THE ROYALS
SEASON 5,
EPISODE THREE: I'm Going To Show You Where It's Dumped, But Have No Fear
The room was dark. Not an uncomfortable one, not cold or isolated. The room was warm, and the parting between the curtains allowed a small slither of light to penetrate through. The room was warm, Kathryn hated to admit, but she was comfortable. She had been here, in this alien place for a little over two weeks now.
She placed her hand on her stomach, her baby kicking lightly, she smiled, remembering Liam, and how well he would take care of her. She knew he would save her. She just had to be patient.
"Don't worry" she whispered to her bump "Daddy will find us soon" she assured them.
"Who are you talking to?" she heard, jumping at the sudden voice. She turned to Lucius who was bringing in a tray of tea. It had taken her a while and she did not trust him. But as of yet, he had not tried to hurt her.
He checked on her regularly throughout the day, and always knocked before walking in. He would wash her clothes and bedding, bring her new books and the occasional newspaper. Last week, he even played a game of monopoly with her. She felt safe, even though she knew that she shouldn't.
"The baby" she replied, sitting down on the comfy chair in the corner. "Why are you doing this?" She asked softly as he passed her a cup of tea, taking a second for himself and sitting opposite her. "I thought you loved Helena?" Kathryn asked.
"I do" Lucius replied curtly. He was never much of a conversationalist.
"Then" Kathryn asked, bewildered. "Why are you keeping me here?" She asked.
"It is all part of the plan" Lucius assured her.
"What plan?" Kathryn urged. Lucius shook his head, taking a sip of his tea.
"You do not need to know that. All you need to know if that you are safe here. I am not going to hurt you, or kill you, or put you in any danger. You are here to be protected. The King requested it personally" Lucius assured her
"Well. Can I speak with the King then? Let me talk to Robert, straighten everything out" she suggested.
"I am afraid that will not be possible. King Robert knows that you and Liam are still together. He knows there is as much a chance of your baby being Liams as it is his. The purpose of you being here, is to keep you safe. Away from the Palace and everything in it" Lucius spoke softly
"To keep me away from Liam" Kathryn replied, sourly
"To keep you out of danger" Lucius replied a little firmer. "The Palace is not safe. Certainly not for you" Kathryn sighed, knowing she was not going to get anywhere in that conversation.
"Please" she asked quietly, making Lucius look up from his tea. "Can I please just go for a walk outside. I have been in this room for ages, I would just like to stretch my legs, to have some fresh air"
"That is very risky. I am afraid I cannot allow it" Lucius apologised.
"Please. Half an hour, that is all I ask" Kathryn requested. Lucius put his hands on his knees, looking intently at her. "For the baby" she added, placing her hand on her stomach. His eyes dropped to her bump. And he nodded slowly.
"Alright. But I will accompany you" he replied. Kathryn nodded, a tear of joy coming to her eye.
The clock in the palace struck 9am on a Saturday morning.
Len rolled over to see Jasper looking at her, beside her in the bed. She raised an eyebrow as he leant in to kiss her, it quickly becoming more passionate. His hand gripping her thigh under the sheet, pulling her on top of him.
"Pull my hair" she moaned, he complied, arching her back as the sheet fell, exposing her bare chest. She placed her hands on his, and rocked her hips into his, moaning louder. He released her hair and placed his hands on her hips.
Violet was straddling Cyrus, bouncing up and down, a slur of ecstatic euphoria escaping her lips. Nothing was understood, aside from the fact that she was feeling immense pleasure, Cyrus, hand his hands behind his head, watching the blonde beauty work herself on him.
He let her work for a few more moments before taking his hands out, and flipping her onto her hands and knees, coming up from behind her, watching her look sultrily over her shoulder as he slipped within her again.
Helena moaned softly, as Mark took her from behind. Her knees sinking into the soft mattress and her hands fisted in the sheets. She was moaning out his name, softly, louder, louder as the ecstasy inside her grew.
He took his hand to her hair, stroking it softly, down her shoulder to her waist, pulling out, he flipped her onto her back, throwing the sheets away as he did, looking down on her body, he positioned himself once more and slipped back inside her.
It was a different matter in the Kings Room. It was silent aside from the light breathing of the pair, and the soft taps of the bed as it shook. The sheet was pulled up over Roberts hips, and his chest was covering hers. He was looking down at the rise and fall of her chest, she was staring at the ceiling.
A quick grunt, and a gasp from Robert, and he froze, before stepping out of the sheet, and walking out of the room, leaving Willow behind. She picked up the sheet, wrapping it around her body as she let her sadness become evident.
Mark got faster, and deeper his movements losing their eloquence and precision as he felt himself getting closer and closer. Helena was joining his passion, her words encouraging him on as she neared her own climax.
A few pants and final rocks of the hips later, he collapsed next to her on the bed, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
Cyrus thanked every God he could think of, for having soundproofed his room. Violet's current screaming of desire was loud enough, and in a pitch high enough to shatter every shard of glass in the building.
None the less, he knew how much she liked it. She pushed her chest into the mattress, arching her hips further into him she found her release. Watching her lose control, pushed him towards his own release.
Len cried out, Jasper growling deeply as he pulled her hair back hard once more. Crying out, she found her release, her body relaxing from the intensity of her orgasm on the bed She looked up at the naked man stood beside the bed, his dark, lustful gaze down on her tired, sweat-covered body.
"I'm not done with you yet" he promised, each hand gripping onto her outer thighs and pulling her hips to the end of the bed a delighted squeal escaping from her lips as he did.
Liam sat alone in the dining room. He had walked in about ten minutes ago, a respectful five minutes early to breakfast. Once he walked in and saw that he was alone, he opened his phone, and scrolled through his photos, to a picture of him and Kathryn.
He had made sure not to have any recent ones, and not to have many, he had, at most, three pictures of her. None of which included the baby bump or scan. He knew that all phones were subject to monitoring and did not want to draw any attention. Especially if he was in competition with Robert over Kathryn.
The door opened, he closed the app, and looked up, placing his phone away as the devil himself walked in, Willow by his side. Robert nodded to Liam.
"Good morning" Robert greeted.
"Morning" Liam replied back. Robert walked to the table and sat down. Willow followed him and took her seat to his left. Liam wondered why Robert had not pulled her chair out. He debated doing it himself, but he knew better than to undermine Robert like that.
"Where is everybody?" Robert asked
Before anyone had a chance to reply, the door opened once more, and Cyrus walked in, holding the door open for a dishevelled Violet. She was, in all fairness, wearing her dress, but her make-up was smudged, and her hair was in a mess.
"Don't mind Violet if you see her with a cane later" Cyrus said to the room playfully. Violet gasped at his crudeness, placing her hand on his shoulder and squeezing playfully. Liam watched as his brother walked round beside him on the table. Pulling the chair out for Violet, if only to slap her ass as she sat down. She giggled as he sat beside her. Liam did not miss the envious look from Willow at the actions of his uncle.
The door opened a few moments later, and Helena and Mark walked. Helena looking as gracious as ever. Mark, smart with a beaming smile on his face. They were only holding hands, but it was such a powerful image, it overpowered the room. Much like Cyrus, Mark pulled out the chair for Helena, only sitting down once she was sat down comfortably.
