Free The Mayan Priest by Sue Guillou Page B

a hand came into view. It held a tool that he recognised as a glass cutter, leaving no doubt as to the intruder’s intentions. They were going to break into his home.
    Adam crawled out as silently as possible and raced for the phone. He had intended calling the police but was restrained by an unknown hand that had just clamped itself solidly over his mouth. His first reaction was to struggle, but fighting was not his strong point, so he allowed his body to slacken and accept its fate, all the while his heart pounding furiously against his chest. To say he was nervous was an understatement.
    ‘Shoosh, Adam,’ whispered his attacker, the sound of a calm voice catching him completely by surprise. ‘I’m not here to hurt you, rather to get you out of here before they break into your home.’ His comment coincided with the shatter of glass in his room. ‘But first we must get that jade disk. It’s what they’ve come for.’
    Adam turned and found himself gazing into the imploring eyes of a member of the police force. The blond-haired, blue-eyed young man smiled, and the look of genuine kindness convinced Adam to trust him, not that he had much choice in the matter though. He pointed to the drawer in the television cabinet which, when opened, revealed itself to be the proverbial junk drawer. On the top was a shallow blue box the size of a small dinner plate and inside an exquisitely carved disk. Adam nervously scanned the room, grabbing a hessian shopping bag from the nearby couch and throwing the disk inside.
    Adam raced after the police officer down the short hallway to the rear door located in the shoe-box size laundry. It was still slightly ajar with no evidence of having been forced. Adam frowned. He wondered how the officer had gotten inside so easily, his query answered when the officer flashed the hair clip he was still holding. When this was over, Adam decided that he would buy an alarm.
    At first Adam had expected that his rear yard would be inundated by intruders, but he was surprised to find it empty. The thieves had clearly made the decision to enter down the sideways, which allowed easy access to and from the busy road in which he lived. So many cars drove up and down his street that an extra one would not attract any attention even at 6.45 in the morning.
    As he exited the house, Adam heard the squeak of the bedroom door and felt a moment of melancholy and regret. One part of him wished he had stayed to defend his humble abode, considering he knew they would ransack and break what little he owned.
    ‘No need to worry. I’ve reported the intruders to the local station and they will be here shortly,’ said the officer, grinning as he noted the distressed look on Adam’s face.
    Adam was very confused. The officer had reported the ‘break and enter’ before it had occurred. How could he have known that unless he was in with them?
    Coming to a sudden halt, Adam was about to turn to the officer when a man garbed in a black ski mask jumped the fence, landing less than six feet from where they were standing.
    Adam froze to the spot, his arms and legs stuck to him like glue. Even if he wanted to move, he didn’t think he was capable; he was too scared. The man was pointing a gun directly at him, his demands to hand over the bag going unheard as Adam felt himself drift in and out of a trance-like state. He had never experienced anything like this in his life, and the sudden understanding of how fragile his life was scared the shit out of him.
    After what seemed like an eternity, Adam cocked his head slightly to the left and noted that the police officer had managed to slip his hand unnoticed under his jacket. He realised in an instant that if he ducked, the officer would have a direct line of fire to the intruder. Adam dropped to the ground quicker than a lead weight, his actions stunning the intruder momentarily and allowing the officer to fire. The intruder died instantly.
    ‘Hurry!’ snapped the officer as