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“Which means that the killer is one of us in this room. We know it’s not me nor Havers, because we arrived after the body was discovered-well after, I should say. We know it’s not Mr. Mortimer, because he was in the gardens with at least four other people. Which leaves the two of you,” Lynley said, staring hard at the woman-Mrs. Davidson, and the man, Mr. Harris. The two glanced at one another, and then Mr. Harris sighed.
“Well, I figured it would only be a matter of time, now didn’t I?” He asked, and then reacted without any of them realizing what was happening until it was too late.
Barbara had been standing right between Lynley and Harris, as she’d been convinced that Harris was the one to have killed the old man Berkley. She hadn’t expected Harris to still have the gun on him, nor for him to move fast and snag her around the waist and put the gun to her head, holding her so that she and he were facing Lynley and moving towards the door.
“Let her go, Harris.” Lynley said calmly, though there was a dangerous glint in his eyes that meant he would defend her no matter what the choice of weapon turned out to be.
“Harris…you killed Berkley? Why?” Mrs. Davidson said, staring at Harris with a shocked look on her face.
“Because he was a gigantic moron! Always saying how smart he was, how clever-when in actuality he was a total idiot. And you fancied him, when you really should’ve fancied me!” Harris snarled, moving towards the door.
“Havers, are you alright?” Lynley asked her, as she was struggling to get out of the killer’s grasp.
“Fine, just get me away from this creep!” She snapped, still struggling-but Harris was strong, and taller than she was-even taller than Lynley. She’d once remarked that if it came down to a fight, Harris would definitely have the advantage of height while Lynley might have the advantage of strength-and, depending on the situation-rage.
“If you don’t release her in the next two seconds,” Lynley began, when Harris did the unexpected. He fired his gun at Lynley, making Havers shout in surprise and anger. Lynley ducked, and the bullet smashed into a glass window next to Mrs. Davidson who screamed out in surprise and fear, while falling to the floor to duck for cover behind the large red couch. Mortimer and Lynley both reacted the same way-lunging forward to grapple with Harris before he could make his escape.
Mortimer managed to free her, while Lynley was grappling with the gun against Harris, who was struggling to aim it again at Lynley. Mortimer was pulling Havers towards him, when Havers jerked herself out of his grasp, grabbed the nearest book in the sitting room, and waited at just the right moment-just as Harris had finally managed to get the gun aimed at Lynley who had been kicked down to the floor and was looking up at the gun with a mixture of emotjons that Havers would later not be able to name.
She slammed the book over Harris’s head, which knocked him out cold instantly. The gun clattered to the floor, and Lynley quickly snatched it up, and tucked it away so that no one else could get it. Lynley then turned towards Havers.
“Are you okay?” He asked, serious and worried all at once.
“I’m fine-you?” She asked, setting the book down back where she’d picked it up.
“A little disappointed at how the fight turned out,” He admitted, and she rolled her eyes. Of course he was.
With grins at finally solving this mystery, and both of them catching the killer yet again, she was rather satisfied with how things were turning out.
~*~
End