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Back The Ringmaster Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. The Ringmaster
  3. Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. Epilogue
  72. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  73. Copyright

I approached the first pulled-over car. The occupants looked panicked and I realised they weren’t comforted by the presence of a chick with a firearm. Wearing civvies didn’t help there. I’d just grabbed what was on the floor when I got the call – a red top from the night before and jeans. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my warrant card, holding it up for them to see as I got to the driver’s window. He was on his cellphone, and I could guess to whom.

‘You talking to the police?’ I asked.

He nodded.

‘Please, I need to talk to them.’ He dutifully opened the window and handed the phone over. ‘Detective Constable Samantha Shephard, Dunedin CIB.’

‘Central despatch. What’s the situation?’

‘I’m tracking an escaped elephant from the visiting circus. The circus has been set alight and the animal is injured and panicked. It has killed people already and I am armed with a rifle and intend to destroy the animal.’ I heard the driver of the car utter an expletive.

‘Do you need an Armed Offenders call-out?’ Could I do this by myself? I didn’t want to, but I could see Cassie had turned and was moving in this direction. I was going to have to act now.

‘I’ll need back-up, but the situation is urgent and I’m going to have to do this now.’ I handed the phone back to the bewildered-looking man. ‘Tell them exactly where we are and get the hell out of here.’

A nerve-shattering screech erupted from Cassie, sending my heart rate into the stratosphere. She was on the move and in my direction. Did she recognise my voice? Something had sparked her interest enough to get her headed this way. I’d been kind to her, given her some company and attention. Surely that would work in my favour. But something about her body language suggested otherwise.

I didn’t want to have to do this in full view of the cars that had pulled up for the spectacle. They had no idea how real the danger was, but I didn’t have the time to trot backwards and forwards across the road to tell them to bugger off. I wondered if I could get her into a side street, or even the warehouse car park, but I didn’t have enough ammunition to fire into the air to get her moving and anyway, it looked like time was running out.

She was a hundred metres away and picking up pace. Shit she could move fast.