Swimming through bodies, I kept going, the disgust of sweat trailing down my skin, and the detective’s voice close behind.
“Mr Grayson. GRAYSON!”
The hall was still a few tents away. And at this rate, I could be face-to-face with Amy. Face to face with the cold cuffs waiting for my wrists.
I dived further, hoping it would somehow carry me away from this situation. A slim chance to mask my escape.
Then a miracle appeared.
Masks. Guns. A paintball station.
I quickly moved forward.
Mask.
Strap.
Magazine loaded.
“Team red,” said the marshal.
The arm band clicked, and I entered the arena.
“Grey!” Shouted Amy.
“This is for employees only, stop!” Barked the Marshal.
I smiled, but maybe it was premature. She flicked her ID and was handed a mask. Then glared forward, right into my chest.
“Shit, she was persistent.” I cursed.
Boots chased.
I ran, and the detective sprinted like an athlete.
Cat vs Mouse.
Cop vs burglar.
I was outmatched, panting; she raced around corners.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Until the field opened up, there was a massive central stage that surpassed what a typical tent could hold. It was a large, open space with minimal cover and numerous doors leading to a central glass dome.
A concrete stage.
A final stand.
“You have nowhere to go. Grey.” Said Amy.
I could hear her breath, slow in, slow out.
My own fast and wavering.
“I only had a few questions for you, Mr Grayson, but running suggests you might have a reason to avoid being caught.”
I ground my teeth; I would have to remove her, too. A woman of law would not disappear quietly.
My finger itched, the gun weight sinking into my palm. I could make it look like an accident, a rogue pellet to the head. Plausible yet flawed.
She took a step, and I held my gaze.
There’s no coming back from this.
“I have a vague idea of what happened to Geoff, the reports---“
I began to lift...
I had to shoot her.
“It all pointed to one person, one cover-up.”
I shouldn’t hesitate.
I can’t---
Barrel aimed.
“Grey, there is something I need to tell you.”
I squeezed.
Then, like a battering ram to my side, a glittery hand grabbed me, her pungent perfume like a punch to my senses. And the aim deviated, pellet hitting the wall.
The detective watched the red paint splatter, eyes already knowing the truth. Yet she was not surprised. No, maybe she expected it.
But like a creature of chaos, Barbara pointed at the woman.
"Are you flirting with him, detective?" Barbara said, "That’s highly inappropriate for a woman of the law."
Amy blinked.
“What nonsense are you---“
Barbara snatched Amy’s ID.
“Hey, give that back,” she ordered.
But Barbara just waved it like dirty laundry.
“See, I knew it, you were using your title as a detective to get close, you even used it to get into an employee-only event.”
Amy lunged at Barbara, both quarrelling like sisters. Sibling fighting over that one slice of pie.
“I am engaging in an active investigation! And you are disrupting my work.”
Barbara blew kisses.
“Smooch smooch, single little Amy. So desperate.”
A second later, Amy bent her knees, and I watched a detective drop-kick a civilian.
“THIS IS MINE!”
Amy tore it away from Barbara’s grasp. A boot pressed hard against Barb’s face, and a banshee scream erupted as her fingers released.
“Now then,” Amy said, taking in more breath than she did during her run. “Mr Grayso---“
Suddenly.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” blared the speakers, with Michael’s annoying voice now echoing loudly in my skull. “Tonight is a special game between two departments. On one side, we have Mr Greyson, Marketing Manager; Ms Holt, Senior Marketing Manager; and special guest Ms Burns, Senior Detective.
The sound of a crowd cheered, the claps and whistles breaking through the dome walls. I was right, it was too big to be a tent. But I didn’t expect it to be a colosseum.
Worse, just how many people were watching?
How many saw him?
Was that why Amy was so calm?
