The awkward part was Tanter Road because it was a hill, and that meant they couldn’t see the dozen police cars and fifty armed cops congregating at the entrance to Karl’s street. Karl slowed down and pulled into the side of the road.

Liz wasn’t looking ahead, and barely seemed to register that the vehicle had stopped. She was quiet now, eyes facing downward.

The spectrum of her performance was astounding given how docile she was now compared with her actions in stealing the van. Yet again she had displayed a resolve that made him wonder how much influence she had exerted over her husband. How much input did she have into his so-called business?

‘Be careful,’ she said, still lost in a world behind her eyes.

‘I’ll go in the back way.’

He pulled into traffic. Ahead, the peak of the hill drew closer. The concrete jungle beyond it sprouted into existence full throttle: houses, lampposts, parked cars. But of the dozen police cars and fifty armed cops he expected… nothing. His street, on the left, was a hundred feet away. The entrance was clear.

An oncoming van, with window installation company livery, turned right, onto Karl’s street. At that moment, Karl tugged the wheel to the left, and found himself behind the other vehicle. Just a couple of tradesmen at work. He reeled out some distance between them. Only a handful of cars were close to his house. Apart from Katie’s car, the closest was a red BMW, but that was on the other side of the road and sixty feet past. The street looked static, sleepy, but he wasn’t—

‘Don’t be fooled by everything seeming normal,’ she said, interrupting his thoughts.

‘I know,’ he replied, somewhat sharply. He wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t about to stop outside his house and stroll to the door. ‘We’ll turn right at the end and park, and I’ll go in down the back alley.’

The cops would use blank cars, of course, because they’d want camouflage. But two could play that game. If the cops didn’t leap on Premier Windows man as he drove to install triple glazing, then they wouldn’t hassle Mr Anderson en route to lay some tiles. Karl let the distance between them grow.

He noticed a guy standing at the back of the BMW. The Premier Windows van passed his house, and then the parked car, without incident.

He stared at his house. How he’d taken its comfort for granted. What he’d give to be able to flop onto the sofa one more time. He’d eat and sleep on that thing for six straight months if he ever again got the chance.

No movement from inside the house. No sign of Katie. But her car was there. He fought the desire to leap out and rush into his house. Even if cops, or bad guys, swung down from trees and Jack-in-the-boxed out of manholes, he’d get to hold Katie before they dragged him away. And he’d burn that image to his memory for ever.

When the Caddy approached the BMW, Karl noticed a black guy in the driver’s seat. The white guy at the back had a petrol can in his hands and his head down, blocked by the open boot hatch.

Then the Caddy was alongside, and slipping past. Karl turned his head and looked at them, struck by panic. Liz was staring, and Karl was staring, and the driver was staring back at them. Just for a second, before he slipped out of view, but long enough. Liz whipped her head away, and he saw her shock and fear. He threw a hand up to cover his face.

Both of them had seen his forehead. Three ragged gashes filled with dried blood. Just like you might get if you tried to kill a man in an underground bar and a woman dug her nails into your face from behind.

Varsity. Here. For them.

They both watched the passenger wing mirror with rising dread. Waiting for the guy to shout, and point, and jump in the car before coming after them – from anonymity to ten o’clock news in a flash.

But Varsity had his back to them. He slammed the boot, and he got in the car – slowly, no haste. And the BMW just sat there.

He hadn’t recognised them, Karl realised, breathing a sigh of relief. Perhaps because of the dirty windows of the van, or maybe he just wasn’t expecting them to be in Mr Anderson’s van.

A damn lucky break. He drove on.

The BMW remained still, waiting for its prey to arrive.