The Duke's Masked Wife

"We got here as fast as we could, but it was too late. He stabbed himself in the chest. The doctor says he aimed close to his heart."

Edgar looked down at Simon who laid still on a table. It was quite the news when he was informed Reed and Caleb had caught Simon and Peter was wounded.

"We should have acted quicker and stopped him from stabbing himself. We're sorry," Caleb apologized. Simon should be alive to be punished for what he did.

Edgar didn't see the need for an apology. "There was nothing more you could have done. He intended to die once he was found out. I rather the two of you not be injured in a fight-"

"So everything is fine as long as it is only Peter who gets injured!" Peter yelled from the bed he was laying on. "The doctor said that I am lucky to be alive after bleeding so much. If Simon had pressed that dagger into me any further, I would be dead too!" Peter argued.

"Peter, you said you lived a colorful life. Shouldn't you know how to fight?" Edgar asked without looking at the loudmouth priest.

"I am not used to fighting anymore!" Peter replied. "It doesn't come naturally to me anymore. This bastard here told Simon that he didn't care whether I was alive or not," he pointed at Reed.

Reed rolled his eyes at the priest who should count himself lucky to be alive. "I did," he stood on his word.

"I am getting out of this town tomorrow," Peter muttered.

"Can all of you shut the fuck up?" Edgar snapped as their bickering was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. "Caleb, go to the town guard and have them come for Simon's body. They will need to send a group to join me to look for Kate and whoever is alive with her."

"Right," Caleb answered, hurrying out of the room to do as he was ordered.

"Come with me, Reed. We need to get a head start searching for Kate," Edgar said, looking away from Simon's body as he walked out of the room.

"He went as far as to kill himself. Do you think Kate is alive?" Reed asked as he doubted they would find her alive.

"Our job is to find her and anyone else Simon was hiding. Dead or alive," Edgar replied. It was an equal chance that Kate could be dead or alive. It depended on if Simon suspected her of exposing him.

Edgar and Reed left the doctor and got into his carriage to go to Simon's house. There was no telling what awaited them in Simon's home. Edgar was informed of the fact Simon wanted them to continue the search for the women he took. What Simon had done was far from over.

"Should you send word to the Duchess that you will be away for a long time?" Reed asked as Edgar had not returned home since they met with Simon early in the day.

Edgar tapped his fingers on the door of the carriage as it began to move. "I should. She is probably worrying her little heart. He should still be alive so I could have killed him for taking me away from my wife and children for so long. We need a long trip after this."

He should be at home laying in bed with Alessandra right now, witnessing the small changes in her body as their children grew. The only bright side was the fact Simon's death meant he would no longer be dealing with this case soon so he could enjoy more time with his family.

Reed looked at Edgar tapping his fingers. "You are worrying your little heart out too. Worrying she's stressing herself waiting for you to return. Before we arrive, answer me honestly. Do you want to see Kate still alive? After everything she had done to your wife?"

"I would like to see her punished, but not under these circumstances," Edgar replied. No one deserved to die from Simon's twisted games. "We'll drop her off at the court to be punished for what she did to Alessandra's face right after."

'We're saving her from her crazy dead husband just to have her imprisoned later,' Reed thought. After everything leading up to this point, Reed found it funny how Kate's life depended on Edgar's help.

The ride to Simon's home remained silent as the two tried to think of what might be awaiting them. More than an hour later, Edgar's carriage arrived at the front of Simon's home, but there was something different compared to the last visit.

"There are no servants here to watch the gates," Reed said as he opened the carriage door for him and Edgar.  The gates of Simon's home were wide open, welcoming anyone from the road inside. Reed kept his hand on his sword since he got a bad feeling.

Edgar looked around at the property which was more silent than before. All that was heard was the high wind shaking the leaves on the trees. At night, Edgar's estate was never this silent. There was always someone still awake at this time keeping a bit of noise. Either his guards, the servants, or the animals.

Even though Simon had died faster than he probably anticipated, Edgar didn't trust blindly walking into Simon's house which was full of servants loyal to him. They had not the slightest clue if Simon had laid out traps for anyone coming to get him. Simon was not to be underestimated in his death. This was still the man who went unnoticed as he took women from town.

Instead of going to the front door, Edgar went to a window with Reed who busted it open for them to enter. They had created a loud enough noise for anyone at home to come running, but the house continued to be quiet.

As the two entered, there was no one to come confront them about breaking into Simon's home.

Edgar was the first to notice why the house was so quiet. "They're dead," he said, going toward a maid who laid dead right at the bottom of the stairs to go to the second floor. A knife was stuck in the back of her head. She wasn't the only one.

Edgar stepped over her body and followed the bloody prints of someone's shoes which led him into the kitchen to discover a more bloody mess.

"He already killed anyone who might know where Kate is," Reed muttered. It was why Simon was so sure they would not be able to find who he was hiding. Once again, he didn't think they would find Kate alive. "He probably figured out we knew and went on a killing spree. They kept his secrets only to be killed by him in the end. It looks like they were about to make dinner," Reed said, as vegetables and meat were placed on the counters.

"Search every room in the house now," Edgar said, leaving the kitchen to do a deep search of the house.

Unfortunately, he was not given an outline of Simon's house. Simon had made a move quicker than Edgar expected. They were searching blindly and were at risk of missing any secret rooms Simon had.