I had no idea who he was, but I played along, hoping what he wanted would become obvious.
‘What do they say?’ I asked.
‘You dress ever so smartly. You have an intense stare and a presence about you. That’s how my men knew it was you. Though I wasn’t told you had blue eyes, they are… what is the word? Ahh, exceptionnel,’ he said.
He was talking about The Suit. He thought I was The Suit!
‘Everything they say is true,’ I said, keeping up the pretence.
‘I know we agreed three months for you to track them down, but my men have been following you, and they raised… umm… suspicions that you might be… ripping me off. You went missing, which is why I’m here. My men assumed you’d taken the guns and fled. But here you are. In this… establishment.’ He said holding his arms out wide.
Things were becoming clearer. The Suit had been tasked with retrieving the guns, though I couldn’t comprehend how this man, or his men had been following me, spying on me. How could I have not noticed a presence behind me? I was the man who followed people.
I was the Mirror Man.
Or perhaps I wasn’t any more; I hadn’t followed anyone for weeks.
Then it clicked. They hadn’t been following me, had they? At least not the whole time. They’d been following The Suit, but then he changed his clothes.
‘I would never do that,’ I said, though he appeared not to hear me. The atmosphere in the shop turned thick and heavy.
‘You see, I’ve been trying to track these guns down for a long time. They were my great-grandfather’s. He had to sell them long ago, and every man in our family has tried to track them down and buy them back ever since. And it is me who has finally accomplished the mission.’
That wasn’t entirely true, seeing as he’d sent someone else to do the job of tracking them down. But The Suit hadn’t been trying to buy them; he was going to steal them. Perhaps he was going to rip the man off and take them for himself.
I nodded. I couldn’t search my brain quick enough for something to say.
He placed his hands on the counter. He wore a big sovereign ring on the middle finger of his left hand with some sort of insignia on it. ‘Is this them?’ he asked, nodding towards the case.
‘Yes,’ I said.
‘Can I check for myself?’ he asked.
‘Go ahead.’ I stepped forward and spun the case round. I had no choice but to let him see. I was outnumbered and no doubt outsmarted. I guessed if the guns were important to him, he no doubt had men posted at the back door too.
‘Magnificent,’ he said, examining the inside of the case. He clicked his fingers, and the man holding the briefcase walked over and placed it on the counter. He copied my action and spun it around, so the case faced me. It required a combination to open it.
‘Do you want to check it now or when I’ve gone?’ the boss asked.
‘I’ll check it when you’ve gone,’ I answered.
‘Fine. It’s in used notes, as you requested. Do you have paper and a pen?’ he asked.
I retrieved a notebook and a pencil from under the counter and slipped them to him. He inspected the pencil like I’d handed him an alien object, then he wrote down a four-digit number and placed the pencil and paper on top of the case. He clicked his fingers again, and the other man walked over and collected the case containing the guns.
Then the three of them left.
I sat back on the stool and exhaled loudly. The atmosphere had lifted, and I pulled the case over and the piece of paper. My hands had started to shake as I moved the dials to unlock it. I pinched the clasp, heard it click, then carefully lifted it open—
And swiftly slammed it shut.
I got up and paced the room, then dashed over to the door and relocked it. The sign remained on closed. Back at the desk, I opened the case once more. There were piles and piles of five- and ten-pound notes—more money than I had ever seen in my life. A business card sat on top of the money. I picked it up and read:
‘Count De Molay, Vintner.’ On the back, a note was written in cursive ink. ‘I’ll be in touch should I need your services again.’
With shaking hands, I took the briefcase to what was Mr Phillips’s office and put it in the big safe.
I didn’t know how much money was in the briefcase, but I knew there would be enough for a holiday abroad for Mum. Grandad wouldn’t have to sell any more cars, and the bills for the shop would be covered for a long time. I could even buy Tina the pram she’d been looking at in the shop window of Mothercare in Doncaster.
I would be able to look after my family.
The End
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading our book. If you enjoyed it please consider leaving us a review. You will be given the opportunity to do this if you skip to the end of the book.
Also if you enjoyed Mirror Man. You might like to try On the Other Side of Alive which features a character from Mirror Man.
Acknowledgement
First of all thank you to our editor, Liz. We couldn’t have doneit without you.
Secondly, thank you to all our family and friends, who continue to support us.
And last of all thank you to all our readers.
About The Author
Jacques Von Kat
Husband and wife team writing under the pen name Jacques Von Kat. They have been writing together for four years and On The Other Side of Alive is their debut novel.
They are fascinated by the spiritual world and it was at a spiritual reading where the duo first met.
They live in Lincolnshire, England with their two Bernese Mountain Dogs and restore classic bikes/cars in their free time.
Books By This Author
On the Other Side of Alive
Dead doesn't mean gone.
At least not for Caroline. Following her sudden death, she is given ten years as a spirit to wander amongst the living. While watching over her loved ones, she discovers her life with her husband wasn’t as perfect as she thought, and her death might not have been a tragic accident. Delving deeper into her new existence to find the answers she needs, Caroline encounters mediums, poltergeists, lost souls, an endearing conspiracy theorist, and a mysterious spirit guide who offers cryptic clues to help her on a path only he seems to know. But can she trust any of them, or will the uncertainty surrounding her death doom her to re-enact it for eternity?
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Mirror Man Page 17