I start toward her, then stumble, brace myself against the sink. Maybe I manage a threat: 'It's my turn now' or 'You're a dead woman'-some stock phrase to make her tremble. So I reach for a chair and pull myself up. I'm not going to be done in by my own chef in my own kitchen. These are just puncture wounds she's inflicting now. 'She keeps coming at me, again and again, but she's out of breath, losing force. I had to make her understand-Sarah wasn't capable of killing Anthony Costello. I pulled myself forward on the tile mosaic floor, grunting and grimacing, playing the part.īut it was. I drop to my belly and start crawling, trying to get away, maybe headed for the living room, where I keep that Glock stashed in the coffee table drawer.' 'Lady Assassin sidesteps, gets me in the center of my back, but not as deep this time. I spun away from the sink, dropped to my hands and knees. That first blow brought him down, but it didn't kill him.' About my height, but a hundred pounds heavier. She was the one who shut me out of this case. Her hands are sweating, and she closes her eyes at the last second.' Probably she's aiming for my neck or spine, but she's no pro-that's obvious from the mess she left behind. Lady Assassin tiptoes up behind me and plunges a big old kitchen knife deep into my left shoulder. I've got the water running full throttle because I'm Anthony Costello and I never do anything halfway. 'The lady assassin approaches me from behind,' I continued, 'as I'm rinsing my mug. I wasn't going to let the department pin a murder on her-especially not when it was me who sent her to work for Costello in the first place. 'As ticked off as I am right now?' Detective Heidi Haagen asked. I'm probably ticked off at having to do my own dishes.' It's early in the morning, and either the help's asleep or they haven't arrived yet.

'I'm Anthony Costello, accountant to the mob, nephew of top dog Vincent Costello. 'Assume for a second that it was a female killer,' I began. I took a coffee cup from the sink, started the faucet running. 'LET'S KILL him again in slow motion,' I said.

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