"Where's Eleanor?" Helena asked, noticing the two empty seats.
No sooner had the question been asked, that the door opened again, and Len walked in, pulling Jasper in by the hand, pushing him against the door she had closed, pulling his hands to her supple ass, and leaning into him. Lip locked in passion.
"What about your family?" Jasper asked between kisses. Len leant back, looking down at the man before her.
"Shhh" she whispered. "It's Saturday. They will all be off shagging. We have plenty of time" she assured him, as she leant in again, as soon as her lips met his, Robert gave a loud, obviously fake cough, causing the pair of young lovers to jump apart, and look at the full table.
"As much as we are enjoying the live sex show. Perhaps you should sit down now" He said coldly. Len glared angrily at Robert as she pulled off Jasper.
"Maybe we didn't have time for a third round" she said loudly to him
"Third?" Violet asked, shocked, looking between the pair
"Shh. Don't give her ideas" Cyrus scalded Len. Len looked at Violet and winked
"Why not. Can you not keep up, Uncle?" she asked darkly.
"Enough" Robert demanded. "Vincent" he said to one of his aides. "Tell the wait staff we are ready for breakfast" the aid nodded and walked out.
Mark and Helena walked back towards her room, Mark commenting on the events from breakfast.
"If I knew carnal displays were such a public and normal event in the mornings, I would have offered more than holding your hand" Mark teased
"Like what?" she asked playfully. He brought his hand to her hips and spanked her ass gently.
"Something like that?" he offered. She laughed in reply
"A hand hold is more than I am used to getting anyway. It was lovely" Helena assured him.
Mark sat down on the plush armchair in her room, she sat opposite him.
"Tell me, Helena" he began softly. "Have you found love since Simon passed?" he asked
"If you want the honest truth, Mark. I never truly loved Simon. My heart has always belonged to Alistair Lacey" she admitted
"What happened?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking" he added
"When I said that there were concerns over Liam and Eleanor's parentage, it was not entirely false. There was a chance, albeit small, that Alistair was their father, however, when the press asked for a name, I said-" she began, but he cut her off
"Henry" Mark finished
"Henry. Henry was Alistairs brother, who did die in battle. But Alistair never forgave me for using Henry's name like that. He told me that if the children were his, it would be their decsion if they wanted to meet him. But he told me that day that he did not want anything to do with me" she explained. Her voice saddened by the memory.
"Have you tried to get in touch?" Mark asked
"I have, alas. He changed his number, and his address. I have the people, if I wanted to find him, I could. But I respect him too much. He has made his thoughts clear" she replied
"Have you found any companionship since?" he asked. Helena thought back.
There was Spencer, he was brilliant. He knew exactly what she wanted, what she liked. But he betrayed her by writing that book.
Jack Parker, who won the People's Gala event, but his plane was targeted.
Then there was Sebastian, but that was kept secret. Of course, Eleanor had found out, and it she called things off soon after.
Colin Yorke, who was a bit more of a strategic game than an emotional one. That was Robert's suggestion though. Helena could almost feel the weight as the penny dropped. Before Robert came back, None of her lovers died. Alistair had his death faked, but he did not die. Jasper was still roaming round the Palace.
But since Robert came back, Spencer was banished. Jack was killed, at the time she blamed Cyrus but the dots were starting to align now. Robert never knew about Sebastian, which was why nothing had happened to him. Colin York was still alive, but he was suggested by Robert. What were his words...
"I don't approve of you sleeping with the help, but I do approve of you sleeping with someone who can help"
That bastard! Her son had been controlling her love life!
She remembered the wedding. When Robert introduced Mark to her. For whatever reason, Robert approved, thinking Mark would be able to help. She remembered that Mark had asked her a question.
"I have never been dissatisfied" she admitted honestly. "But how, I have you. I have everything I need" she assured him. She knew she could not trust Mark, and she praised herself for not getting Mark involved in their coup.
"Now, I hope to see you later on, at dinner perhaps? But I have a very busy day ahead of me" she said. She leant in to kiss Mark, and walked out, without looking back.
Helena rushed along the corridor, coming to Len's door, and pushing it open. The loud shriek startling her to the scene before. A flurry of sheets covered the scene before she saw anything, but a disgruntled, interrupted Len and Jasper met her.
"Again?" she asked, referencing their show during breakfast. "Really? Are you two incapable of keeping your hands off one another?" she asked
"Are you incapable of knocking?" Len asked back
"When do you ever knock? How many times have you walked in on me?" Helena asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Point taken. We need locks on our doors" Len replied
"Agreed" Helena stated "We need to talk"
"Can it wait until I get dressed?" Len asked. Helena looked briefly between the pair in mock contemplation.
"Fine" she walked out of the room.
Len looked between the door and Jasper.
"Think we have time to finish?" She asked with a raised eyebrow
"You're insatiable" Jasper replied, picking up his jeans and throwing her dress towards her. She reluctantly put it on
"You love it" she commented
"I'm going to take advantage of it" He promised her. "But first you need to see what your mum wants" he said as he pulled his shirt over his head, and pulled her zip up as she was holding her hair out the way for him.
"Come in Mum" Eleanor shouted, once she checked Japer was dressed. The door opened and she walked in, Len sat on the bed, and Helena walked over to the seat opposite. Jasper began to walk towards the door when Helena stopped him,
"Jasper wait" she called "Please, stay. I think your opinion would be helpful here too" she requested. Jasper walked back and sat besides Len on the bed.
"What's up?" Len asked
"I think Robert is controlling my sex life" she replied
"What do you mean?" Len asked
"Alistair left because of what I did. I cannot blame him for that. Jack Parker was wonderful, but then he died. I blamed Cyrus initially, but now I'm wondering if it was Robert" Helena began
"What makes you say that?" Len asked
"Robert saw me hugging Spencer. The next day he was fired. And to replace him, Robert suggested I get back with Colin Yorke who was, at the time, running for Prime Minister" Helena explained
"Alright" Len replied
"Then, things with Colin finished, and then there was Sebastian" she said sheepishly. "But Robert never found out about me and him. But when you did, we called things off. And now, Robert introduced me to Mark"
"Ever since Robbie came back, ever guy you have found comport in was either chosen by Robert, or has disappeared aside from the one he did not know about" Jasper replied
"Exactly" Helena said thoughtfully
"Did you ever ask Spencer about his side of the story?" Eleanor asked. Helena shook her head.
"No. But you are right, that would be a good place to start" she replied.
"I will come with you, if you want" Jasper offered
Len and her mother exchange a look. When Len nodded, Helena accepted.
Cyrus was stood in his room, brushing his hair. Violet had taken herself out shopping for the morning, so he was enjoying a bit of personal grooming time. Looking in the mirror, he saw the door open, and the King walk in.
Cyrus pulled his hand down from his hair.
"What do you want?" He asked his nephew in the mirror
"We need to talk, Uncle, about your decorum" Robert said. Cyrus scoffed.
"My decorum" he repeated, turning to face the younger man.
