‘I’ll need you both to step out of the car, keeping your hands visible at all times.’

Charlie knew they’d see her bulging gun as she stepped out, but as Harry opened the driver’s door, the radios on the officers’ lapels burst to life.

‘All units, all units, we have a report of youths looting at the Fashion Show Mall. If anyone is in the area, proceed immediately.’

The woman snatched her radio, ‘Car four-forty-one responding. We can be on scene in three to four minutes, over.’

The male cop scowled at his partner. ‘There’s more than school books in the back of this car.’

‘Give me a break,’ the woman yelled back, then looked in at Harry, wagging a stern finger. ‘I’m gonna log an authorisation for your licence plate. You got one hour to get where you’re going. If you’re on the road after that, both your asses go to jail.’

‘Thank you, ma’am,’ Harry gasped, then spoke through gritted teeth as he put the window up. ‘That was too close.’

‘I feel so sick,’ Charlie said, clutching her belly. ‘But we’ve got an hour now. That’s easily enough to get to Kirsten’s place and drive on to yours.’

• • •

Kirsten’s boyfriend was suspicious when Harry buzzed the intercom, and Kirsten reacted furiously when they reached the door of apartment 4C. She told Harry that they were crazy to be taking risks during quarantine, before shepherding them into the hallway.

‘I don’t care if you write me out of your will and never want to see me again,’ Harry told his aunt when she finally stopped yelling. ‘Just promise you’ll use this vaccine.’

Harry hadn’t realised Kirsten’s boyfriend had a six-year-old son, which took care of his spare dose.

‘I could make dinner,’ Kirsten suggested diplomatically, once she’d calmed down. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you, Charlie.’

‘We’ve only got twenty minutes left on my travel permit,’ Harry said. ‘We want to get a dose to Matt as soon as possible.’

There were tears from the six-year-old as Charlie administered the jabs, then Kirsten gave Harry a stack of meals from her freezer and they hugged before jogging downstairs to the VW.

‘I sense your aunt isn’t my biggest fan,’ Charlie said.

Harry laughed. ‘She has this crazy idea that you’ll make me do all kinds of illegal stuff that could get me into trouble with the law.’

‘Me?’ Charlie asked, smirking. ‘I haven’t committed a major felony in over an hour.’

The car was parked in front of the apartment block.

‘These meals are freezing,’ Harry said as Charlie opened the back of her car.

‘Frozen meals are freezing,’ Charlie mocked as Harry put them inside. ‘Who’d a thought that? Kirsten offered you a cool bag …’