A/N: I'm a weak person. Here's the next chapter. Sooner than I had planned but Mrs Nagalot nagged a lot...


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"Look! He's turned his head!" Winston squeezed Barbara's shoulder. A sob of relief escaped her lips and he had to breathe down his own excitement. One nervous person was enough and he should stay calm while they watched what was going on inside.


DI Lynley was lying in front of a huge window and behind a vintage desk made of dark wood and copper, irritatingly contrasting with the modern machines and the shiny marble floor. He was glad that the bank robber obviously had forgotten that he was still there or maybe he thought that he had killed them both. A few minutes earlier the service man, starting his shift a bit late today and totally unaware of what was going on in the main office, had come through the door of the staff room at the wall right to the window and although the old man in a neat uniform had been unarmed the nervous hostage-taker had quickly turned and had shot two times in their direction. At least one bullet had hit the poor man. With a groan he had fallen on his knees, cringed for a moment and with wide shocked eyes stared into Lynley's direction. His hand had crumpled the jacket above his chest where blood had soaked it immediately.

"Oh, Mary!" he had whispered. His frightened eyes had been locked with Tommy's. "Dear Mary!" Then he had fallen onto his face and the DI had known immediately that there was nothing he could do for him. He had died.

Those had been the last words of the old man who had served here longer than Lynley could remember. He had made a mental note to pay a visit of condolence to his widow. Now there was no more blood coming off the wound but Tommy already was half lying in a pool of red, unable to move, in fact not daring to move in case the bank robber would be able to see his reflection in the clean window pane. It was better now to stay out of focus.

Tommy did not know that he was staring at her. He did not recognise with his full mind that the black man outside with the small red haired woman at his arm, standing next to an officer in uniform and bullet-proof vest, were Winston and Barbara. DI Lynley still held the belief that they both were safe and sound in their office at the station. An image of Barbara had wafted through Tommy's thoughts when the poor man had died. His Sergeant, his friend, his confidant, and so much more for him. His London rock that had kept him grounded for so many years. When he had wallowed in Cornwall his thoughts had gone back to the capitol from time to time. His mind had gone back to Barbara. He should have called her then and he should have insisted on having a pint yesterday evening. Deep inside he knew he should not think like that but sitting here in the bank the idea that it could have been his last chance for an evening with Barbara crept into his mind. His last chance to tell her that he believed that he has fallen in love with her.


Tommy laid his hands flat on the cool marble floor. This was a strange place for realising that you love someone.


Everybody in the bank had gone to the ground when the shots were fired. Nobody spoke now and only the little child in its pram was quietly mewling. The only other sounds were the ticking of the huge clock on the wall and the shuffling feet of the criminal walking up and down near a desk with a telephone. He obviously was stuck in the situation. He only had a small bag of money from the bank and the purses and some watches from the few customers. Hit by a clerk the silent alarm had shut down the access to the bank vault and informed the police immediately when the robber had shown his gun so now the armed forces were everywhere outside before the man with the face mask had the chance to leave the building. In a first call he had made clear that he wanted more money and free departure with one hostage for his safety. It should be delivered quickly or he will shoot another person. He did not appear to Lynley that he had planned this kind of situation or was so icy cold to shoot another one but you never know what deadlocked tension makes with people.

Now that man impatiently waited for the next call. With every second going by the ticking of the clock turned louder and louder. Nobody called but he could not know why they let him wait for their answer.

Lynley had a very good view on him. In the reflecting window he saw the impatience on the bank robber's face who narrowed his eyes and looked out of that window trying to see what was going on there. He needed to see how many policemen were there. He had to know where they stood. He had to work out a plan how to get out of here alive, Tommy supposed. The man wanted an answer to his demands. Even the DI saw those two officers with that phone there in the back, half behind that ambulance van. They should stop talking with each other and call again. They should call for the getaway car. They should get their asses moving so this whole situation would come to an end.

The hostage-taker took another step forward and Lynley stopped breathing. He had watched the masked face coming nearer to the window thus coming nearer to his hiding place. Tommy closed his eyes when he saw that the face was going to peek over desk that was his cover. His refuge was about to be revealed.


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