The Secret Order of Doom: Part Seven

Ms. Madison was not impressed by what she'd seen of the 'Order of Cain' so far. Their Monkish assassin had been reduced to a gibbering wreck by the mere metion of the Green Man's identity and a thinly veiled threat of torture. To be honest, there were probably mightier men in a cookery class, or a Haberdasher's. Still, she didn't let it show, but kept up the act of being an ice-cold bad girl.
"I'll talk!" the robed figure shouted, weeping. "When they said..."

"Who are they?" The Green Man took a step towards his captive, still menacing, his feet ringing on the stone flags of the undercroft.

"I don't know!" the robed figure protested.

"You wear a robe and you carried a gun." The Green Man shook his head. "You are not a hired assassin. For one thing, you are not good enough."

"That's right," Ms. Madison spoke up, "You're so bad that if someone has hired you, you need to refund them. That was a sub-standard service - and I ought to know, like the Green Man, I've had my share of contract killers after me."

"Probably more." The Green Man agreed. "And you are a rank amateur."

"Totally," Ms. Madison agreed, striking a pose, tone becoming more chatty. She decided that 'psychopathic PA' was the right character for this role.

"Tell me about the Order of Cain." The Green Man took another step back. "Who gave your orders?"

"Brother Lem..."

The man began to speak, but the fizz that came form under his shirt stopped him dead. Ms. Madison ran, as the man exploded into a thousand bloody fragments. The blonde sighed, wishing she hadn't worn a white dress.

"All of which," the Green Man told a rug-wrapped Ms. Madison outside the pub down the road from the priory, "we should have expected. The man was a brother of the Order of Cain, and probably wired so that he'd die if he revealed any secrets. Clever really, it means that the secret isn't dependent on the strength of its bearer."

"Which we should have guessed." Ms. Madison sighed. "Instead of which, I get a brand-new dress ruined. How far is it to King's Lynn?"

"Not far," the Green Man nodded sagely. "Once you've finished your drink, we can get down to the serious business of getting you new kit. And tracking down a certain Police Inspector."