He was sufficiently distracted to not be paying much attention as he pulled into his parking spot. Stepping out of the car he glanced across the road towards the bakery. The Cheesy Chicken special was calling out his name but his eyes were drawn to the alleyway beside it and the hand that flashed into view for a split second. It was an alley the local kids often used to cut through to the football field behind.

His instinct told him to investigate, to send the kids home with a warning to stay indoors. He crept up to the corner and sprang out to surprise them. The shock was all his.

A few metres down the alley, clutching what looked like a long-handled kitchen knife, was Gabriel.

Reaching for his gun, Chandler missed, his draw hand wavering. Gabriel backed up a few steps. Chandler countered by moving forward a few, finally grabbing hold of his weapon and drawing it.

‘Stay right there and put the knife down, Gabriel.’

Gabriel inched back, the knife unsteady in his hand, as if he wanted to let it go but couldn’t get his muscles to comply. His face was twisted in pain or shock, almost as if he had blacked out and woken up to this tense scene.

‘Gabriel, put the knife down!’

Chandler tried to speak loudly and clearly, allowing for nothing to be misinterpreted.

Gabriel looked at the knife and back at Chandler.

‘Put it down, Gabriel!’

Gabriel’s hand shook but the blade remained pointed at him. Chandler’s finger rested on the trigger. What the hell was Gabriel doing this close to the station? It was almost as if he were begging to be caught. Or shot for threatening a police officer.

‘Gabriel, I don’t want to—’

As if suddenly unglued, the knife dropped from Gabriel’s hand to the concrete and his hands shot up in surrender.

Chandler approached with caution.

‘Up against the wall.’

Gabriel obeyed the command, his hands outstretched against the brick.

Chandler remained extra cautious as he whisked Gabriel’s wiry arms behind his back, ignoring the stifled cry of pain.

‘Please . . .’ begged Gabriel.

‘Why did you sneak out of the hotel?’ asked Chandler, not waiting to get back to the station to start the interrogation. ‘Where did you go? And why are you back here?’

‘I don’t know,’ cried Gabriel.

‘And what were you doing with the knife?’

‘I needed protection from him. I kept thinking he was going to burst out from around every corner. I didn’t feel safe.’

Neither did Chandler, alone with his suspect in the alley.

‘Get on the ground!’ he ordered.