Late that afternoon Billy was just completing his shopping. Now, with things being so bad, he spent more time than any of the others being alone, which meant being a bit creative with excuses. Then the phone rang, it was the oldest member of the gang, the only one that Billy actually didn't mind talking to.
"Billy, listen, I don't have much time. Costello is going to kill you".
"What ?" Billy suspected the worst.
"He came in shouting that you were the rat. No-one could believe it. I asked him why he though that. You know how crazy he is now. He slipped up, said that his friend in the cops had been in Queenan's files. Billy, run".
"Look, this is just crazy, anyway, why should I believe this ?" Billy needed to know if it was just another of Costello's traps.
"Look, I don't want to see you killed. You are the only one who is nice to me and I know what it's like to be an informer. Now run". The phone went dead.
Billy knew that he had no choice, even if it was just a test. Still, anyone getting that sort of warning would be sensible to run first and ask questions later. Billy raced home, but went in by the back way; over the fence, and with difficulty due to the shopping, went up an improvised ladder provided by a drain pipe. Once inside he grabbed his travel bag, some underwear, toiletries, maps, milk, chocolate and biscuits. Just stopping long enough to turn of the power and water, Billy exited the way he had come. He would have to dump the car somewhere safe, he needed it now but it could be traced. His main need was to contact Queenan, but how ?
Once in a quiet location Billy attempted to phone Queenan, but got no reply. Normally contact sessions were arranged for the mornings. During the afternoons and evenings Billy was with the gang, so Queenan must have turned the phone off. Actually, Queenan was recharging it and had left it on his desk, exposing an operational problem. Finally Billy left a text message "The M has exposed me, am hiding from C and maybe Feds. Need instructions". Anyway, Billy was to frightened of Dignum to just walk straight into the SIU without permission.
Hiding the car, Billy went to a corner shop, bought some stationary and wrote a covering letter to Queenan. Being paranoid, Billy also bought a stamp but he hoped that it would not be needed. He then spent some time acquiring additional maps since he might have to have to hide outside the Boston city limits. By the time Billy reached Queenan's home district it was, as he had intended, quite dark. Still no response to the phone. Taking the reasonable precaution of looking about for possible watchers, Billy moved closer and spied a car parked on the road junction, almost out of view. Everything about it's location and position said "Odd". When he backtracked and sneaked round and behind the car, Billy could see that there were two people in the car and it was obvious they were watching Queenan's house. Friend or Foe ? No way to tell. Was there something else going on ? Billy went to the nearest convenient street light and amended his letter to Queenan. Then he went to find a mail box. Finally he tried to contact Queenan again, but was reduced to sending another text "Your house is being watched reg. BOS G90-23579"