THE TOUCH OF NIGHTSHADE

Emma the botanist cum assassin is out and about again...

  

The high velocity bullet struck Franz Kilmer in the right temple and his large body instantly crumpled to a heap on the deep pile carpet. As Kilmer’s life ended he had been shaking hands with the local police chief, Captain Fidel Perez   

When Kilmer, an international people trafficker fell to the floor, Perez rapidly dropped his own overweight body beside the dead man. As Captain Perez crawled to the window he recalled selecting this meeting place because virtually nothing could overlook it. He had a reputation to uphold after all. Warily he put his head around the heavy drapes and looked around the surrounding area. He was in the tallest building in this part of Lisbon and the only thing of any height was a massive crane on a construction site, but that was easily 500 meters away...

 

Emma watched her target fall, quietly said, ‘Thank you.’ as was her habit, then for a few seconds watched the wretched police chief scurry around on the floor looking for cover. She could have taken him out too, but it wasn’t part of her brief. She kept him in her sights as he lifted the lightweight metal attaché case full of cash. Then he left the room. 

Prior to climbing down from the cramped cabin of the crane the young assassin took a little under four minutes to dismantle her weapon, then pack it and the single empty cartridge case into her adapted tool bag She lowered a small tray of tools on top before zipping. On again went her shades and her yellow plastic helmet, then she set off down to the ground. At a distance all that would be seen was a figure wearing a one piece black overall and yellow helmet, carrying a tool bag. At the base of the tall structure Emma lifted the board that warned, ‘Danger – Under maintenance’ and discarded it as she walked through the site. Less than three minutes later the figure in black overalls turned into a side street, glanced around then climbed in through the side door of a large Renault van. 

 

From that same side street five minutes later a handsome young woman strolled unhurried, looking around with general interest. Even wearing non-designer desert boots, Emma still managed an elegant and quite sexy stride as she walked. On this occasion her blonde hair was tied back in a tight ponytail with a small ribbon. It allowed the warmth of the day to beam down unhindered onto her lovely suntanned face. At the suggestion of one of her female instructors Emma always tried to wear something that caught male attention. ‘They are usually so shallow and easy to deceive.’ Those words had kept Emma out of trouble so many times. Today she wore a white t-shirt that accentuated her tan and well   formed chest. Her shapely tanned legs were uncovered with the exception of denim shorts.  

Though she appeared to be casually looking around, her big brown eyes took in everything. Around her neck hung her Nikon camera fitted with a telescopic zoom lens. Strapped to her back was a small day sack and attached to it was her lightweight tripod. Emma walked past the construction site where a group of workmen in plastic helmets and overalls stopped their conversation to give her an appreciative once over.

 

On her way to the Central Bus Station the highly trained assassin, who was also a well qualified botanist stopped to look in some of the shop windows. It was only natural. One hundred meters away two police cars swung into the kerbside at the front of a large hotel. They’d had their sirens wailing on the approach. Emma looked at the scene just as a lot of other passers-by had done. Three policemen emerged from the hotel accompanying an overweight gentleman in handcuffs. One officer was carrying a silver attaché case. 

Whilst walking past a shop which sold musical instruments, Emma glanced inside and noticed a young lady with long dark hair. She was mid to late twenties, Emma’s own age, but as she stood inspecting the shining cherry red guitar she reminded Emma of someone from her past. It had been in her university days. A girl called Sophie. She had shown talent as an artist and a musician. Fellow students often wondered which direction her life would take. This was not the time to reacquaint herself so Emma briefly used the window as a mirror. Whilst she was concentrating on the reflection of a man across the road she didn’t see Sophie look up from her inspection of the guitar. 

The middle aged man with the light blue shirt and bleached jeans was following Emma. He had crossed the road and now put on his lightweight jacket, but he was most definitely tailing her. Quite badly Emma thought. She glanced once more into the music shop, and though she didn’t see her old friend she smiled to herself then walked on. Emma  noted a minibus parked a hundred metres away, which had two men standing beside the sliding side door chatting. The taller of the two glanced in her direction as he put on his shades. Between Emma and the minibus was a side street. Unknown territory, but that might soon change. Just as she neared the narrow side street, out of the corner of her eye she saw the blue shirted man crossing the road. Simultaneously the tall man opened the side door of the minibus then stepped towards the shop fronts, effectively ready to block passage. 

 

Emma turned into the side street and immediately started assessing her options. No people about, very few doorways and at least a hundred meters before the junction at the far end. Her normal casual stroll became a purposeful long stride. She pulled the backpack off and as she carried it in one hand considered what she had that was adaptable. A screech of tyres made Emma glance over her shoulder. A small open top four wheel drive was racing down the street. No passengers. Just the driver, who as it stopped called out urgently, ‘Get in Emma...’ 

The briefly stunned but grateful blonde grabbed the frame of the windscreen and jumped on board. Before they set off, another screech of tyres was heard and a minibus turned into the street behind them. The minibus Emma had seen parked near by. 

Sophie powered the jeep away and with considerable skill took the junction onto the next road in third gear. 

Emma, still holding on with one hand looked at her and said, ‘Impressive...’ 

Sophie smiled and continued to weave in and out of the traffic, glancing briefly into the rear view mirror.  

