Russian roulette    Russian roulette by MC Stephens

  

 Warning: Major spoiler for 3rd season episode Seeing is Believing. 

 Rating: G - Grandmother suitable 

 Credits: Alliance, as ever. 

 Comments: Someone, a long time ago, suggested that we write the missing
scenes, the alternative endings. This is what I would have liked to have
seen near the end of Seeing is Believing. 

 .................. 

 Russian roulette 

 .................. 

 Inspector Thatcher peered out from behind the garbage container. 

 "Use your gun" she had called to Lieutenant Welsh, but it was in the
office. The `Vecchio' detective's gun was not working. She could see
Maggot, trapped at the end of the yard, but still armed and dangerous,
pointing his weapon at... 

 "Fraser, get out of here" 

 Constable Fraser was gambling his life on his count of the bullets fired.
Frantically she tried to remember the number of shots - seven, eight? The
gun held nine. She reached a hand behind her, felt inside the waistband of
her skirt.... 

 As Fraser talked - standard procedure to unnerve the suspect - he became
aware of movement beside him. Maggot's attention switched between the red
tunic and the yellow T-shirt, the gun pointing first at one then the
other. 

 "You both want to die?" Maggot was incredulous. 

 "Constable Fraser thinks your gun is empty. I think you could have one
bullet left. But you can't shoot us both. There is no escape" 

 "And you can stop me, lady?" 

 "With one hand" In the silence that followed there was the unmistakable
click of a blade flicking into position. She held a knife, small, maybe
two inches, but lethal. 

 "You shoot me and Fraser arrests you. You shoot my constable and I forget
the regulation that says I should try and bring you in alive" 

 Silence, that could mean life or death. Maggot was not going to
surrender. 

 "Six after three, Fraser" 

 "Sir" acknowledged the constable. 

 As Thatcher counted quietly, the two officers moved into manoeuvre six of
the RCMP manual, dividing the attention of the quarry by approaching from
opposite directions. 

 "Three" 

 Silence for a heartbeat, then sudden movement as bodies crashed into each
other. Silence broken by the deafening report of Maggot's gun. 

 Fraser had miscalculated.