hotel and why Keen must die.”

Emily put on a warm scarf on her shoulders and, approaching the window, she opened it and let the cold air refresh the room. Breathing this way, the cold air of the night was something that helps her think. „If not Sophie or Brian Beneath sent that man here, it must be one of their friends. Someone who’ll have some benefits if they are accused of the detective’s death. But we must find out first who this person is, Albert because I think we can take some advantage of all this. So, send someone tomorrow morning to London to find out what’s going on.”

„What should we do with Keen then? I don’t think he’ll stay quiet after today’s events.”

Emily looked at him and smiled. „Of course, he won’t. Especially after my yesterday threat. I’ll be the first suspect on his list. But … yet, this job is something that favors me, more than if he was dead by now, by your hand.”

Albert watched her in amazement. His look made Emily smile again. „Don’t worry. I have in mind to make the most of it. Even if I hate the fact that he still breathes and that I have to see his face again, yet, I’ll be the one who arranges the game pieces on the shah table and then watches calmly others’play. I’ll wait till the last moment and then I’ll grab the Queen and it will be checkmate from one shot.”

„Do you think that it will be that easy?”

„I’m sure it won’t be, but at least we’ll have some time to find out who plays against us this time. Who knows: maybe we’ll make the most of it while he’s alive than if he was dead? I must accept that I hurried up asking you to kill him. I should have waited to find out more about his friends and clients. But even so: there’s still some time for us.”

„Maybe. But even so, I consider that it’s dangerous for Eva to stay here. It’ll be better if…”

„No. Eva won’t leave this house: not for the world,” she said and her piercing glance and her sure voice made Albert keep silent, but something was still bothering him: the hatred seen in Miss Davis’glance - he wasn’t that sure anymore that this hatred was only for Keen or for Eva too.

He left the room in a hurry when Miss Davis showed him the door to leave. Before exiting, he saw her approaching the dressing table and taking a pack of cigarettes. Albert sadly smiled and left the room, being aware that Emily won’t sleep at all that night because it was a feature of her to spend hours and hours in front of the open window while smoking cigarettes and breathing in the cold air of the night, even if after such nights she felt sick for days.

While heading toward the stables, Albert looked at her window, from where a small light was seen shining in the night. „I would have given up my life to be there with her,” the man mumbled, understanding that his dream was impossible. So, he left.

Before entering the stable, he entered the room of one of his men and he told him that tomorrow morning he must hurry to London with a letter that Miss Davis will give him and it must be done immediately, with the first sun rays risen in the sky. Then, he entered Bachaco’s stable and approached him.

Feeling the approach of his master, Bachaco left his food and came in front of Albert, touching his snout of his coat: he was looking for something sweet and he deserved it. So, Albert fed him with two sugar cubes, instead of only one, how he used to feed him.

Then the man caressed the white mark on the horse’s forehead, forcing Bachaco the close his eyes in delight. „What should we do, Bachaco? Each day is harder than before,” Albert whispered and lied his head on the horse’s snout, feeling that moment as something Saint: a strong bond between two good friends, and those moments were passing so slowly allowing them to fill their bodies with love while time stopped for a while watching this saint bond.

***

„Are you crazy?” Lorenne yelled at Emily, but right away she looked afraid around not to be listened to by someone. However, the office door was closed, like the window, because Emily felt that her inner state of mind wasn’t stable and it could be a danger for their plans if she loses her mind and says something unproperly.

„Emily, it’s dangerous! Yesterday's attack against Keen won’t be something random. I’m sure that a lot of officers are behind him protecting his life. He’s one of them.”

„And what do you suggest? To stay still and to wait till this „dog” will break us into pieces? Lorenne, Keen won’t give up. Not until finishing his job, and one of his purposes is to take Eva away from me.”

Lorenne deeply breathed in, trying to calm down. „What about that you ordered Albert to find out who else wants Keen dead? Besides you, of course.”

„I think this is worthless. Well: not that much if we find out first who wants him dead and later making him be the patsy of the story.”

„You definitely lost your mind,” Lorenne mumbled, staring at Emily’s lost glance who seemed as if she was drunk or took something forbidden, making her euphoric. „If you do this then we are all in danger. Including the „Red Ants.”

Emily smiled at first, then burst to laugh and later started to cry, supporting her head in her palms and sitting down on the sofa. Her sudden movement made Lorenne stare at her. „I’m tired,” Emily whispered after a few moments of silence. „I’m tired of fighting windmills, Lorenne. I want peace. Do I ask that much from life?”

Lorenne sat down next to her and hugged her protectively. „You know that we cannot have peace, Emily. Our peace is gone from the first moment we stained our hands with blood. And … our future is gone too.”

