‘What do you want?’ she screeched, blocking Heck’s passage. ‘You can’t barge in here!’
Heck stepped around her. ‘Out the way please, miss!’
‘But he’s not done nothing!’ She grabbed Heck’s collar, her sharp fingernails raking the skin on his neck. ‘Can’t you bastards stop harassing him!’
Heck had to pull hard to extricate himself. ‘Hasn’t he just beaten you up?’
‘That’s coz I didn’t want him to leave …’
‘He’s a bloody nutter, love!’
‘It’s nothing … I don’t mind it.’
‘Others do!’ Heck yanked himself free – to renewed wailing from the woman and child – and continued into the kitchen and then out through the back door, emerging onto a toy-strewn patio just as a burly outline loped down the steps towards the garage. The guy had something in his hand, which Heck at first took for a bag; then he realised that it was a motorbike helmet. ‘Jimmy Hood!’ he shouted, scrambling down. ‘Police officer … stay where you are!’
Hood’s response was to leap the remaining three or four steps, pulling the helmet on and battering his way through the garage’s rear door. Heck jumped as well, sliding and tumbling on the earthen slope, but reaching the doorway only seconds behind his quarry. He shouldered it open, to find Hood seated on the Suzuki, kicking it to life. Its glaring headlight sprang across the alley. The roars of its engine filled the gutted structure.
‘Don’t be a bloody fool!’ Heck cried.
Hood glanced around – just long enough to flip Heck the finger. And then hit the gas, the Suzuki bucking forward, almost pulling a wheelie it accelerated with such speed.
But the fugitive only made it ten yards, at which point, with a terrific BANG!, the bike’s rear wheel was jerked backwards beneath him. He somersaulted over the handlebars, slamming upside down against another garage door, before flopping onto the cobblestones, where he lay twisted and groaning. The bike came to rest a few yards away, chugging loudly, smoke pouring from its shattered exhaust.
‘Bit remiss of you, Jimmy,’ Heck said, emerging into the alley, toeing at the length of chain still pulled taut between the buckled rear wheel and the upright girder inside. ‘Not checking that something hadn’t got mysteriously wrapped around your rear axle.’
Flickering blue lights now appeared as local patrol cars turned into view at either end of the alley, slowly wending their way forward. Hood managed to roll over onto his back, but could do nothing except lie there, glaring with glassy, soulless eyes through the aperture where his visor had been smashed away.
Heck dug handcuffs from his back pocket and suspended them in full view. ‘Either way, pal, you don’t have to say anything. But it may harm your defence …’
Want more? Read the rest of Hunted when it hits the shelves in May 2015.
Click here to buy now.
“All he had to do was name the woman he wanted. It was that easy. They would do all the hard work.”
Dark, terrifying and unforgettable. Stalkers will keep fans of Stuart MacBride and James Oswald looking over their shoulder.
Click here to buy now.
A vicious serial killer is holding the country to ransom, publicly – and gruesomely – murdering his victims.
A heart-stopping and unforgettable thriller that you won’t be able to put down, from bestseller Paul Finch.
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DS Mark ‘Heck’ Heckenburg is used to bloodbaths. But nothing can prepare him for this.
Brace yourself as you turn the pages of a living nightmare.
Welcome to The Killing Club.
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About the Author
Paul Finch is a former cop and journalist, now turned full-time writer. He cut his literary teeth penning episodes of the British TV crime drama, The Bill, and has written extensively in the field of children’s animation. However, he is probably best known for his work in thrillers, crime and horror. His first three novels in the DS Heckenburg series all attained official ‘best seller’ status.
Paul lives in Lancashire, UK, with his wife Cathy and his children, Eleanor and Harry. His website can be found at www.paulfinchauthor.com, his blog at www.paulfinch-writer.blogspot.co.uk, and he can be followed on Twitter @paulfinchauthor.
By the same author:
Stalkers
Sacrifice
The Chase: an ebook short story
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