A Death in Diamonds

‘Pav! Honestly!’ Henry boomed out behind him. ‘I don’t think I can do it. I need another job. D’you think the Socialist Worker will hire me?’

The tall man frowned. His eyes flicked past Pavel’s shoulder to the lamplit room. He seemed to hesitate. ‘You’re not alone?’

‘I am,’ Pavel assured him.

He’d had a brief moment of panic, but the mention of Mirny reassured him. He needed to talk to these visitors undisturbed. He ushered them in and indicated the empty room with a sweep of his hand. As they stepped inside, the shorter man closed the door quietly behind them.

‘You’re not listening. I’m hanging up!’ Henry threatened. ‘Honestly, all you do is berate me anyway, when I’m just speaking for the common man.’

They all looked towards the speaker and the two strangers’ eyes lit up with relief. They were

alone.

‘Mirny?’ Pavel asked, sotto voce.

The taller man indicated the speaker, and Pavel went over to the telephone, depressing the exposed hook switch with his finger and cutting Henry off mid-flow. As he turned back, the taller man took two athletic strides towards him and caught him on the jaw with an upper cut so powerful that he heard his brain rattle in his skull.

The pain was secondary to the shock. Pavel’s legs gave way and he began to fall. Scrabbling hands clutched at thin air. So it had happened after all. He should have been paying attention.

As he hit the ground, he felt someone grip his forearm, and the sharp prick of a needle through the crisp, thin cotton of his shirt. His vision was blurred and the two men seemed to swim above him, as through water. He said a prayer, but no words came out of his mouth.

‘Nice speaker setup,’ one of the men observed.

‘Shut up,’ the other one told him.

Seconds later, the world faded to a pinprick and turned black.

Click here to find out more about THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD by S.J. Bennett.