Unexpected Turns: Fair Exchange

The man pressed a small button on the handle of his umbrella and a dart shot from the tip. It struck Alicia in the leg. She turned, her face shocked and frightened, but the man was gone. She tried to call out, but her legs were already buckling. She slumped to the floor, apparently dead.

"What?!" said Kylie, "You can't do that! She's the heroine! Heroine's don't die!"

She stopped reading the rest of the page and tossed the book away.

"Stupid story!" she said, "I wish I'd never started it!"

Why on earth would her mother keep a story about a girl who messes up the whole detective thing, and then gets herself killed? What a stupid, stupid book! What a total waste of time! She'd like to get hold of that Alicia and kick her in chapter one, when the first clue comes along. Alicia didn't see it. She missed the number plate of the crook's car. If she'd got that, she would have seen it parked outside the house when the robbery was taking place. She would have made the connection and recognized the man with the umbrella. He was so obvious. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

Kylie sat by the fire, thinking angry thoughts for a while, then she picked the book up again.

"Might as well see what happened," she thought. A book wasn't finished until the last page went by. It was a habit she had.

Alicia lay on the cold museum floor, surrounded by seagulls. She called for help. Her voice was weak.

"Go back Kylie. Give me another chance."

Kylie read the words again. What madness. Why would Alicia say that?

"Go back Kylie. Give me another chance."

Kylie read the rest of the page. Alicia dies and the murderer escapes. End of book. It didn't make sense. Why should Alicia start talking about someone called Kylie? And what did she mean about "Go back"?

Kylie flipped a few pages over and read the beginning of the last chapter again. Maybe she had missed something? She read the same words. It was all familiar. The man with the green umbrella saw Alicia cross the street. She considered going to the police but decided against it. If she had gone the other way, she would