Michelle Bravo Playing With Fire Chapter 36

After the party had ended, Michelle Bravo and Gus Keller were escorted to their rooms, adjacent to each other, on the second floor of Praetorius' luxurious home.

Michelle kicked off her shoes, then went to one of the two suitcases laying on the bed - the red leather one - fiddled with the combination lock, and flipped it open. Inside, nestled in foam, were the three pieces of a high-powered rifle.

With the ease born of long practice, she fitted the three pieces together, then, facing the window, she lifted the rifle to her shoulder and peered through the night-scope. The scenery outside the window was bathed in a green blow - she could see just as well as if it were daylight.

There was a "shave and a haircut, two bits" knock on the connecting door, and then Gus Keller came into the room.

Michelle turned to look at him, arcing one perfect eyebrow.

He just stood there, staring at her.

"Something the matter, Mr. Largo?" she drawled.

"I...I....yes."

She sat in a comfy chair angled near the bed, still cradling the rifle.

"Yes?"

Keller turned to close the door behind him, then turned back to face her.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself tonight with Praetorius," he said.

"I did. He's a very charming man."

"And yet...you're still prepared to use that on him tomorrow?"

Michelle looked down at the rifle. "Don't be silly. Of course not. While Praetorius and I were dancing tonight the whole scenario was becoming clear in my mind. Yes, it'll mean a lot of argy bargy, but it's best this way. We'll go on a tour of the opal mines tomorrow, then return to Sydney. And there, two days from now, Praetorius and I are going to go scuba diving. He's promised to show me a place called Cathedral Cave. The two of us are going to go into that cave...only one of us will come out. It will be a terrible tragedy. Experienced cave diver sacrifices life to save that of a beautiful woman."

"You've got it all worked out," said Keller.

"Yes. You do know how to drive a power boat, don't you?"

"I...yes..."

"Well then, what's the problem?"

Michelle had crossed her legs, draping one long, lithe, tanned and muscular leg over the other, set off quite nicely by the white dress she wore. She looked down now at the rifle and stroked it lovingly.

"God damn it," said Keller, striding forward. He reached out and jerked the rifle from her hands. Rather than struggle to prevent it, Michelle let him have it.

Keller threw the rifle onto the bed, violently. He was sobbing.

"What on earth is the matter with you, Mr. Largo?" Michelle demanded.

Keller turned away from her, holding both hands to his face, breathing deeply.

Michelle stared at him. This is what she had been aiming for, putting this amateur in a position where he'd have to pretend to be a cold-hearted killer. She'd expected him to crack...it had only been a matter of time. But he was really cracking.

And she wasn't enjoying it.

Before she could speak comfortingly to him, he'd turned around.