He got out of the car, and
turned round and looked at Cody. He gave
him a deliberate smile. He walked round the car to the bowser, and turned his
back so the Killer couldn’t see what he was doing. Taking his time, he unlocked the petrol cap
and inserted the nozzle into the petrol tank inlet. He slipped his card into
the slot on the credit card payment screen next to the bowser and selected
full. Then he took the watering can and
filled it at the tap. He opened the
bonnet, but he didn’t unscrew the radiator tap.
He was sure the Killer would be angry, but it was the only chance they
had. He reached into his undies and
pulled his phone out. He swiped Jason’s
number, and waited. Pick up! Pick up! he urged, silently, listening to the click
click click as the petrol bowser filled the tank.
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Monday, 3 July 2017
588
 |
| Source |
He still hadn’t made up his
mind by the time he’d pulled up next to a petrol pump.
“Fill her up, using the credit
card facility on the bowser” said the Killer, quietly. “If you try anything, I’ll shoot your
boyfriend first, then you, then as many others as I can get.”
Luigi had no idea how many
bullets the Killer’s gun held. He
remembered vaguely that some guns had 6—or was it 7?—bullets in the revolving
thingy at the base of the barrel. But
there were others who which held the bullets in a cartridge in the hand-grip. How many did they hold?
Well, it didn’t matter. The
Killer would kill Cody and maybe others.
Recalling his earlier cowardice, Luigi resolved to do something else.
Sunday, 2 July 2017
587
They were just a couple of K’s before the Calder
Raceway when the dashboard beeped. A
notice came up warning that the fuel tank was nearly empty. Luigi exulted. Yes!
Yes! They weren’t going to go
anywhere now. There was no way the killer
would do anything out in the open, next to the freeway.
“Pull into the BP service station up ahead,” came the
quiet order from the back.
Luigi’s heart sank.
The service station was about a K further on. Over and over again, in his head, he went through
the options he had. He could get out and run.
As soon as he was safe he could phone the police and tell them what was
going on. And they would save Cody. But he knew—profoundly, deep in his
heart—that the Killer would use Cody as a hostage, and Cody would in the end be
killed.
He flicked the indicator on and turned his car onto
the exit ramp leading to the service station.
Saturday, 1 July 2017
586
When they got to the car, the killer made Cody get in the back and gestured him to move over to the other side. He pointed his gun at Luigi.
“You drive,” he said. “Don’t try anything or your little friend
will get it.” He got into the car at the
same time as Luigi, his gun once again directed at Cody.
Just for a second, Luigi was
tempted to run, leaving Cody behind. He
tried to justify this to himself by rationalizing that he would be better able
to save Cody by getting hold of the police.
And that there would only be one person to save instead of two. And that two hostages gave the killer more
power than one. But he hesitated too
long, and the killer pressed his gun against Cody’s head, and said softly with
utter conviction.
“Get in or I’ll do him. And I’ll get you straight afterwards.”
Luigi got into the car, feeling
ashamed and angry and very frightened.
They drove in silence for 20
minutes out of the inner city on to the freeway and then along the almost empty
freeway.
Sunday, 15 January 2017
585
 |
| (Source) |
As soon as Luigi and Cody were dressed, the killer gestured to them with the gun to go outside onto the walkway.
“Downstairs!” he ordered
quietly. Luigi had half hoped they would
use the lift. Somebody might get in and
then the killer might be distracted and Luigi could grab his gun … or maybe in
the close confines of the lift, he might get close enough to do it anyway. He turned round to see what was
happening.
“Just keep walking!” the
killer growled. His quietness and
confidence were terrifying.
At ground level, the killer
asked, “Where’s your car?” Luigi thought
of lying, and saying he didn’t have one. “I know you have one,” said the
killer. “I’ve watched you. I’ve seen it.”
Luigi almost lost hope
then. How were they going to
escape? He also felt especially
stupid. He’d automatically put his key
ring into his pocket when they’d left the flat.
Habit. A couple of years before,
he’d locked himself out of the flat and had had to go and beg to be let in by
the building supervisor, who lived in a flat on the ground floor. Mr Albanese had made his dislike of Luigi’s
effeminacy quite clear, and Luigi had resolved never to let it happen
again. He’d made a habit of putting his
keys, his wallet and his phone in his pockets whenever he left his flat. Stupid! he thought to himself. The police might know the killer’s car make
and registration number and might be able to track them if his car was used. But obviously the killer thought so too.
Saturday, 14 January 2017
584
The policeman nodded to them.
Then he turned on his heel and went back along the walkway and into the flat.
“Loik to live dangerously,
don’t ya?” murmured Keith when the lift doors had at last closed.
“Homophobic bunch of
arseholes and wankers!” stormed Jason.
“Oi think he had a hard-on
for ya, Jace,” said Keith.
Jason just tightened his
lips and shook his head.
“They’re so unprofessional. So inept.”
“You were very blunt,”
observed Esmé. “People hate being
criticized.”
“Yeah. But how unprofessional is it to raid his
house and let him escape! And then to
argue with us when we point that out!”
They’d reached the ground
floor.
“What’re we going to do
now?” asked Esmé.
“I don’t know. I feel we have to do something.”
His phone rang.
It was Luigi.
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
583
“You can’t just walk off
like that! After accusing me of neglect
and incompetence!”
Very quietly, Jason hissed,
“There are two men out there whose lives are in danger. Who might die because the police screwed
up. And while they get further and
further away you are wasting time having an argument with us? You are angry because I have told you some
home truths. I am livid because my
friends are about to get murdered. While you do nothing. ‘Uphold the right’ it
says on your badge. What are you going
to do, Sergeant Kaminski? Are you going to do your job, or are you going to
arrest us, waste time by taking us down to the station and filling out forms?” He paused to let that sink in. “Now, if you would be so good as to move your
foot, we would like to go home.”
For a long time, the
sergeant glared at Jason and then sighed.
“Don’t get involved,” he said. He was brave enough to meet Jason’s implacable
blue gaze. “Yeah, I know we screwed
up. And I’m really sorry. But we’re still better at it than you
amateurs would be.”
Keith could see that Jason
was still angry, but he smiled at the policeman, a trifle tightly, but a smile
all the same. “I’m sorry, sergeant, for
losing my temper. We’re very worried. I know it’s not because of you personally. I
apologise.”
The policeman nodded. “We’ll do our best. I promise.”
Jason lifted his lips off
his teeth. No one would call it a
smile. “Just save our friends.”
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