Chapter: I can't take the shot

Chapter 4: I can't take the shot

She turned around, very slowly. It was actually unnecessary, she didn't have to look at him to know whose hand was there on her shoulder ...
Cole grinned broadly, alternately smiling at her and the police officer. He's playing his game again, thought Merry. He knows I won't say anything now, he feels safe. He can do whatever he wants. While she was still in thought, Cole's smile disappeared and turned into a confused expression. "I'm quite surprised to see you here, I thought you would work at this time. Or have you screwed up something again?" She did not miss the warning undertone in his voice, but the police officer obviously did. It seemed a mystery to him how they met, but he didn't ask. When he realized that Merry absolutely no longer noticed him, he went further back into the building, presumably to his office, to do some paperwork.What had Cole said, she really ought to work now? He's right, she reminded herself in shock. Today was Wednesday, which means she was back on duty in the children's infirmary. She used to enjoy seeing the children who came to the clinic every other morning. She wasn't a real doctor or nurse, more like a kind of volunteer helper: She talked to the children when they felt lonely or told them that such an injection wouldn't hurt that much before she gave them a piece of chocolate . Would it even be noticed if she was no longer there?
“Can I help you, sir?” The policeman from before came back with a colleague, and Merry sighed in relief. She didn't want to be alone with Cole, no way ...
"No thanks, that was done," answered Cole with his most charming smile. "I just wanted to pick up my work colleague, everyone is wondering where she will be."He put his arm around her and at this touch all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. He was really just playing. He pretended for the two officers that everything that had happened between him and Merry hadn't happened. As if." all just a bad dream of hers.
She said nothing, just stood there quietly.
How she wished it were ...
Not a word escaped her lips.
That everything would be just a dream ...
She just raised her hand slowly.
A bad dream, a nightmare ...
She now pointed to Cole and her lips trembled slightly when she said what she had wanted to do for so long.
But she just didn't wake up ...
"Murderer ..." The word was just out of context, and her hand, which she was still pointing at Cole, fell back down. "Murderer. Lousy murderer," she repeated. But why didn't anyone do anything ?! The two policemen stood there in shock. Everything was silent, even Merry was now calm. The only one with whom you could see a movement was Cole.When he realized what she was saying, he put his hands in his pockets, still smiling. The young policeman seemed to compose himself, he turned to Cole. "Sir, we have to ..." he started, but broke off in mid-sentence, as if Cole had to know what he wanted to say.
And he knew it. He'd heard it a thousand times when he'd spoken to the police. But the evidence was never enough. There was only ever one person: "Sir, we need to check your personal details. Do you have a valid passport?" and a few polite phrases remained. Because there were never any witnesses who testified against him. Except for this one time.
He began to slowly shake his head. "You know, you are not allowed to do that, Merry. That is false suspicion. I am disappointed," said Cole and even managed to look slightly disappointed for a short moment. Then the space there was taken up again by his big grin.
HE is the one who thinks it's a dream.HE is the one who doesn't realize what's going on, Merry thought. He thinks if he looks nice he'll get out of here, but he won't. Not now, not again. This time he can't get away with it.
She almost regretted saying something, it was a mistake. Cole had always known how to get out of such situations. So what if he managed to do that too? It wouldn't be enough for him to just kill her like that. It would be painful ...
"Sir?", The policeman started again and took a step towards Cole. He now stood between him and Merry.
"I'm sorry, Officer, I know you're just doing your job. But I have to do my job too, you understand? And unfortunately, it's not that easy." Cole sighed as if he were doing what he was doing said really mean seriously. “And you're in my way.” At the last sentence his tone had suddenly changed. Merry had heard that sharp, definitive voice only once before.And that was two days ago.
As if she knew what was happening, she crouched on the floor, turned away from the two men and covered her ears. She looked the other policeman straight into the shocked eyes.
He's much too young too, she thought, and spontaneously felt the need to comfort him. He shouldn't have to watch this either ...
