Dark Angels by Ron Thomas

Author:Ron Thomas [Thomas, Ron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781922340252
Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing
Published: 2020-04-04T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

On Leila’s Beat

In the early hours of the evening, there were people about. Even the light drizzle couldn’t keep them indoors. The corner of Liverpool and Bourke streets was a prime spot, and Leila Morgan had it to herself. There would be more competition for the spot later in the night.

‘Hi, handsome,’ she said seductively to an overweight man with straggly hair. He looked her up and down, feigning interest, then walked on. ‘Arsehole,’ she mumbled under her breath. Her hair was beginning to look rather bedraggled, and she was keen to find another mark and get into the warmth of her room, a few doors down Bourke Street. Leila had a watchful eye on a man wearing a light grey suit, standing on the opposite corner. When he’d turned up some five minutes ago, she’d naturally, given him a wave, but he’d ignored her, and she had assumed that he was probably waiting for someone. He seemed to be agitated, and was shifting his weight from foot to foot, looking up and down Bourke Street, then Elizabeth Street.

A red and cream taxi came cruising down the hill. Seeing the man on the corner, the cabbie pulled his vehicle to the curb and waited to be noticed. Leila thought that perhaps the man had called the taxi, but he just ignored it and kept looking up and down the street. Another man, taller than the first, and dark-haired, appeared from nowhere and the man in the grey suit turned to him angrily. The taller man also seemed angry, and for a moment, Leila was drawn to the pushing contest that ensued. The tall man poked a rigid finger into the middle of grey-suit’s chest and grey-suit slapped the tall man’s arm away. It was all over in a moment. Grey-suit reached into his pocket and pulled out what Leila thought to be a knife, but tall man was quicker. Suddenly, a single shot rang out. Leila could see the flash between the two men’s bodies. Grey-suit reeled away clutching at his chest, took two or three backward steps and fell heavily into the Liverpool street gutter. Within moments, a large black limousine came down the Liverpool street Hill, past the taxi, and the tall man jumped in to the back seat. The limousine accelerated, and with a squeal of tyres turned into Bourke Street. The taxi followed.

For a moment, Leila thought of trying to help the stricken man. On second thoughts, there would undoubtedly be police arriving soon. and she quickly thought better of it. Leila decided that she wasn’t one to involve herself in other people’s aggravation. It might be time for a nice, warming cup of tea, then perhaps a change of venue up to the Forbes Street corner.

***

Leila heard the sirens from the comfort of her first-floor room, before the kettle had boiled. She took her time filling the teapot, then drew the curtains back to see what was happening outside. The taxi was back where she’d first seen it pull up, parked illegally, close to the corner.

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