Woman and Child Missing After Murder Attempt

A man was found badly injured and unconscious at his home in Sheffield yesterday. He is currently in a critical condition, being treated at Sheffield Royal infirmary. It is not known whether he will recover. A woman, going by the name of Constance Douglas, is missing, wanted by police for questioning in relation to their inquiries. She is traveling with a child, a female around 2 years old. If you have any information, please contact …

“You used my name,” said Sam.

Ruby couldn’t speak. She stared at the phone, reread the article. There was no photograph, and the details were vague. But the name they had was the same made-up name she’d given to the social worker in Cleethorpes on Friday. What else did they know now?

She wanted to look for more information, but Sam took the phone from her, took the battery and dropped the separate bits into her bag.

“Did you try to kill that man, Ruby?”

“I had no idea he was injured. He must have come home early. I left before Constance did, so she must have …”

She could imagine how frightened Constance would have been when Gregor appeared. The desperation that would have caused her to defend herself so violently. She left him for dead. Part of her was horrified. Another part was deeply impressed. Constance surely meant to tell Ruby when they met up. But then, they never did.

“So he’s in hospital? In a coma?”

She’d been terrified. The idea that the man was in a critical condition gave her a sick kind of hope.

“He might not be looking for you, but the police are. But they have eyes everywhere. It’s only a matter of time. They’ll have you on camera, on the streets, in the estate. Especially if you’ve been to a train station.”

And if Joanna’s seen the footage, thought Ruby, then the game’s up.

“What should I do, Sammy?”

“Go outside,” he said, “Get the rope in. We’re moving. Now. We’ll think about what to do when we’re on our way.”

“Everything I did, I did to help Leonie.”

“They don’t know that, do they? It doesn’t matter to them either, if it fits the story they’re telling themselves. Quickly—we need to get going. This friend of yours, she knows how to drop you in it, doesn’t she?”