How did you know they were going to win?’ asked Gary, finally arriving at his father’s side.
Albert didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his voice again. ‘How much were the bribes, Alan?’
Alan stiffened, but refused to face his accuser. He was shaking hands with Mr Oliver and his son, Lee, and inviting them to the front of the stage.
‘You engineered the whole thing, didn’t you, Alan? Taking over the event from Brian Pumphrey so you could rig the contest. You needed a big chunk of cash to pay off your gambling debts, isn’t that right, Alan?’ Albert continued, his voice loud enough to carry over the applause still ringing out.
Event security were rushing to intervene, but as they broke through the crowd of people, they were faced with Gary and his police identification. ‘Go away,’ Gary insisted.
‘What is this?’ asked Ethan Bentley. His question was aimed at Alan Crystal, yet it was loud enough that Albert heard.
Albert spoke directly to him, ‘The truth, Mr Bentley. Three people have died, and the police have been led on a merry dance so that Alan could get himself out of debt and get the loan shark’s enforcer off his back.’
‘I have no idea what he is talking about,’ snapped Alan, glaring at Albert. ‘This is all utter nonsense.’
‘Three deaths?’ Ethan Bentley repeated. ‘Alan, what do you know about this?’
‘Don’t hand over that cheque, Mr Bentley,’ warned Albert as two helpers brought out one of those giant-sized cheques for him to be photographed with.
‘It is done!’ screamed Alan. ‘The winner is announced already!’ His face had become bright red. ‘The judges’ ruling is final and cannot be rescinded.’
Ethan argued, ‘I think it probably can if there is any cheating going on.’
‘It’s a fix, I tell thee!’ roared Mr Rose yet again, free to speak his mind now the event security guys were trying to deal with Albert.
‘Aye, it is,’ shouted Mr Nelson. ‘That Alan Crystal guaranteed me a place in the final line up. I had to pay him two grand for that. Two grand!’ It was tantamount to admitting he willingly tried to cheat his way through the contest, but incensed at having been ripped off, Mr Nelson was happy to admit his own crime to catch the man behind it.
The audience, thinking the show to be over with the announcement of the winner, were now loving the street theatre occurring around them. Their heads were swinging back and forth as each new person spoke.
On the stage, Alan’s head looked ready to explode.
‘It gets worse,’ Albert shouted. He was guessing the next bit based purely on Rex. ‘A man was murdered here late last night, the second man to meet his doom in the space of just a few hours. I feel it necessary to alert you to this, Mr Bentley, because you are currently shaking the murderer’s hand.’
The crowd gave a shocked gasp as if cued to do so like a live television audience. Ethan Bentley looked down at his hand and back up at the man holding it. Lee Oliver was as white as a sheet. Hendrix and Wilshaw, as if sensing that he was about to bolt, had climbed onto the stage from their viewing position out of the way at the back.
They were not fast enough though. Not even nearly. Lee Oliver whipped his hand upward, striking the supermarket boss in the face. It wasn’t a hard blow and was intended only to get the man out of his way. It caught Ethan by surprise, causing him to leap backward away from the source of violence as Lee Oliver went from stationary to sprinting flat out.
He tore across the stage, heading away from the cops and everyone else.
Seeing him go, Rex bounced onto his paws, suddenly understanding what it was his human wanted him to be ready for.
With an ironic smile, and without taking his eyes from Alan Crystal’s, Albert unclipped Rex’s lead and said, ‘Sic ’em, boy.’
Rex exploded into action. The human had a ten-yard lead but that was nothing. It was their third game of chase and bite and this time Rex wasn’t going to lose.
There were cries of alarm when the giant dog ran through the crowd of onlookers. He wanted to put his head down and go but having to negotiate his way through the press of human legs slowed him down. Lee Oliver leapt from the stage through a gap between people; they’d seen him coming, heard the comment about being a murderer, and chosen to get out of his way. Besides, he was being pursued by a dog the size of a bear.
Left alone on the stage, Alan Crystal couldn’t believe what had happened. How did the old man know any of this? He saw Lee run and jump, making good his bid for escape and found his own legs trying to do the same. The two young police officers had chased Lee, leaving him unguarded, which gave him a chance. He was forty years older and significantly slower than the other man, but he ran for the edge of the stage, hopelessly trying to escape the thousands of people around him.
‘Grab him!’ yelled Gary, starting to clamber onto the stage to give chase. There was no one between Alan and the edge of the marquee. Lee Oliver had made a gap in the crowd, which Alan was now heading for. Evading the law might be improbable, but if someone didn’t stop him now, he might escape the venue and then who knew how long he might evade capture.
At the edge of the stage, Alan leapt, roaring like a madman to frighten the people who had already backed away to give him space. However, as he landed and made to run for the exit, a muffin
