sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
We shook hands once more and I climbed into the Trailduster and started the massive engine. The possibility that there were twelve victims made my skin crawl, and made me wonder what the hell was going on in this small Maine town with its picturesque scenery.
I drove to the motel, which was easy to find due to the number of lights it had on the front, and after making myself known to the overweight, balding man at the reception desk, I found my room and dumped my bag on the freshly made bed.
The room was small, but well kept. A small bedroom, with a door that led to a small bathroom with a shower and toilet. The bedroom had a nice desk, a bedside table, chest of drawers, and small TV. I put my clothes away, then glanced out the window, which overlooked the woods behind the motel. For the briefest of moments I thought I saw movement just inside the end of the tree line.
As soon as I’d convinced myself it was a trick of the ever-increasing wind, it happened again. There was no mistaking that there was definitely someone there.
I threw my coat and shoes back on and stepped outside, making my way around the side of the motel complex to where I’d seen the movement. But by the time I arrived, whoever, or whatever, had been there was nowhere to be found. So, after searching for a few more minutes, and finding nothing of interest , I made my way back to the motel room.
Before I’d even stepped inside, I knew something was wrong; the door was unlocked. I stood to one side of the entrance and pushed open the door with one hand, readying a ball of fire in the other. The room was empty, but someone had been there. And they’d left me a gift. They’d used a dagger to pin a piece of paper to the wall. I stepped inside the room and made the fireball vanish, pulling the dagger out a second later and catching the paper as it fell.
The dagger was called a misericorde—a long, thin, edgeless blade used in medieval times to kill a knight in full amour. The blade was thin enough to slip between the plates or get in between the eye slots on a helmet. It was widely used for mercy killings, to end the suffering of those who were too injured to be helped. I knew of several assassins throughout the years who had used one to kill someone in one-on-one combat. I hadn’t seen one quite like it in several centuries, but it appeared to be new. I dropped the dagger on the bed and picked up the note. You’ll find no mercy here. Leave.
Apparently I was making new friends already.
CHAPTER 5
New York City, New York. Now.
“S o, do you feel like sharing how you know who’s behind this?” Sky asked as we both left the bathroom and re-entered the main room of the penthouse suite.
I was about to speak when I heard someone trying the door handle. I motioned for Sky to follow me into the main bedroom, keeping the door open just enough to see as someone in a dark hoodie entered the suite and made their way to where the body of Jerry lay.
“It’s a woman,” I said when the door to the second bedroom closed.
“Pervert.”
“Yes, clearly that’s why I know it was a woman. The skintight trousers sort of gave it away, as did the fact that she has breasts under that black hoodie. We should go say hello; how do you want to take this?”
Sky opened the bedroom door and sauntered into the middle of the penthouse suite, taking a seat on one of the expensive couches, opposite the door to the second bedroom.
I knew the routine and crouched behind a glass cabinet next to the door, so that whoever the mystery guest was, she wouldn’t see me when the door was opened. The idea was simple. They come out, see Sky and either their attention is taken for just long enough for me to grab or subdue them. Sky and I had used it before to great effect. It was simple and relatively low risk for all involved.
The woman walked out of the bedroom and saw Sky sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a smile on her face.
Penny Jordan, Maggie Cox, Kim Lawrence
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