Firecrackers Magpie Tales #21

The fire crackers going off hid the sound of the gun shot and it wasn’t till the man fell to the ground that anyone knew what had happened.  Suddenly the crowds of people separated as the police cars arrived.
Immediately they started to ask people nearby what they had seen and put up a police tape to cordon off the area. The body had fallen into the long grass along side the pathway and it seemed he was alone as no one was there with him.

Betsy had run as soon as she saw him fall, although she had no idea what had happened. They had gone to the open air Concert together and the firecrackers were part of the final act.

George was only a friend but he was always cagy as to what he did and she thought he was part of some dodgy business. She once had seen his emails when she had called around his flat and he had quickly closed the page, but not before she could see that it was in a foreign, language which she thought was Russian.

He did have a slight accent, but had always said he was from Yugoslavia and she had accepted that. Now she wondered where and what he was from. She, like those around her hadn’t heard anything above the firecrackers but went stone cold when George suddenly dropped down to the ground and before others around her had had a chance to see what had happened, she had quickly knelt and could see in the dim light of dusk that George was very much dead. She didn’t need to be told to leave right away and it was others around her that had phoned for the police.

Back in her own flat she switched on the TV to see if it had already been reported or was there a news flash but the programmes were as advertised and no news reports. She threw her jacket over the back of a chair and poured herself a stiff drink, she was still afraid and felt shivery. The chair was comfortable and with the drink and the stress of the event her eyes closed.

The ringing of her phone brought her out of a deep sleep and snatching it up she said a sleepy ‘Hello’

‘Is that Betsy,’ said the voice, in an accent not unlike George’s.

‘Yes,’ she replied rather hesitantly.

‘We saw you with George, before he was killed, did he give you the computer disc?’

‘What disc?’ she asked quite frightened.

‘Don’t mess me around, we know he passed it to someone and you were the last person with him. We will be calling around to collect it, so don’t try to leave we will find you. We found George and he was dealt with, so be ready’ said the man.

Bestsy dropped the phone and panic set in, she had no idea what this person was talking about. George was just a friend she had met in the coffee bar around the corner from her flat a few months ago, and it was he that suggested they went to the concert. Now she was in fear of her life. She grabbed her jacket and left the flat ready to get to the nearest police station, there were plenty all round London, so not too far to go. Putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket she felt something suspiciously like a computer disc and her heart started to thump. Along the road there was a taxi was just idling as though he had just dropped a fare ‘Betsy peered into the cab and asked, ‘ Are you free please?’

‘Ok hop in lady,’ he said.

‘Thank you, oh thank you, can you please take me to the nearest police station?’ She said as she sat down.

‘Now that might be a problem little Betsy,’ he said.

Betsy froze, she tried the door handle and it was locked, she was inside with the very people she was trying to get away from.

The taxi had stopped down a side road and the driver looked at her in his mirror.. ‘People like you shouldn’t mess with things you don’t know about. ‘ he said.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said.

‘Come, come,’ he answered, ‘Georgio had said he had an accomplice, he didn’t have the disc on him, that’s why he had to be eliminated... now unless you cooperate you will be joining him.’

Betsy started to scream and the driver turned in his seat and hit her across her head, she fell forward on to the floor of the cab hitting her head hard on the door handle.. ‘Silly girl’ he thought ‘Now how am I to explain to the big boss that I am the cause of two bodies and no disc? I just hope the police won’t find out too much about Georgio and it lead back to this girl.’ And he put his cab into gear and drove off towards the river. ‘That river had hidden other mistakes he had made,’ he thought and this one body will be just one more.

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