On reaching the crossroads Alfie had no alternative but to hide in the bus shelter as there was nowhere else on the road to hide. Feverishly hoping that neither a bus nor a walker would happen along, he stared anxiously down the road for sight of a vehicle with either Tommy or Eric at the wheel. He had no idea what make of vehicle they had hired. To make matters worse, he was face on to the sun, which was stubbornly shining through between dark patches of drifting black clouds. Of the two cars and one van that came along, he was forced to peer closely almost to the last moment before averting his face away from the drivers.
Some minutes later when he spotted Tommy jogging down the road clutching the suitcase containing all his worldly goods, his hopes for a quick getaway nosedived.
Alfie was in a thunderous mood as he emerged from the bus shelter to meet his brother. Tommy drew to a halt before him and breathlessly explained that Eric had refused to help on the grounds that he was already in enough trouble with the police. But he was eager for Tommy to pass on to Alfie that he hadn’t squealed on him. He had been charged as an accessory for handling and receiving stolen goods and was out on police bail. But the police knew all about the operation at Myotts Warehouse and the chain of men involved all the way down the line.
“They’ve got Ronnie banged up on charges of attempted murder and animal cruelty, plus handling and receiving. No one knows if he’s grassed on you. But it stands up, don’t it, seeing as he was the first to be arrested?”
“Don’t you believe it. Not for a bloody instant! What about a car? Did you try Fenton’s Garage?”
“Of course. But he says he won’t have one available for another two days.”
“Two bloody days! Damn and blast him to hell! Are you sure he wasn’t just feeding you a line? I hope you weren’t fool enough to say the car was for me.”
“Give me some credit, Alfie. I said Dad and me needed it for a week or more. Fenton told me to come back Thursday morning. He never said a word about you. He didn’t seem to think Dad wanting to hire a car was anything out of the ordinary. Anyway, I left a deposit of ten quid, so that’ll secure it. But we’ll have to stump up another forty before he lets the car go. He said he wants fifty quid for a week’s hire.”
“Fifty quid for one bloody week! He’s fleecing us, the thieving skunk. Are you sure he hasn’t twigged it’s for me?”
“I’m sure, Alfie. (Though he wasn’t, really.) The only question is what’re you going to do till Thursday?”
Without answering, Alfie started off down the road, back the way he had come. Tommy caught up and began to tag along. “Where’re you going?”
“Back to Mullond’s Beach. Where else is there? I daren’t go home.”
“Why don’t you try walking it, Alfie? You could always hitch a ride?”
“Don’t be daft. The only people coming in and out of this desolate bloody backwater live here, and the peelers’d catch me afore I got more than a mile out.”
“Won’t any of your mates hide you? Just give me a name.”
“Mates! Don’t make me laugh. Most of them’d shop their own grandmothers for half a crown.”
Tommy was having a job keeping up with Alfie’s frenzied pace, almost running now as they turned off the highway for the coast road. “But Mullond’s Beach, Alfie. How can you hide there for two whole days? It looks like rain. You’ll get drenched if there’s a downpour. It’s already turned nippy. You’re not dressed for it.”
“I know that you dolt. Listen, d’you think you could sneak out a bit later with a few of me duds, nothing that’ll be missed by Mum or Dad? I need some grub as well. And fags, plenty of them. Get me a few packs and spare matches. Oh, and a candle if you can find one.”
“A candle?”
They were almost at the bend leading to the road that went past Holdcroft’s house, aptly named Beach Road. Alfie had no option but to pass along it, since there was no other way to Mullond’s Beach, apart from the embankment route. And he wasn’t yet so desperate as to risk that tricky descent, even though there were still some hours of daylight remaining.
At the corner of the road Alfie halted abruptly and drew Tommy into the shadow of a tree. “I’m going to climb up to the end cave,” he said. “It’s the only one that stays dry at high tide. And it’s the most difficult to get to. No one will think of looking for me there. When you get home put some clothes together for me, something warm. And make sure there’s enough food to keep me going for a couple of days. Don’t take it from the larder. Mam’s not daft. There’s nothing in there I’d eat, anyway. As soon as it’s dark, bring it over and leave it at the bottom of the smugglers’ steps. Tuck it out of sight. I’ll find it, don’t worry. Whatever happens, don’t let anyone see you. Understand? And when you get the chance, I want you to drop it, very casual like, that I’m en route for the Smoke.”
“London? Blimey! Are you?”
Alfie rolled his eyes and sneered. “No. And don’t ask where I’m headed. What you don’t know, you can’t tell. Don’t go telling all and sundry that I’m off down south. Just drop it to a couple with loose tongues, so it’ll get back to the rozzers. Now get going and whatever happens don’t even mention Mullond’s Beach to anyone.”
“Right you are, Alfie. And don’t you worry none, they’d have to tie me to the rack and stretch me joints to get anything out of me. See you.”
As Tommy turned to go, Alfie whispered, “Hey. Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Tommy gave a sheepish grin and handed him the precious suitcase.
Alfie hesitated and then opened it to withdraw another fifty-pound bundle, which he thrust into Tommy’s hand. “That should be more than enough to cover everything. And if you do as you’re told and don’t cock-up, you can keep the change.” He nervously cast about for passers-by again and then gave Tommy’s arm a reassuring squeeze before moving off.
All at once Tommy reached out and hugged Alfie to him. “I won’t let you down, Alfie. Never fear.”
Embarrassed, Alfie pushed him away, nodded tightly and shot off down the road. On reaching the area in front of Bert Frickers’s house he couldn’t make up his mind whether to run or walk quickly past the three houses in the road. In the end he did neither and casually strolled past. Only his eyes mirrored the intense anxiety of a desperate fugitive.