While Merry crouched down on the floor, Cole had long since removed the gun from the police officer with a single swift movement of his hand and pointed it at his head. The man already didn't have time to look at Cole again: Cole shot immediately and the man slumped backwards when the bullet penetrated his head. It hit just inches from Merry.
She didn't want to look at him, but then she couldn't help it: his eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, without any expression whatsoever. There was a finger-width hole in his forehead.
"Drop your gun immediately!"yelled the policeman, who was still alive, and had now drawn his own weapon. Then he turned to Merry:" Take cover! "
She didn't have to be told twice. She stumbled down the hall, deeper into the building. She started screaming for help, but no one heard her. The two policemen were probably the only ones left in the building.
When a second shot rang out, Merry covered his ears again. A third, a fourth ... And now a bullet hit the wall right next to her. She threw herself on the doorknob of an empty office, scurried into the room, and slammed the door behind her as quickly as she could. Immediately, accusations set in with her.
She had abandoned the cops, both of them. What was she so stupid as to come here? Cole would certainly not have hurt them if she hadn't brought him here. She had let this monster loose on her, and now she was cowardly hiding somewhere.And Cole had blood on his hands again. Perhaps it was she who conjured up all this misfortune? Was it she who made Cole do this again and again? She shouldn't have said anything, shouldn't have called him a murderer. Because now she had made him that again.
She turned the key in the lock and when she had made sure three times that it was really locked, she looked around with a pounding heart. A desk, a leather armchair, some files ... nothing special. But she had to find a way out of here. Cole would surely manage to get through the door someday, but there were no windows - and therefore no exit. She started searching the drawers for anything that could help her ...
Suddenly it pounded wildly on the door and she started up. "Damn miss, let me in! I beg of you!" It was the cop. She had already thought him dead, but he had probably been able to hold his own against Cole for a while.But his tone of voice betrayed that he was hurt: he gasped more than he spoke and his voice cracked again and again, so that his words were difficult to understand.
"Damn ... no ..." the policeman outside whined. It was more of a pleading and she could hear the terrible fear he was. He didn't want to die. She was about to get up and let him in when a second familiar voice rang out. "Yeah, let him in, Merry. You don't want to leave him out here with me, do you? Like you did with our kids. You know what's going to happen ..." Cole's voice was punctuated by the policeman's wailing, and Merry slumped again. She wasn't allowed to open the door, but could she leave the cop out there alone? She remembered his face. She had only looked at him twice in total and both times had only been a few minutes ago. She recalled all the details of him that she could remember and then made up her mind.She reached into the bottom drawer of the desk and found what she was looking for: a small pistol. It wasn't a normal weapon like the one used by police officers on duty: it had to belong to whoever owned this office. She examined the cool steel in her hand. She had seen Cole a thousand times with his hobby pistol. Back when she still believed the pistol was really just one of his hobbies, or at least a passing phase.
A faint click filled the room as she released the safety catch. Something heavy hit the outside of the office door and she heard the cop's pleading again. "Oh yeah ... wouldn't it be nice if he could go back to his family in one piece?", Cole sighed, slightly amused. Merry turned the key and pushed the door open.
She aimed the gun directly at Cole's heart. "Let him go," she whispered to Cole through clenched teeth when she saw how he had impassively pulled the policeman by the hair: His left leg was only visible as a red mass."Good," said Cole and pushed the officer away, just as if he was always listening to your orders. She no longer saw the pistol in his hand, only the small dagger with which he had inflicted the wound on her cheek. But at this distance he couldn't possibly be dangerous to her.
The policeman shouted desperately and held his injured leg while Merry was still looking at Cole.
He didn't look as terrifying as he did before. If she didn't know better, she wouldn't have believed he'd just murdered someone; just like that, on a whim. He looked at her as he had looked at her the first time they met. He looked at her the way he had looked when he proposed to her. He looked at her the way he used to look at her.
Without really realizing it, she dropped the pistol on the floor. Light tears formed in her eyes.She couldn't, damn it. She couldn't shoot him. She should have known beforehand and yet had made the mistake of opposing him. She just