The Unexpected Coincidence by Amelia Price Page B

months.
This operation had been in planning a long time and he'd
interfered.
    This time, he
wouldn't miss any of the information. He read through everything he
had, and then once more to make sure. Someone by the name of Delra,
no gender specified, but given the nature of the operation,
probably male, had hired a yacht. Rumours abounded that he wanted
to look for sunken treasure, but after three weeks had turned up
empty-handed. At least that was the rumour. He didn't believe one
word of it.
    Less than ten
minutes later Mycroft had sent out enquiries for more information
on the yacht, which ports it had docked at on its voyage and the
description of Mr Delra.
    He sat back,
satisfied with the day's work. Amelia was a small hiccup, and he
finally had enough information that he would get to the bottom of
this strange alliance between the Russians and the Koreans.
    To stretch his
legs, Mycroft got up and wandered over to the bay window
overlooking his garden. Darkness had set in and the sky was dark
overhead but clear enough to see the North Star and a crescent moon
on its way to becoming full.
    The sound of an
email arriving disturbed him from the rewarding view and brought
him back to his desk. Hoping it was information from one of the
many sources he was waiting on, he eagerly clicked on it. One
sentence in, he frowned.
     
    Mycroft,
    It has come to
my attention that you are looking into certain events involving the
missing ship Lyubov Orlova. If you value your position within my
government, you will desist immediately.
     
    There was no email
address in the sender field, but he knew who it was from. She'd
emailed him before, and he didn't need the little, but perfectly
drawn, crown in the signature to know it was an order he shouldn't
disobey.
     
     

Chapter 10
    Frustration filled
Amelia as Sebastian lolloped over his armchair. He'd been playing
the violin, badly, for over an hour. He needed a case and she
needed to have at least ten minutes to herself.
    The most exciting
thing that had happened that day was a police conversation to let
her know they'd found Guy. His brother had been hiding him to give
the neurotic geek some time out of the limelight. One of the people
in the police had leaked his name to a local paper, and he'd been
hounded ever since attacking her. Something not even she
wanted.
    After everything
that had happened, she felt sorry for him. He'd been caught up in
events of a bigger nature than he was used to handling. If she'd
not been receiving strange letters, she suspected their last
encounter would have ended differently. Now the poor guy had no
job, no mother and a police record.
    On the more
positive side, there had been no more letters, and Myron had sent
her a message to let her know no one else had followed her back to
Baker Street the last time she'd left. But three days had passed
since then and Sebastian Holmes appeared incapable of stocking his
own fridge.
    With a sigh she
grabbed her coat and handbag.
    “I'm going to the
shop,” she said. Sebastian didn't stop his odd droning with the
instrument. It definitely couldn't be called music. Although she
didn't think he'd heard, she walked out of the flat anyway and
hurried down the stairs. Mrs Wintern was out, so she took the front
door key off the little hook on her way past.
    The outside chill
nipped at her fingers, making her shove them into the large
pockets. She sighed and stepped down onto the pavement.
    “Amelia!” an
unfamiliar voice called from behind her. She turned and paused, not
placing the guy's face at first. A moment later she twigged, but
couldn't remember his name.
    “Hi,” she said,
“How are you?”
    “You don't
remember me, do you?” He took a step closer and she frowned.
    “You were at my
signing a few days ago.”
    “Yes, but you
don't remember my name, and I thought you and I had connected.”
    Amelia's eyes went
wide and a chill ran through her torso, numbing her insides,
stopping her breathing and rooting her