Abacus

her back gently. Randall looked up at glass again. It was a messy job. Whilst the timing dictated it was the work of DL, the sloppy way it was executed did not. DL did not send messages like this. They were clinical in what they did. But if it wasn’t DL, then who?
    “Ken , how are you going?” Randall asked, trying his best to be inclusive.
    “Yeah , it was pretty scary, Bob. What do we do now?”
    “You can all move into my house for a week, until the glass is fixed and the kids settle a little. I will find out who did this. I doubt whether they will come back, it seems like some sort of message.”
    “But why us? ” Michelle asked.
    He thought about her question. It had to be something to do with his work. There was absolutely nothing Michelle, the kids or accountant Ken were doing to warrant a drive-by.
    “Love , I don’t know why they targeted you. Sometimes gangs hit the wrong homes, you know, mistaken identity.”
    The kids walked over to where he was standing . “Dad, what is happening?”
    “Kids , in about an hour’s time, the policeman will be finished and you need to help mum pack some bags. You will be staying with me for a few days until we get everything fixed and everything is safe. Okay?”
    He left his family and walked into the house. The trajectory of the bullets had them passing through the glass panel, then through the lounge room wall, finally lodging in the back wall of the dining room.
    “Recovered a slug ye t?” Randall asked the forensic officer.
    “Yeah , we got one so far, looks like a triple two. My word they were lucky they were all sitting down at dinner. The bullets passed right over their head. If they were standing one of them would have been hit for sure.”

    Randall looked at the plaster powder all over the dining table and on the floor below the entry holes. These were no warning shots. These were intended to kill. Kill my family. Randall sat in a chair with his head in his hands. What if one of my kids was shot dead ? He was angry. He felt like hitting something, someone, but who, who was responsible. Who would dare attempt to murder his innocent children? Clenching his fist in anger he stared at the floor. Whoever did this is dead. They have no idea of what they have done.

    CHAPTER 27 – AN ABACUS IS BORN

    “Right… I know who’s sent you, I know you’ve been following me and now I’m going to get in first,” he warned, with one hand around his throat and the other pushing a pistol to his temple.
    With hands held up high the innocent tourist pleaded, “Sorry, sorry, I lost, I look for train station , here take money.”
    Denim overalls, leather sandals and dreadlocked hair, this was no DL hit man this was a disorientated backpacker in the wrong place at the wrong time. With eyes clen ched in expectation of the worst, he held out his trembling wallet. This young man had now become the most recent victim of Randall’s growing paranoia.
    Pushing his pistol back into his waistband while looking out of the darkened lane, Randall patted him on the shoulder and apologised. “Sorry, mate, I don’t want your money, I thought you were following me. Look, turn left out of the lane and go straight ahead for the train station Okay?” The relieved tourist pushed his wallet back into the back pocket of his overalls. “Off you go then,” he said, pointing out into the lane.
    Once the young man had left, he leant with his back to the wall looking up at the opposing building. He knew that DL, or whoever they really were, were definitely following him. Being stubborn and without concern for his own mortality, he had not gone into hiding and he hadn’t changed his usual movements. If DL were in fact a drug syndicate, he had overcome those types in the past so he was going to go out fighting, hopefully taking a handful of them out with him.
    Staring at the brick wall opposite , he considered who was after him. If DL was legitimate and wanted me dead, I’m sure they would have executed me by now. Why am I still alive?
    He was now more angered than fearful about the way things had turned out. He only hoped that he lived long enough to find those responsible for shooting up his family, and kill them. Deep down he held out hope that DL was still the organisation he had always believed and trusted in. He just wasn’t sure why they would tell him they didn’t exist.
    Walking towards the exit of the laneway, he heard the echo of heavy footsteps. He turned to see a