“It was a standard job. Same kind of thing I’ve done a million times before. More, probably. You lose track, you know? Well, you guys don’t, obviously. But I do.
A shabby little apartment in a tenement block on the lower East side of Chicago. That’s where this one had gone to ground. He was trying to hide from one of the local gangs. After a lifetime of crime, decades of dealing and thieving and bribing with the worst of them, he thought he could make amends by turning them in. He was going to testify against them.
But he was old. And sick. He knew he didn’t have long. So he didn’t bother with protective custody. The police posted a couple of guards outside his flat, but they didn’t even see me.
He did, obviously. When someone appears next to your bed in the middle of the night, especially when you’re a marked man… Let’s just say I didn’t have to do much. He nearly died of fright.”
“Gerald.”
“Yes, Your Honour?”
“Get to the point.”
“Sorry, Your Honour. Of course.
So the old man’s gone. Mission accomplished. And that’s where my part of the story normally ends.
Except this time, I turn from the bed and I see them, just standing there, looking at me. The old man’s daughter and granddaughter.”
“Sloppy work.”
“No, Your Honour. They weren’t supposed to be there.”
His Honour drew himself up in his chair. The accuser smirked to himself, winking at Gerald as he hunched his shoulders protectively.
“Are you saying there was a flaw in my plan?” His Honour’s voice thundered through the room, making the scant furniture vibrate for some time afterwards.
Gerald shook his head. He wasn’t responding to the question, just trying to stop the ringing in his ears. He coughed to clear his head. Once. Twice.
The accuser leaned casually against His Honour’s marble desk, indicating with an open hand that Gerald still had the floor.
“No, Your Honour. No. Of course not. That would be… unthinkable.”
The imperious eyebrow twitched ominously.
“But I have to say, it threw me, seeing them both there. And especially when they both saw me there. That’s not supposed to happen. Ever.”
Gerald looked to the accuser for support, but drew a blank.
“I mean, the local thugs were supposed to have taken care of her the night before, trying to scare the old man into changing his mind.”
The accuser stepped forward, enjoying Gerald’s confusion. “That’s right, Gerald. That was the plan. So now here’s the question we’re all waiting to have answered.” He glanced up at His Honour before carrying on. “Gerald, why did you deviate from the plan and kill the child?”
Dancing in Valhalla – 13 twisted tales of music, magick & mayhem – will be released at all your normal online retailers on 21 April (and in paperback shortly thereafter). Only a few retailers currently list the pre-order edition. They can be found at Books2Read.
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