When Sigerson suddenly remembered that the other members of the household were waiting for him, he slowly rose from the tub, which had stopped emitting steam, dried himself, and dressed quickly. The sky outside darkened and the forest air began to grow chillier; pulling on the new coat he had been given tighter around himself, Sigerson trudged over to the cottage, shivering slightly and trying not to sneeze. Light streamed out while Mrs Hale, seeing that he was finished with his bath, held out the door for him to come in. He sneezed softly, covering his mouth with the thin sleeve of the coat.
"Are you alright, sir? The clothes I gave you might be unsuitable for this weather…"
"No— it's fine," he reassured her. "I've always been particularly sensitive to the cold, that's all."
They both walked in, where a table, laden with all sorts of food, was set up. There were many varieties of cheese, several sausages with peas, and plenty of bread rolls— similar to the ones they had eaten on their hike to the village but fluffier and lighter in texture.
"What do you do for a living?" asked their hostess curiously, switching her gaze from Sigerson to Evelyn, who had come in earlier with Thomas as soon as they saw the sky darkening.
"I work for the government to reinforce the law," replied Sigerson, trying to be as vague as he could while still answering the question.
"Not as an Enforcer?" asked Mrs Hale, slightly more suspiciously.
"No, as a detective," he returned, throwing Evelyn an assuring look, communicating with her wordlessly that everything he said was intentional.
"My eldest son also works in the government," she said, the suspicion gone and replaced with a hint of pride in her voice.
"Which department does he work in?" asked the detective, hiding his keen tone underneath a politely controlled voice.
"Let me think… Ah yes— he told me he was working in the Crime and Law Department the last time I asked him, if I remember correctly, but I'm not sure which office… He's always kept silent every time I've asked him."
Sigerson saw a flash of green from the corner of his eye; a man's military coat was hung on a hook just beyond the kitchen.
"Does he travel often or have any past careers? I am curious as to whether all government workers were required to travel long trips for their jobs."
"Come to think of it, he does travel frequently and sometimes, he also returns home with minor injuries."
"Is he alright?" asked Evelyn, her face shining with genuine concern.
"He's fine," smiled Mrs Hale. "But thank you for worrying about him; I myself questioned if he had been mixing in with bad company lately as well… The truth is, he's been acting a lot more distant since he started work in the government; it feels like he is getting further and further away from us…"
Her voice trailed away. Then, with a mortified expression, she said, "I–I'm sorry for talking about this; I know I shouldn't be troubling you with this, but…"
"It's fine, Mrs Hale," said Evelyn kindly, giving her a sympathetic smile from across the table.
Their embarrassed hostess, now feeling more at ease after listening to Evelyn's comforting words, rose in a hurry and told them that if they were finished with their food, to make themselves at home, while she heated more water for Evelyn's bath.
"I hope you don't find sleeping on the couches inconvenient, sir?"
"Not at all."
She beamed at the two of them before promptly leaving to clean up the dishes, a chore that the two guests volunteered to help with at once. After turning down their offers to help, she dragged an unwilling Thomas to assist her in cleaning up, leaving Sigerson and Evelyn alone in the dining room. Checking that they weren't being overheard, Evelyn hissed, "Why did you tell her our names? We'll easily be caught if we're not careful enough."
"I've got it under control," replied Sigerson calmly, "I was hoping to see her reaction; if the news of us was already released to the public, then she would've acted differently. Besides, if it comes down to force, well… We've got two revolvers on our side so…"
Evelyn frowned at this remark.
"Do you think there's a possibility that the eldest son is an Enforcer?"
"Ah, you figured it out too?"
Sigerson was grinning widely now, urging her without words to keep going on with this interesting claim.
"Well," continued Evelyn, "among the unused shoes at the front of the house was a distinct impression of a pair of boots. Since office workers never wear boots to work, it's safe to assume that the son never had an office job. If not, what other jobs in the Crime and Law Department could he have? Policemen hardly travel around and are usually assigned to specific towns and districts, so the only answer I could think of were the Enforcers."