"Your behaviour is bringing the tone of the family down. The Monarchy was a shambles when the crown was on your head, and since then you have done nothing to try and make a better image of yourself" Robert explained
"I'll keep out of the spotlight then" Cyrus promised
"You need to be kept out of any light" Robert replied "In fact, I don't believe you have a place in the Palace anymore"
"This is my family. YOU are my family" Cyrus said
"No, Cyrus. You are vermin. A pest. You and that tramp of yours are nothing more than rats, running around the Palace. If I were you, I would disappear before you found yourself in a much worse position" Robert said coldly
"Are you threatening me?" Cyrus asked
"No. I'm giving you a heads up" Robert finished, turning and walking back out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.
Jasper and Helena approached the front door of a house mid-town, perhaps ten miles away from the Palace. There was no car outside, and all the lights were off. Jasper raised his hand, and knocked firmly on the door, the pair taking a step back. No noise, no one approached the door.
Jasper stepped forwards again, this time looking in through the window. He was met by a thick layer of dust.
"When did Spencer get fired?" Jasper asked
"Around seven months ago" Helena replied
"That sounds about right" Jasper said to himself. "Stand behind me" he instructed. She did as he said, and watched as he picked at the lock, until the door swung open.
"Come on" he hurried, stepping inside. She followed him, closing the door behind.
"Was he living in the Palace?" Jasper asked.
"No, he always came home at night" Helena replied. The house was not untidy. It was cold, and very dusty, but everything was in its place. The footprints they were making in the dust showed that there was certainly no one living in the house at the moment. They walked to the kitchen, all the lights off, the food in the fridge had long expired, confirming their suspicions.
"We need to get out of here" Jasper said, taking his sleeve and wiping the handle of the fridge. Messing up the dust footprints, and wiping the handle, they walked out. Knowing that something was wrong.
Spencer sat in his office. He was in email conversation with a few people, planning The Queens schedule for the following week. He was making notes on The Queens plan, draft notes, numbers for associates, dates of meetings and some names which have requested her meet.
He looked over the menu for a lunch she had planned with some friends on Monday, and the drinks list for a charity Gala on Wednesday, making notes of what she would order. He was distracted from his work by the phone ringing. He picked it up, his eyes still focussed on the computer screen in front of him.
"Good morning, Lord Chamberlain speaking" he answered.
"You are late" a cold, female voice came from the other end. Spencer looked up from his computer, eyes drifting to the number which called him. He quickly typed it into the internet, and it showed it was a military number.
"Sorry, who is this?" Spencer asked
"Never you mind. You owe us payment for the 'Black Dahlia" she replied, getting frustrated
"I do apologise, that message must not have been passed over" Spencer apologised.
"The message was Sent to the Lord Chamberlain for the King, and you are the Lord Chamberlain" the female voice replied.
"My apologies. Can you just confirm which one you mean, and confirm the amount?" Spencer asked, making notes on his notepad.
"He's dead on the Kings orders. Plane shot down. You have twenty-four hours" the voice said, hanging up the phone. Spencer listened to the dial tone for a few seconds thinking back on what he had heard. He writes down the number, and a simple note. 'Robert killed Jack'. Tearing off the piece of his notebook, he folded it in half, and walked over to Helena's room.
The door was open, he poked his head inside to see her looking longingly at a miniature Eifle Tower figureine.
"Your Majesty?" He called
"We need to make sure the candles are even in the corridor tomorrow" she stated
"Candles?" Spencer asked
"They bother me when they're uneven" she explained. Spencer looked down, taking a few steps closer to her
"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked. He knew he had important information for her, but it could wait. She needed to talk, and he was willing to listen.
"No" she replied simply. "Just make sure they're even"
"Jack" he stated, "Would you like to talk about Jack?" he asked
"Don't be disingenuous Mr. Hoenigsberg. You couldn't stand Jack" she replied
"I couldn't stand that he got to spend time with you and that he was compelling to you. But you cared for him, and I care for you" Spencer explained
"I'm fine" Helena replied. "Maybe, no candles in the corridor"
"Shut up" Spencer whispered to her "Come here" he added, stepping towards her and taking her in his arms. She relaxed into the hug.
He felt her stiffen up, and he heard footsteps. The door closed and they broke apart.
"Here" Spencer said. "Open it later, when you know you won't be seen" he passed her the note, and she placed it on the table, under a glass. Nodding to him.
"Thank you, Spencer" she replied.
He smiled and walked back to his office. Helena thought for a moment, before walking out of her room, on her way to ask Cyrus if he did it, if he had killed Jack.
Unbeknownst to her, no sooner had she walked out, than Robert walked back in. Glancing around the room for a moment, his eyes stopped on the note under the glass. He picked it up, read it, and scoffed. Taking the note over to the fire, and watching it burn.
Spencer had only just returned to his office when Robert walked in. He was a little annoyed that Robert had not knocked.
"Mr Hoenigsberg. I thought perhaps we could take a walk" Robert replied. Knowing better than to refuse, he agreed. They took a walk, down the stairs before Robert began talking. It was a slow walk, certainly suitable for conversation.
"I am sure you know that your relationship with my mother must not continue" Robert began
"What harm is it doing?" Spencer argued back
"It is completely inappropriate. She is the Queen of England. Surely you must know that she can do better than sleeping with the help" Robert spat
"I can give her what she needs, what she wants. I do not see any reason why my comfort of her should stop" Spencer replied. They were now in the gardens, walking out on the grass. Robert leading, and Spencer following a few steps behind.
"There is no reason to get irate" Robert said, his voice sadistically calm. "I do not want to fight you, Mr Hoenigsberg. Frankly I think the quieter and more subtle this is, the better it will be"
"Are you going to have me killed? Like you did Jack?" Spencer spat. Robert froze, turning around to face him.
"Who told you that?" he asked
"What difference would it make?" Spencer asked
"You had a chance. You should have disappeared when I requested, stopped your relationship with my mother, and you would have lived longer" Robert replied, pulling out his gun. Spencer did not even flinch.
"I was a walking Deadman from the moment you stepped inside my office" Spencer commented
"Do you know the best thing about being King?" Robert asked. "Sovreign immunity" he answered himself, not waiting or a reply.
"You're not king yet" Spencer reminded him
"Yet" Robert replied, pulling the trigger, and watching the man before cum double over, falling to the floor, the life quickly drifting from his eyes.
Robert picked up the dead man's hands and dragged him down the bank, watching as his lifeless body fell into the deep waters of the lake. Placing the gun back inside his jacket pocket, he turned back towards the Palace.
Cyrus walked Violet into a room, his hands covering her eyes. They had just spent three hours in the car, him refusing to tell her where they were going.
"Cyrus, please. Tell me" Violet giggled excitedly.
He agreed, taking his hands off her eyes, and letting her look around. She smiled
"Where are we?" she asked, excitedly
"We're in the Cotswold. I decided to take you away for the weekend. You deserve to be spoilt" he replied.
"Wow!" she said to herself, looking out of the window, at the view. Before turning her attention to the large room before them. A large sofa sat on the oak floorboards, stunning light oak doors adorned the rear walls, through one open one, she could see the unmistakable view of a pool.
