Klempner

Damn phone…

What’s wrong with the fucking thing?

I tap in again. Nothing happens.

I’m several floors up, heading back for my hotel room. The signal should be strong up here.

I inspect the screen…

Yes… plenty of signal…

Better contact Dakho… Get him to supply a new one…

A more reliable model this time…

Arriving at my room door…

… A brief shufti along the corridor…

… I’m alone. A quick inspection that my slicked-on hair is still in place…

… It is… a faint dark line against the white paint, which peels away, then drops to the floor as I slide the card into the lock and push the door open…

I toss the useless phone onto my bed then start to shrug off my jacket…

… and in mid-movement, I stall.

My spine prickles and without meaning to, I’m standing stock-still, Glock in hand, staring around the apartment.

What’s wrong?

Working on automatic, my hand follows my eye, weapon aimed, but…

I don’t see anything.

Nothing has moved.

Nothing has changed.

the petals on a

stripes, with only my own footprints lightly in

Really?

by one of

newspaper lies where I left it, outside on the balcony, folded up on the table, alongside my

feet silently, I cross the floor, turn the handle of the bedroom door. With a subdued click,

the carpet in perfect dark-light stripes… the bed made, and beside the pillows, a pair of bath-towels folded, for some inexplicable reason, into the shape of

they

tea and coffee kit, biscuits, a small box of

hand, with the other, at arm’s length, I flick open first one

pineapples and palm trees might be an offence to good taste, I don’t feel threatened

Only one place left…

drawn to the

for a long second… ear cocked… gun at the ready… I

of birds, the hiss of

the door and it bangs open, bouncing on

washed away the sweat

alarms

What triggered it?

tastes metallic and my heart plays percussion against

Calm down…

Breathe…

Think…

What happened?

barely

Outside then…

Something in the corridor…

a look outside. The corridor is still empty; nothing to indicate anyone has been

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