He hit the accelerator and was soon doing sixty through the morning traffic, weaving between cars and speeding down the centre of the road, forcing other drivers onto the kerb.  At the traffic lights he was held up by stationary cars, so he took to the oncoming lane and sped through the junction, narrowly avoiding a collision with a bus coming from his right.

The move held the police up and he gained an advantage, pulling a further hundred yards ahead, but another set of red traffic lights evened things out, and he had to slow in order to squeeze into a gap between a car and a van.  The police were right on his tail now, and traffic ahead was stopped, so he took to the pavement, scattering pedestrians as he searched desperately for a clear stretch of road.  Up ahead he saw nothing but stationary vehicles, so he turned into a side road and sped along residential streets at twice the speed limit.

He checked his rear view mirror as he took another turn and saw the police car in the distance, and he guessed he had enough of an advantage, just as long as he could maintain it.  Another right turn and he was back on the main road, with the ring road only a few hundred yards ahead.

* * *

“Hotel Oscar, Romeo Tango Two Five, vehicle has joined the ring road, heading west, speed now eight zero miles an hour.”  PC Haines gave the commentary while PC Barker concentrated on the driving.

“Understood, Two Five.”

The pursuit carried on for two miles with no sign of the Subaru slowing down.  If anything, it was pulling away from the Skoda.

“Hotel Oscar, Romeo Tango Two Five, we believe he may be heading for the Foxwell estate.  Do we have any other units in that area, over?” Haines asked.  If they didn’t get the Scooby contained soon they were sure to lose them, even if they knew who was at the wheel.  Recognising Stuart Boyle was one thing, but having proof that he was ever in the car was another matter entirely.  He was too clever to touch a car without surgical gloves and his family would provide a watertight alibi, as always.  No, their only chance was to catch him at the wheel.

“Romeo Tango Two Five, we have no units available at the moment and Quebec Hotel Nine Nine is on another call, over.”

Damn!  QH99, the force helicopter, would have been invaluable in this pursuit, especially if they lost sight of the vehicle and the suspects decamped.

* * *