She spun around into Cyrus' arms and hugged him, kissing him softly.
"Thank you" she whispered to him.
It was just after lunch, when Helena met Len and Jasper outside by the large tree. They had determined that whilst the Palace itself was likely to be bugged, and with so many people hiding in every corner, concealed or obvious, the gardens were much more secluded, and would be difficult to bug. Therefore, they should meet there to discuss the Spencer issue.
"Did you find anything?" Helena asked in a hushed voice. Jasper and Len shook their heads.
"The house has not been touched in months. Dust everywhere, things left half finished. Food more mould than anything else in the fridge" Len explained
"He never went home?" Helena asked. Both Jasper and Len shook their heads.
"What happened to him?" Helena asked.
"Is it worth asking someone? Maybe one of the guards? They might know what happened?" Len asked
"No. Nothing gets said outside of us three, it's too risky. Everyone is on Roberts side, and he's too powerful for them to betray him. Now, we need to think. James Hill might know something" Helena suggested as she played with her rings
"Perhaps, but Robert was not a fan of James, more than likely he acted outside of James' knowledge or consent" Jasper explained.
"What do we do then?" Len asked
"I can do some digging. I think he mentioned he had a sister. There is bound to be some contact for her somewhere. If I can contact her, it might mean we get some answers" Jasper offered.
"Thank you" Helena replied. Len smiled at Jasper, and the three separated before anyone caught sight of them together, and suspicions were raised.
Jasper slipped inside the surveillance room.
He had been watching the guards for weeks. Ever since he was fired, he was looking for how they were running. When the breaks were. He had ten minutes, now, when they were at fewest staff, It was a quarter to midnight, staff changeover, and due to numbers at the late hour, switching from the 25 day staff to the 15 night staff, there was a ten minute window where the surveillance room was unguarded, whilst the guards changed position to keep cover on the King.
He walked inside, and thanked all of his lucky stars that the passwords had not been changed. Typing the words in to the system, he found the ex-staff members file, and found the one on Spencer. He took a picture on his phone of the contact details, disappointed that there were no next of kin numbers.
None the less, he slipped back outside before anyone heard him, and walked out the Palace, to his car. He drove for about ten minutes, before parking up on the side of the road, and looking at the pictures.
He memorised the number, his Number, and punched it into the keypad of his phone, letting it ring once, twice, three times. He was beginning to doubt if anyone would answer, it was gone midnight now, but then, the phone picked up.
"Hello?" A cautious female voice asked
"Hello" Jasper replied "My name is Jasper Frost, I-" he began but was cut off
"I know who you are" The voice spat "What do you want?" she asked
"I was wondering if I could speak with Spencer Hoenigsberg?" Jasper asked
"We all wish we could speak with him. You inconsiderate bastard. Now leave me alone" she shouted,
"No wait!" Jasper called, expecting her to hang up, but she stopped.
"What sort of cruel game is this?" she asked, tearfully.
"He was fired, about seven months ago, and I understand why he wouldn't want to speak to anyone from the Palace, but please, if I could just have a moment of his time, I promise you, I want to make things better" Jasper assured her
"He was fired?" the voice asked quietly
"What do you mean?" Jasper asked
"They … They came one day, with a box of all of his things. They told me he had killed himself" she said, in tears.
"Can I ask who this is?" Jasper asked
"Melissa Douglass, well, Melissa Hoenigsberg I suppose. I'm Spencer's sister" she said
"Melissa, I am so sorry for everything you have been through. Please, would I be able to come over and have a look at the stuff they gave you? Something does not add up here, and I want to get to the bottom of it, if not for my own sake, but closure for Spencer. The truth needs to be discovered, please. He deserves that" Jasper pleaded.
Silence met him on the other end of the line. He waited a few moments, before he heard a sharp inhale.
"Yes" she replied.
"Thank you" Jasper responded. She gave him her address, and he told her he would be there within the hour.
Len rolled over in bed, she knew where Jasper had gone, but it did not stop her worrying about him. She wondered if, when he would come back. But she could not go looking. No if she went now it might ruin his plan.
She rolled over in bed, looking at the moon outside the window, hoping he would come back in the room at any moment.
In almost a psychic daze, the door opened, and he walked in, with a sense of purpose in his stride.
"Get dressed" he ordered "We're going to meet a friend" he said with a smirk. Wondering what he was up to, but knowing damn well she could not ask, question or argue. Not when they could be overheard anyway, she stood, dressing quickly, before walking out, down to his car.
He gave her his phone and told her to give him directions as he drove. She did, and about half an hour later, they pulled up outside a large, detached house.
"Who are we seeing?" Len asked
"Melissa" Jasper replied, "Spencer's sister, who was told by the Palace that he had committed suicide" Lens eyes widened at his words. They got out the car and walked to the front door, raising his fist, Jasper knocked twice. A flurry of footsteps and the door opened.
A middle-aged woman, slim, tall with brown hair pulled up into a bun, a few grey hairs shining through. Despite the late hour, appeared wide awake.
"Melissa?" Jasper asked she nodded. "Jasper Frost" he replied, holding out his hand.
"Princess Eleanor" she said, turning her attention to Len as she walked in, she bowed to Len who scoffed.
"Please, call me Len, and you don't have to bow" she laughed. Melissa seemed taken aback, but smiled none the less
"Please. Come in" she said, stepping out of the doorway, and the couple walked inside.
The three walked into Melissa's living room. She walked out, announcing she was going to go and get some tea.
"What are we doing here?" Len asked
"She hasn't heard from Spencer since he left. But she has his belongings. He was a smart man, if she can't give us answers as to where he went, she might have something that gives it away" Jasper said
"What if he was paid off, and she's in on the lie?" Len asked. Jasper shrugged.
"I guess we'll have to find out" he replied.
Melissa walked back in a few moments later carrying a tray with a tea pot, milk, sugar and some mugs.
"Thank you for having us over, Melissa" Len started
"I need some closure. Spencer was such a happy person, sure, he had his moments, everyone did, but he was never unhappy" she said
"What happened?" Jasper asked "I'm sorry, I know it must be hard, but you said before you had a phone call from the Palace?" he asked. She nodded
"I did. I was home that day, I don't remember much apart fromt thinking it was weird that someone called the house phone. No one ever does that. But I answered it, and it was the Palace. They said that they were sorry, but Spencer had taken his own life. They did not offer anything more than that. They did not tell me when, or how, or why. But just told me to come to the Palace as soon as I could to collect his things" she explained
"I appreciate you telling us this. And I'll be honest there must be something more here because we were told that he was fired for writing a 'tell all book', exposing my family" Len replied. Melissa laughed a loud laugh.
"Spencer writing a book!" She laughed. "Firstly, he would never write a tell all book, he loved that job, he wouldn't even tell me anything from the Palace, let alone the world. And secondly, he never had any spare time. He was in the Palace every waking moment. He would be home from around midnight until six in the morning. He was not even a strong reader" Melissa explained.
"Did you get his belongings from the Palace?" Jasper asked her.
