"Hector!" Mathew Tomlinson shouted up the narrow track that connected the farm to some of the fields around it. "Hector! Come!" It was late in the afternoon and since the weather had taken a turn, he had been with David fixing up a few fences in the field with Hector happily sniffing around the hedgerows, when suddenly Hector's ears had pricked up and he had shot off up the track in the direction of the farmyard barking his head off as he ran. "Stupid dog," he muttered under his breath as followed. He didn't mean it of course, Hector was still learning and obedience was not one of his strong points. Mathew was relieved to find the gate at the top of the track was still closed or else nothing would have stopped him. He walked as quickly as he could after his troublesome sheep dog, he couldn't recall whether he and David had shut it earlier.

As he reached the gate and the farmyard, Hector had stopped his frantic barking and was now just growling with the occasional bark thrown in for good measure. He was a friendly dog and loved everyone but like most dogs he had the instincts to defend his property from 'invaders'. It came in handy if there was a fox about. Mathew preferred it if the fox could be scared away from the chickens by a fierce sounding bark rather than a rifle. At first glance Mathew couldn't see what Hector was making such a fuss about, but then he saw a man walking slowly around the side of the barn opposite him on the other side of the yard. He was not someone that Mathew had seen before and since he was still occupied by peering into the barn and generally snooping around the place, the stranger had not seen Mathew watching him. He would have heard Hector though but perhaps he was not concerned with the dog as the gate was between them both. Mathew frowned. He had a feeling that he could not put his finger on, just that something wasn't right about him. "Can I help you with something? Mathew called out. He saw the man flinch which confirmed he did not know that he was being watched. Mathew opened the gate. He did expect Hector to shoot out and run up to the stranger and greet him in the same way he greeted everyone; stranger or friend, with an excitable bark and enthusiastic wagging of his tail that made his whole body wiggle at the same time. However, Hector did neither of these things. He stayed close to him, and kept his eyes fixed on the man, tail and body rigid as though he was expecting danger, along with a threatening low growl coming from the back of his throat.

The stranger seemed unphased by Hector's behaviour. "Just wondering if anyone was in."

"I am indeed, Mathew Tomlinson," Mathew greeted him, shaking his hand. The man did not offer up his name.

"This your farm then?" he asked.

"It is. Something I can help you with?" Mathew asked firmly, repeating his previous question.

"Perhaps. I'm making some enquiries in the area. I'm looking for someone. He used to work for me, and I believe he came here. To Downton, but maybe to your farm to be exact?"

Mathew folded his arms across his chest. Hector did not relax. "Can't say. Lot of men work here temporarily throughout the year."

"He's about your height, blonde hair and a few years younger than me. Mr Mortimer is his name. David Mortimer."

Mathew was thankful to Hector's uncharacteristic behaviour as it gave him the warning that he should not trust this man. It was thanks to that he was able to hide any reaction to David's name. Careful not to answer too quickly he pretended to think. "No, no one by that name here or recently. I hired some help for the recent harvest but mostly younger men and none by that name or description," he lied. The man held his gaze as though he was trying to work out if he was lying. Mathew did not look away and this seemed to do the trick.

"I see. Perhaps my source that told me he was here was mistaken. I think my stay here will be coming to an end. No other farms around here that he may be at?"

"There are a couple but we're a close community sir, so I would know if he was there."

The man nodded thoughtfully. "Right well, thank you for your help Mr Tomlinson," he said before turning on his heel and walking towards the lane.

Mathew was curious about the whole exchange between himself and the stranger. The very fact that he did not introduce himself, even just by his surname, was suspicious. Most people would consider it a polite courtesy. Someone was very keen on finding David though, that was for certain and he had found himself instinctively denying knowing anything about David. David had told him vaguely when they had first met, that he was running from someone from Liverpool and Mathew had a bad feeling this was the person David had come to Downton to escape. He had two priorities now: Firstly, warn David that he is being searched for. David was going to be secretly meeting Chris soon and he had to know he might be in danger if he is out alone. Secondly, and not too long after the first, he must get over to Mr Mason's farm to warn him and Mr and Mrs Parker that they should deny any knowledge of David.

...

It had been fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes that felt longer and longer as each minute crawled by. Chris was waiting for David in one of their usual spots they met at. They had several and randomly alternated between them all each time they met up so that if anyone noticed, it would be harder to recognise a pattern. This evening it was on the edges of the woods above the river. It was a place where Thomas met Richard a lot during the earlier days of their relationship when Richard travelled to Downton from York or London. The wind was still picking up as it was yesterday but so far coming to nothing as though it couldn't make up its mind as to whether it should blow into a full grown storm or fizzle out completely. The clouds hung low in the sky and the river flowed grey, in reflection of the skies above.

