'All the way to London?' Lyon asked.
'No,' Jade answered. 'Not all the way. I was able to… borrow a horse from a way station. It was unattended. The owner was probably inside having his supper.'
Jade finished her accounting a few minutes later. She never mentioned the fact that she was Pagan,
and Caine assumed he would have to be the one to tell Sir Richards and Lyon.
Just what was her game? Lord, by the time she'd finished her recitation, she was dabbing at the corners
of her eyes with Richards' handkerchief.
The director was obviously shaken by her explanation. He leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
'Do you know who the other members of the Tribunal are?' Jade asked him.
'No.'
'But you knew Hammond, didn't you?' she asked. 'I understood that the two of you started out together.'
'Yes, we started out together,' Richards agreed. 'Yet after a number of years, my dear, we were each given a different division within the War Department. Hammond had so many young men under his direction back then. He ran his own section. I met quite a few eager young saviors, but certainly not all
of them.'
'We have several telling clues,' Lyon interjected. 'It shouldn't take us long to find out the truth.'
'The first letter was signed by a man named William. They hadn't been assigned their operative names yet. Hell, that's the most common name in England,' Caine added. 'How many Williams work for the War Office?'
Jade answered his question. 'Actually, there were only three in Hammond's files.'
Everyone turned to look at her. 'Pagan read the files,' she whispered. She blushed, then added, 'It was necessary. There's William Pryors, William Terrance, and William Clayhill. All three worked for your department, Sir Richards. Two are still alive, though retired from duty, but William Terrance died four years ago.'
'You're certain of these facts?' Lyon asked.
'How did Pagan get to our files?' Richards was obviously disconcerted. 'By God, no one can get through our security.'
'Pagan did,' Caine said. He took over the conversation then, explaining in more detail how the pirate
had set out to protect him. He told them about Colin's and Nathan's near miss with the sharks, too.
When he was finished, no one said a word for a long while.
Jade was gripping her hands together. It wasn't a pretense now, but the memory of the sharks that made her so agitated.
'Three eager young men, bent on saving the world,' Richards whispered. 'But the lust for power
became more important.'
Jade nodded agreement. 'Did you notice, sir, that the first letters were signed with the wording, 'for the good of England,' but as time went on, and they grew more and more bold, they changed the wording?'
'I noticed,' Sir Richards muttered. ' 'For the good of the Tribunal' was how they signed their notes,'
he added. 'And that does say it all, doesn't it. There can be no misinterpretation here.'
'Her father was killed by the two others when he refused to go along with their plans, and then Hammond was murdered,' Caine said.
Richards nodded. 'We must find the other two,' he muttered. 'Lord, there's so much to take in.' He let out a weary sigh, then said, 'Well, thank God Pagan seems to be on our side. When I think of all the damage he could do with those files, my blood runs cold.'
'Oh, Pagan's very honorable,' Jade rushed out. 'Most thieves are, sir. You mustn't worry that the information will fall into the wrong hands.'
'Did that bastard read my file?' Lyon demanded.
Caine didn't answer him. He didn't think there was any reason to share the truth with his friend. It would only upset him.
'The very fact that there were sharks in those waters,' Richards whispered, changing the topic. 'Do you realize the courage it must have taken…'
'Have you finished your questions?' Jade interrupted.
The director immediately reached out and patted her hands again. 'We've exhausted you, haven't we,
my dear? I can tell how distressing this is for you.'
'Thank you for your consideration,' she whispered. She stood up and didn't protest at all when Richards embraced her.
'We'll find the culprits, I promise you,' he said.
Jade hid her hands in the folds of her gown, then walked over to Lyon. He immediately stood up. She leaned against him. 'Thank you, Lyon, for helping us. Please give my love to Christina. I cannot wait until I can visit with her again.'
She turned back to Richards and hugged him again. 'I forgot to thank you as well,' she explained.
She pulled away from the director, bowed, and turned to leave the room.
'Jade?'
'Yes, Caine?'
