Home Run - Chapter 6

[Tea Lady]

Thanks for the kind reviews guys, so far. I will be nice to Harry soon, I promise. Thanks also for the advice and Beta JHyde.


Chapter 6

Through the fog of sleep comes the piercing sound of a doorbell ringing, again and again. Struggling to fully open his eyes, Harry squints at the clock on the bedside table.

Who the bloody hell is that?

It is then he realises the clock reads 8.02am.

“Oh Christ,” he exclaims as he throws himself out of the warm bed and flees down the stairs in his blue boxer shorts. In Harry’s exhausted state, he had forgotten to set the alarm clock.

As expected, it is Harry’s driver waiting at the door. Harry waves him away, back to the car, instructing him to come back in twenty minutes. “Or never!” Harry mutters under his breath as he slams the front door shut.

Harry grabs a quick shower, shaves, feeds the dog, trips over the dog, and picks up his keys, wallet, and phone from the kitchen table. Making his way down the hallway to the front door to leave, Harry clicks on his phone and is surprised when it shows he has one new text message. Clicking on the open button he sees that the sender is Ruth. The message sent 1.52am that morning. It is enough to make Harry stop in his tracks with his unoccupied hand just resting on the latch to the front door.

Why the bloody hell didn’t I take my phone upstairs to bed? He curses himself. Of all the nights!

His mouth suddenly dry, his fingers slightly shaking, he reads on.

-Harry, I know it’s late but I just needed to say that I hope you are all right. I am sorry about what happened at the warehouse earlier, what I said to you. We need to talk. I know that. Ruth-

Finally Harry manages to swallow. It was from her - Ruth - and he cannot quite believe it. She had looked and sounded like she had wanted to kill him, only yesterday. Harry starts to read the text again but the impatient sound of a car horn coming from outside the house brings him quickly back to the present.

As Harry leaves his house, slipping the phone carefully in his jacket pocket, he can not help but smile to himself. Yes, it is just a simple text message. But she has been thinking about him! About how he is. That is enough for Harry. Enough for now anyway, he decides.

As he climbs into the car, Harry imagines Ruth, alone, sitting perhaps in her kitchen, in the early hours of the morning, thinking about him. He also cannot help but wonder how many times over the years she sat like that, thinking of him, and he hopes it was about as many times as he has sat, thinking about her.

Sitting there in the car, as it makes its way slowly through the busy streets of south London, Harry can not hold back the thoughts that start to rush round his head. It is not long before he finds himself plotting and planning, how to get Ruth to stay here in London. I have a chance, he says to himself. I know it’s a very small one, I know that, but I can not let her go again.

********

By the time Harry walks onto the Grid half an hour later he is buzzing. He has it all figured out. Plans have been hatched in the last half hour and Harry will start to put them into effect immediately, or as soon as he gets a moment alone. He notices Ros striding purposefully towards him.

“Harry,” Ros calls, as he empties himself from the pods. “Something you should know about.”

“Good morning to you too, Ros,” quips Harry as he makes his way quickly to his office before anyone else tries to engage him in conversation.

Ros follows, trying to keep up with him, ignoring his rubbish attempt at humour. He won’t be smiling much longer, thinks Ros.

As Harry busies himself hanging up his coat in the closet and adjusting his jacket, Ros continues. “We have been doing some digging regarding Cyprus, after Mani’s goons had tried to abduct Ruth.”

“Yes, and…”

“And, it appears they torched Ruth’s house.” Ros was going to say Ruth and George’s house but thought better of it under the circumstances. “By all accounts it is totally wrecked, Harry. I guess they didn’t want them going back there after they had fled.”

“Oh God.” Harry wipes a hand across his face. “What about the Greek police? Who do they believe is behind it?”

“Well, Malcolm managed to get hold of a report from the Paphos police divisonal headquarters. It says they suspect local youths from nearby, in Polis. Enquiries are ongoing. No witnesses.”

“Does Ruth know yet, Ros?”

“Not yet. We only just found out, but Harry, that’s not all. Malcolm’s on the phone to the Central Intelligence Service on the Island.”

Both Ros and Harry are suddenly aware of a fake coughing sound coming from the vicinity of Harry’s office door. Standing in the doorway is Malcolm. Worry and concern are etched on his face.

“Ros, sorry, that report has come through from the CIS. You had….er…better read it.” Passing the fax to Ros, Malcolm’s demeanour is solemn and he makes a hasty retreat back through the door.

Ros starts to read the first few lines to herself. “Christ!”

“Ros, what is it?”

In truth she did not know where to start. “It appears that when Mani’s goons missed out on capturing Ruth, they went searching for her family. Police found another house torched in the town of Variseia. It appears it belonged to George’s sister-in-law, Adelpha. She was found dead inside. The police are still looking for her two children Eleni and Talos. Harry…they are eight and ten.”

They sit in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say at this unexpected news.

“Does the report say…how she died?”

“Er…yes,” Ros is still reading as she speaks. “Preliminary autopsy report states she was dead before the house was set on fire…she had been badly beaten…numerous scull fractures, broken limbs and fingers.”

“They had wanted information about Ruth but she did not know anything. Ruth had never told George’s family anything about her past, Ros.”

Ros takes a breath, “Someone needs to tell Ruth, Harry…and soon.”

Harry slowly puts his hand to his forehead and closes his eyes for a second. The stupid naive plans, he had formulated in his mind, only minutes before, were now spent. In truth, he has no idea how they would take the news. They may dash straight back to Cyprus and that would be the end of everything. The small amount of forgiveness contained in the text message Ruth had sent his way, in the early hours of that morning, would be taken back. He is sure of that. What had happened in Cyprus was going to be his fault. To say this was going to make things even more difficult between Ruth and him was a vast understatement and now he does not know what to do, or how to make things better.

TBC...

[Aria]

You are being kind and cruel at the same time, TL Kind for posting another chapter so quickly but cruel for putting poor Harry through more Ruth related angst! Great chapter, can totally see Mani being that ruthless and vindictive. Please be nice to Harry soon

[lwhite53]

Poor Ruth -- she just can't seem to escape her past. And poor Harry -- he's on a roller-coaster emotional journey. Nicely done, TL. But . . . are you going to be nice to them soon?

[Tea Lady]

Guys, I promise I will, but it's about the journey not the destination surely? Scarlet Pearce seems to be happy anyway.

Thanks for the reviews.

[Nia M]

Oh my goodness me. I thought for George to have died was terrible enough in the series, but this is just even more awful. Poor, poor Ruth.

[JHyde]

I totally forgot to tell you how much I like the twist in this. Nice one!

[A Cousin]

UGH! You're killing me TL! Can wait to see how this will "crinkle out." Please let it crinkle out in Harry's favor. You really have me viscerally feeling for him while I read.

[Silktie]

Another great chapter TL. Poor Harry. Poor Ruth. Thought the text message she sent him was rather nice.

[Tea Lady]

Thanks one and all. I too am wondering how this will crinkle out. I'm up to chapter 9 with probably about 3 more to write after that. It's killing me too A Cousin

[Beatriz]

Great chapter and great twist! Feeling sorry for Harry and Ruth, too. This is not going to be easy...
I'm really enjoying this story
Harry in his blue boxer shorts