The Book of Death (Bourbon Kid 4)

this. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.’
    ‘Good. Now get the fuck out of
my office, you cunt.’

 
    Sixteen

 
    Beth stepped out of the elevator
and on to the fourth floor of her apartment block. Her one bed apartment was at
the end of the corridor. She headed towards it at a slightly quicker pace than
usual, her heart pounding with excitement. Her new life with JD outside of
Santa Mondega was less than an hour away. Her head was filled with thoughts of
what things she needed to pack and what she could afford to leave behind.
Starting a new life with JD in a far away place was the dream she thought would
never come true. She still remembered how wonderful the feeling had been
eighteen years earlier when they had kissed for the first time. That had been
followed by eighteen years of hell including ten in prison for the murder of
her stepmother. The law courts hadn’t taken into consideration the fact that
the murder was in self-defence. Her stepmother had attacked her with a knife,
causing the horrible facial scar she had as a permanent reminder, but in the
tussle her stepmother had fallen on the knife and cut her own throat.
    The sight of the military guy
with the pink mohawk entering the building downstairs had set alarm bells
ringing in Beth’s head. There was no reason to suspect he was after her ,
but, she was acutely aware of the fact that she had no idea what enemies JD
might have made over the eighteen years they had been apart. In the few hours
they had been together she had been so happy to have him back she hadn’t dared
to probe him about exactly why he had been away for so long. And what he had
been doing. Add to that the fact she was pretty sure he’d had something to do
with James the security guard at the museum being knocked unconscious, and she
was rightly paranoid.
    She reached her apartment and
fumbled to get the key into the lock, such was her haste to be out of the
hallway quickly. After a few painfully long seconds she managed to turn the key
and the door opened. As she stepped into her apartment, she heard a voice call
out from down the corridor.
    ‘Excuse me, miss. I’m looking
for someone. Can you help?’
    It was the huge guy with the
pink mohawk. He was walking briskly towards her with a gentle smile on his
face.
    ‘Umm, sure. Who are you after?’
she asked.
    The man didn’t respond straight
away, but carried on walking towards her. Eventually when he was just a few
feet away he replied. ‘Beth Lansbury. That’s you, isn’t it?’
    Beth wanted to dive inside her
apartment and bolt the door shut, but she was caught in two minds. Technically
she had nothing to fear from this man. He was acting in a friendly manner, and
they were in an open corridor. She only had to scream for help if he did try
anything nasty.
    ‘Uh, yeah. I’m Beth Lansbury.’
    The man stopped in front of her.
‘Also known as Mental Beth?’ he asked with a smile.
    ‘Huh?’
    ‘That’s what the fat bartender
at the Tapioca called you the other night.’
    ‘Oh.’
    ‘Says you killed someone. That
true?’
    ‘Umm, who are you?’
    The line of questioning was
making her nervous. Who was this guy? And what did he want with her? Was he a threat?
Or simply someone who had heard much of the local gossip about her?
    ‘Oh God, I’m sorry. My name’s
Silvinho,’ he said holding out a hand. ‘I didn’t mean to alarm you. That
probably wasn’t the best way to introduce myself, was it?’
    Beth tentatively slipped her
hand into his and allowed him to shake her hand. ‘What can I do for you?’ she
asked.
    ‘I’m looking for JD. Is he
here?’
    He hadn’t let go of her hand
yet. Although he had stopped shaking it. ‘JD?’ she asked, in a manner that she
hoped wouldn’t give away whether she knew him or not.
    ‘Yeah. I heard you know JD. Me
and him are old friends. Is he around?’
    ‘He doesn’t live here.’
    ‘Know where I can find him?’
    Beth was unsure how to answer
the question. Was JD in some kind of trouble with this guy? Would it be foolish
to admit that he was coming to pick her up in an hour’s time? A few awkward
seconds passed while she pondered her answer. Before she stammered out her
latest “umm” a voice from down the hall answered for her.
    ‘I’m right here.’ It was JD. He had
come up the stairs the same way Silvinho had and was now walking down the
corridor towards them.
    Silvinho let go of Beth’s hand
and spun around to face him. ‘You’re JD?’ he