‘I don’t know what to say!’ McFarlane boomed, as despite his last sentence he seemed to find plenty to say, and at twice the normal volume too.
Angie wasn’t entirely surprised by his reaction but was now very much regretting meeting him here in person. It would have been better to have waited another week or two for him to cool down. But as soon as she had spotted the coded message in the New York Times, ‘Meet me urgently at my house’, she had not hesitated. She’d guessed he might be annoyed, but he was very much angrier than she’d expected. She was standing facing him in his dining room. ‘Your message said you had a job for me.’
‘I made that up. So you feeling better after Brooks and Finlay, or are there more on your hit list?’
There was one more. Morgan. But although she’d made some preliminary sketches and plans she’d thrown them in the trash soon after starting them. Even the thought of going after Morgan brought her out in a cold sweat and sent her heart racing. She couldn’t do it.
‘I can’t believe you!’ McFarlane yelled. ‘You know I was dealing with Finlay myself.’
‘You had your chance. You’ve had plenty of time to nail the bastard.’
‘What you did was completely over the top!’ he shouted.
‘I thought I was quite restrained. What’s his problem? He’s still breathing, isn’t he?’
‘You’re nothing but a thug! You’re a psychopath!’
‘Just remember what he did to me!’ she yelled, horrified by her friend’s choice of words. ‘And I’ll tell you something else that won’t be on his statement. After I disarmed him I disarmed myself too. It was a fair fight, at least initially.’
‘Fair fight? How the hell does your tiny brain work? Do you think fighting’s a game, a sport or something? Like a playground scuffle? What you did was assault. You committed a felony. It was totally inexcusable!’ He was shouting again. ‘You knew I’d get him for you!’
‘I used to believe that. I truly did. But it’s been so long now, I’ve been starting to think you don’t really want to nail him.’ ‘What exactly are you getting at?’ His voice was suddenly much quieter, but now there was an undertone of white-hot fury.
‘You cops all stick together,’ she replied, knowing she was going too far but somehow unable to stop.
‘Bitch!’ He tried to slap her but she ducked the blow and shoved him backwards against the breakfast bar. Although far from his size and weight, Angie had no trouble pushing men like him around. It was all in the timing. She’d pulled him forward and as he subconsciously resisted to try and maintain balance, she’d merely pushed him backwards hard.
His spine hit the edge so forcefully it hurt. For someone her size she was very strong, he thought, wondering how someone so small could do that.
‘Don’t you ever hit me, McFarlane!’ she snarled through gritted teeth, still holding him by the shirt. ‘Or I’ll hit you back.’
‘Easy! Sorry.’ His voice became concerned. ‘What happened, kiddo? What made you behave like this?’
She released her grip on his shirt and stepped back. ‘You know what he’s done to me.’
‘Yeah, but why now? What’s happened?’
She took a breath. ‘I’ve got enemies everywhere. I don’t want to die leaving unfinished business.’
There was defiance in her tone as well as a subtle challenge.
‘You in some kind of trouble?’ he asked, suddenly anxious. ‘More than the usual?’
‘No. Don’t worry. No more than usual. I’ve just been feeling worse lately, that’s all. It’s well, I don’t know. I guess I’ve just been feeling pretty down.’
Again his mood veered sharply to anger. ‘So you thought you’d cheer yourself up by putting Finlay in hospital. You beat a man nearly to death.’ He paused. He was a law enforcement officer. His job was to uphold the law, not to socialize with felons. Perhaps he never should have recruited this girl in the first place. ‘You’re out of control. You’ve gone way too far this time. You need to be locked up and I’ve had enough of your stupid antics.’ He pulled out his gun.
‘What’re you doing?’ she exclaimed.
‘My job. You’re under arrest.’
Angie froze. McFarlane had pulled a gun on her. Her best friend for so many years. It was like a nightmare. Shock yielded quickly to rage, but she kept it carefully hidden. ‘Nice Glock,’ she said in a lighthearted tone. She was smiling. There was no way she would let him see how badly he’d hurt her. ‘About time you got rid of your old Smith & Wesson.’
‘Wasn’t my choice. It came from the Director and I’m not particularly happy about it. But we’ve all changed to autos. At least we still get to choose which one. Some places they don’t even let you do that anymore.’
