By a Narrow Majority (21 page)

But it made too much sense for it to read any other way. Raleigh could have found out that she was digging around about him, and would have wanted to get something on her in order to reciprocate. And he’d obviously concentrate on Ronnie, because he was her only weak point; and to an
experienced
investigator like Raleigh, that Dick Francis book would have stood out like a sore thumb on her bookshelves.

He probably never thought he’d have to make a run for it, either. He’d had it all so well planned, he must have felt
confident
of successfully pulling it off. And, if it hadn’t been for her, he would in fact have got away with it and still be sitting at his desk right now. But since he did have to make a run for it, he’d need money. Lots of money. So why not take hers?

Now, as she punched in the keys to bring up the bank’s
website, she realized that Raleigh would have broken the code as easily as she had. Of course, she could be wrong about all this. He might not have taken the money and run for the nearest country with no extradition with Britain at all. He might just stroll into his office any minute and wonder what all the fuss was about.

But she didn’t think so.

As she punched in the account numbers, her heart fluttered in a brief moment of hope. After all, it was over a million quid they were talking about, and who really wanted to know they’d let such a fortune slip away? She was only human, when all was said and done, and hope did spring eternal in the human breast.

Her fingers hovered over the final key. If the money was gone, it meant that she’d never have to worry about it again. It meant Jerome would be gone, and Donleavy and the others could wrap the Fletcher case up without any fall-out. They’d simply put it out that Raleigh had resigned. It would mean Mel would almost certainly be appointed acting
superintendent
, and she herself could ask for, and probably get, the promotion to DCI Mel would leave vacant.

It would be a good deal for everybody.

Except that she’d be out of a million quid plus.

She pressed the button and looked at the screen.

The money, of course, was gone.

A NARROW ESCAPE

ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

NARROW IS THE WAY