Page 117 of One of Us Is Guilty

The giant screamed as his knee separated, then he landed on his back like an oak tree that had been felled.

Bloch was on her knees, panting, shaking her head, trying to clear it. She had to put him out, now. Or pull the magnum and put a bullet in him.

One thought permeated the haze of adrenaline.

Keep him alive for Eddie. They needed to know who had sent him.

She had a better idea. No point in wrestling him into a sleeper hold. Another blow on the head with the butt of her magnum would put him out like a light.

She reached for her gun, nicknamed Maggie.

‘Freeze! Police!’

The voice came from her left.

Captain Landry had his police weapon drawn, and aimed at her.

‘Nice and slow, finger and thumb on the butt of that magnum. Draw it and toss it.’

Bloch did as she was asked as Landry approached her in a shooting stance. She was fast, but she couldn’t get the gun up and pointed at Landry before he could pull the trigger.

No point.

She had no other choice.

Bloch tossed the weapon at Landry’s feet.

Something distracted her attention as she raised her hands in surrender.

Blue and red flashing lights through the foliage. Landry must’ve parked his patrol car at the property gate and walked in quietly.

‘Don’t you move. Hands behind your head. And don’t try for that shotgun. You’re not that fast,’ said Landry.

Bloch locked her fingers together behind her head.

Ten feet from her now, Landry knelt down and picked up her magnum with his left hand, keeping his own pointed at Bloch in his right hand.

The giant was still on his back, gasping, clutching his knee.

‘Is he shot?’ asked Landry, as he drew level with the incapacitated giant.

‘No,’ said Bloch.

Landry stood up to full height. Casually pointed Bloch’s magnum at the giant.

And blew his head off.

He dropped Bloch’s magnum, aimed his own weapon at her head.

‘Where’s the guy who called this in?’

Raymond.

Damn, she should have told him not to call the local cops.

‘He ran,’ said Bloch.

‘I’ll find him. By then it will be too late. He will have caught a bullet. Maybe from that shotgun of yours. The fewer survivors, the easier this will be to clean up. Looks to me like you killed four men in cold blood. But one of them managed to get a good shot on you before he died. Chest shot, I think.’