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The man digging around the bottom of the telephone pole was an agent. Yes, he wore a council uniform, but he had no idea how to use the shovel. The house across the road now featured a ‘to lease’ sign. It belonged to Tom’s elderly neighbour, who at seventy-two, was not going anywhere. A surveillance team had installed equipment there. Every thirty minutes a donut van passed by. Every fifteen minutes a plumber drove by. As always, the local court sheriff’s van made regular trips up and down their street. All was in place.
His immediate focus was to get to the meeting, deliver the package and get on with his life. Then he had to put all the affairs behind him and take all his memories of Helen, his parents and his brother and put them somewhere safe where the pain surrounding them could
