It looked like a three hour drive to the coast opposite the island, just outside Auckland. If they were being followed, David hoped the city would conceal their exact location, at least until they caught the ferry. They approached the suburbs, David pulled into the car park of a small shopping mall and stopped the engine. Katherine looked at him, puzzled. He explained, “We need to mingle, lose ourselves in the crowd. Grab what you need, put it in your back pack and let’s find a bus.” Opening the boot and taking out some essential clothes and toiletries, Katherine watched as her husband did the same. “The trouble with you,” she said, “is you watch too much TV.” They walked a short distance until they found a bus stop, then stood looking down the road expectantly for what felt like hours, feeling vulnerable and self–conscious. As each car passed, the pair instinctively lowered their heads a little, carefully avoiding the gaze of each driver whose last thought would have been to stare at the innocuous back packers standing at the side of the road.