"Right. When Mrs Hale claimed that her son had been avoiding telling her of his job, I was suspicious; why would he not be willing to tell her? Judging from his mother's tone, it's clear to see that she approves of a position in the department."
"My guess is that he made it into the Crime and Law Department, told his mother, was assigned to the Enforcers, which is technically part of the department since they work the Royal Constabulary frequently, and now cannot confess his true occupation because his mother, like most others, disapproved of the Enforcers. Did I miss anything?"
"Quite a bit. Right now, it's only a matter of conjecture. There's no physical evidence to support your theory, is there?" questioned Sigerson with a playful twinkle in his eye, as if he already knew the answers.
"Evidence? Why, there's his military coat that was hanging in the corridor back over there which strengthens the possibility of him being recruited into the Enforcers, since all of them require military training. Also many of these articles come from Sodor and are quite expensive," said Evelyn, pointing to the numerous vases and marble statuettes on the dusty shelves.
"No one in this village would be able to afford so many of these unless they had a high income, so a second high income in this household was extremely likely. The wages of an Enforcer are significantly higher than the average labourer's— about five thousand sovereigns more per year— meaning an Enforcer could easily earn this amount of money while living in this household. Therefore, the eldest son is an Enforcer."
"Exactly what I thought as well," said Sigerson in approval, leaning back on the couch with his arms stretched out in a carefree way.
"Aren't you worried? An Enforcer, the ones trying to arrest us this very instant, lives under the same roof where we are staying."
"What is there to be afraid of? If we can gain the sympathy of the mother, who evidently distrusts the Enforcers, we can also gain the sympathy of the son. She's already extremely grateful that I was able to rescue Thomas from the river, so with a little bit of subtle persuasion, it shouldn't be hard to make her trust us."
"I suppose so," said Evelyn, staring placidly into the roaring fireplace. "Although… It would involve much more luck than we've ever risked…"
After cleaning up the kitchen, Mrs Hale brought over to them a pair of plush grey cushions and took away their dirty change of clothes to the laundry. She then reminded Evelyn to take a bath and by the time she came back out, the twinkling bright stars were out, mixed in with the mass of dark sky above. There was a patter of gentle feet approaching them.
"Can you read me a story?" asked Thomas to a surprised Evelyn, twisting a golden curl of hair with his finger.
"Don't bother our guests, Thomas," scolded his mother from the table, giving him a stern look that could only mean the one thing he didn't want to do.
"It's alright. What do you want me to read?" asked Evelyn gently.
"Here," said he, handing her a storybook. She took it from him, flipped to the first page and began reading. Listening to the story inattentively, Sigerson was arguing with himself why the Enforcers and the Constabulary were trying to arrest him. Blight had something to do with it; that was certain… But how he did it was still shrouded with mystery…
—
"So they've released the news now?" muttered Sigerson quietly.
It was morning and with a newspaper in his hands, the sombre detective ate his breakfast solemnly while scanning for information. During the early hours of daybreak, Sigerson snuck out of the cottage, making sure not to disturb the slumbering household. The air was refreshingly cool with just enough breeze to make the giant pine trees sway lightly.
There was barely any sign of life in the village yet. Going straight to the newspaper agency, he purchased a paper and headed back, cautiously watching out for any early risers that might notice him. When he returned, Evelyn and Thomas, conversing in a lively way that somehow reminded him of two chirping pigeons, looked at him as he was admitted into the cottage again by Mrs Hale.
"I wish you'd stop disappearing like that, Will," said Evelyn ruefully, forgetting that she had done so only two days ago.
Sigerson chose to ignore this to avoid an argument, accepted a plate of bacon and toast from their busy hostess gratefully, and sat down to eat.
After seeing the headlines in the paper, he whispered urgently to Evelyn, who was teaching Thomas how to read properly, "Quickly, have a look at this."
She patted Thomas on the back encouragingly and hastily went over to her cousin, joining him to read the newspaper in his hands. Although she didn't show it, Evelyn felt an irresistible sense of dread wash over her when she read the heading of the news article.
