scratched his chin and turned back to the window. “Can you do this?”
Harriet considered it for a moment. “I’ll look into it.”
----- X -----
Harriet blocked the sun from her eyes with a hand and looked up at the sign above the restaurant; Brown’s. Walking past were people wearing fancy clothes and carrying bags from the nearby boutiques. Seated by the front window, a pair of businessmen in designer suits flipped through the menu. Customers didn’t seem put off by the shooting. “Any publicity is good publicity,” Harriet mumbled.
She pushed the door open. A waitress stood by the door. “Do you have a reservation?” she asked looking her over. Harriet shook her head. “I need to see the owner, I’m an insurance investigator, I’m gathering information on the shooting last night.”
“Mister Brown is in his office.” She took her to a small office in the back. Cecil Brown, the restaurant’s owner was at his desk and he looked up as they entered. “This is Miss Smotes. She’s here about the shooting.” The waitress closed the door to leave them alone.
“How can I help?” Cecil asked.
“I’m Harriet Smotes. I’m an insurance investigator and I’d like to ask what happened last night.”
He frowned. “I thought the police were finished their investigation here.”
“I’m not with the police. I’m trying to find out exactly what happened on behalf of a potential victim.”
Cecil leaned back in his chair. “What do you want to know?”
“I’m curious to know who the intended victim was. I understand Edward Sparks was the target but that’s not confirmed.”
“It looked like Eddie Sparks,” he said. “Sparks had a meeting here. He had booked a big table. He and his wife arrived half an hour early to check everything was ready and… Come with me, I can show you where it happened.”
“Please.” Harriet said. They walked through to the front door and went outside. “Who was Sparks meeting with?”
“Some of the councillors and the Mayor. The Mayor and some guests arrived and Sparks and his wife went out to greet them. That’s when the shooting began.”
“Were there any others from Sparks’ party already here?” Harriet asked as she made notes.
“His wife. I think his CFO was here too, but maybe not together.”
“What makes you think Sparks was the intended victim? Not one of the others? The Mayor, for example?”
“The guy on the bike, the shooter, had been out there for a while, parked by the road. We were going to ask him to move because he was loitering. When Sparks stepped out the door and the Mayor pulled up, the guy began shooting.”
“Did you see anything about the shooter?”
Cecil shook his head. “He wore a dark helmet and full leather. There was no way to tell anything about him other than he was tall. He was towering over his motorcycle.”
They were at the front of the restaurant now. “Can you show me precisely where you remember people standing?” Harriet asked.
“Well, the Mayor was just on the pavement there.” He pointed to the edge of the road. “And Mr Sparks had just come out the door. His wife and friends were just behind him. When the first shot was fired, Mr Sparks and his wife ran behind their car but everyone else went into the restaurant.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Where was the shooter?”
“Just there by the kerb,” he pointed.
Harriet moved to the position. “Can you stand where Sparks was standing?” Cecil moved towards the door. She raised her fingers in the shape of a gun and aimed it at Cecil. “He ducked right?” she asked. Cecil nodded. She dropped her hand. “Was there any damage to the restaurant? Bullet holes? Broken windows?”
He shook his head. “A few plates and glasses were tipped over in the panic, but nothing substantial. Why?”
Harriet raised her hand again and looked down her fingers as though they were an imaginary gun pointed at the restaurant manager. Behind him was the huge plate glass window. “Because either the shooter was the worst in the world or he never intended to shoot anyone because he missed that huge window from only a few feet away.”
----- X -----
“I’m just saying I don’t feel safe here,” Maeve Sparks was pacing the bedroom. “Everyone in the city knows where we live and I don't want to be here until that madman is caught.”
“I know you’re worried but we have two guys downstairs. There is no way someone can get up without them seeing.” Edward sighed. “We are safe here. We have security everywhere.”
“They didn’t manage to protect us when that man opened fire. He almost killed us, Edward! Someone wants you dead and they won’t stop after one try.”
“What would you like to do? What would make you happy?”
