27/10/07
4:10 PM
Hyde Park, London
"Bit faster?" Adam asked.
"Yep." Wes replied and set off running, the ball cradled in his arm. As soon as Adam started to run after him, Wes threw the ball back to him, pretty well, Adam hardly had to break step to catch it. Adam pulled ahead with the ball and passed it back to Wes, then slowed down to let Wes pass him, and on they went. They were running across the grass of Hyde Park, throwing a rugby ball back and forth between them, no passing forward, no knock-ons. Wes was really improving. He didn't need the ball to land against his body in the same way any more, he could handle it in from a foot or so away most of the time and his throwing had gone from passing to 'somewhere over there' to passing to the centre of Adam's torso, and looking before he threw, not as he threw. The faster they went, the more Wes smiled, but the sloppier his technique got.
"'Scuse us!" Wes shouted at a pair of walkers on the path, just as he cut across in front of them.
"Sorry." Adam added as he cut behind them and reached for Wes's pass. It was just a bit too far ahead of him. He fumbled the catch and the ball fell to the ground ahead of him. "Knock on." He called.
"Sorry Dad."
"Never mind. Let's just try not to run straight across paths with people on them, eh?" Wes smiled apologetically. Adam felt his phone buzz in his pocket. "Sorry Wes, I have to check this." It was Ros's number. This was not going to be good news. One day. That was all he'd wanted.
"Yep?"
"Adam," It was Ros. "I know you said not to call you unless something was about to blow up-"
"Yes, I did." This was definitely going to cost him the rest of the day with Wes.
"Adam, they think they've got Zaf."
Adam froze. "What?"
"A police unit picked up an unidentified Middle Eastern male this morning, got him to hospital and took prints. They're a partial set compatible with Zaf. Malcolm said the positive predictive… something was about eighty percent."
"Is he talking?"
"No. Harry's orders are to verify as fast as we can and try to get on the trail of whoever took him before it goes cold, and find out what, if anything, Zaf gave up."
"Eleven days, Ros." That was a very long time for anyone to hold.
"We don't know what his condition is, it's possible he wasn't interrogated." But they'd assumed that he had been; moved Jo to a safehouse, got all Zaf's assets out… Made themselves as immune as possible to anything Zaf might give up. And the fact that he hadn't immediately declared himself under a safe name suggested that he couldn't declare himself.
"They didn't ask us for… anything." He was a bit restricted as to what he could say with Wes standing three feet away. "Do you want me in?" Wes's face fell.
"Yes."
"I'm out with Wes. I can't get to you quickly."
"Jo, Malcolm, Connie and I will get going, just get here when you can. Malcolm's only just called me, we haven't got a detailed plan yet."
"Okay, maybe two hours."
"See you then." She hung up. Adam turned to Wes.
"Wes, I'm really sorry."
"It's okay." He said. "We've had most of a day." Adam nodded. That was more than they'd had in a while. It was gone four. He sighed.
"Yeah, we have. I'll call Nana and Granddad to see if they can come and get you in an hour."
Wes nodded once. "Okay."