that the woman's quick thinking had saved him earlier in the evening from yet another copper, but his luck was sure to run out if he kept walking around like an idiot. He had to learn the city and fast.
Having managed to get home without further problems. He slept on and off throughout the night that followed. The next morning Harry washed and dressed quickly. Leaving the house, he headed for Princess Road and the shops.
Later that morning found him eating a good breakfast at Barney's Cafe and enjoying his newly bought treasure, a Kelly's map of Manchester. Royle smiled at Barney, as the man brought a mug of tea.
"You lost then?"
Barney let out a laugh loud enough to send a pair of pigeons near the doorway skyward. Unlike the wildlife, the locals ignored the loud man with the grubby apron. Harry shook his head and looked down at the map sheepishly. He decided that in this instance, honesty might just be the best policy.
"Sick of getting bloody lost, to tell you the truth."
The man roared again, and slapping his hand down on the table, set off back to the counter and his other customers. Harry had just got back to his map, when Welsh Eric appeared, for his usual morning meal.
"Hello stranger, beat me to it have you? Over here Barney, if you please? What have we here then? Wish you'd told me you needed a map, got a couple at my digs, could have had them for free. Know the place well now, but at first I was always ending up down a wrong alley and for a driver that's bad see."
Harry smiled a good morning and began folding the large paper sheet. As he started, Eric put a hand on it.
"Don't put it away just yet, might as well show you something first."
Leaning over the map, Eric ran his finger across it, tracing a slow arc, until he stopped and looking up at Royle, indicated an area on the printed surface.
"There's an ironworks right here, see? Not far from the park there. We'll be looking to get some work at the place one day very soon. Study the map and make sure you go out there a few times, you know, really get used to the area."
Harry looked up at the man, who continued.
"Don't worry about transport, got orders to give you this boy. It's not the best car, but it'll get you there and back."
Eric passed a set of car keys folded in a pound note across to Royle, who pocketed them without a word. Eric leaned back in his seat and gestured to Harry to move the map, as Barney slammed his breakfast down. He quickly folded the map and took a swig of his tea. When Barney had left their side, Eric explained that the car was parked outside the house in Denmark Road and was now Harry's. Breakfast passed with reasonable food and decent company. Harry found that he liked Eric, it was Pete he was unsure about. After the meal, Eric went to find a phone box to check if William Hill had received his cheque, leaving Royle to walk back to Denmark Road.
The short walk home gave him the opportunity to turn recent events over in his mind. The more he thought about things, the less happy he felt. Pete was at the centre of the uneasy feeling clawing at Harry's now full stomach. What kind of man gives out money, guns and cars to strangers? Still Harry was on the run and Pete knew it, he also seemed very pleased to have someone onboard with Harry's training. So maybe the man simply wanted to make certain Royle didn't drift away. The car was a nice surprise. Harry had half expected an old banger, but it was a decent little runner. He decided to take it out and see how it ran.
Sitting behind the wheel, he spread out the map and worked out a very basic route to the ironworks, then set off. The black Austin Ruby coughed into action and obeyed the commands he gave it well enough. The car stepped up to 30mph with ease. This could get up to 40, no problem, he thought. Not knowing a place was annoying and he found himself taking a few wrong turns, pulling over and having to check the map, but he got there in the end. Driving along Lightbowne Road