Linda etched back and forth in the room, the space seemed to close around as the candlelight drifted to and fro. She stopped and gazed through the thick, stained glass window. Four men stood against the wall on the other side, two torches both illuminated their features and cast a shadow upon them. John had said they couldn’t see her, but they twitched and looked about as if they were searching for her like ghouls. The room escaped her sight as she focused on the glass. Only one was guilty, but they were all similar enough that it made no difference. Brown hair, brown eyes. Tall, thin. The one on the left looked straight ahead, right towards Linda as she ground her teeth together. She rubbed her brow. One did it—Stole the amulet, but which one was it? It was dark back then too. A door shut behind her. She blinked and turned to find John clutching at his silver pocket watch.
He clipped the watch shut and let it hang as he removed his pipe from his pocket. “So,” John said as he struck a match against the wall. “Any takers?” John lit his pipe and shook the match. The thin wisps of smoke soon scattered only to replaced by his puffs.
Linda returned to the glass. “…Not yet,” she said. John stepped forward to Linda’s right and breathed out, exhaling more smoke up to the ceiling. Linda coughed twice and backed away from him, her feet tapping against the floor as she moved to the far wall. It had been three years since she told him, but he didn’t seem to care. Perhaps he did it to irritate her. There was little other reason. Not that Linda knew.
John remained where he was, looking directly through the glass. “Did they have a broken nose?” he said as he blew out another stream of smoke.
“I can’t remember,” Linda said.
John removed his pipe and turned to her. “That isn’t good enough.”
Linda frowned. “I don’t know what else you want me to do!”
“I want you to bloody well think!” John said as he pointed the pipe at her. “And think hard, dammit.” John placed his right hand in his pocket, his vision remained locked on Linda. “We can’t afford any delay.” He lowered his pipe. “The sooner we’re done here, the sooner we retrieve that wretched thing and be done with this mess.” John pointed at the glass with his pipe and Linda glanced back at the glass. The two in the middle looked almost identical except for the odd marks on the one to the right. The thief had no marks, from what Linda could recall. It couldn’t be him, but then again, they may have. It was dark after all. She couldn’t be sure.
“Are we going to stay in here all day?” The man on the right said. “I got a family you know.”
“Scum,” John said as he removed his pipe and rested it on the table, close to the candle. He picked up his club and opened the door to where the four men were. It was going to be a long night.