“I want to go to the cabin. Just the two of us. We can slip away without anybody knowing and lay low.” She clutched her hands together. “I understand that you want to stay for the sake of the business but I need to decompress. I need a break to clear my head.”
Edward rubbed his eyes. “You know that nothing is more important to me than your safety but nothing can happen to us here.”
“But I don’t feel safe. Do you understand? I need a break. I can’t sleep, I’m worried all the time and I just want to get away for a while, even just a few days.” Maeve pursed her lips. “I’m just so overwhelmed.”
Edward sat next to her on the bed. “Fine. But only for a few days. Why don’t you pack a weekend bag? I’ll call Giselle and tell her to cancel my appointments.”
“Edward, this means a lot to me.” Maeve replied. “Thank you.”
“It’s just a few days. But I understand. I love you,” he said finally as he shut the door. He pulled his phone out his pocket and dialled his assistant’s number. “Giselle, I’m going away for a few days and I need you to cancel all my appointments.”
“But sir, don’t you need to be here to smooth things at City Hall?”
“It’s just until this blows over. I won’t be away very long. It doesn’t matter. Just cancel my appointments.” He hung up and stuffed his phone in his back pocket. He pushed open the bedroom door. She didn’t turn around until he began speaking. “It’s all sorted.”
She smiled. “Good. Let’s just put this behind us.”
----- X -----
The limousine was waiting for them outside but Edward sent it away. “We’ll take the four by four ourselves.” He walked around the house for the car and drove back to collect Maeve.
She was standing with one of the new security guards he’d hired. She locked the door and the keys slipped onto the floor. The guard picked them up and handed them to her. “Are you alright?” he asked. She put the keys in her purse and began rifling through its contents as if trying to keep her hands busy.
Edward came over. “Maeve, darling, nothing will happen. I won’t let anything happen. Plus, no one knows where we are going.”
She began twisting her wedding ring. “They could be following us, Edward. Maybe they are watching us now. If we leave alone then they’ll kill you!”
“Maeve! Nothing will happen! Are we going or not?” He opened the car door for her. She climbed in.
They sat in silence as they drove away from their home.
“I can’t believe Arenke would do this.” Maeve murmured as they headed further from the city. “He should be a decent man and not try and kill off his rivals. Why would he do such a thing?”
Edward rolled his eyes. “Arenke? Why on Earth would Jacques Arenke be behind this? He wouldn’t risk his chances by doing that.”
“Well, if you’re dead then he would have no competition at all and get the waste contract. He would practically own the city!”
Edward scoffed at this. “He has lots of contracts already. He wins some, he loses some… but he doesn’t shoot people over waste collection deals. Besides, who would the police go to first? The rival who is trying to get a contract from him of course. He wouldn’t risk it. He woul
d be the prime suspect.”
“Then who did it?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t imagine the assassin will try again. He’ll be caught, Maeve. We are safe.”
----- X -----
The police station didn’t look very different from the time she had last been there but for Harriet, it held some bitter memories. Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and headed straight to the desk sergeant. "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Geoffrey Palmer."
"Sure. If you take a seat over there I’ll call him. Who shall I say is here?”
“Harriet Smotes.”
After a few minutes, Palmer came out of a corridor and walked over to her. “Hello stranger. What are you doing here?” he asked.
She suddenly found herself uncomfortable and realised she was avoiding eye contact. “It’s about the Edward Sparks case.” Palmer narrowed his eyes but motioned for her to follow him to a large room filled with desks. At the far end was Palmer’s. His desk was a mess of unfiled paperwork; coffee mugs with varying levels of coffee in them and small knick-knacks that looked out of place on such an untidy surface. Palmer sat down and slid a worn dossier into a drawer.
“It’s been a long time.” He said finally. Harriet nodded. “What do you need?”
She shifted on her feet before she answered. “I’m on a private job; investigating the shooting on Edward Sparks.” She noticed his puzzled look. “For Jacques Arenke.” At this he frowned. “I want to know if there is any background you could give me?”
“There’s not much I can