This one's from The Blind Banker. Couldn't shut it up. Hope you enjoy!
Twenty-four minutes. It has been exactly twenty-four minutes since he raced out of the flat, searching for that missing piece of the puzzle.
He should have noticed sooner, upon his arrival: the silent flat, the stillness of the room, the unsoiled debris of an expected meal complete with half-glasses of wine left untouched.
Chasing the clues, the thrill of the hunt had overtaken him. Blinded him to what had been there all along. The London A-Z, stupid, obvious! A book everyone owns!
The glint of gold stops him. The bold message, sprawled over the windows of their home in Michigan paint that makes him take notice.
Fifteen and one. Deadman.
The flat is still too quiet. No sign of John. No sign of the girl (Susan? Sharon? No—Sarah, need to remember that, John seems to fancy her, God knows why).
He looks again. The signs are there—the trays, the wine glasses, everything askew (aside from the normal things, experiments and evidence and whatnot).
John wouldn't leave a mess. He suspects it's the training in him.
John also wouldn't leave the girl (Sarah, Sarah, need to remember that). Her handbag is still in the living room, curled next to a stack of Lukis's books.
Conclusion: Unexpected leave. Kidnap.
They were waiting. Only way they could have acted so quickly.
He thinks of Soo Lin (bright girl, brave girl), dead on the workroom floor. He thinks of Van Coon and Lukis (easy cash, in over their heads), dead by a lethal projectile though they thought themselves safe.
Fifteen and one. Deadman.
His heart nearly stops when he finally (finally) puts it all together. He looks at his mobile, checks the time. Twenty-seven minutes since he raced out of the flat, leaving John and Sarah (good, you're remembering) alone. Leaving them in peril.
He thinks of the message, the one John had the foresight to photograph: Nine mill for jade pin. Dragon den black tramway.
His eyes flicker up to the yellow warning, a bright beacon of impending doom.
Fifteen and one.
Deadman.
Not if I can help it.