"I did. I had one guard follow me through the castle to his office. I can only assume they left it as it was, as it was a mess. But he stood in the door. He did not offer to help, no conversation. No one would give me any answers. I left as soon as I could" she explained
"Do you still have the things you brought back?" Jasper asked
"I do. It's all in the spare room. I tried going through it once, but I only managed about ten minutes before it got too hard. Haven't touched it since" she replied
"Would you mind if I had a look through?" Jasper asked
"Be my guest" she said, pointing to the door. Jasper stood and walked over.
"You must have some wonderful memories of Spencer, could you tell me some? He worked for my mother, so I only ever saw him in passing, but he seemed such a wonderful person" Len asked Melissa who smiled.
Jasper heard Melissa begin to reply to Len, but he closed the door, muffling the voices. There wasn't much. A few pictures, a few books. A box or two of notebooks. A daybook. A list of Helena's meetings.
There was one envelope full of love letters Spencer had written, all addressed to Helena. Jasper wondered if he had ever given them to her, but he was sure she would like them either way. Jasper set them aside.
He skimmed through the notebooks. Not much in them, random dates, times, a few numbers but nothing which jumped out.
Then there was one, which did. A ripped page. The notebook was well written in the pages before, then there was one page, with the bottom section ripped off, and nothing in the book after. He picked it up to the light and could see a very faint indent on the paper.
He looked around the room and found a pencil. He shaded over the indent, and a few faint words could be read. He pushed with the pencil and was able to read them.
ROBERT KILLED JACK.
0800 672 5524
He picked up the notebook, the envelope full of notes, and a few books which had a lot of writing in, and walked back out to see Melissa showing Len pictures of Spencer in a photo album, hearing the door open and close, the pair turned to Jasper, Len shooting him a 'help me' look.
"Melissa, thank you so much for your time. I found a few things which might have some leads, would you mind if I took them back and see if anything follows through?" he asked. She nodded.
"Of course, but please. Just, let me know if you find out anything. Please" she begged. Jasper nodded.
"Of course" he replied. Len stood, and Melissa pulled her in for a tight hug. She thanked them both, and they slipped back outside.
"What did you bring back?" Len asked. He passed her the pile.
"The top notebook is just full of random dates, names and numbers. Bit of a long shot but I would have rather had it. The bottom notepad has loads in, and then stops on a ripped page. Read it" Jasper encouraged
"Robert killed Jack?" Len asked as she read it out loud.
"It sounds reasonable. But the number sounds like proof. If Spencer received a call that was incriminating to Robert, and the page was torn, it sounds like he wrote a note. Ripped it out and gave it to someone?" he asked
"Or Robert found it and ripped it out?" Len asked
"Very possible" Jasper replied
"Do you think Robert killed Spencer?" she asked
"He seemed to want to control your mums love life. And if Spencer just found out about him killing Jack too... We certainly can't rule it out" Jasper suggested
"What could he have done with the body?" she asked
"I can only assume the river" Jasper replied
"Would there be any proof? How long does the camera footage last?" Len asked
"It lasts a year, but if it incriminates Robert then it's almost guaranteed to have been deleted" Jasper said
"But he would have Sovreign immunity" Len reminded him
"Still better to delete everything. And I thought Spencer was gone before Robert became King?" He asked
"Oh yeah!" Len remembered. "Is there any way you could look for footage?"
"When I worked for the Palace, yes of course. But now Robert is running things? I don't know" Jasper admitted.
"I doubt the passwords would have changed" Len said
"What makes you so sure?" Jasper asked
"Well, when my grandfather was King it was changed, it hasn't changed since" she explained "Royal*1909, capital R" she finished
"1909?" He asked
"Year that the Henstridge Monarchy took over" Len explained
"Ah of course" Jasper replied. "Ok, so we have the password, but we would need to get into the surveillance room to scan through footage" Jasper stated
"How long do you need?" Len asked
"Once I'm in, ten minutes" Jasper said
"I think I can get you that" Len promised.
"You sure?" he asked
"When we get back. Go to our room, wait ten minutes, then go. I'll meet you back in bed at 2am" she promised. He looked over to her
"Just, don't do anything stupid" he replied
"Like I would do something stupid" Len scoffed.
Len walked round the corridors, over to the East Wing. The furthest point from the surveillance room. She walked over to the corridors, just out of view of the camera, pulling out a bag of fake blood, she dressed up her thigh, falling into the view of the camera, screaming.
Within moments, there was a flurry of footsteps, and around 8 security guards came running towards her.
"Princess Eleanor, are you alright?" one asked.
"A man! He, he was hiding round the corner and attacked me!" Len shouted
"What happened?" Another asked
"He stabbed me!" Len shouted
"I don't see a wound" another said looking at the blood on her leg. Len thought for a moment, seeing a screwdriver on the floor to the side of the hall. She didn't have time to think
"There he is!" She shouted, pointing down the hall, they all turned to look and in the brief moment they looked away, she grabbed the screwdriver and drove the tip into her thigh. The pain was excruciating, but at least she now had a real wound.
The guards jumped when they turned back to her.
"Was that there a moment ago?" The guard who did not see anything before asked, pale faced.
"Of course, it was there! How could you not have seen it!" she asked, her anger coming out in her voice, scaring the guards more.
Jasper watched the clock, the second it ticked ten minutes he walked out, without looking back, he walked to the surveillance room, and true to her word, it was empty.
He was quick, he walked in, logged into the computer, as Len assured him, the password had not changed. He went through the old files, back to the say that Spencer was 'fired'. Nothing, but it was an obvious blank in the surveillance tapes. Clearly, they had been wiped. Amateur work, not even a loop feed put in.
Then, Jasper thought of something. He changed the feeds. All of the internal feeds came through one surveillance, but there was another one, he learned that when he was investigating Simons' stabbing. There was a set of secondary cameras, which only the Head of Security knew about. He doubted that James Hill had changed the password.
Logging in quickly, he scanned for the date, to his amazement, the tapes were still there. He watched, this view was of the external walk, and the grounds. There was no footage of Spencer being murdered, but there was footage of Robert dragging Spencer's lifeless body. He could follow it to the lake, where he pushed the body in, leaving it to submerge below the depths.
He downloaded the tapes onto a memory stick, and logged out, and crept back to the room. He waited, but 2am passed, and Len did not return.
Len and Jasper were not the only ones awake at such an early hour. Helena lay in her bed. She could not get the thoughts of Spencer out of her head. She was so angry when Robert had told her what Spencer had done, and she completely understood why he had fired him.
But now, she was doubting everything that Robert said, and if something had happened to Spencer, she would never forgive herself for being so quick to turn on him.
She rolled over in bed, trying to get to sleep but it was not coming. Groaning in frustration, she sat up and picked up her phone, searching for him, nothing came up with his name, so she wondered if he used a pen name.
Either way, there was nothing online which linked anything to him. She even tried searching for 'jiggy pudding', but nada. It crossed her mind if Robert had shut it down and removed any traces from the internet.
But still nothing. Even the hints at a 'tell all' about the Royal Family, but there was nothing aside from Cyrus' hints.
She put her phone away, wide awake and exasperated.
LINE BREAK
It was 4am, Jasper knew that he should have chased up Len, but he knew better than to interrupt her plans. It was about ten minutes later, the door opened. He jumped to greet her as she limped in.
