Page 72 of Strangers in Time

She stood. “Well, let’s go there and see what we can see. Mrs. Pride has already gone to her room. We can nip out now and she’ll be none the wiser.”

Molly found wellies and raincoats for them both, and a large umbrella.

Charlie was about to open the front door when Molly suddenly stiffened and gripped his hand to stop him.

“What?” asked Charlie.

“If those same men are watching the house, I don’t want them to follow us.”

Charlie nodded in understanding. “Right.” He ventured to the back door, opened it, peered out, and saw the fence that surrounded the rear yard.

“Can you climb a fence?” he asked Molly.

“I’m sure I can.”

“Okay, follow me then. Keep low, eyes away from the street, in case somebody flashes a torch. Your eyes reflect, see?”

They slipped outside and, keeping low, slunk over to the fence. Then Charlie gave Molly a boost up and over. He tossed her the umbrella, clambered over the fence, and dropped gracefully to the ground on the other side. Grasping her hand, he led her through the rear yard of the neighboring house, where he once more helped her over a fence before nimbly scaling it and landing easily on his feet. Charlie then led them at a brisk pace, zigzagging throughstreets, and with him abruptly turning around every so often to check for followers. They reached another street and he slowed his pace.

“I think we’re okay now.”

Molly said breathlessly, “You’re quite practiced at this, um,skullduggerybusiness.”

“Don’t know what that word is, Miss. But if you mean I don’t like blokes following me, well, where I’m from, you sort of have to be that way.”

A DELIVERY INDARKNESS

THEY HURRIED OVER TOthe next corner and caught a bus that Charlie said would take them very near to where they were headed.

“How do you know the city so well?” Molly asked as they took their seats on the bus.

“Just gets about. Now, I don’t take many buses, ’cept when I rides on the back of ’em.”

Molly looked startled. “Wait, do you mean on theoutside?”

“Yeah, I can teach you if you like. Just got to have strong fingers and get your weight and balance just so and keep your head down and be ready to jump if need be. Saves you a lot of coin.”

“I would never do such a thing. It’s not legal.”

“Well, I don’t know ’bout that,” he retorted.

“It’sillegal, Charlie. It’s why they selltickets.”

He stared out the window at the storm and didn’t respond.

After twenty minutes of rumbling through London, Charlie pulled the cord, and led Molly off the bus when it stopped at an intersection.

Under cover of the umbrella they walked for a few minutes in the rain, though it was easing a bit.

“Down this way,” he said.

They turned into an alley and took up position behind an old crate across from a battered door squatting in the middle of sad and grimy brick.

“That’s the place,” he said in a low voice, cupping his hand against Molly’s right ear, though with the wind he could have shouted and still been in no danger of being overheard.

They waited a full hour and were about to leave when Charlie said, “Someone’s comin’.” He had noticed the tiny bit of light at the opposite end of the alley.

They ducked down lower behind the crate.

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