His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as the tall man let out a loud cry. Robin was startled, and automatically took a step back. The man had raised his right hand, the one holding the knife, high up in the air. He bought it down rapidly, catching those watching by surprise. As the weapon came down, the man turned slightly, leaned down lower, and plunged the eight inch blade into the back of the head of the man lying on the ground.
The knife was sharp, and it was forced right through the victim’s head. The handle of the weapon was pushed up against the soft, fleshy part at the back of the skull, just above the man’s neck. The point of the blade ended up coming out of the front of the head, so that it was just visible between the top of the man’s nose and his left eyeball.
The body on the floor wriggled and shook for a few moments, and then it was still.
The tall man threw his head back and laughed. ‘Has anyone got any headache tablets? This guy has a terrible need for some.’
The other two men also started to laugh. One of them kicked out and aimed his foot straight at the face of the body on the ground. His boot caught the man in the mouth, snapping off several of his front teeth. There was no reaction. The body on the ground was beyond any kind of response now.
Robin couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. He was horrified, and in a state of shock. He took a few paces backwards, trying to get himself away from the murder scene. The three men moved towards him, the tall man at the front, smiling.
Suddenly, the smile had gone. It was replaced with a look of panic. The alley they were in was reasonably well lit, certainly not dark. Even so, the blue light bouncing off the alley walls was clearly visible, just for a split second, as the patrol car slowly drove past.
The three men turned and ran. They headed off down the alley, away from where Robin was standing. After some thirty yards, they turned right into an adjoining passage, and completely disappeared from sight.
Robin was still terrified, but his first thought was to try and help the man lying on the ground. He ran over and knelt next to the body. There was no movement. Blood was pouring from the man’s head. Robin tried to pull the knife out, but it was stuck fast. He tried to wipe the sticky, red liquid off his fingers, but all he succeeded in doing was staining his clothes.
It was hopeless. The man lay completely still. He must be dead, Robin thought.
He turned around, just in time to see the police car backing up the street. It had obviously driven past the alley, but something had attracted the suspicion of the officers in the car. The vehicle stopped and Officer Joe Harper opened the driver’s door and jumped out.
‘What’s going on here?’ Joe could see the man lying on the ground.
As he entered the alley, he pulled his Glock 22 handgun from its holster. He must have been about ten yards from the body, when he suddenly recognised who it was.
‘Seth,’ he shouted, as he ran forward.
Joe stopped when he reached his brother. He raised his pistol towards Robin as he shouted his orders.
‘Turn around slowly, so that you are facing away from me. Move towards the wall and place your arms above your head.’
Robin tried to speak, but no words came from his mouth. He was still in a state of shock.
‘Do it now,’ shouted Joe.
Robin turned, and did as he was told. His hands were covered in blood still, something Joe noticed as he turned to focus his attention on the body in front of him.
‘Oh my god,’ Joe said quietly as he tried to find a pulse in Seth’s neck.
Joe was a seasoned police officer. He had seen many dead bodies in his time. Some of them had been shot, a few occasionally drowned, and many of them had stab wounds. But this was different. This was his brother, his own flesh and blood.
He tried to focus, but it wasn’t easy. There were tears running down his face. He pressed a button on his radio, and called for an ambulance. He knew it was too late for that, but that’s what you did in a situation like this.
Joe stood up. He looked down at the body of his brother. His heart was pounding in his ears, and his eyes were stinging. His mind was racing. But most of all, his rage was building to an impossible level.
‘Who the hell has done this to my kid brother?’ he asked himself.
He looked across the alley at the man holding his hands above his head.
His red hands.
The Palindrome Cult: A gripping, page-turning, crime suspense thriller, its fast pace takes you from London to New York, via Dubai and the Virgin Islands. (Hedge & Cole Book 1) Page 25