„But …I’m so exhausted, Lorenne. I cannot love, I cannot have a child or smile when I remember the past. How can I call life what happens to me?”

Emily was sobbing already, covering her face with her palms, after leaving Lorenne’s embracement. „I just want this nightmare to be over, Lorenne. I want at least a couple of minutes of peace. If this happens, I’ll call this a gift of Heavens.”

„Then, give up to your insane plan. If you go on this path, you drew in your mind, you kill us all and then you can’t dream about peace anymore. And you know this. Keen has to live. At least till Eva will have her baby and that child will be yours.”

Lorenne and Emily watched at each other for a long time, while tears were flowing down Miss Davis’cheeks. But those tears were so fake flowing down slowly as if were drawn while Emily was sketching a barely noticed smile which Lorenne didn’t see, being so preoccupied with her friend and with their future.

***

„O Sky! What’s going on, on Earth? How can you allow evil to wander the surroundings unhindered while innocent souls die for nothing?”

These words perfectly describe Eva’s state of mind while she’s descending the stairs in such a hurry, barely breathing and looking for the exiting door with a lost glance.

She felt then how the sky was collapsing over her shoulders while her heart stopped beating in her chest. Her soul was so deserted and the tears, stopped in the corner of her eyes, made her eyelids pulsate so hard, threatening to break it and to freely flow on her cheeks, and this pressing forced her not to breathe.

Eva’s like this after she heard Lorenne’s words: „At least till Eva will have her baby and that child will be yours.”

Namely, that moment had been when the world stopped existing for Eva because she found out things that she never doubted about it while passing in front of the office and she accidentally heard the talk between Emily and Ms. Fabeau.

Actually, what made her curious was the fact that she heard Emily crying and she decided to find out what they were talking about. She suspected the fact that Emily’s cry has something to do with her talk with Keen, but what Eva couldn’t understand is what Keen told her to bring her in such a deplorable state of mind. So, she approached the door and she heard first how they were planning to kill Keen and later about the „Red Ants,” and her child, that Emily wanted to take away from her, once he will be born, while Eva will be sent far away from these lands.

Once being out, she looked afraid around, but she saw nobody. And then she shuddered, not knowing what else to expect: her life was over, and if Albert or anybody else sees her leaving then they’ll kill her for sure. She knew their plans and this means that she’s worthless now because even if she's expecting a baby that Emily wants, Miss Davis won’t ever endanger the organization only to leave alive Eva and her child.

She started to hate Brian with all her being: for abandoning them, for not being with them, and for not counting on his help. „Where to go?” Eva wondered while she had tears in her eyes. „Should I go with detective Keen and tell him about their plans? But … will he believe me?” No, for sure he will think she’s crazy and he’ll bring her back into this house where she’ll be killed. „Then … where to go? Whom to ask for help? Whom, God, to whom?”

Albert suddenly grabbed her arm when Eva staggered to her feet feeling slight dizziness. „Are you alright, Miss Stonebridge?”

Eva stared at him as if she saw the devil while shuddering with all her body. Albert didn’t understand what happens to her while their eyes were staring at each other but in each glance was seen a different answer. Eventually, Eva told him, forcing her tears not to flow anymore on her cheeks: „if you want to kill me, Albert, do it here and now! But please, do it quickly: I don’t want my baby to suffer.”

Albert crawled two steps back listening to her words: it was something he had never expected - to hear someone asking him to take his life and to do it as quickly as possible. „Miss Stonebridge,” he stammered. „I don’t know the reason why you…”

„Did you know about this, Albert? Did you know that they want to take my baby from me and to kill me?” Eva yelled and she forced Albert to cover her mouth with his palm trying not to be heard by others because Albert finally understood that Eva found out about Miss Davis’plans and why Emily took care of the girl all this time.

Eva instead didn’t force him to release herself. She continued to stare at him and in her glance, he could see the reflection of death. He felt sorrow for her because he knew very well that this moment will come one day and that he’ll be forced to make a choice: to walk on the path of charity or on the one of betrayal.

„Does something happen to Eva, Albert?” Lorenne’s voice was heard and he looked toward the window of the second floor, forcing a smile. „Nothing important. Just a joke that I was trying to tell Miss Stonebridge. Actually, I wanted to teach her too, but it seems she didn’t like it so much.”

„Aaa, it’s so?! But … it seemed to me that she was crying. If so, I must be with her. I’ll be there in a minute. Wait for me!”

Eva started to shudder in Albert’s arms and he held her tightly not letting her fall down, and, when Emily and Lorenne weren’t watching them anymore, he approached her ear and whispered: „don’t even think about telling Ms. Fabeu that you know about them. Of course, if you want to live.”

