bed, then set her alarm for a reasonable hour. She would see what of the sights she could on her way south, then get back to Newcastle and get on with the new her.
Chapter 6
Derrick woke to the sound of a dirge blaring next to his ear. He groped for his phone and looked at the time. It was barely six. He didn’t bother with the light. He was fairly sure he’d been having dreams of being chased by either a lad in Elizabethan finery or a garrison of Roman soldiers, but perhaps that was just the aftereffects of thinking about his quarry being herded by a bluestocking Yank in penny loafers.
He would have rolled his eyes if he could have unstuck them from his eyelids. He couldn’t imagine Samantha Drummond was seriously involved with that obnoxious snob, but what did he know about women? He just knew that he hadn’t wanted to go home with any of the three bints he’d used as cover the night before. Was it at all possible to find a serious girl who preferred staying home to partying?
His phone continued to ring. He sighed and took the call, though he had the feeling he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear.
“What?” he rasped.
“She’s on the move.”
Derrick sat up so quickly, his head spun. “What?” He fumbled for the light, knocking the hotel clock off the nightstand in the process. “Fully packed?”
“Unless she’s off for a wee run with all her gear.”
Derrick swung his feet to the floor. “Any idea where she’s headed?”
“I would suspect the station, but that’s a guess. She’s just leaving her hotel now.”
Derrick cursed and pushed himself to his feet. “I don’t know if I’ll make her train.”
“If not, I’ll keep you apprised.”
Derrick didn’t doubt it. He hesitated to be anywhere near the wench without some sort of disguise, but time was short. He supposed his fellow passengers would just have to make do with his having limited his toilette to merely brushing his teeth.
He traded his own green eyes for blue, pulled on a very faded T-shirt with a pithy saying about Liszt on the back, and pulled his hair back into a very inadequate ponytail. He briefly considered a moustache, but settled for sunglasses and a bit of scruff. All he could do was keep his fingers crossed that Miss Drummond had been too distracted by paranormal happenings over the past two days to pay attention to either his shoes or his jeans, which he couldn’t change. His jacket was nondescript enough that surely she wouldn’t notice anything about it.
He tossed his key at the night clerk on his way out the door, then walked swiftly toward the station. He sent Oliver a pointed text as he did.
?
In line, came the succinct message, followed by the equally succinct, run.
Well, he bloody well was, as it happened. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself by stumbling into the station, gasping for breath, so he did slow to a walk before he hit the doors. He told himself not for the first time that he was going to have to splash out at some point in his life for a rail pass whilst chasing miscreants so he didn’t have to waste time buying tickets.
London by way of Sudbury.
Sudbury? Derrick bought a ticket to Cambridge, then another to Sudbury. Aye, he would most definitely get himself and Oliver both bloody passes for the next fortnight.
He shook his head. Sudbury? He considered possible final destinations for his little lace thief, then decided tentatively on Hedingham Castle. It was a bit out of the way for a rendezvous, but if she was trying to discreetly unload the goods she was carrying with her, it made perfect sense.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked through the crowd toward the train. He supposed he would be left buying something to eat on the train, but that was his own fault. He should have anticipated that Samantha would make an early start. He supposed he also should have anticipated that the Cookes wouldn’t want to wait too long to deliver that lace to the highest bidder.
He loitered on the platform, watched as Samantha got on the train, then waited a bit longer to make sure she didn’t get right back off. It was possible, he supposed, that she might go another direction besides south. It had been all he could do earlier that morning not to hack into all Lydia