The Survivor by Mark Ayre

Author:Mark Ayre [Ayre, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Conundrum Publishing
Published: 2022-04-21T16:00:00+00:00

Thirty-One

It was early evening when headlights swept the curtains, and the homeowner pulled into the drive.

Abbie drained her coffee and rose from the comfortable armchair as Ana stood from the sofa. Rounding the coffee table, Abbie handed her now empty mug to the lawyer.

"You know what to do?" she asked.

Ana nodded.

"Nervous?"

A shake of the head. "I'll be fine. You sure you want me to leave, though?"

"I'll be fine, too," said Abbie. "Do your bit, get back to the hotel, and we'll meet as planned. Once my good friend and I have had a chat."

Outside, a car door slammed. They heard the blip of the car's central locking, then shoes crunching over gravel.

"Go on," said Abbie. "Let's do this."

With a nod, Ana put the mugs in her bag and walked to the kitchen. She was slipping out the back as the front door opened, and the homeowner stepped into the short hall from which could be accessed the living room, the downstairs office, and the stairs.

The back door closed with an almost inaudible click. A second later, the homeowner turned the living room handle and pushed open the door.

By this time, Abbie had resettled herself in the armchair. Ana had one of her guns. The other was in her hand, clasped in a loose fist.

"Good evening.” She watched with muted satisfaction as the detective leapt with shock. "I hope you don't mind me making myself at home. The back door was unlocked. Sort of."

Gathering himself, reclaiming control of his galloping heart, Tanaka went for his phone. Unlocked the screen.

"What are you doing?" asked Abbie. Her voice was calm because she was calm. Tanaka would not bring the police here.

"You think what you did isn't out there? As if attacking me wasn't enough, now you've shot DCI Killman. My colleagues are out in force. There are probably some in the area ready to pop over and cart you away."

Abbie had her gun in front of her but wasn't pointing it at Tanaka. She guessed this was why he hadn't noticed the weapon, which was okay. She didn't expect to need it.

Tanaka had found a number.

"I didn't shoot Killman," said Abbie, "and you don't want to bring your fellow detectives here."

Tanaka's finger paused above what Abbie assumed was the call button. Luckily, his curiosity was piqued.

"Is that so?"

"It is," said Abbie. "Put down your phone, and we can discuss the situation. I think you'll be interested to hear what I have to say."

Tanaka smirked. "No chance. You can have your say in court. If you get that far."

"If you or your colleagues don’t murder me first, you mean? As a department, you do seem to be into some nefarious activities."

The phone was still in Tanaka's right hand. Now he took his left index finger away from the screen and jabbed it towards Abbie.

"Watch your accusations," he said. "I'm not the criminal here."

"You said I'd shot Killman," Abbie said, moving on. "As you didn't plump for the word murdered or, given your hyperbolic mood,

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