"Oh my God!" He exclaimed as he saw her "What happened?"
"I did something stupid" she groaned, he took her hand and helped her sit down on the bed.
"What did you do?" he asked
"I stabbed myself" she replied
"You stabbed your-What the hell are you on about?" He asked
"They saw the fake blood but weren't buying it" she complained
"So, you stabbed yourself?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief at her
"It wasn't my finest moment" she admitted. "Did you find anything?" She asked
"You tell me" Jasper said, pulling out the laptop and showing her the footage
"It's pretty incriminating" she said as she watched it. "But it doesn't show him killing him"
"I know. That was on the internal footage, which got deleted. But it shows that Spencer died, and Robert had something to do with it. And there's more. I went through that notebook, the one with the number on, that says Jack was killed by Robert" Jasper began
"Oh?" Len asked
"The notebook was about three pages in, and the pen used to write the note, was the same pen used to write the days before. I crossed referenced the Charity Gala mentioned in the notebook. It was 4 days after he disappeared. As he would plan a week in advance, I think that note was written the same day as the note, which would be the day he died" Jasper explained
"You're quite the detective" Len said with a smirk
"I think we need to talk to the rest. Cyrus is away isn't he?" Jasper asked
"We definitely need to speak to mum, let her know that Spencer was killed. What do we need to speak to the rest about?" Len asked curiously
"I think we should call the number that called him. There is a good chance that if Spencer found out something he shouldn't, then it was because he found out something" Jasper explained
"Yeah, you have a point" Len replied. "But it's early, and I'm shattered, and nursing a stab wound-" Len began
"Which you gave yourself" Jasper reminded her
"I seem to remember when you got shot I was nothing but loving and attentive" Len replied
"You're right. I'm sorry" Jasper replied
"Let's call it tomorrow. I need to sleep" Len finished
"Alright" Jasper said after a moment of thought. He helped her changed into her pyjamas, and tucked her into bed, holding her close.
"I love you" he whispered to her, she whispered it back before they let sleep consume them
LINE BREAK
"What's this about?" James asked, curiously as they gathered in his living room again.
"It's about Spencer" Len said
"Did you find out what happened to him?" Helena asked, a glint of hope in her voice. Len and Jasper exchanged a look.
"We think so, but there's more" Jasper replied
"Jasper found this footage on the surveillance tapes" Len said, pulling out her iPad and showing them the footage, Robert dragging Spencer's body, and throwing it in the Lake. For a moment, watching it, Helena gasped, and let a single tear roll down her cheek.
"So, we know Robert killed Spencer. What's significant about that?" Helena asked
"Well, firstly, he wasn't King when he killed him, so he can be prosecuted for that the same as any other British Citizen. But more so, we went to speak to his sister, who was told by the Palace that he had committed suicide" Jasper explained
"He was fired?" Helena said to herself
"Jasper went through the stuff his sister brought back from his office, and found a notebook. There was random notes in there, but they link to the week that he went missing. And there was one page ripped out of the book" Len explained
"We looked at the indent on the page below, and here" Jasper pulled the note from his pocket, and placed it on the table
"Robert killed Jack?" Liam asked
"There's a number. We think he got a call; heard something he shouldn't have, and it got him killed" Len said
"We called this meeting to ask if we should contact this number, see who it is, what they have to say" Jasper asked
"The note! Of course" Helena gasped
"What do you mean?" Jasper asked
"After Jack died, Spencer came into my room, and comforted me, he placed a note down on my sideboard, but then Robert interrupted us, so he left. I was furious, thinking that Cyrus had something to do with Jack's murder. When I came back, the note was gone. I never thought anything of it" Helena said
"Do you think Robert got rid of the note?" Liam asked
"It sounds very possible" James replied. "Let's see the number?" Jasper passed it over to him "That's a military number" he stated
"Should we call it?" Liam asked
There was a moment of silence before James spoke up first.
"Yes" they all looked to him. "Whatever was said to Spencer was so incriminating it got him killed. But at the very least, if Spencer learned in the call that Robert killed Jack, the military might have someone who's not on Roberts side. It would be good to get some contacts, or at least to see if anyone has any hint of betraying him.
"Alright. We'll call the number" Len stated, they all agreed.
It was still sunny outside, Kathryn stared out the window. She did not doubt that Lucius would hole true to his word on letting her take a walk outside, but she did not know when he would come by. She was dressed ready just in case, a few layers, warm socks and a coat on. She sat perched on the edge of the bed.
There was a knock at the door and Lucius walked in.
"I must insist you reconsider, Miss Davies. This is not a good idea" he urged her. Kathryn looked to the outside once more, the light breeze making a few loose leaves float down to the ground in such a gentle motion.
She could not resist. She stood and walked up to him.
"Thank you" she replied, he held the door open for her, and together they walked out. The breeze on her face was colder than she expected, but it was fresh, so much nicer than the stuffy room she was in.
They walked in silence enjoying the freedom of the outside air. Kathryn had no idea where she was. But it was better than being left in that room any longer.
"Just a moment" Lucius said, dropping to his knee and tying his shoe, she took a few steps and started to smell the flowers. A thought crossed her mind, but before she could second guess herself, she was running.
She did not know where, but she knew she was running. Then, gunshot. She dived to the floor and a half second later, Lucius was on top of her. His hands caught her wrists. He did not hold her tight enough to hurt, but a firm enough for her to know that she was safe.
"We have to go!" he hissed, they hurried, pulling lightly on her wrist and the pair made their way back to the safety of her room.
"What the hell was that?" Kathryn hissed, looking out at the gardens from the safety of behind the window
"I told you, it was not safe. There are guards, you should not have run. I am trying to help you, I am trying my best, but it is not safe out there" Lucius scalded
"I'm sorry" Kathryn whispered. Lucius paused a few moments,
"Are you hurt?" he asked softly. Kathryn shook her head. "Alright then. I'll be back later on" he assured her, leaving Kathryn alone with her thoughts, a little fear, a little disappointment, but mostly, sheer confusion at what made her run. She was not going to run.
Jasper sat in his car, a few miles from the Palace, out of any traceable phone recording from the Palace. He called the number he had got from the paper in Spencer's office. It has been so long he was very doubtful that this would lead anywhere, but he had to try.
Taking a deep breath, he dialled, it rang a few times, before a female voice answered. It was quiet, cautious. It sounded like they did not receive calls very often.
"Hello?" she asked. Jasper thought back to what Brandon had told him. 'Calls came from the Palace, code name; Oz'
"Good morning. I'm calling from Oz" Jasper said deeply. There was a squeak on the other end of the phone.
"How? Um. Can I help?" she asked
"I'm tracing up an old job. Jack Parker" Jasper said. Silence met him
"I think you have the wrong number" the voice replied, a lot stronger this time.
"I don't think I do. There is something wrong, and I need details" Jasper replied, sterner
"I cannot help you" The voice replied coldly. "It's not safe" she whispered lightly after. So lightly he was not entirely sure he had heard it. "Alley, by Pigs Street. 11pm" she added, before hanging up.
