Luke did not return to the cottage. He waited until the bedroom lights had gone out in the farmhouse then started Cath"s old Land Rover and drove away as quietly as he could. Half an hour later he drove past the entrance to Birch Hall. The minor road that ran past the Hall was quiet. It was not used much since the local road layout had been changed when the route of the motorway had been altered. He pulled the Land Rover into woodland and doused its lights.
It was a night of new moon and starlight. A keen-sighted observer might have spotted Luke"s figure flitting across the road into the grounds of the Hall. He kept at a distance from the house, studying the layout of front lawn, gardens and outbuildings. Gradually he drew closer, noting the open curtains on the ground-floor windows and t