The girl pushed him away from her and wiped her tears. „I’m dead anyway, Albert. In a way or another, I’ll end in your hands, at their command.”

„Not if you listen to me! I know you can be a very good actress. So, it won’t be a problem to play in front of Ms. Lorenne because she really cares about you and won’t doubt your strange behavior. Tell her that you need to go for a walk. Don’t give her any detail about when, how, or at what time you’ll be back. Just tell her that your talk with Keen made you nervous and this isn’t good for the baby. She will leave you to go out.”

„The baby … the only one they care about,” Eva murmured.

„Then don’t give them the chance to take him from you, Eva. Do as I said.” Seeing Lorenne exiting the house he took two steps back from Eva. „She’s coming! So, watch your tongue, Miss Stonebridge. Meanwhile, I’ll prepare the horse.”

Albert slowly bent in front of her and then left. Eva continued in the same place and when Lorenne was only a step behind her she suddenly watched the woman, forcing a smile.

„Are you alright, Eva?” Lorenne asked, watching the dark circles under Eva’s eyes. „You cried,” she said, touching the girl’s face and feeling it wet. „Does something happen? Or maybe someone told you something that…”

„No, no, none of this,” the girl rushed to calm Lorenne down. „I just … feel that I cannot breathe here. I want to go for a walk.”

„But … there’s already dusk. Soon the sun will be gone too. It’s dangerous for you if….”

„It will even more dangerous if I stay,” the young woman said, and her words made Lorenne watch her with curiosity. Eva understood she made a blunder, so she rushed to make things work in a different way. „I mean that my talk with detective Keen made me feel exhausted. The fact that he keeps talking about my mother and about that man’s death ... that mister Beneath… well, I feel that I’m powerless.”

She suddenly grabbed Lorenne’s hand, trying to be as kind as possible, even if inside she felt turned upside down and the only thing she wanted was to run away from that place. „Don’t worry, Ms. Fabeu. I’ll be back very soon. It’s just a walk. More than that, Albert will be with me. Nothing bad will happen.”

„Are you sure that you don’t want to make a visit to detective Keen?”

Eva froze. „How did Lorenne think about this? Does she know her so well?” but she had to chase away the black clouds that were gathering above them, so she pretended to be surprised. „To visit detective Keen? Why should I do that?”

„I don’t know! Maybe you want to find out more about your mother, but … Eva, trust me! It isn’t worthy to…”

„I know this,” Eva said calmly, seeing the carriage approaching and understanding that she must hurry up to leave if she doesn’t want Lorenne to suspect something. „I also said this to detective Keen, that if he bothers me once again with such questions then I’ll complain to the police.”

„And you did very well. His presence around you is such noisy and, in your condition, the stress can make suffer your baby, and … I think that it’s very good that you decided to go out. You spend too much time inside this house. Albert, you should go to the theater! I heard that today it will be a good play. I would have gone with you, but … I feel that I lack power,” Lorenne lied to them, when in fact she wanted to be only with Emily and to make a damn good plan about how to get rid of Keen and if Eva was around them it could have been a problem.

Albert smiled, understanding Lorenne’s plan, but it was something that was working for them because if the two women are too concentrated on making plans, then they have a pretty long time to run away. He told nothing Lorenne, who had no idea about their plans, and he helped Eva enter the carriage.

„Don’t stay long, alright? I ordered the cook to make a delicious dinner: roasted turkey and your favorite jams, Eva. It will be such a waste if you don’t taste them while they are warm.”

„Of course, Ms. Fabeu,” Eva said in half a voice, forcing herself not to yell: „just shut up at once and leave us to go,” but she didn’t yell because it meant sure death for both of them.

Eventually, Lorenne showed Albert that they are free to go and the teamster pulled the reins, forcing Bachaco to move from his place and to leave the yard.

While they were leaving, Eva dared to watch at the house that she was leaving behind in such a hurry and she also saw Lorenne turning her back to them and hurrying to enter the house.

She felt sorrow that she couldn’t say goodbye to Lorenne who, despite that she never told Eva about Emily’s plans, had always been good to her. Then, she felt sorrow that she couldn’t take something from that house: the things she prepared for her baby and that in the end will be useless because Eva won’t ever return to this house, as she won't allow Emily to take the baby from her, even if it means she must die.

The carriage hurries away from the house, leaving behind it places that in time became so familiar and so dear for Albert and Eva. But while Eva was melancholic, the man was more sorrowful for betraying Emily: his biggest love, when he decided to help this poor kid that once again runs away from her cruel fate. And his betrayal won’t be ever forgotten by Miss Davis, but Albert was calm because he knew that for the first time in his life, he did something good and he decided it by himself and only because of this he won’t ever regret it: even after death.