This aspect no doubt enabled him to achieve fast answers and soon he was on his way to the address of Connelly the traitor.

Edith Connelly opened the rickety door of the old barn, adjacent to their cottage; that served as a workshop for her husband’s business and asked Arthur if he had much more to do before returning for his evening meal.

“Shan’t be long now love, I’m just repairing this chair for old Ma Jenkins down the common. Give me another half hour or so.”

It was only a few minutes after she had returned to the house that another visitor silently entered the barn.

“Whoa…who are you? I can’t take any more orders now, I’m too busy – you’ll have to come back another time.”

“Sorry Arthur, there aint gonna be another time. You’ve reached the end of your lying, treacherous road.”

“Tom? Tom Pearce? Is that really you? I thought you’d died in Australia. How’d you get back?”

“Oh, you did, did you-well I’m here in the flesh. They gave me a pardon so I could come back and kill a filthy Judas. Thought you’d seen the last of me and hoped they’d put a rope around me neck? Now it’s your turn to pay and I’ll have your lights.”

Arthur screamed his denial: “No! No! You and me were always pals; you know I’d never say owt against you Tom!”

From beneath his long black overcoat Pearce produced a wicked looking blade and advanced menacingly towards this timid, ex-friend.

The smaller man shrank back in horror against the workbench at the far wall. He had nowhere else to run. They were now hardly a foot apart.

Hearing raised voices Edith ran out of the cottage and opened the barn door to investigate.

“Arthur? Who’s with you?”

In a quivering voice her husband replied; “Edith, it’s Tom…he’s back.”

“Not Tom? Surely not Tom Pearce?” I heard the commotion; whatever’s the matter with you both?”

Still menacing the cowering woodworker, Pearce yelled out: “Ask him why he betrayed his mates…paid you handsome did they Connelly? Enough to set up here in business?”

This time it was Edith who spoke from just inside the doorway. With the cool voice of reason, she acknowledged how it must have looked after Tom and so many others were sentenced to deportation, only to see one of their own go free.

“Listen Tom, while you were out of the country a government agent named Oliver has been unmasked as the real Judas. He was behind the rebellion all along. He set you all up. So put down that knife and come inside for a cuppa…tell us how you’ve managed all this time.”

Still facing her husband, Tom listened and lowered his knife, now full of doubt. “Is that…is that true Edith…you really mean it?”

Arthur was like a terrified rat caught in a trap; seconds away from violent death and reeling from the hot breath of his accuser he panicked, instinctively grasping a sharp chisel. Then, as Pearce listened, diverted by Edith, he seized his chance, jerked forward and plunged the implement deep into the big man’s neck.

End.