TWO SUSPECTS LINKED TO BOLD ROBBERY OF GOVERNMENT PAPERS
Police are searching for Mr William Sigerson who allegedly carried out a swift but secretive robbery at the Enforcer's headquarters last night at 11 o'clock. The papers stolen were of great importance, and it is believed that they were an important key in maintaining peace with our neighbouring country, Revalty. Authorities warn that there may be an accomplice working with him who is none other than the elusive actress, Miss Evelyn Whitlock. Anyone with information is urged to step forward and report to the Enforcers.
"What does this mean?" asked Evelyn with a puzzled look on her face.
"It means they must have something they don't want the public to know about… There is no information here giving details about the actual contents taken from their headquarters. Meanwhile, it would be easier to lie and make something up, but they didn't and instead chose to blame us for something we did not steal…"
Sigerson sank back into his usual silence.
"What do they have that could've been stolen then?"
He paused and thought for a while, but nothing came to mind.
"I've worked with the Enforcers before and if there's one thing I've learnt, it's that they rarely fail to match the evidence with the suspect. We were both here last night, and as they clearly knew, I was also on the train two days ago. How could I get from the train to their headquarters in only a day? If they had doubts as to whether I really was on the train or not, the fire I started as a diversion should be more than enough to raise their suspicions. No— they knew I didn't commit a robbery, yet wrote an intentional lie. I'm guessing something really was stolen from them, then Blight shifted their suspicions to me, so they would focus their efforts on arresting us while giving himself free reign."
"So then, what are you going to do?"
"For now—" He rose from the couch, his emerald green eyes locked on to Evelyn's. "—I'll negotiate with our gracious hostess. You can sit back and relax; I've got this."
As Evelyn returned to teaching Thomas, not without a foreboding sense of unease lingering around her, Sigerson took the newspaper and stepped into the kitchen where Mrs Hale was working, busily cutting up potatoes for their dinner. When she heard his footsteps behind her, she turned around and asked kindly, "Would you like coffee, sir?"
He hesitated then replied, "Yes, please."
Watching her pour the brown liquid into a mug, the detective spoke up again.
"You might find us inconvenient guests to have, Mrs Hale."
"No, no, not at all. This is the least I can do to thank you for helping me save Thomas from the river."
"I mean, there's something else—"
He handed the newspaper over to her. She took it with a bewildered expression, which rapidly turned into shock. Staring at him as if he were a ghost, she stammered, "Th–This can't be true, can it? Last night, you were sleeping in the living room!"
"Exactly. Now, I know it's probably just a mistake, but having us here will nevertheless put you and Thomas into considerable danger."
He paused to watch her reaction. Mrs Hale thought hard of the consequences that might follow, as well as ways to help her two guests escape. Being a rather friendly, good–natured kind of person, she would never allow her guests or her family to be put into danger. Finally, although she seemed quite unsatisfied with the decision, she said quietly, "My eldest son, Percy, will arrive here in the afternoon. Why don't you two wait here until he arrives? Maybe I can ask him to help you find a solution to this problem."
"Thank you, but would he be willing to assist us?"
After being reassured countless times, Sigerson was ushered back to the living room where Evelyn, bored from reading, was asking questions about Percy, Thomas' older brother.
"If Percy Hale turns out to be disagreeable, which is not unlikely," thought Sigerson gazing out of the window casually to hide his face from them, "there's still the hidden fact of him being an Enforcer; I can use this to my advantage if things get messy…"
From the heavy oak door, a sharp knock aroused everybody's attention. Mrs Hale hastened to open the door while Sigerson and Evelyn waited beside it with bated breath. In came a young man, his appearance nearly identical to his younger sibling. He strode in, hugged his mother briefly then, laying his eyes on the two fugitives, he went white and uttered, "W–What? T–This can't be…"
Quickly taking note of her son's dramatic reaction, Mrs Hale led him to a separate room and said, "In here, Percy. There are some things I have to tell you."
Behind the shut door, they could hear low murmuring voices speaking rapidly but never rising. Minutes flew by and what seemed to be an eternity later, the door was opened again. Percy Hale marched straight up to Sigerson, extended his hand to him and said stiffly, "Thank you for saving my little brother. I'm Percy Hale."
