The darkness and the echoes conspired to prevent me from defining the direction from which the sounds came. But they were close. There was no need for me to dive for the nearest cover. I’d been skulking in deep shadow whenever the opportunity presented itself. There was a brief pause, while one set of footsteps died away, and then there was a gunshot. In the wake of the staccato echoes, many footsteps started up again. There were obviously several pursuers and several pursued. I crept forward to the nearest corner, intending to take a quick look at the lighted street in the hope of seeing something which might give me an idea what was going on. Then somebody stuck a gun barrel into the small of my back. I froze, and a hand grabbed the collar of my borrowed overall. ‘Quietly,’ hissed a voice, and the gunman began to pull me backwards. He was fairly gentle, obviously because he wanted me to comply with his wishes and keep it silent.
