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with Bonnie and Clyde uppermost in her mind, was no exception.
The toilet door began to open, and someone came in. It was Carol,
one of the researchers. Geraldine smiled a  hello and took the file
proffered. It was yet more background on Amanda, and little of it
would be easily digestible reading. Geraldine looked once more at
the paper files before her. She could not concentrate, she felt that
she was missing something, but could not put her finger on it.
She went and got a cup of coffee from the machine, scowling
at the taste, but feeling that she needed the caffeine. It would be
some hours yet before she could get the Loyalty Card and Shop
Card information to cross reference, that was frustration number
one. Number two was that the hire car had no working tracker and
its registration number had not flagged on any motorway or main
road. There was also the database downloaded overnight from
petrol stations that checked vehicle registrations with the DVLC.
Many garages validated vehicle registration numbers, not allowing
unregistered or stolen cars to buy petrol. Although they scanned in
real time, they didn t tend to download the stored request data until
the end of the day. Most motorists were completely unaware how
much they were tracked, and also how much some insurance
companies paid for the data. How much fuel a driver put into a car
King s Ransom
was very useful if the insured driver was on a limited mileage policy,
for example.
It was all a waiting game and Geraldine was by nature patient,
she would rather take time and get it tight, than rush and not.
However, she also liked to work to a deadline, and felt that she did
not know when he deadline actually was that she had to meet. She
was working in the dark with a blindfold, there was nothing that she
could do to speed it along. She was no science fiction time traveller,
she was Geraldine Seymour, nee Paige, who was a PA in an
organisation that she couldn t talk about, trying to find a pair of
fugitives that she couldn t talk about.
 Hi honey.
 Hello lover. I am so tired, I could take you to bed and just
sleep.
 I don t think that I am that tired just yet.
 That s nice. You carry on, I ll sleep.
 I ll tell you all about it later.
 Okay. Geraldine paused and smiled at her husband.  You
know, I can t help thinking that we have missed something.
 Such as, where?
 Gee, I don t know honey.
 Sarcasm.
 Tired and pickey. Look, you know when you lose
something?
 Yes
 Well, what is the first thing that people always say when you
tell them that you have lost something?
 I don t know, tell me.
 Oh, have you, where did you lose it. You know how
irritating that is? If I knew where I had lost something, then it
wouldn t be bloody lost, would it?
 So me saying  such as where is the equivalent of that? Hence
the moods throw?
 Yes. Geraldine shrugged her arms,  No, oh I don t know.
This is so frustrating. How can two people that we know, using all
their aliases driving a car that we know the number of, just
disappear? It should not be possible. We should be able to find
them. It is our job.
Wednesday
 We live in the UK, not a police state, so, yes, people can
disappear without a trace.
 I don t believe that, the disappearing I mean. They have to
leave a trace; we just haven t been clever enough to find it.
They drove the two cars East along country lanes and found
the car rental company s returns depot in Swindon. Howard stayed
parked around the corner, out of sight and CCTV range of the
depot, all of their luggage and belongings in the Astra, whilst
Amanda drove in to the depot. She parked up neatly and walked
through the doors. There was no one at the front desk. A sign
invited her to press the buzzer for attention. Pleased that the staff
were busy dealing with other issues, she took the key and dropped it
over the counter and onto the desk and left. She did not want to call
attention to herself, or try to hand the key back to anyone. She
cared not for deposit refunds or petrol costs. She just wanted to
leave the car where it would be found, without the risk of it being
stolen and adding to their complications, and leave.
Amanda walked out of the compound and turned to her left.
Howard was parked to the right, but they knew that a few left turns
out of the rental car compound would get her back to where he was
parked, and they knew that her exit would be seen on the CCTV.
Misdirection was their plan. They had indicated a generally Eastern
route from the West Country as if they were heading back to
London. Their trail, they hoped, would now go cold around the
Swindon area, giving the authorities the view that they were heading
perhaps along the M4, and so diverting attention that way, rather
than the route that they were taking, which was north to Warwick.
They planned to use as few main roads as possible, using lanes and
minor routes until they got to the outskirts of Warwick.
 We could get to the outskirts of Warwick, see if they have
the postcodes on street names, they do in some places, and if not,
ask a postman. Howard suggested as they moved away from the
rental car returns area and headed North West.
Amanda sat and thought as Howard threaded his way
generally north by trying to keep the morning sun on their right and
slightly behind them. Howard was actually quite sweet, she thought,
King s Ransom
and actually was nothing like the nasty piece of business that she
knew Jonathan Rees to be. Howard, she could trust, Jonathan? Not
if she was any judge of character she couldn t. She had started this
trip to England to work for Rees and keep an eye on, and
manipulate on Rees s behalf, Howard. Now she found herself in a
different position. Completely different. Now she wanted to protect
and help Howard, and that meant that she had to try and work out
what Rees was up to, and keep ahead of the police, who were bound
to be looking for them, and what she did not know, was, how much
longer could she trust Rees? Was the house in Warwick that they
were heading toward safe, or a trap?
Howard slowed and pulled into a lay-by. There was a caravan
selling tea, coffee and, inevitably, bacon rolls.  Food would be a
good idea, we don t know when we can eat again, and this guy
probably hasn t got CCTV. Howard spoke as he bought the Astra
to a stop.  Question is you as a blonde or natural black, me as a
bloke. Who is least memorable to go and get food?
 Honey, it pains me to say, but I think that it is you. In a
trucker stop, any woman is instantly memorable and probably
dream fodder. No honey, I am afraid it ll just have to be you. I ll
have tea with sugar and a bacon sandwich, hold the food poisoning
if possible.
Howard got out and strolled to the old caravan tea shop and
stood for a while speaking to the fat man selling food. The tea came [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]