Free Kill Clock by Allan Guthrie Page B

for whiplash. It felt fine.
    He turned off the engine, took out the keys. Unclipped his seatbelt and stepped out to inspect the damage.
    The front driver's side was caved in, the bumper dangling towards the ground. Steam billowed out of the bonnet and water from the burst radiator dripped onto the road.
    Sweet.
    The car's owner hadn't moved his shiny wee head.
    Pearce lobbed the car keys at him.
    Poor sod didn't even bother trying to catch them, just looked at the ground where they fell.

6:45 pm
     

    Sirens. Someone must've phoned the police.
    Pearce called Hilda over, put the lead back on him and started for home. Didn't want to hang around here trying to explain himself. He'd already had more than enough run-ins with the police for one lifetime.
    As he stepped onto the pavement, the group of early evening drinkers outside the pub started jeering at him. The pregnant-looking bloke and his mate with the gammy leg stood at the front, leading a round of sarcastic applause. Pearce noticed that the pregnant one had a ginger moustache, wispy as kitten fur.
    "Nice car you just pranged." The pregnant bloke nodded to confirm his own statement, looked around and grinned when he saw some other heads nodding.
    Pearce slowed down. "It isn't now."
    "Lots of witnesses." The cripple sounded as if he had a heavy cold.
    Pearce stepped over to him and bent down so their eyes were level. Smelled the beer on the guy's breath, the smoke on his clothes, the damp off his hair. "You say something about witnesses?" Watched him blink. Saw a muscle in his cheek twitch.
    "Nah." He shook his head violently like a dog drying itself, drew his crutch back a few inches. "Didn't see nothing, mate."
    "Good." Pearce tugged Hilda away from sniffing the guy's foot. "'Cos if you did, I'd have to come back and break your other leg."
    He left them all staring at each other and headed back up the road.
    Halfway home, a police car crawled past him. He expected them to stop and haul him off to the nearest station. But they obviously weren't looking for a man in a T-shirt walking his three-legged dog. Not yet, anyway.
    He might have bought himself some time with the punters at the pub, but Baldie wouldn't hesitate to give the police a description. And when he did, they'd be at Pearce's front door in minutes. Any excuse. They couldn't seem to leave him alone, no matter how hard they tried.

7:00 pm
     

    Someone called his name. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.
    He turned just as a woman opened the door of her parked car, hung out of it, one strappy wine-red sandaled foot on the ground. She was in her early thirties. Skinny, dyed blonde hair, washed-out pink cardigan with one sleeve rolled up to the elbow.
    "You don't recognise me, Pearce?"
    He'd never seen her before.
    She raised a cigarette to her mouth. Eyes screwed up, lips clamped round the butt, skin pulled tight across her cheekbones.
    She shook her head slightly.
    Ah, Jesus. He recognised that gesture. It was the hair that made her look so different. Last time he'd seen her, it was jet black. "Julie?"
    She grinned. Smoke curled out through her teeth. She never used to smoke either.
    Pearce didn't grin back. "Haven't seen you in …"
    "Over six years." She shifted about a bit, pointed her toes, took another drag. "Get in. We can catch up."
    "What do you want?"
    "Come on." Practically fluttering her eyelashes. "I need your help."
    He wouldn't normally hop in a car with an ex-girlfriend. At least, not one who'd ripped him off. But it was a good way of avoiding the police. For now, anyway. And it wasn't as if she could con him again. This time he was prepared.
    He nodded and walked round to the far side of the car while Julie settled back in behind the wheel. Hilda's ears pricked up, no doubt wondering why they weren't going home as usual. Julie leaned across, pushed the door open. Pearce hesitated, then bent down and scooped up Hilda.
    Julie wasn't alone. There were a pair of toddlers in the