Take Two

CHAPTER 47

Dunbar put down his phone and grinned at Halpin. ‘Happy?’ he said. ‘She bought it hook, line and sinker.’

‘You’re a natural,’ said Halpin. ‘You could be an actor, no question.’

Dunbar grinned. ‘Yeah, I’ve been told my face is perfect for radio.’ He held out his hand. ‘So I’ll take the money now, if that’s okay with you.’

‘You’ve earned it,’ said Halpin. He tossed the envelope to Dunbar and stood up. ‘Don’t spend it all at once.’

Dunbar grabbed at the envelope. As Halpin walked behind him he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a large flick knife. Dunbar started to turn when he heard the blade click into place but it was too late. Halpin put his left hand over Dunbar’s mouth and drew the knife across his throat in one smooth movement. Blood gurgled between Dunbar’s lips and he slumped to the ground, his hands clasped to the gaping wound. His body went into convulsions but after a few seconds it went still as a pool of blood continued to spread across the carpet.

Halpin wiped the knife clean on a dishcloth then put it and the envelope of money into his coat pocket. He spent the next ten minutes making it look as if the house had been broken into and Dunbar killed by a burglar. The area where the private eye lived was a burglary hotspot and all the police needed to see was a broken window and that Dunbar’s watch, wallet and BluRay player were missing for them to assume it was a drug addict looking to pay for his latest fix.