As the vehicle dodged in an out of lanes Emma started to speak, ‘The less we say...’

Sophie cut her short, ‘...it’s okay Emma’, I know you’re up to something strange...that guy in the blue shirt and jeans nodded towards you then ran to a minibus. The minibus is now chasing us. That adds up to lots of admirers...or strange.’

The minibus still followed in the town traffic but kept a discreet distance. Sophie checked her rear view again, then reached across and opened the glove box. When her hand came out it was grasping a small bottle of Stella Artois which she handed to Emma. 

Emma said, ‘Bloody hell...’ 

Sophie grinned and said, ‘It was once your favourite tipple. I always keep a couple of cool ones in there.’ Neither had been prepared for a chance meeting like this, but they didn’t venture to discuss it. They started a drinking and driving session. Emma was drinking. Sophie was driving. 

 

Once on the outskirts of the town with hardly any traffic, Sophie’s skill behind the wheel became apparent as she took any route that was as wide as the vehicle. Since leaving the town the minibus had ceased to chase them. It had been replaced by a large black Toyota Land-cruiser which was now the better equipped of the two vehicles. The two young women recognised they had some issues to deal with. Emma started going through the contents of her backpack as Sophie put the jeep through it’s paces.  

Sophie said, ‘When I reach those rocks up there I’ll slow down. You jump and I’ll lead them on as far as I can...’

‘You’ll get up to those rocks and park behind them my friend,’ Emma said with conviction, ‘then I’ll deal with our admirers.’ Even as Sophie looked on, Emma finished the rapid reconfiguring of her camera tripod. She was attaching what looked like a small cartridge case and handle to what was now a single long tube. Emma saw her companion glancing at the strange device and offered a short explanation. ‘It’s my own design, a prototype, but it’s never been used in anger. Drawbacks are that it has no sights and it has no magazine, but on the upside, it’s got me squeezing the trigger...’ They both laughed. 

Sophie’s laugh was nerves. Emma’s was undisguised excitement.

 

‘Here we are.’ Sophie shouted and swung the vehicle off the track behind a group of large rocks. Five seconds later it was parked and they both debussed. Sophie opened her small bag and lifted out a Beretta, small but effective at close range. She looked on as Emma readied herself. 

From within the remaining leg of the tripod a light shake produced six bullets. Without taking her eyes from setting up, Emma said, ‘Okay boys, it’s party time.’ She clicked the simple weapon open, slid in a single round and lifted the tiny butt plate to her shoulder. The large four by four was still two hundred meters away when the driver, with a tiny hole in his forehead slumped over the wheel and steered into the rocks. By the time the other three men were out of the vehicle and getting into cover Emma was reloaded. With her simple weapon in the aim Emma said quietly, ‘Sophie, throw a small rock about fifty meters to their right...’ then she added, ‘...yes, just like in the movies. It works.’

Sophie lifted a rock and did as Emma had asked. The man who reacted first was dead before he reached his full height. Emma said something quietly, but Sophie didn’t catch it. One of the man’s colleagues used the opportunity to move to better cover and advance on the two girls. Once in cover he should then have moved to a new position still under cover. That mistake would be paid for with his life. Emma had seen where he had gone down as she reloaded. Impatience got the better of the gunman and he quickly got up to fire off two quick shots. As his first shot ricocheted off the rocks above the girls it was answered by Emma’s shot. The man’s gun fell from nerveless fingers and he fell to the ground.  There was no sound or movement from the final member of the hit squad for ten minutes. On impulse he raised his hands up and stood up slowly in surrender. Unfortunately it seemed that nobody had told him Emma didn’t take prisoners... Emma’s codename was Nightshade, further nicknamed by her instructors who prefixed it with ‘Deadly’.

As Emma swiftly reorganised her adhoc weapon back into it’s guise as a camera tripod she was silently observed by Sophie. Emma picked up the empty cases from her used rounds then packed away all trace that they had been there. She looked at the small pistol in Sophie’s hand and said, ‘Have you ever used that?’

‘No...’ Sophie said sheepishly.

‘Don’t...not unless you absolutely have to. But just in case the time ever comes, get good with it.’ She said, ‘Right, you good to go?’

 

Close to the airport, for the first time in many years they hugged. 

Emma quietly said, ‘Thank you.’

Sophie then realised what was said each time a gunman went down. They parted company outside the airport well away from the closed circuit cameras of the car park. Sophie drove on to Spain. Emma flew to London to write a report for the head of department at the Botanical Gardens.

 

The end... of this assignment

Author's Note

Second in what I hope will be a series of adventures with Emma. As always, all reads and comments are appreciated. Tom

Reviews

[emmajoy]

I wasn't there but I was! This builds up very nicely, facts pretty clear from the start. Smooth flow,and, into the story. You move the action along with good descriptions of surroundings, weapons and then, how Emma looks - which changes her from killer to woman. Nice, nice bit of suspense added by the man following her, then the surprise entry of Sophie! Makes a good change to have two women involved and, then, there's the good but slightly low anti-climax which i personally liked, not overly dramatic - story done.

Very readable post !

[Brittany]

Such a nice read.

Everything, in its' right place. Enough said.

It hooks you right from the start, and keeps a firm hold until the very end. I like the Emma/Sophie team, and hope you post more!