Jasper looked down at his phone, baffled. He started the car and drove back to James' where everyone was waiting.
LINE BREAK
"What happened?" Len asked as soon as he walked in the door. Liam walked up behind her and passed Jasper a beer, he accepted, raising the bottle in thanks.
"Well, I called and a woman answered, she seemed unsure, I don't think that line received many called, but when I said I was from Oz" Jasper began
"Oz?" James asked
"When Brandon Boone was telling us how the Palace called for the murder of Robert, the calls came from 'Oz'" Len explained
"Right" James said, still none the wiser
"She told me that I had the wrong number, but then whispered to meet her in the Alley by Pigs Street, tonight at 11pm" Jasper explained
"Well, we have to go" Len said
"Absolutely not" Helena interjected "It's not safe"
"We have to. She knows what Robert had to do with Jack's murder, she might know what happened to Spencer, or at least why he wrote her number down. She wanted to talk to us, she clearly has something to say" Jasper replied
"And I don't need to remind you that the last time I met up with someone, we found out that Brandon killed Robert" Len replied
"Well, who would we even send?" Helena asked
"I'll go" Jasper offered
"I'll go with you" Len replied
"And me" Liam offered
"All three of you? No way" Helena complained
"Why not? She knows Jasper's voice from the phone, if she's scared maybe seeing another female might calm her down, and with Liam there too it's a little intimidating if they try to do anything" Len explained
"What if something goes wrong? What if you all get hurt, or killed?" Helena asked
"It's a risk we have to take" Len reminded her.
The three walked out of the Palace and got into Jasper's car. It was quiet, oddly quiet tonight. Robert and Willow were out at some charity gala, Helena was in her room, minding her own business, trying not to draw attention to herself, and Cyrus and Violet were still away.
The three drove quickly out of the Palace grounds and a few miles down the road
"I'm nervous" Len admitted
"Why?" Jasper asked, deep in the zone. "It's just business. In, get what they want to tell us, out. What's the worst that can happen?" he asked
"We die?" Liam asked, joining in on Lens fear. Jasper flicked his eyes to the rear-view mirror and rolled his eyes at Liam.
"I'm not going to turn up unarmed, am I?" Jasper replied. "You're safe. But we need to find out what happened" he assures them
"You're right" Len replied taking a deep breath and turning to Jasper. "We've got this!" she said confidently, she spun around to face Liam in the back seat.
"We need to do this" she said to him. He studied her for a few moments, before nodding. Agreeing
The car pulled to a stop in the carpark opposite the alley. The three got out, Jasper locking the door. Len pulled her jacket tighter round her shoulders as the chill of the wind caught her. Jasper wanted to wrap his arm around her, but he knew better than to show any weakness now.
He stepped in front of the Royal siblings, shoulders back, he confidently strolled into the alley, looking at his watch as it ticked to eleven o'clock.
"We're here" he called. Silence followed him, a few seconds, Liam was beginning to doubt that anyone was here, glancing towards the end of the alley, awaiting the troops to surround them. But alas, no one.
"I wasn't sure you would come" a soft voice, said, getting louder but there were no footsteps accompanying the voice. Then, out of the darkness a shadow appeared. A woman, perhaps mid-twenties, with long brown hair, slim, sharp features but soft eyes.
She was sat in a wheelchair. A few layers on, she rolled closer to them.
"Who are you?" Jasper asked coldly
"Joanne Knight. I would ask who you are, but" she stopped to laugh for a moment "Everyone knows wo you are" she replied
"Don't change the subject. Why did you want to meet us?" Jasper asked, Len was both taken aback and turned on by his strong, deep voice. The determination she had not seen since he had been fired. She realised in that moment how much he needed more risk like tonight. But that was a matter to think about later on.
"I was killed by the King" Joanne answered Jaspers question.
"You don't look very dead" Jasper critiqued.
"Yeah, well he's not a very good shot" she spat back
"What do you have to say which you couldn't have said on the phone" Jasper asked
"The lines are recorded. It wasn't safe to talk then" she replied
"Why would you talk to us anyway?" Jasper replied
"Because you know as well as I do that, that monster needs taking down" she hissed.
"You'd better start talking" Jasper replied
"I joined the military at 18. Since my injury, I g ta new job. Not able to move around much I only really man the phones" she said
"So?" Len asked, stepping forwards and crossing her arms, standing beside her boyfriend.
"So" Joanne replied, unwavering, "I always heard rumours that we received calls from the Palace, but I never believed it until I received one of my own. I know that bastards voice. I would recognise it anywhere" she began
"Robert's" Liam confirmed
"That's the one" she replied. "My injury screwed up my vocal cords. I don't sound like I did when he knew me" she said
"How did he know you?" Len asked
"I was on his watch, on his team. But yeah, I knew that voice. Anyways, he rung up one day and sent in a command He requested a black Dahlia. It's a cue, that means we need to kill someone. When we asked who we should send it to, he told us some bloke called Jack Parker" she explained
"He had mum's boyfriend killed" Liam said to Len, who nodded.
"Yeah, this was a weird one though. This call came from a different line. Usually, calls would from the King's Office, which is a secure line, it can't be tapped or recorded. But this one came from an unsecure line. But the code 'black Dahlia' was a term only we knew" she explained "We had to act on it"
"Robert would have called from Spencer's office, that's why Spencer wrote the number down if it had called back" Len replied
"Why target Spencer though?" Liam asked
"Robert knew about the relationship between Spencer and the Queen, frame Spencer, get Jack killed, win-win. Make it seem like the attack of a jealous lover" Jasper theorised.
"Do you think that's why Spencer went missing?" Liam asked
"I don't know" Jasper replied, he turned back to Joanne. "Thank you for your time" he said, starting to turn away
"That's not all I got" Joanne replied. Jasper turned back to her with curiosity.
"What else do you know?" he asked
"There's a pub, few hundred feet down the road. Let's go in there. It's freezing out, and you might want to sit down for this one. It's much more sinister than an arranged murder" she replied.
The three exchanged a look, but as she began to roll away, they followed close behind. True to her word, there was a pub. They went inside, ordered their drinks and found a corner booth, where Len sat herself near the open burning fire, and they took sips of their drinks.
"What did you want to tell us?" Liam asked
"It was a while back, the night before his plane went down. We were all in a bar, a bit like this, the whole watch, our troop. Big mission the next day so, we always have a drink the night before, ya know, in case someone doesn't come back for us to have a drink after" she said, taking a sip of her wine
"We were all here, about 20 of us. Playing darts, drinking games, pool, just laughing, having a good time. Eventually, it was just me and him left in the bar. He was the ringleader that night, was his idea to go have a drink, he was making everyone laugh. Looking back, in hindsight, it makes sense if he was planning on getting shot down the next day, but in the moment, just seemed like he was boosting morale" she began
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jasper replied, she ignored him.
