As it turned out, Sherlock worried for nothing. As we hurried down the narrow country lane, three figures approached us. One was unmistakably Kelsie, the second the man who had led us to this false clue. The last was a man who looked vaguely familiar. He was hurrying ahead of Kelsie, dragging the other roughly behind him.
Sherlock caught one sight of the third and cursed. "As if things couldn't get any worse."
"Why? Who is he?" I asked. Suddenly, l recognized him too. It was the man l had seen outside of the restaurant earlier who had seemed too well-dressed.
By this time, the man, who could walk at a furious pace, had come up to us, keeping an iron grip on his prisoner's arm. "You left something of yours back there." He smirked at Sherlock. "You should be more careful. Stuff could get damaged." He nodded towards Kelsie, who murmered her thanks.
"Why are you here?" Sherlock asked coldly.
"Hold on; who is he?" Samantha asked.
"Freelance agent Lewis Barker. Formerly of INTERPOL, formerly of the CIA, formerly of the MI6." Sherlock explained annoyedly. "And an all-around pain in the . . . "
"Neck." I interjected.
"Yes. That." Sherlock growled.
"Similar to other people." I added quietly.
Sherlock ignored my remark. "What do you want?"
"Your brother sent me." The agent pulled out some sunglasses, adjusting them painstakingly on his nose. (Yes, he looked very stereotypical.)
If possible, Sherlock became even more irritated. "Mycroft . . . Urgh!" He threw his hands in the air, pacing in a circle. "I can do this by myself! Why does he have to stick his nose into everything?"
"He's only doing this because there's something important at stake." Lewis said sharply. "You may see Mycroft as your enemy in everything else, but on this point, don't doubt him! He wants Thoth to continue, and sent me behind you, for just in case. You're reckless and uncaring sometimes, and that could put lives at stake. My job is to make sure every kid makes it home alive. Remember, this mission is about the survival of Thoth. If even one kid gets hurt, it's over. They'll be sent back home, and England will lose it's future."
His voice softened slightly. "Your brother cares about you Sherlock."
Sherlock stared at him stonily. "No he doesn't." He said at last. "He just needs someone to appreciate when he's showing off. We'll take this man back to Thoth for interrogation." He pointed at the prisoner squirming in Lewis's grip. "We'll meet you there."
Lewis nodded. "Right." He looked at me, nodding slightly. "Take good care of all these the kids," he smiled. "Especially that one." Jacking his thumb at Sherlock, he walked away, dragging the struggling man behind him.
"Is he related to you, or something?" I asked. "I mean, he seems to know you and Mycroft pretty well . . . "
"The skull on the mantelpiece at home is his brother." Sherlock began walking back towards town, the children following behind us.
"Did he try to stop you and Mycroft from fighting and get fried in the lazer beams shooting from your eyes?" Samantha quipped.
"Hardly. Killed on a mission for the secret service." Sherlock sighed heavily. "And now that he's lost his little brother, Barker's been trying to make me and Mycroft get along better, so we don't have any regrets if one of us dies." Sherlock snorted derisively.
"Well, it's nice of him to try." Kelsie offered.
"He should piss off." Sherlock retreated into himself, and we couldn't get another word from him until we got to the hotel.
"Pack your bags. We're taking a bus back to London. John, get the tickets."