Under Cover

Chapter 10

      It was three nights before she planned to make the hit. Hannah was home from work at six o'clock and had a dinner of roast beef and vegetables ready for Michael when he arrived at eight o'clock looking tired. She planned to get him talking over dinner about his plans, but he surprised her by telling her without any prompting.

"This is a delicious dinner, darling," he said, "but this is the last night I'll be home early for the next week at least. We figure the assassin will strike sometime in the next few days so I'll be out on surveillance till after midnight from tomorrow night."

"So how many possibilities did you narrow your list down to?" Hannah asked.

"Well we got it down to eleven, but unfortunately we only have the manpower to put surveillance on four of them, so I had to choose the top four most likely victims. A politician, a businessman, a lawyer and a judge."

"Good luck," she said, "I hope you get her."

"Me too, but the odds aren't in our favour. I wish we had more officers available. I'd like to have included the Assistant District Attorney, but I had to give the others priority. He reported a week ago that he saw someone in his front yard. The police have been doing extra patrols in the street, but nothing has come of it."

Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. The pressure was off. She would go ahead as planned three nights from now.

*****
She checked her watch. It was just after eight o'clock. Hannah had been waiting hidden behind some shrubs in Jefferson's front yard for over an hour and she was getting cold. She was wearing jeans and a short black jacket. She couldn't wear her usual black blend-in-the-night outfit or her victim might become suspicious and not stop for her. Lights were on inside the house which meant his wife was home.

During the time she had been waiting a police car had driven past once, but she had kept well hidden and it didn't stop. Finally she heard a car coming slowly up the street. She peered out carefully between the leaves of the shrub. Yes it was Jefferson. Time for some good acting.

Just as he started to turn into his driveway she dashed out onto the sidewalk and ran up to his car waving her arms. "Help me, help me!" she called.

Jefferson stopped his car and wound down the window. "What is it, Miss, what's wrong?"

Hannah panted as if she was out of breath. "There's a man chasing me," she gasped while trying to maintain a frightened look on her face.

Jefferson put his head out the window and looked back up the street.
"Where?" he asked, "I don't see anyone."

"I might have given him the slip, but he's not far away. Please help me."

He thought for a few seconds, then said, "Follow me into the garage. I'll call the police from there."

"Thank you so much."

Hannah followed the car into the garage.

Jefferson turned the engine off and stepped out of the car.

Hannah reached into her jacket pocket and was about to pull out her pistol when she stopped in surprise as she saw the gun in Jefferson's hand pointing at her.

"I don't know what your game is young lady, but I want you to take your hand slowly out of your pocket and stand perfectly still while I call the police. Did you really think I would fall for the 'there's a man chasing me' routine? You're probably planning to rob me."

While pointing the gun at Hannah with his right hand he pulled his phone out of his pocket with his left hand. As he pressed the 911 keys a noise to his right startled him. The door from the house opened and a woman, presumably Jefferson's wife, stood there looking into the garage. "Niles, who are you talking to? Did you bring someone home with you?" 

Jefferson was momentarily distracted and glanced at his wife for all of one second. That was all the time Hannah needed. With lightning speed she brought her right foot up connecting with Jefferson's right hand. The gun went spinning out of his grip firing a shot in the process. The bullet hit the overhead fluorescent tube and the garage was plunged into semi darkness, lit only by a rectangle of light coming from the doorway to the house. Jefferson fell back against the car massaging his hand and groaning.

"Niles!" the woman screamed, "What's happening?"

Hannah wasted no time. She pulled out her pistol, took aim and fired. As Jefferson slumped to the floor, Hannah sprinted out the garage door, stopping for a few seconds to slip her ski mask over her head. Then she ran out onto the street followed by the sounds of Jefferson's wife screaming.

She turned right onto the sidewalk, took four steps and came to a sudden stop as a figure loomed up in front of her.

"Police. Hold it right there, lady. Drop the gun and raise your hands."

The man pointing a gun at her was Michael, her husband.

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