Free The Rock by Robert Daws

man’s boat seaworthy.
    Ferra’s pals dropped him off and as their car drove off, the policeman made his way carefully down the third avenue of pontoon moorings. It wasn’t late, but the place seemed deserted. The nearby boats were mostly owned by local Gibraltarians who would turn out during the day, but be off home come the dark. There were other fellow boat residents in the basin, but they had either turned in already or were elsewhere. Taking a deep breath, and being careful not to slip, Ferra stepped aboard the Ailsa’ and tried to find his keys, with no success. Distracted by the sudden sound of an object hitting the deck of the boat, he turned to see what it might be. As he did so, he felt a sudden blow to the back of his legs. Falling to his knees, he was stunned to feel a rope being slipped over his head. Managing to stagger upwards he flailed out at his assailant, but before any contact could be made his head was violently yanked upwards as the rope was tightened around his neck.
    Turning and twisting in desperation, Ferra felt his feet lift from the ground as a forceful push propelled him over the side of the boat and into mid-air. The rope jolted sharply as the policeman’s neck snapped in an instant.

11
    The hot water cascaded down Sullivan’s back as she threw her head back and exhaled. Her morning shower was a sheer pleasure and she wasn’t going to miss a second of it. She had been up at five thirty and half-way through her daily three mile jog by six. She varied her jogging route once or twice a week and as such had got to know Gibraltar quite well. It was, in fact, even smaller than she had imagined. The combination of its densely packed population and housing, together with the presence of international financial services, the shipping trade, tourism and the large naval docks and military garrison, gave Gibraltar a diversity and energy that would not have been out of place in a major city. It wasn’t just the sunshine that had made Sullivan feel at ease upon The Rock. Increasingly it was both the place and its people.
    But now, as she rinsed the shampoo from her long dark hair, she caught a glimpse of her showered body in the bathroom mirror. Tall, muscular and athletic was the shape that met her eye. A far cry from the modish anorexic look so favoured by the high fashion houses and movie world. Besides, she rarely looked at herself these days, vanity being an indulgence she had long given up on. She knew she was attractive, that much was clear by the way many men and some women treated her on first meeting. She also knew better than most that good looks in her trade could prove more of a handicap than a virtue. She had sometimes unkindly thought that if she’d had a face like a pug dog and a body like a shot putter, she would have made it to Inspector by now. Not that her own actions and judgements hadn’t slowed the speed of her career advancement to a near standstill by themselves. But for now, she felt good and looked okay, so why dwell on the negative? The water was hot, breakfast was waiting and order had been restored to her life.
     
    Seconds later her mobile phone started to ring in the next room, the shrill noise immediately grating on her nerves. She reached for a towel, wrapped it around her and rushed to answer it, her wet footprints leaving marks on the tiled floor. She reached her phone.
    ‘Sullivan.’
    Calbot was on the line. There had been an incident. Sullivan had dropped her towel and was moving swiftly to her bedroom before Calbot had even finished with the details.
    ‘OK Calbot. I’ll be right there.’
    *
    Sullivan pushed her way through the crowds of onlookers milling along the wharf as she headed for the flashing lights of the ambulance and police cars. It was Broderick who spoke first when she got to the boat.
    ‘Can’t we get the poor bastard down from there?’
    For the second time since her arrival on the colony, Sullivan saw the wretchedly distressing sight of a