I pulled up alongside it, turned off the engine and got out.Inside it smelled of piss and damp.The road was lonely, lined on both sides by high hedges, but the rain had stopped and now there was a break in the clouds, like a hole punctured in a ceiling. As I fed some coins into the slot, I could see moonlight escaping through the gap, illuminating fields further down, and then hinting at what lay beyond.The ragged outline of the coast.And then, across the causeway, Bethlehem.I dialled Ewan Tasker’s mobile and waited for it to connect. He picked up after a couple of rings, sounding suspicious. He didn’t recognize the number.‘Task? It’s me.’‘Raker?’‘Yeah. How’s it going?’‘Everyone’s fine. How’s things your end?’‘Good.’‘You want to speak to them?’‘Please.’I heard a muffled conversation, and then Annabel came on.‘Hello?’‘How you doing, sweetheart?’‘Okay, I guess.’‘I’m sorry about this.’She didn’t say anything initially, but then: ‘Okay.’‘What have you been doing?’‘Getting Olivia to sleep.’‘Is she all right?’‘She’s fine.
