Free Once a Killer by Martin Bodenham

had just happened, there would be no second chances. The risk of being discovered by the authorities was very real, but it was nothing compared to losing one of his girls.
    In his pocket, the cell phone rang again. He didn’t need to look at the screen to know it was Caroline calling. What could he say to her?
    Think, Michael .
    It stopped ringing. If he called her back right now, when his mind was still whirring, he was bound to screw things up, say something he’d later regret. In the little time it would take to get home, he needed to come up with a story, something plausible. Standing up, he brushed the sand from his wet suit pants, pulled his overcoat tight around him, and then picked up his briefcase. The adrenaline was beginning to fade now, leaving him cold and exhausted.
    The lights on Old Saugatuck Road acted as his beacon and, by using the poor moonlight, he could just about follow the tracks left by the SUV until he reached tarmac. The golf club had a pay phone inside the entrance, where he called a cab. Shivering as he waited outside for it to arrive, Michael ignored the curious looks from club members entering the building.
    When he arrived back at the station, he sat in the Lexus for a few moments, trying to tidy himself up. His suit pants were soaked from the knees down, and his shoes and briefcase were plastered in wet sand. No wonder people had stared at him at the clubhouse; he looked a mess. How was he ever going to explain his appearance to Caroline? Whatever the story was, he’d need to come up with it quickly.
    It was nine thirty five when he pulled up on the drive outside his home. Caroline came rushing out and met him climbing out of the car. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick. When you called, you said you were on the usual train.”
    His overcoat flapped open when he shut the car door, revealing his wet clothes underneath. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything inside.”
    “You’re absolutely soaked. What happened to you?”
    “I’ve just been attacked.”
    “Oh my God.” She hugged him. “Are you hurt?”
    “I’m okay. Can we go inside? It’s freezing out here.”
    Caroline took his briefcase, and they walked into the warmth of the house, where she made him a mug of hot chocolate with three sugars. “Drink this. The sugar will do you good. You look shocked.”
    Michael removed his gloves and clasped his fingers around the warm mug while seated on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. Staring into the frothy drink, he shuddered.
    “What happened?” Caroline said, holding onto his shoulder. “You’re soaked through. You can’t stay in these clothes.”
    Michael was still wrestling with a credible story. “Do you mind if I get changed into something dry before I tell you about it?”
    “I’m sorry. Let’s get you changed now and then go sit near the fire in the den.”
    Minutes later, he was wearing a pair of thick tracksuit bottoms and a gray sweatshirt with Rhode Island emblazoned across the front. He sat on the floor next to Caroline in front of the log fire.
    “Thank God I put the girls to bed. I’d hate for them to have seen you in this state.”
    He forced a thin smile. “It was frightening.”
    “Can you talk about it? I’d like to know what happened.”
    Michael kept staring into the flames of the fire. “I was about to jump in the car at the station when two men held a gun at me.”
    Caroline’s jaw dropped open. “Oh my…”
    “They came out of nowhere. One of them punched me down to the ground while the other grabbed my briefcase. As they ran off, stupidly, I chased after them. If it hadn’t been for the shuttle bus turning up, they’d have gotten away with it, but when they saw all the people getting off the bus, they dropped my case and disappeared.”
    “Did you call the police?”
    “Of course.” Michael finished off the hot chocolate, still unable to look his wife in the eyes as he made up the next part. “That’s why I’m