“I’m sorry,” he whispered, pulling the trigger for the second time.
CHAPTER 25
He aimed as best he could and even though he was only about nine feet away, he missed.
Despite that, Armstrong was taken by surprise as he hadn’t expected Kurt to risk his wife’s life and he relaxed his hold. He didn’t relax by much, but it was enough for Emma to prise his arm away and sink her teeth into his wrist. Simultaneously, she stamped down on his foot and yanked herself free.
Kurt didn’t hesitate. He pulled the trigger and braced himself for the kickback, but the hammer just clicked and there was no recoil. He pulled the trigger again, but the magazine was empty. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach.
Armstrong lashed out, catching Emma’s face with the back of his hand. She spun away, blood spurting from a busted lip.
“Son of a bitch,” Armstrong said.
Working on autopilot, Kurt sprinted forwards and launched himself through the air like a rocket. His fist connected with Armstrong’s cheek and the next thing he knew they were sprawling in the gravel. The sound of blood pumping in his ears was deafening, but above the pounding he heard Caleb scream, probably terrified by what he witnessed.
Armstrong was stronger than he looked, and he flipped Kurt over and straddled him before beating down on his face, like some giant animated bush. Each punch connected with a smack and Kurt grunted as he tried to protect himself. A fist struck his nose, making his eyes water. Pain blossomed across his face and his teeth jarred as another punch connected.
After a moment, the onslaught abated and Armstrong held his knife aloft like a bird of prey’s talon.
“When they investigate you, the evidence is going to be irrefutable,” Armstrong said. “It’s all in the planning.” He tensed his body, preparing to strike and a deathly silence descended.
Kurt struggled, but to no avail as Armstrong had him pinned securely.
“Bet you didn’t plan for this,” Emma said. Armstrong glanced aside, his expression twisting into a grimace before a bang shattered the silence and Armstrong toppled aside.
The echo faded, and Kurt turned his head to find Emma standing with her feet apart and Conner’s gun in her hands. She was shaking slightly. Rainwater trickled down her face, her hair dishevelled, but Kurt didn’t think she had ever looked more beautiful.
As Kurt picked himself up, Caleb ran across and threw his arms around him, sobbing loudly. Emma dropped the gun, letting the weapon clatter to the ground, and she joined them in the embrace, wincing from the bullet wound. Kurt kissed her cheek, tasted salty residue from her tears.
“I love you,” he said.
He stared down at Armstrong’s corpse, then guided his family away from the carnage.
The next few weeks Kurt pored over the case. True to his word, Armstrong had placed incriminating evidence in Kurt’s house that purported to show his involvement. But despite his plan, Armstrong had failed to take into account Kurt had been working on the day of the crime, so he had a cast iron alibi.
While the investigation progressed, Kurt’s family underwent counselling. Emma’s wound was not life threatening, her arm put in a sling while she recuperated. Although Caleb was quiet for a few days after the horror he had endured, he slowly started coming out of his shell, and Kurt hoped any mental scars would fade in time, especially as he had the love of his family to help him through it.
It turned out Armstrong had been on the run for a while, as he was wanted in connection with a number of thrill kills on civilians while serving in the army. Suffering symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after his third tour of duty, he underwent a psychological evaluation. The results of the test would normally have had him sectioned, but through a bureaucratic fuck up, he was medically discharged from the service and allowed back into society. He gained a loathing for anyone in a position of authority, which they surmised was why after the robbery, he targeted Kurt, seeing him as a hate figure who was trying to bring him down. It was only after he had been discharged that evidence of the thrill kills came to light.
The homes of all those involved in the robbery were raided, but there was no trace of their ill-gotten gains. The only lead they had in the investigation was a single piece of paper found in Armstrong’s pocket containing a series of pictures and letters. The money has not yet been recovered ...
Author note. The puzzle above leads to a webpage that ideally requires a Java enabled web browser, although it will work without.
About the author:
Shaun Jeffrey was brought up in a house in a cemetery, so it was only natural for his prose to stray towards the dark side when he started writing. He has had five novels published, 'The Kult', ‘Killers’, 'Deadfall', ‘Fangtooth’ and 'Evilution', and two collections of short stories, 'Voyeurs of Death' and ‘The Mutilation Machination’. Among his other writing credits are short stories published in Cemetery Dance, Surreal Magazine, Dark Discoveries and Shadowed Realms. The Kult was optioned for film by Gharial Productions.
Visit the author's site at: http://www.shaunjeffrey.com
The Heist Page 8
