The Killer II by Jack Elgos Page B

his ears twitching and swivelling in an attempt to locate the sound. Yes, there it was. He sprang up from his bed and angrily shook the sleep away. The haunting images of the beautiful Marie-Claire, the sexy French poodle from down the block, disappearing rapidly from his mind as he stretched and prepared for action. A low growl escaped his throat and he pawed the ground a couple of times before launching himself directly at the high fence in full-on snarl mode. He could smell the two strangers just beyond the boundary of his own territory and wanted to pounce but then a long, low haunting whistle reached his ears and he felt an immediate calm. He sank to the ground and, of its own volition, the tongue lolled from his large, German Shepherd head and his tail wagged.
    A door opened behind him and he saw his master march angrily onto the porch. ‘Shut it, Jack,’ he yelled after a few seconds. ‘There’s no one there.’ Jack turned his attention to the fence again, sniffing the air through the chain links, but the stranger had gone. He hoped he could return to his dream. Now where was he? Ah yes, smelling Marie-Claire’s beautiful butt.
     
    ***
     
    ‘That’s some mad skills you’ve got there,’ whispered Tommy from the safety of the rear of the house where they had quickly retreated after being surprised by the dog.
    ‘Gypsy whistle,’ Liam whispered back. ‘Learned it from a friend of me Mammy. Always works. Anyway, what the fuck are you doing here? You’re supposed to be back at the car.’
    ‘Thought you may be needing this.’ Tommy stifled a laugh as he pulled a short piece of metal from his jeans pocket. The slim bar was around eight inches long with grooves and slots cut along its le ngth.
    ‘What the hell’s that?’
    ‘It’s my key. The place is empty right?’
    ‘Far as I can tell, but I’m prepared either way,’ Liam assured him, The Killer at the ready. ‘If you’ve still got that pop gun on you, I’d keep it handy.’
    ‘Will do. Now, watch this man. You may have mad skills with dogs, but I’ve got ‘ em with doors. This’ll get you into the house and it’ll do it quietly without tripping any alarms.’ Tommy slipped the metal into the crack of the patio door then jerked it rapidly up and down several times. A moment later the door slid open and he dashed in, pulled a piece of gum from his mouth and shoved it quickly above the door. ‘Neutralises the sensor,’ he whispered. ‘Da dah!’
    Liam smiled. The lad was good; the lad was smart. They crept into the house, sliding the door closed behind them. No alarm sounded. Everything was quiet. ‘We’re in,’ Liam whispered. ‘Let me take a quick look round to make sure nobody’s asleep anywhere.’
    The small house quickly proved to be empty. ‘Now we need to get our edge,’ Liam said.
    ‘How’s that?’ asked Tommy.
    ‘I need something that’ll show me how to get to him, and quickly too.’
    ‘You can’t just wait for him here?’
    ‘I will if I have to, but I’d rather it was somewhere else. Like you said, Tommy, it’s all about turf. This is his and I’d sooner have him out of his comfort zone.’
    ‘ Ah, I get you. So, what are we looking for exactly?’
    ‘Anything to do with arms deals.’
    ‘Really? Well I can’t see much. It’s a bit dark in here man.’
    ‘Yeah, but we can’t afford to put any lights on. You got a torch in that Thundercar of yours?’
    ‘A what?’
    ‘A torch. Have you got one?’
    ‘What the fuck’s a torch?’
    ‘A torch, man, a fuckin ’ torch. A small thing that you hold in your hand to shine light around.’
    ‘You mean a flashlight?’
    ‘Do I?’
    ‘Think so.’
    ‘OK, have you got a fuckin ’ flashlight in your Thundercar ?
    ‘No.’
    ‘Fuck.’
     
     
    The Bug
     
    As his workday came to a close, The Bug headed out to his car. He’d had worse nicknames and didn’t really mind the one he’d picked up this week. That was how long he’d had his new car, his lovely