“Mum!” he shouted, and Alec slammed the door shut in a panic.
“Henry?” the woman called from downstairs.
Alec tried the next door which opened on a thankfully empty office space.
“W-who are you?”
His head whipped around to see the woman stopped halfway up the staircase, her eyes wide and alarmed, a phone in her hand. Alec launched himself into the room, slipping on the blue carpet as he ran for the window. He shoved it open, breaking the flimsy metal strips that kept it from opening too far, and clambered out and onto the roof, glad for his slight frame even as he scraped his hips and back on the window frame.
The woman came into the room. She had the phone to her ear. Alec’s boots struggled to find traction on the slick shingles as the sky began to spit mist at him, and before he could think too hard about it, he scrambled across the roof, dropping off the edge just past the fence blocking off the back patio. He hit the ground hard, the alley too narrow to roll and absorb the impact, and his shins screamed at him. He glanced up to see the woman stick her head out the window, talking rapidly into the phone.
Alec stumbled once as he rose to his feet, shins and knees throbbing in protest, and then took off running towards his car. He skidded on the wet pavement as he stepped off the curb but didn’t fall, already clicking the button on his keys to unlock his car. He threw himself into the driver’s seat, feet fumbling for the clutch pedal as he started the engine. The vehicle rumbled to life just as the woman opened her front door, no doubt describing him and his car to the police operator on the other line. Though his entire body was shaking, he still managed to pop the clutch into first, muscle memory taking over even through his fear, and the tires screeched as he took off down the street.
He blasted through the stop sign at the end of the road and rounded the corner, threading his way towards the back of the neighbourhood, hoping to escape notice that way. After three turns, he finally slowed down, though it made him itch to crawl along at the speed limit. He was supposed to drop the deed in a mailbox on Smith Avenue, just off the A82, on the other side of the city. If he could do that, he could disappear, leave Inverness for a while.
A police siren echoed through the streets, but since he didn’t catch a glimpse of flashing lights, he figured he was in the clear. Alec let out the breath he’d been holding since he’d thrown open that kid’s door, hand patting his jacket so he could feel that the deed was still in his pocket.
Someone cut him off just as he entered the next intersection, and Alec slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt so hard his seatbelt cut into his neck, and he gasped, rocking back in his seat. A police car blocked the way, the neon blue and yellow patches on its side winking at him accusingly as its officer climbed out, incapacitant spray in hand. He must’ve been in the area when he got the call.
Alec threw his car into reverse as the officer approached him, hand held out for him to stop, but he began to roll down the steep hill, unable to find the gear properly as his piece of junk car always had trouble in reverse. The engine stalled, and just as he got it restarted, the officer stopped at his window and tapped on it, mace held by his hip.
Alec closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then rolled down the window. “Problem?” he said, smile innocent even as his heart thundered within his chest. He could not afford to get caught.
“Step out of the car,” the officer ordered.
“Why?”
“Now.” His reflective yellow jacket was bright even in the cloudy light, and Alec stared at it for a long moment as if he might somehow find the answer to his predicament there.
But it held no answers for him, so he sighed and exited his car, all too aware of the weight of the stolen goods in his raincoat. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
“A man matching your description broke into a townhouse nearby and then got into a white car. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Alec moulded his expression into one of concern. “I wouldn’t, sorry. I was just on my way home.”
“You live in the neighbourhood?”
“No. Just was taking a shortcut home from work.”
“Can I see some identification, please?”
“Of course. One second.” Alec didn’t carry his wallet on him when he was working, for obvious reasons, but he patted his pockets as if searching for it and then frowned, empty-handed. “I don’t seem to have it on me today. So sorry.”
“We’re not far from the scene of the crime. You wouldn’t mind waiting just a minute while we ask the witness down to see if she recognizes you?” The constable’s voice was polite, level, but it would only take him a second to whip his mace up and spray it in Alec’s eyes.
“I’m in a bit of a hurry,” Alec said, his mouth suddenly very dry.
“I thought you were just headed home.”
“The wife’s waiting. You know how it is.”
“I don’t see a wedding ring.”
Shit. Alec smiled, agreeing to wait, but the expression felt sick and weak on his face. The woman had looked right at him more than once. There was no way she wouldn’t recognize him. The officer took a single step back before he spoke into the radio clipped to his jacket, giving Alec no chance to make a break for it.
“Vince, I’ve stopped a possible suspect just