Chris knew that work on a farm can throw up unexpected problems at the last minute. David had been late for this reason before, so Chris told himself not to be concerned. Nevertheless, as the minutes passed and fifteen minutes turned into twenty and twenty into thirty, Chris felt his nerves build as the instincts at the back of his mind that told him something was wrong, which he had previously pushed aside in favour of listening to more positive logic, came to the forefront. He had felt unnerved by the stranger he had encountered yesterday and he had spotted him around the village during the day. He got an anxious feeling whenever he saw him, even just a glance. The man had a way of making him feel on edge. Maybe he was just being paranoid? Maybe it was nothing? Maybe it wasn't? All he knew was that he couldn't stay here forever. If something was wrong, he had to find out.

...

Thomas flopped down onto the sofa next to Richard who had his focus mostly on the book he was reading. He was tired and had been looking forward to this moment where he could call an end to the day and just relax. They had eaten dinner off trays in the living room, Wilde sitting hopefully at their feet, and now they had a few hours to themselves before they went to bed. Thomas thought back to their time by the lake last night. It had been perfect, the only thing that stopped them from staying longer was the chill from the wind that eventually forced them to leave the romantic set up Richard had created, and return home to their warm bed. Thomas sighed content and stretched his arms above his head before letting them flop down onto the back of the sofa, one behind Richard's head and another on the sofa arm. Richard looked across to him, breaking away from the story he was so engrossed in.

"Tired?"

"Not too much. Just what would be expected, and what I'm used too, although I'm happy to be home with you." Thomas let Richard kiss him sweetly on the forehead. It was still light outside, but would be getting dark soon so they had drawn the curtains before they had sat down for the evening.

"Anything interesting happen at Downton today?" Richard asked as he continued to read.

"Nothing much. Charlotte got a bit worried that someone was up to no good snooping around the grounds. She had spotted a man walking around the hedge rows on the edge of the maze. She came inside rather distressed and said that he was watching her and so Mr Bates and I went out to investigate but we never found anyone."

"Hmm Chris said there was someone he didn't know nosing around the village today at lunch. Wonder if it's the same person?"

Thomas frowned. Up until now he thought little of it. People cross the gardens and grounds at Downton all the time, they can't always be someone they know. "Maybe. But perhaps he was just a visitor going about his business as anyone else would?"

"Probably yes. Maybe we all read a bit too much into it."

They left the subject of the stranger alone then, both of them curious but not hugely concerned. Wilde meowed and jumped up onto the chair and snuggled into a small gap between them, forcing them both to move apart so their cat could get comfortable. Thomas's hand brushed Richard's as they both stroked Wilde's smooth black fur. Suddenly though there was a loud knock at the door that made them both jump. They exchanged a look. "Expecting anyone?" Thomas asked, hiding the nerves in his voice as best he could. It was a fear they both had but never spoke about, that they would be found out after all these years of living together and the police would turn up and arrest them. There was another knock at the door, louder this time. Thomas got up telling himself in his mind that if it were the police then they would not just wait for the door to be answered.

Richard stood up also, "I'll go."

"We both will," Thomas said, seeing Richard shared his fears. He hid it well but not well enough for them to be invisible. They descended the stairs quickly and Thomas unlocked the door, opened it slightly with caution but then fully as he saw who it was. "Chris? What are you doing here?"

Chris didn't wait to be invited in. He shut the door behind him. His face was reddened from either the colder evening air or exhaustion. Perhaps both. He didn't answer Thomas's question. "He's not here with you?"

Richard frowned. "Who?"

"David. We were supposed to meet over an hour ago and he never showed."

Thomas heard the worry in Chris's voice. That made him concerned as Chris never gave emotions that made him appear vulnerable or weak away easily. "Perhaps he got held up at the farm?"

Chris shook his head. "No, I've just come from there. He was supposed to meet me by the river, you know, by the place you both told me about. He's been late before but he never showed up, and since he's not at the farm I couldn't think where else he might be."

"Could he be on the way to your place?" Richard suggested.

"Perhaps, that was going to be my next guess but honestly I don't know why he would if we agreed on a place to meet before. I've just...There is something in the back of mind and I..." Chris's eyes widened with panic. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Thomas and Richard both asked at once.

"We have to find him now!" Panic rose in Chris's tone.

