Matthew looked at him through his tears and Robin saw hope dawn on his face. “Thank you.”

Robin smiled slightly, but he could only think of what Matthew was withholding from him. Robin wanted to help Matthew, was as intrigued by the Standedge Incident as anyone could be, but the driving force was Sam. It always was.

And if Sam sent Matthew to his doorstep, then who was he to turn him away?

Robin picked up his pen and opened his notebook. “I know a little. But I guess we should start with what happened on the 26th of June this year.”

Matthew sniffed away the tears, wiped his face with his cuffed hands. “Okay, yeah. Of course.”

“I know you worked for the Trust so could go through the tunnel unsupervised. But where did the boat come from?”

Matthew straightened somewhat. He cleared his throat. “It belonged to Edmund’s uncle. It was moored down the canal a ways. I was so excited I went a few hours early, just to get it ready for the guys, like do all my preliminary checks and stuff. When I was finished, I just waited for the rest of them on the boat. There was a TV, so I switched it on and ended up watching some daytime rubbish. That talk-show thing that used to have that famous guy Sheppard on, but they replaced him after... What’s it called?

“Something like Resident...”

Chapter Fifteen

June 26, 2018
11:00 a.m.

“...Detective. I’m Thomas Mane and Nothing Gets Past Me! Let’s start the show.” Matt smiled. What a load of rubbish.

Everything seemed in order. The engine seemed fine, and the small living quarters were as quaint and inviting as any boat he’d been on before. Matt loved narrow boats, would like to buy one someday. But they were expensive. And although he had the money from his parents’ estate, he couldn’t help but feel there were more pressing things a twenty-one-year-old should spend his money on.

He sat down at the dining table and watched as the presenter ushered on his first act—a couple fighting about some affair or whatever. He yawned—hadn’t been able to sleep the night before for excitement. He rested his head on the table, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

“Matt.”

Matt’s eyes snapped open. He was no longer alone. But he didn’t jump.

Pru and Robert were sitting on the bed. Pru was reaching over and prodding him. “Matt, hey. You’re not drunk, are you?”

“Can you get done for drink driving if you’re driving a canal boat?” Robert mused to no one in particular. “I mean, you’re not gonna get pulled over.”

“Ever the thinker,” Edmund said. Matt looked around and saw that Edmund was in the kitchen area, unpacking two plastic bags of cans and putting them in the fridge. Edmund put a can in front of Matt.