Cinch Hand (6/6) By Nick Quantrill

(1/6), (2/6), (3/6), (4/6), (5/6), (6/6).

Brogan still wanted his wife out of the picture, and I was going to take the fall for him. I pick the glass up and place it in my coat pocket. Although I underestimated Brogan, I always suspected that he had an ulterior motive for inviting me here. I carefully remove the evidence bag from my pocket and place it on the desk. Using the scissors I've brought with me, I cut the plastic bag away and expose the glass that Brogan had drunk from in my office. I'm not proud of what I'm doing, but it pays to be forensically aware in this game, as well as to also anticipate the worse case scenario.

I feel pleased, in a professional sense, as I put Brogan back in the frame and neatly sidestep his plan to implicate me. I carefully leave the office and consider my next move. I retake my seat at the poker game. Brogan smiles at me, and pours me another Southern Comfort. 'Cheers,' he says. 'To the future.' 'The future,' I reply. 'May it bring you what you deserve.' 'You too.'

I sit back in my seat and listen to the wailing of police sirens get louder and closer. It solves my dilemma. I was going to make my excuses and discretely ring for the police. It's a sad and unpleasant way for Mrs. Brogan to die. As I sit there, looking at my cards, I'm also upset for another reason, and I can't quite put my finger on it at first. Although Brogan and I have never been great friends, we've got a shared history, despite the way that our career paths have diverged. I'm shocked by the depths that he's willing to plunge in a bid to frame me for his wife's murder. I'm shocked by the level of his hatred of me.

Maybe he thinks I'm still the quiet, unassuming individual that he walked all over when we first met twenty years ago. Not anymore. I can't afford to be like that now that I'm a Private Investigator. 'Shall we raise the stakes?' Brogan says, staring directly at me. I nod. Let's see how you think you've played your cards, I want to say, but I bite my tongue. The sirens get louder and closer... For more of Nick Quantrill's fiction go to : www.hullcrimefiction.co.uk www.myspace.com/hullcrimefiction

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