Sigerson shook the hand but was very careful when he did so. Both men eyed one another with suspicion, although Sigerson was not so obvious and hid it with a friendly smile. Percy, on the other hand, did not attempt to conceal his mistrust; he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Mr Sigerson, I presume?"
The detective replied with a quick nod. Percy, disliking this wordless reply, huffed and sat down next to Thomas, his hand on his brother's shoulder. Mrs Hale could sense the unfriendliness from her eldest son's actions; she walked past him to the kitchen, whispered something in his ear, then announced that lunch would be ready in ten minutes.
Seeing that there was no immediate catalyst for conversation with Percy, Sigerson excused himself and went to help Mrs Hale prepare the food. It was only five minutes later, when he came back out to the living room and saw, to his great surprise, Evelyn and Percy chatting normally like two school friends. The expression of doubt had been replaced with friendliness; his eyes no longer narrowed with suspicion but instead, a relaxed expression hung upon his brow.
"Sorry about earlier," he apologised to Sigerson, embarrassed at himself. "I admit that I was taken aback at the sight of you being here."
A flash suddenly flooded into the detective's memory; the man in front of him was the same one that guarded the cell of the assailant he had visited several months ago. It was confirmed: the man was indeed an Enforcer.
"Anyways," Percy continued, completely oblivious to his satisfied smirk, "your cousin was telling me how you jumped into the river to save Thomas."
"Oh, I didn't jump into the river…"
Lunch was served, to the relief of the several hungry inhabitants of the house. Percy, who was now sure that the government had clearly made some sort of mistake, started to talk freely, asking Sigerson and Evelyn about their work, where they came from, and whether or not they thought living in Huntersberg was better than Sodor. After a hefty meal, Percy proposed that they should take a stroll outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Pulling Evelyn to the side, Sigerson whispered covertly to her, "What did you do? He seems like a completely different person."
"You think so?" she replied, glancing over at Percy curiously. "I guess you're just overthinking everything…"
At this, Sigerson turned away exasperatedly. There was no point in trying to coax anything out of Evelyn if she decided to keep it a secret; years of experience had taught him that. Instead, he returned to Percy and stated, "The Enforcers would easily find us if we step out into the open."
"You won't have to worry about that," said Percy, checking behind his shoulder to make sure his mother wasn't listening. "You see, I'm actually an—"
"An Enforcer," Sigerson finished for him.
"H–How did you know?" stuttered the pale-faced Percy, sweat dripping from his forehead. "You didn't tell my mother did you?"
He shrank back in astonishment and fear, dreading the answer.
"No, I didn't. Your mother still has no idea."
Percy, relieved that his secret was still hidden, continued explaining, "As you know, I am an Enforcer. I was assigned here in search of you with five others, so you could say I have a considerable amount of power to hide you, since I can control the information on your status. If you buy a train ticket and reveal yourself to the ticket clerk on purpose, I can create the illusion of you leaving this town. I'll set your current location elsewhere and tell them you've already left."
Sigerson accepted this proposal without much thought.
Later that day, the data on Sigerson's profile was changed to travelling, and the Enforcers instantly left the town alone. Security loosened, allowing the two of them to move around freely. Now that everything had been settled, Sigerson's mind flew straight back to Blight. How could he arrest Blight's men without attracting attention to himself and exposing his location? There was now a very limited number of methods he could use to gain information… Newspapers… Local gossip… Elena, who was still employed in Blight's household…
Hold on… I have everything I need already…
There was a way he could arrest him… It would be risky, but if he could calculate everything perfectly, he'd be able to topple over one of the strongest pillars in Blight's network. The rest would follow suit shortly after…
As he was lounging on the couch, Sigerson began crafting ideas for the arrest, sharing his ideas to Evelyn. Suddenly, the door crashed open, shaking the cottage. Mrs Hale poked her head around the corner; when she saw that it was her eldest son that had slammed the door open, she strode over to him to scold him, but he raised a hand to stop her. Percy's face was white and he panted as he said, "There's been a murder. On the farm."
At this, he collapsed into a nearby seat, while Mrs Hale hurried over to him with a bottle of brandy in her hand.