The Quarry

Simon rubbed his neck, stiff after sitting in his car all night waiting for Beth to make an appearance.

His training enabled him to remain awake, only the empty flask of strong, black coffee gave any clue.
He tracked his target through the camera lens as she left the block of flats, walking quickly in her four inch high, red stilettos.

He stood, biding his time for a while, before following Beth down the busy street.

She had no reason to believe anyone would follow her and Simon made sure she didn’t see him.

He was good at his job; he had the right attributes a private eye needed, patience and the ability to sit, watch and wait.

Beth made her way down High Street, stopping occasionally to stare into a shop window. Jim followed her discretely.
She’s probably on her way home, he thought.
She was on her way back to her husband and children to continue the lie, she’d been out all night with “the girls.”

It was probably the irresistible aroma of Italian coffee which enticed her into Marco’s Italian Cafe,

Simon watched as she ordered a takeaway coffee. Whilst she waited, she browsed through a magazine from a pile near the door. She even glanced up once, seeing Jim leaning on a parking sign outside, unaware he was waiting for her to get her coffee order.

Without warning, there was a loud explosion. Deafened by the noise and fierce blast, Simon fell to the sidewalk.

In the sudden silence that followed, time seemed to stand still before all hell broke loose.

Screams and cries filled the air.

The detective picked himself up and looked into what remained of the ruined cafe. The blast had scattered injured and dead across the wooden floor, and all that Simon could see of his quarry was a single red shoe under a table.