Miss No One Mark Ayre (children's books read aloud TXT) 📖

Rising, Abbie pointed her reloaded gun at the back right corner of the grey building. Looking at Kilman, she nodded towards the building's other side, indicating they should try to flank Smoker.

For a brief moment, Kilman looked annoyed that Abbie had given him another order. Looked as though he might argue. Then he found the strength of character to accept her idea was a good one, and nodded.

Abbie was already facing down one side of the building. Because Kilman had to cross the front to reach the other side, Abbie remained still, waiting for Kilman to move.

But at first, he hesitated.

"In answer to your question," she said, hoping to cover his footsteps with her voice if ever he decided to move, "Someone sent Gary to lure me to this L-block." She nodded, though Kilman wasn't looking. "He was supposed to lead me inside. At the same time, it seems, a corrupt uniformed police officer was told to lure you here, using my presence. The plan was for you to follow me into the L-Block’s long corridor, at which point our shooter would burst in and gun us down. The classroom doors would no doubt be locked. We'd have nowhere to hide."

"Like ducks in a barrel," said Kilman, which confused Abbie for a few seconds.

"Sitting ducks," she said. "Or fish in a barrel. Although, arguably, it would be easier to kill ducks in a barrel than it would fish.”

"Whatever."

At last, Kilman moved. Stepping away from Abbie, he started towards the front left corner of the building. Moving with slow, quiet steps, the detective aimed his gun at the corner he approached. As the cop walked, Abbie went on.

"The shooter lured me here because I'm a perceived threat to his employer's plan. I imagine it’s the same for you."

"And what is the plan?" said Kilman. He had reached the double doors that led into the grey building. The halfway point of his journey to the corner.

"As far as I know," said Abbie, "to rob a casino on the outskirts of town. A place run by crooks. Lucky Draw."

Kilman stopped in line with the second door in the double. His head twisted towards Abbie's. She saw suspicion in those eyes and knew it was no longer suspicion of her.

"You know why they want you dead, don't you?" said Abbie.

Kilman looked unsure. "Maybe," he said. He puzzled over the situation for a couple of seconds. Then nodded. Abbie saw he'd decided to talk. To let her in on his thoughts.

He opened his mouth.

And was thrown from his feet as three bullets smashed through the window of the grey building's double doors, each one hitting its target, tearing through skin and bone and muscle before discarding the detective to the concrete like a child's forgotten teddy.

Twenty

As bullets smashed glass, time slowed down.

Or that was how it seemed to Abbie.

She was not having a good day. As Kilman's presence had allowed strands of this mystery to tie into a pattern that began to make sense, Abbie had become distracted. Rather than on the building they were supposed to be covering, she focused on what Kilman had to say. Minutes ago, she had expected Smoker to appear around the side of a building when he was actually going through.

She'd just fallen for the same trick again, and for the second time, Smoker had taken out an ally by firing through a door.

The bullets hit Kilman. Still in slow motion, Abbie watched his feet leave the ground as he was tossed backwards.

By this point, her mind was no longer whirring. Speculation became action. Already, her gun was raised. As Kilman flew through the air, Abbie took swift side steps, moving closer and closer to the shattered window of the grey building's double doors.

Kilman crashed to the ground. Abbie fired two shots through the grey building's doors.

Into an empty corridor.

It was a short block, with only two classrooms on each side. At the end of the corridor was another set of external-facing double doors. These were closed, but Abbie didn't doubt for a second they were how Smoker had entered the building.

The corridor was quiet. All four classroom doors were closed. Abbie didn't know which of these Smoker had escaped into. She was only sure he hadn't had the time to exit through the back doors before Abbie gained visibility of the building's interior.

Behind Abbie, Kilman groaned. Abbie didn't look around. Couldn't afford to. From what she'd seen, at least two of the bullets had entered Kilman's chest. His chances of survival were no doubt lower than Gary's. Still, Abbie couldn't be sure until she had the opportunity to examine the detective's wounds.

When Abbie had detailed what she knew of Becker's plan to rob the casino, without mentioning Becker, understanding had hit Kilman. He knew why a corrupt police officer might want to kill him, and that information could prove invaluable. Abbie needed to speak to him. Preferably soon, definitely before he died.

But she couldn't do anything until she'd dealt with Smoker.

She was still aiming at the entrance ahead. Each door in the double was split into two segments—a glass pane at the top, a solid panel of what looked like plastic at the bottom. Smoker had blasted through the glass pane in the left (his right) door. The other remained intact.

Ruling out an escape through the back set of double-doors left a couple of options. It was possible Smoker had slipped into one of the four classrooms, though that would rely on him knowing which, if any, were unlocked. The only alternative was to remain by the front doors. His back pressed against the plastic panels. If he was on his bum or crouched low, Abbie wouldn't see him through the shattered glass.

Bullets were at a premium, but Abbie couldn't risk getting too close to the door if Smoker could, at any moment, pop up like a Jack-in-the-box.

Lowering her gun, Abbie fired into the centre of the left plastic panel, moved her gun to