Free See How They Run by Tom Bale Page B

rather than something solid. Quite … supple.’
    ‘Like money? Bundles of money?’
    ‘Could be. Which means he must have an accomplice somewhere.’
    ‘And you think he gave this accomplice our address, as a kind of drop-off point?’
    ‘The timing has to mean something. To knock at the door within seconds of the delivery, he must have been watching for it. And you can see our front door from the windows at number 43.’
    Harry leaned forward, wearily rubbing his eyes. ‘All we’ve just done is make a series of logical deductions. And if we can do that, so can they. Sending the fake cops – if that’s what they were – was a pretty astute way to verify what we said last night.’
    ‘Thank God we kept our story consistent,’ Alice said, with a heartfelt sigh. ‘Hopefully this might now be the end of it.’
    ‘Unless they reach the same conclusion we just did – that Renshaw used us. Used our address, anyway. That means he’s got to be hiding close by, in which case the smart thing for them to do would be to hang around for a while, until he resurfaces.’
    ‘If Renshaw’s got his parcel he’s probably miles away by now.’
    ‘Hmm. But the men chasing him won’t know that for sure. They might go on searching for weeks. Or watching us for weeks.’ He thought about Cassell’s parting comment, which now seemed loaded with menace: We won’t let this drop. You can be sure of that .
    There was a burbling moan from Evie: waking far too soon from her nap. Alice frowned but Harry, as usual, welcomed any opportunity to spend time with his daughter. He lifted her to eye level and rubbed noses; Evie responded with a sound halfway between a cough and a giggle. Her eyes shone with such delight, such overwhelming love and trust that Harry was in no doubt about how she felt.
    As far as their baby was concerned, he and Alice were the entire world; the universe itself.
    But would that be enough to protect her?

    B oth of them seemed glad to take a break from the conversation. Harry carried Evie upstairs and ran her a bath, while Alice took care of some chores. But even with Evie in a happy splashy mood, Harry was too preoccupied to fully enjoy the time with her.
    If the cops were fake, then what about Ruth Monroe? Had her approach been yet another attempt to worm information out of him? Reflecting on it now, he saw how she had remorselessly pumped him for information while revealing practically nothing about herself.
    There was one positive aspect, of course, and ironically it was thanks to Alice. If she had told him about the parcel any sooner, he might have mentioned it to Ruth.
    But was she one of the gang? Harry didn’t want to think so. He regarded himself as having pretty good instincts about people, and she hadn’t triggered anything like the same unease that he’d felt when he was talking to Warley and Cassell.
    He decided to contact her tomorrow and suggest another meeting. If she was working with the fake cops she’d be expecting Harry to get in touch. But this time, if he played it skilfully enough, he might be able to tease a little more out of her.
    And then, when he came home tomorrow, he would tell Alice all about it. He didn’t want to add to her fears right now. Better to wait until he had a clearer idea whose side Ruth was on.

Fourteen
    F irst , the phone call. It was not a success.
    The voice in her ear was young and sweet and warm as honey. ‘This is Keri. What can I do for you?’
    ‘Keri, please don’t hang up—’
    ‘Who’s …?’ Then a snarl, her voice unrecognisable from seconds before. ‘Leave me the fuck alone!’
    ‘I can’t. I need to see you.’
    ‘You must be joking, psycho bitch.’
    ‘Keri, listen, I don’t care about you and—’
    ‘ Just leave me alone! Fuck off and die, will you?’
    The line went dead. Ruth dropped the phone on the bed, the air suddenly warmer, the four walls close and stifling. She had to get out.

    N o destination in mind . No purpose other