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Rob hurriedlystood next to the others, his face set in a grim expression. “I haven’t seenthe exact location yet.”
Wintersquickly pulled out her phone and her eyes scanned the details on the screen.Her face drained of color and her jaw tightened. “My God,” she whispered.
Finnimmediately sensed the urgency in her voice and leaned in. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ve pinpointedFalstaff’s location,” Winters responded, her voice tinged with disbelief. “Andif the information is accurate, we need to move, now!”
“Why? Where ishe?” Finn pressed, the urgency clear in his voice.
Winters lookedup, her green eyes piercing. “He’s inside DeGrey Castle.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
The vastexpanse of DeGrey Castle loomed ahead, a massive silhouette against theincreasingly turbulent sky. Rain threatened to fall at any moment, with theovercast clouds above looking dark and foreboding. The sight of the castlewould have been breathtaking under different circumstances, but for Finn andWinters, it was a grim reminder of the task they were undertaking.
As Finnmaneuvered his rental car over the cobblestone roads, he growled infrustration. The stubborn gear stick jammed again, and he was forced to wrestlewith it just to keep moving. Winters, in her sleek car, seemed to have no suchissues ahead, and Finn felt a pang of envy. He murmured under his breath, “You’regoing back to the rental place as soon as I arrest Sam Falstaff.”
The familiarfaces of the two security guards came into view as they approached the castleentrance. Recognizing them, they gestured for Finn and Winters to proceed.
With agrateful nod, Finn continued over the bridge, the waters of the moat churningbelow. The sound of water against stone was loud in his ears, almost drowningout the low rumble of thunder in the distance.
Once insidethe first courtyard of the castle, Finn brought his temperamental car to astop, shutting off the engine with a sigh of relief. Climbing out, he shot afrustrated glare at the vehicle. “One of us has got to go, you or me, buddy!”he exclaimed, shaking his head.
A soft chucklecaught his attention. Winters stood a few paces away, amusement twinkling inher eyes. “You make such a lovely couple,” she teased.
Before Finncould come up with a witty retort, a familiar voice rang out, smooth with ahint of a German accent. “Inspector Winters, Detective Finn. Welcome to CastleDeGrey once more. But there is no need for alarm. We received a call from your chiefconstable and we have some private security staff to keep us safe.”
Frau Wolfstepped forward, her posture regal and demeanor calm. Dressed in a tailoredsuit, she looked every bit the part of a lady of the manor. Her eyes, however,betrayed a hint of anxiety. Whatever was happening in the castle, she wasdeeply afraid of.
“Frau Wolf,”Winters greeted, her tone professional, “thank you for meeting us. You’re awarethen that we’ve received information that there’s someone in the castle whoshouldn’t be here?”
Frau Wolf’sgaze hardened. “I was made aware. I’ve already sent some of my personnel toscour the grounds, but as you mentioned before, the castle is vast, the searchwill take some time. We could use all the help we can get, so you are welcome.”
“Thank you,”Winters said.
Before FrauWolf could respond, a question popped into Finn’s mind. “Do you remember SamFalstaff?”
The questionseemed to catch Frau Wolf off guard. She paused for a beat, her eyes cloudingover with a mix of regret and remembrance. “Yes,” she finally replied, hervoice softening. “I remember Sam. He was but a child the last time I saw him.”
Winters notedthe change in her demeanor. “What can you tell us about him?”
Frau Wolfhesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on the distant towers of the castle. “Theentire affair with the Falstaff family was a dark chapter in our history. Agreat embarrassment to our family. We truly believed, at that time, that bysending Sam and his mother away, we were making the best decision for everyoneinvolved.” She paused, pain evident in her eyes. “In retrospect, it’s clear we werewrong.”
Winters,following up on the revelation, asked, “Has the family had any contact with Samsince then?”
Before FrauWolf could answer, a distinct voice echoed across the courtyard. Morgan DeGrey,with her impeccable posture and striking presence, emerged from the double-archeddoorway. The slight flutter of her dress in the breeze was the only indicationthat she had hurried over.
“We did,” Morganbegan, her voice filled with a mixture of regret and bitterness. “A few yearsago, Sam turned up unannounced at the castle gates. He was demanding to speakwith Quentin.”
Winters raisedan eyebrow. “And did he?”
Morganhesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on the cobblestone ground. “No. Unfortunately,our security staff were not aware of his history with the family. One of theguards, thinking Sam was just another trespasser, got a bit too hands-on. Samleft that day with a bloody nose and a broken arm.”
Finn’s jawclenched. While he was well aware of Sam’s recent actions, he couldn’t help butfeel sympathy for the man’s past. The unfairness, the rejection, and thesubsequent physical assault must have compounded his sense of injustice.
Winters shot Finna brief, understanding look. They had been on the same wavelength many timesduring their partnership, and she clearly could sense his internal conflict.
But Finnquickly shook off his feelings of disgust and refocused. “Look, I can’t changethe past,” he began, his voice filled with determination. “But right now, ourpriority is to stop Sam. Before he hurts anyone else, or himself.”
