Abacus

tell me you’re gonna wash your hands,” Jesse pleaded, backing away from him.
    “No time for th at,” Randall said, holding up his hands which were tinged in red.
    Jesse reached into his back pock et and handed him a small packet of disinfected wipes. “Use these. I can’t work with you with a dead guy’s juice all over you.”
    Randall wiped his h ands to keep the peace. “Hobbsy, can you get onto forensics and tell them we need a murder scene processed as soon as possible.” Throwing his wipe into the kitchen bin, Randall ordered, “Big fella, ring them, no press.”
    “H ow about we leave the kitchen, we know what’s gone on here. I’m interested in the bathroom, they had to get rid of a lot of blood somehow,” Jesse said, walking down the hall.
    Randall followed him through the room and into the en suite. The bath was located on the opposite wall to the entry door. The basin was to the left with a small window above it. The toilet suite was on the wall immediately to the left as he entered. Jesse walked straight for the bath, leant over it and looked down the drain. “Nothing here,” he said, pulling himself back up off the bath. “Could you please pass me that toothbrush there, will you?” Randall picked up the solitary blue toothbrush from a cup on the vanity and handed it to him.
    Jesse leant down to the floor grate , and using the end of the toothbrush, forced it into a hole in the small round grate and levered it from the drain. Under the lip of the grate, he saw a ring of blood and some short hair, which had been protected. “There we go,” he said pushing himself back up.
    Randall leant ov er to inspect the find. “I’d say plenty of him went down there.”
    “Looks that way .”
    “Jesus it must have been a hell of a mess in this small unit,” Randall said, leaving the grate off.

    As they walked back down the hall they were met by Hobbs. “On the way, boss. One hour.”
    “Thanks , mate,” Randall said, looking out the kitchen window at the opposing unit block. “I cannot believe no one over there heard or saw anything.” He slowly turned and looked around the whole unit. As he did, he imagined how Briggs was slain in the unit.
    Cheung had called the victim to arrange for him to pick up the last of his belongings, however, her intention was to get him back, one way or another. The victim was not overly keen to meet with her, but to keep the p eace agreed to come over and quickly gather his things.
    When the victim arrived, the music was turned up very loud. It was obvious to him that she had been drinking heavily. She invited him to sit on the lounge, where they chatted pleasantly. She offered him a drink, however he declined.
    As she sipped on her wine, she moved closer to him, but he pulled back. She tried to kiss him, but he was having nothing of it. As far as he was concerned, it was over. Her demeanour changed, she became angered at the rejection. She demanded to know why he ended the relationship. “You are fucking another girl, aren’t you!” she screamed.
    Briggs denied it, as his thoughts turned to leaving.
    “I bet she doesn’t have this!” she yelled, pulling up her dress to reveal her vagina. “Or these!” She lifted her dress higher and squeezed her two firm pert breasts. Please come back to me. I will be good.”
    The victim told her again it was over, and that he had moved on. Now enraged, she reached under a pillow in the corner of the lounge and grabbed a loaded pistol. With the weapon firmly in her gr ip, she stood up and levelled it at his head.
    He laughed at her initially, as if it was some sort of joke, but when he looked at the e nd of the barrel and saw that it was quivering, he knew it was no joke. He looked above the gun and could see her furrowed brow. Fearing for his life, he instinctively raised his arms above his head and pleaded to be spared. She now had all the power. She was in control, and she liked it.
    Under the cover of the loud music, she coldly mouthed the words, “Fuck you , Tony, you don’t deserve me,” as she slowly squeezed the trigger.
    The impact of the bullet initially forced his body backwards against the backrest of the lounge. His limp body then bounced forwards, and slid down the lounge and onto the floor. Warm blood immediately streamed fro m the wound above his right eye as his head lay facing down in a rapidly expanding pool of red cranial blood. With a look of satisfaction she said, “You had it so good,