Runaway by Peter May

back if her father answered.
    ‘Hi, it’s me.’ I wasn’t sure what kind of response I was going to get.
    Jenny’s voice immediately dropped to conspiratorial. ‘Jack, where are you?’
    ‘Dunno for sure. Somewhere south of Beattock Summit.’
    ‘Your dad’s after you.’
    ‘What!’ The shock of her words made my face sting.
    ‘He’s with Maurie’s dad, in Maurie’s dad’s car. They left about half an hour ago to try and catch up with you.’
    I had an absurd, fleeting vision of our two dads sitting in the dark in Maurie’s dad’s car with not a word to say to one another. Two more different people it would have been hard to imagine. The Jew and the atheist. To my knowledge they had never actually met. But I immediately refocused.
    ‘How did they find out? I mean, it’s not that late. They shouldn’t have found the notes yet.’
    There was an ominous silence on the other end of the line.
    ‘Jenny?’
    And she blurted it out. ‘It was me, Jack. I told them. Not long after you’d gone.’
    ‘Why, for God’s sake?’
    ‘Because it’s madness. You’ve no idea what you’re getting yourselves into. I thought maybe they could have stopped you.’
    I swallowed a deep breath and raised my eyes to the nicotine-stained ceiling. ‘Jesus, Jenny! You shouldn’t have done that. Jesus!’ Thoughts were darting through my head like swallows on a summer’s evening, and I couldn’t keep track of any one of them.
    ‘Give it up, Jack. Come home.’
    ‘No!’ I almost shouted down the line at her. Then, more quietly, ‘Not sure I’m ever going to speak to you again, Jenny.’ And I hung up, breathing hard, pulse racing.
    If the dads had left half an hour ago, they could only be about an hour behind us, if that. And given the speed of the van, it wouldn’t be long before they caught us. And what then? I conjured a horrible picture in my head of an argument at the roadside, and the humiliation of me and Maurie being dragged off by the ears to sit in the back seat of his dad’s car before being driven home in disgrace.
    Luke and Dave and Maurie had carried their coffees to a table and were seated around it sipping their hot milky drinks and talking in low voices. I pulled up a chair and leaned into the table. They knew straight away from my demeanour that something was wrong.
    ‘Two of the dads are after us in a car.’
    ‘Christ! Whose dads?’ Dave said.
    ‘Mine and Maurie’s.’ I turned to Maurie. ‘They’re in your dad’s car.’
    I have never seen anyone change colour so fast. Maurie’s normally florid complexion turned grey, then white.
    ‘How did they know we’d gone already?’
    I suppose I must have blushed with guilt. ‘Jenny told them.’
    Dave pushed himself back in his seat, breathing imprecations.
    Luke, who’d been listening in silence, suddenly said, ‘What about my dad?’
    I shrugged. ‘She didn’t say anything about him.’ And I saw in his face, just fleetingly, what I’ve always thought was disappointment. I said, ‘They’re only about an hour behind us.’
    It was pure panic I saw in Maurie’s eyes. ‘What are we going to do?’
    ‘We’ve got to get off the A74,’ I said. ‘And stay off it. At least for tonight.’ I looked around, suddenly aware that Jeff wasn’t with us. ‘Where’s Jeff?’
    Maurie nodded behind me towards the counter, and I thought I detected a hint of jealousy in his voice.
    ‘He’s talking to that bloke over there.’
    I swivelled in my seat to see Jeff and the Elvis lookalike in animated conversation at the far end of the counter. Some joke passed between them and they both laughed.
    I said, ‘We’ve got to get out of here now.’ I stood up and hurried across the café to catch Jeff by the arm. ‘Excuse me.’ I nodded apologetically to Elvis and drew Jeff away. In hushed tones I explained to him why we had to leave.
    Jeff’s eyes opened wide. ‘Jobbies! And they’re actually on the road now?’
    ‘Yes.’
    He glanced at his