"What? Why? What is it?" Richard asked.

"I missed it before. I can't believe I...Oh God if anything happens to him I will never forgive myself!"

"Chris, what is it?" Thomas asked impatiently.

Chris spoke hurriedly. "I never made the connection before. The man I told you about Richard, the one who I spoke to on the road earlier yesterday morning, said he was looking for someone. The one that has been all over Downton and at the Abbey. A stranger no one knows, acting suspiciously, asking questions. I mean I don't know for sure but I have a gut feeling and I never ignore those. I think its the man David came here to escape. The man from Liverpool who wants to kill him!"

"David doesn't know he's here?" Richard asked, surprisingly calmly considering. Thomas hadn't found himself able to say anything,he was still trying to make sense of it all.

"No, I mean I don't know. He might do, maybe he does and he has run. Without me." Chris looked despairingly at them both.

"He wouldn't have left." Thomas said firmly. "He loves you Chris, he would want to see you. I think he has gone to find you, but since you've been trying to find him, I think you both have missed each other."

"What is the quickest way to your cottage Chris?" Richard asked.

"Distance wise, through the woods if you know the way."

"Right, well we will all go and find him. Thomas, grab that torch below the sink and I'll get the one we keep upstairs in the spare room." Richard put a firm hand on Chris's shoulder. "We will find him together okay? If we split up then we can cover more ground. I'll go through the woods, you take the lane to your cottage it will be easier for you and Thomas, you take the path by the river that skirts around the edge of the other side of the woods." Thomas nodded, not arguing with Richard's plan.

"You sure you want to split up though? He's a dangerous man Richard, and determined," Chris warned.

"I know, but we stand a better chance of finding him before this man does and also, he doesn't know that we know David, we're just people he's passed by, like anyone else. He won't be after us. He will be focused on his target, no one else."

...

Richard's strong words earlier seemed less convincing to himself as he walked alone through the middle of the woods in the fading light of the day, fully aware that he may not be alone. It was the only option now though. Involving the police might have been a good idea but they didn't have the time to wait and anyway, all they were going on was Chris's gut feeling that David was in danger. He didn't want the police in any of their lives unless absolutely necessary. He felt the urgency to run, but since he didn't have a clear idea of where David might be then that would be not only pointless, but foolhardy. It would not help anyone if he tripped or fell out here alone.

The woods were a mixture of trees. On the edges, the trees were oak and beech, but further into the centre of the woods the trees were tall evergreen pines, stretching high up above him, their trunks arrow straight and the branches and leaves many feet above the ground blocking out the remaining daylight, making the twilight creep in faster. He stopped to listen. Around him was a maze of silhouetted tree trunks and further off into the distance, an uninviting inky darkness where anyone could be hiding. The wind had picked up, but all was calm around him, the wind merely passed overhead above the trees, howling as it began to gust. He had been out here enough to have a rough idea as to where he was and where he had to go if the general direction was heading for Chris's cottage, although the urgency of the situation made him doubt his every move. Was a left turn the correct decision? Should he go right instead? What would be the consequence of a mistake? He realised then that he had no idea what this man who was after David even looked like. He had not seen him. He decided that the best course of action was to just find David and assume anyone else out here was a threat.

He trod over fallen leaves, pine needles and sticks, each crunching under his feet loudly, echoing off the trees that looked down on him from all directions. It was pointless trying to be quiet. He stopped in his tracks though when he heard another crunch of a stick somewhere ahead of him. He held his breath and looked around, hoping his eyes had adjusted to the dim light levels enough to allow him to see something. He had the torch in his hand, but he didn't want to switch it on until he had to as he didn't know how much power it had left and also he would attract the attention of David's stalker. He kept it heavy in his hand, hoping that if he had too, he could use it as a weapon. He then saw movement ahead of him, a figure darted behind a tree. David? Or someone else? With his heart racing in his head, he crept forward, not letting his gaze shift from where he saw the person ahead, until he was just a few feet away. He stopped and then jumped forward.

"Ah!" David exclaimed as Richard bumped straight into him.

"David! Oh thank god, you're still here." Richard gasped as he let his breathing, that he had been holding for a while, catch up with his racing heart.

"Shh!" David said. "What are you doing here Richard?"

"Looking for you, Chris and Thomas are out there somewhere too. We came to warn you. Chris had a bad feeling when you didn't show up earlier and-"

"-I know. He's here. Mathew warned me, but I couldn't be sure that it was really him until I saw him earlier. I don't know if he saw me. I was on my way to meet Chris, to tell him that I might have to disappear for a while but..." David looked around him, eyes darting in each direction like a frightened rabbit. "...Oh God I have no idea how he found me. Martin, he's like an assassin. When he sets his eyes on something, anything, he stops at nothing until he gets it. I should have known he would come here eventually."