"It was late, there was only the two of us left, but he invited me to stay for one last drink, and stupidly, I accepted. We sat down at the bar, it was empty, even the bartenders had gone by that point. He turned to me and said 'Joey', he knew how much I hated that nickname - 'Joey, soon I am going to be King" she paused to take a sip
"I said, 'Course you are, you're the King's son. He laughed" she explained
"Laughed?" Laim asked
"He looked at me, deadpan and said 'no'. Told me he would be King much sooner than that. He told me that his plane was gonna go down the next day, and he was going to be declared dead. Then, he would make a miraculous return, like Jesus, and be King"
"He knew Simon was going to die?" Jasper replied
"I asked him, why are you going to do that?, he replied, telling me that his father told him, before he went on that mission, that over a game of chess, that he was going to disband the monarchy. That he would not make a good King, and that his father would rather disband the monarchy than let him be King" Joanne explained Liams eyes widened at her comments
"I asked him" she continued "Are you going to kill the King? Are you going to kill your father?. He smirked at me, and told me that to win the war, people have to die. So I asked him if that chess game was why he was doing it, to prove his father wrong, to let him have a chance at being King, before his father disbanded the monarchy, and he lost his chance" she again, stopped for a sip
"What did he say?" Len asked
"He laughed" Joanne replied "Robert said no, his father was right, he would make. A terrible king, but that was because of the constraints of what made a Monarchy these days. He said that he would make a brilliant King, when Kings ruled countries. He told me, he was going to ruin the government, take it over. So, he had the ultimate power. He said he was going to isolate the United Kingdom from the rest of the world, take out the satellites, no phones, no internet. Take it back to the old ages where Kings were Kings, and not figureheads. He said, and I will never forget his words. 'Father was right, I would make a terrible King, but I will be a stellar ruler" she finished
"Why did he tell you all this?" Jasper asked cautiously, aware that she had mentioned his plan to knock out the phone signal, and satellites, but that was kept under wraps. That was dealt with and sorted without anyone knowing.
"I asked him" she replied "I asked him, why was he telling me all this. He finished his drink, and stood, offering me a hand and asking me to go for a walk with him. I should mention, I could still walk back then" she said motioning to her wheelchair.
"We walked outside, it was early hours of the morning, the sun was beginning to rise. We walked in silence until we reached the top of a hill, about a mile from the pub. He turned to me, and looked me in the eyes, so close to me. I was never taken by him, he was always a cocky arrogant sod, but he had opened up to me, and in that moment, I would have been tempted" she admitted, looking down, blushing.
"He's a master of manipulation, don't feel bad for that" Liam assured her.
"He leant in, his lips inches from mine. 'Joey' he whispered to me, 'you wanted to know why I told you all this. Because, you won't live to see the sun set tonight'. I asked him what he meant, and he pulled his gun out, pressing it into my chest. His lips still just as close to me as they were before, but his eyes were dead" she whispered.
"He told me, that everyone else was so easy. But I had to stay up, I just 'had' to have a drink with the Future King. He said I was nice, too nice for my own good, but that he had said too much, and I simply could not stay alive with that knowledge. He shot me, and pushed me down the hill" she spat
"But you survived" Len replied
"Yeah. I survived. I wasn't meant to. I don't know how. I woke up a few weeks later in the hospital. The bullet missed my organs but hit my spine, I was paralysed from the waist down, but I was alive. My long-term partner was brilliant, he helped me recover and get back to work" she said, her eyes brightening up thinking about that memory.
"Aren't you worried that Robert would come looking for you?" Len asked, "If he found out you were still alive, wouldn't you be more at risk now?"
"I married; I changed my name. I re-joined the military but in a new department, with a new name. No connection. But a determination to get him back. He has caused pain to so many people, it's time he felt the same" she said
"Do you have any proof?" Jasper asked, she pulled a memory stick out of her bag.
"It's a bit muffled, but it has everything you need" she assured them
"Why were you recording it?" Liam asked sceptically
"One of the guys on the watch, not Robert this time, was rather abusive, and harassing me. The only way the Military would do anything about it was if I had proof. I guess after a few drinks, I forgot" she admitted.
Jasper downed the last of his pint.
"Thank you for meeting with us and telling us all this. I hope you know; we have a similar agenda" he assured her. She smiled.
"Thank you" she replied.
The next morning, the doors swung open over breakfast. Len, Jasper and Liam were no where to be seen. It was just Helena in the breakfast hall, eating alone. She looked up to see Cyrus and Violet, beaming ear to ear as they walked in
"What did we miss?" He asked
"Same old" Helena replied, standing up to greet the couple. "Something. Might be lots, might be nothing. We need to wait for Jasper, Len and Liam to return and tell us what they found" she whispered to him, releasing him, and hugging Violet
"Anything for certain?" Cyrus asked in a hushed voice. Helena's face turned into a sad smile.
"Only confirmation that Robert killed Jack" she said sadly. Cyrus once more wrapped his hands around her, pulling her into a tight hug, which this time, she knew he meant.
"I lost the one person who meant the world to me, and I was lucky enough to get her back. I am so sorry Helena" he whispered. In that moment, Helena felt a newfound sense of appreciation for her brother-in-law.
"What do we do about this?" Len asked as she and Jasper walked into Liams room the next morning.
"Robert told me the last thing dad said to him, which was, that part of his reason for disbanding the monarchy was a lack of confidence in Robert. She knew that, no one else did" Liam explained
"She knew about the plan to knock out the service, isolate the United Kingdom, she knew things that others wouldn't. I think we have to trust her" Jasper added
"Why would she talk to us? If Robert found out she would be killed" Len asked
"If Robert found out we were planning to take him down we would be done for treason" Jasper reminded her, "Sometimes, when you have that much hatred built up, It's worth the risk"
"But why now? Why not try to contact us sooner?" Len asked
"She did. She rung Spencer to ask for payment. That could easily have been her trying to talk to us. But Spencer did not get the memo" Liam reminded her
"Or Robert got to him first" Jasper added
"And if Robert called the number from Spencer's phone, and recognised the number on the note, it would explain why he killed Spencer" Jasper explained.
"We need to call a meeting" Len said. The other two nodded in agreement.
"I've told you far too much to let you live" the 'BANG' that followed echoed through the phone. And the recording cut off.
"What do you think?" Len asked the group
"Are we sure that's not a fake?" James asked
"You are welcome to test it, but it's Robert's voice, and the recording matches what she said" Liam replied
"This is proof Robert did everything isn't it" Cyrus said excitedly "Proof he faked his death, killed Simon, ruined the governments, that was the blackouts surely, proof that he is not a fit King. Is this it? Can we take him down?" Cyrus asked eagerly
"Not yet" Jasper replied solemnly
"Why not?" Violet asked, sensing her partners keen body language.
"Because this is an account, it's a witness statement, it's not proof that he actually did anything. This is the icing on the cake, but we still need the cake" James explained
"How do we get that?" Helena asked
"Ingredient by ingredient. We have payments that he paid Ted Pryce to kill Simon, and Brandon Boone to kill him. We need to go through each and every thing he has done, and find the evidence" Liam explained
"Are you sure she's on our side?" Helena asked
"He tried to kill her. I think so" Len replied
"Do we get her to join our team?" Violet asked
"No" a chorus replied.
"No. She's a secret weapon, but if we draw any attention to her, Robert will have her dead before we can get anything out of her. This is our secret weapon" Len explained. They all nodded in agreement.
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