Page 188 of King’s Ransom

Hooper dived to the floor.

Aristo King stood frozen in place, his face splashed with his ex-wife’s blood.

Some guests lay on the floor, covering their heads.

Others stampeded for the elevators.

Still standing, I just peered out the window at the source of the brief flash: the sniper who’d fired the fateful shot.

He was two blocks away, but I could see his outline clearly.

A silhouette with a long-barrelled rifle . . .

. . . on the roof of 59West.

There was movement all around me:

Merritt Garrett yanked his catatonic boss behind a concrete pillar, out of the line of fire.

The guests were variously fleeing for the elevators and the fire stairs, lying on the floor or cowering behind the sofas.

I remained in front of the picture window, defiantly out in the open.

‘He only wanted to kill her,’ I said to Garrett. ‘So she wouldn’t reveal anything about him.’

‘Who are you talking about?’ Garrett said.

‘The Unperson,’ I replied, gazing evenly out at the sniper atop 59West.

‘Sam!’ Audrey called as she and Heidi hurried toward me, pushing against the flow of guests with Director Longmuir.

Trey Hooper still lay at my feet, among a dozen other guests also on the floor.

‘Speedman! What’s going on?’ Hooper yelled.

‘Winnie’s hired assassin just assassinated Winnie,’ I said.

Right then, Audrey, Heidi and Longmuir arrived at my side.

Which was when Longmuir’s phone rang.

unknown caller

‘It’ll be him,’ I said.

Longmuir answered the call on speaker.

We heard the Unperson’s voice, emotionless and calm.

‘Hello, Samuel. My, you are impressive. Dug yourself out of a concrete grave. Director Longmuir, send Dr Speedman over to the roof of 59West now or I kill everyone else remaining in that room.’

As if to prove his capability, a burst of automatic gunfire smacked through the window and raked the floor of the apartment, narrowly missing the guests.

‘Come on over, Samuel.’

I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me.

Either I went or they died.