‘He’s quite right. I’ve told you before, pistols fire faster, and they’re much quicker to reload. You really want to be reloading six loose rounds in the heat of battle?’
‘I’ve seen pistols jam – many times.’
‘Not if you look after them.’ She noticed he was still pointing his gun steadily in her direction.
‘Last time we were firing, I was standing next to Munro and got some hot brass down the back of my neck. Wasn’t impressed. Anyway, I could get off the first shot quicker with my old Magnum.’
‘Well, maybe you should consider exchanging your new pistol for a Colt. I’m disappointed you didn’t ask me for an opinion before you went out and spent your hard-earned FBI paycheck. What about a Colt Double Eagle? That would be a good investment.’
‘This will do me. I don’t share your love affair with Colt. Anyway, it’s rugged, takes a beating and keeps on firing.’ ‘But the downside is that the frame is light, and as you use up the ammo, it changes balance and becomes more likely to increase muzzle flip from recoil.’ ‘I’m getting used to it. At least it’s always half cocked.’ ‘Like you,’ she said, her tone light hearted.
He smiled slightly but a muscle quivered at his jaw. ‘That’s what Leila always used to tell me.’ He met her steady gaze. Christ, why was this so difficult? He knew it was for the best in the long run. She’d probably thank him for it one day. ‘Hand over your weapon … please.’
Angie shrugged. ‘You really want to arrest me?’
He motioned with a taut jerk of his head. ‘C’mon, hand it over.’
‘Okay, whatever you say.’ Smiling, she reached under her jacket and took out her Colt from her shoulder holster offering it to him butt first while keeping her finger through the trigger guard as she did so. ‘I really don’t think the Glock is a good choice for you. You need to hold it well, with a stiff wrist. It doesn’t have the weight for inertia, so your hand has to support it during recoil.’
As he reached for the gun, she added, ‘And you’re too limp-wristed.’ Suddenly she spun her weapon back into a firing grip, pointing it directly at his head. Her smile was gone and now her tone was deadly serious. ‘Drop it, sunshine,’ she commanded, her lip curling slightly as she spoke. ‘Or drop dead.’ There was no way in the world she would ever shoot him, but she didn’t think he’d be game to call her bluff.
Her guess was right. He let his weapon fall to the carpet, his expression registering his surprise. ‘That was slick.’
‘You’ve never seen it before? It’s called the Road Agent’s Spin. Cowboys in the Wild West used to do it all the time. Well, so Morgan once told me.’ She kicked his gun out of the way and stepped back. ‘It worries me that you make mistakes like that. You’re going to get yourself killed one of these days.’
‘You have a very beautiful and disarming smile,’ he noted.
‘Why thank you, Deputy Director.’ Her voice still had a steely edge. She glanced at the security grille on his window. ‘Okay, cuff yourself to the window then throw me your key.’
He did as she ordered and she held her gun leveled in his direction for a few more seconds than was necessary.
He watched her nervously. ‘Hey! Take it easy. I’m sorry.’
‘Yeah, everyone’s always sorry when they’re looking down the wrong end of the barrel of a gun. Great feeling, isn’t it?’ she said, still pointing her gun in his direction. After another couple of lingering seconds she reholstered her pistol. Then she picked up his gun and examined it. ‘Not loaded,’ she noted. ‘That makes me feel a little better. Marginally. You better not ever pull a gun on me again, McFarlane, unloaded or otherwise.’
He glared at her. ‘Screw you. I’m not gonna work with you anymore. And I’m coming to find you.’
‘You’ll work with me again. You need what I can do. And you won’t find me, but you’re welcome to try. Goodbye, McFarlane.’
‘Hey! You gonna tell someone I’m here?’
‘Yeah, I guess. When I get round to it I’ll give Munro a call. Anyway, I don’t think it would hurt you to miss a few meals. You look like you’ve put on a bit of weight around the gut.’ She turned and walked out of his house.
‘Let me go!’ he shouted after her. ‘Get back here, goddamn it! I’m not done yelling at you yet!’
Well, if he wanted to give himself extra work instead of going after the real criminals, that was up to him, she thought angrily. Her anger only lasted a moment before it was replaced with guilt. Doug was her friend. She never wanted him to think badly of her. Vengeance on Brooks and Finlay hadn’t been worth this. Grief and despair tore at her heart.