"Martin?"

"Martin Lee, he is the Liverpool man. I never told any of you his name. I didn't want to speak it again." Richard saw the anguish in David's face. "Richard, you should go. I am grateful for your concern and efforts to find me but this has nothing to do with any of you. Only me. If you are here when he finds me-. Look I have to go, when you see Chris tell him...tell that I-"

Richard knew what David was about to say. Those two important words. But he never got the chance to say it as, at that moment, there was a sound of a carefully placed footstep behind them. Richard and David both jumped back and whirled around. Richard then saw the face of the man who he now knew was called Martin Lee.

"Well, well. You have made a lot of trouble for me haven't you David?" Martin sneered as he emerged out of the gloom. Richard saw it in his face then. He was a man toughened against reason, immune to emotion. He would not be persuaded to give up. "Led me on quite the merry chase haven't you? You should have known better. You should have known I'd find you in the end."

"Richard go." David said to him, not taking his eyes off Martin.

"Yes, Richard," Martin leered. "You should go. I don't leave witnesses." Richard didn't respond, he stood his ground. Martin smirked cruelly, "I see. Well in that case you've made your choice." Martin shifted his attention to his true target now. "I am a fair man David. So I will say this. You come back with me tonight, and we will say no more about this little act of rebellion from you. You will work for me and pay your debts and once they are fully paid then you may go and never see me again. Or we end this here tonight. Either way, I will have my debts paid now." Martin didn't raise his voice. He spoke quietly, confidentally. Richard understood that he knew that he didn't need to shout. He just calmly commanded instead.

"I'm not your slave Martin. I will not be the one to do your dirty work anymore, I made that clear before." David spoke with defiance, but Richard was close enough to see him shaking.

"You know even if you kill us both tonight then you won't get away. Too many people have seen you around Downton today and yesterday, you already have too many witnesses to silence," Richard found himself saying.

"Maybe, Richard, maybe. But none here right now. None to place me here," Martin sniggered to himself. "There was that old farmer who clearly didn't trust me. I knew you were here for sure David when he spoke to me. Not such a good liar as he thought he was. Then there was the man on the road with a limp. Credit where credits due, I did believe him when he lied to me, at first." Richard saw David flinch when Martin spoke about Chris. "And then there was the young housemaid at the big house. I reckon I spooked her good and proper! Perhaps, when this is over, I might pay her a visit. Pretty little thing she was."

"You will leave them out of it!" Richard demanded. His courage surprised both Martin and himself.

"Friends of yours? Or maybe you just want the girl to yourself?" Martin's evil grin said it all. "Unless you're one of those perverts who prefer boys?"

Richard found his challenge stopped in his tracks. Martin didn't know him, he doesn't know anything. But does he know about David?

"Richard don't," David said. He sounded defeated, as though he had accepted his fate.

Richard looked at David, and he knew now that they were both in equal danger now unless someone came along this way quickly. Where are you Thomas? Not that he wanted Thomas anywhere near this mess, but at the same time he needed him. Out of the corner of Richard's eye he saw the gleam of metal, and he heard the click of the gun.

Martin looked like a man about to grab victory. "I don't have time for this."

...

Thomas stumbled and angrily pushed a branch aside that blocked his path as he left the edge of the woods and made his way inwards. He hadn't seen nor heard anything. No sign of Richard or Chris and no sign of David or this man who was after him. Part of him thought that maybe they got lucky. Maybe Chris had just been paranoid and that the man he had seen was just another visitor to the area. But when were things ever that easy or that simple? He was impatient now. It was almost dark, he had no idea what time it was. His cup of tea was still on the table in their living room at home, untouched and mostly likely cold, and all he wanted was to be back there with Richard. Safe. Not running through the woods in the cold and the wind with a mad murderous psycho on the loose after his best friend. Another branch hit him in the face. "For fuck's sake," he cursed as he lashed out and pushed it aside. His heart was pounding through his ears with adrenaline and he couldn't hear anything clearly as a result, which just annoyed him even more. He knew he was scared. But this was how he behaved when he was scared. He got angry. It helped sometimes, but now it was in the way.

His anger was forgotten and replaced with a dreadful feeling that made him feel physically sick when he heard that sound.

A single gunshot echoed off the trees and the valley.

No...