Read Online Sharp Shot by Jack Higgins - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jack Higgins
Tags: Fiction
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fireplace painted on to the walllike the portraits. McCain hammered at
the wooden panelling, but there was no way out.
They spun round, just as the woman pushed past the last people and
stood in front of them. There was no escape now.
6
Jade and McCain had their backs to the fake fireplace. The woman
reached inside her jacket, and Jade could guess what she kept there. Would
she just shoot them where they stoodâin front of so many witnesses?
Suddenly the floor of the room tilted, as if the whole house had been
tipped up. The woman staggered back, just as surprised as everyone else.
McCain and Jade grabbed for the ridges of the wooden panelling, desperate
to avoid being flung after the woman. But they were still easy targets.
Then the lights went out. In the complete and utter darkness people
screamed with a mix of terror and delight.
The panel that Jade was holding began to move; itwas sliding away
from her. Light spilled into the room from behind the panel. It was a
door, and beyond it was a corridor, the floor at an angle and lights
flickering on the skewed walls.
âGo!â McCain yelled in Jadeâs ear.
She didnât need telling twice. Jade ran. She hoped McCain was close
behindâand that the woman in the suit, the woman with the gun, was a
long way back.
Most people were walking slowly, looking at the pictures on the walls
of the passage. Some were optical illusions; some were of fainting
Victorian ladies menaced by ghosts and demons. One transformed from a
handsome man into a rotting skull as Jade ran past.
âKidsâ stuff,â she muttered, and kept running.
Straight into a mass of cobwebs strung across the passage. To her
horror and embarrassment, Jade shrieked. She clawed at the strands
clinging to her face, and kept running. There was a loud bang behind her.
Was it part of the haunted house stuff, a door banging or a gunshot?
The passageway turned so abruptly that Jade almost ran into the wall.
A continuation of the passage was painted on itâanother illusion. But to
the side,the passage opened out into a large ballroom.
A glass screen separated off the side of the room, so that Jade was
in effect still in a corridor. Through the glass she could see the rest of
the ballroom. An enormous chandelier hung from the ceiling. Classical
statues stood in alcoves. Huge windows were covered with lavish velvet
curtains. And through the room, dancers moved elegantly and effortlessly
to the slightly tinny sound of Sait-Saensâ distinctive Danse
Macabre .
Yet, as they danced, Jade realised they were not real. They were
becoming insubstantial, like ghosts, and Jade could see through them. The
dancers then reappeared as if solid, only now their clothes were faded and
torn, dusty and grey. And the faces of the handsome men and beautiful
women were pale, fleshless skulls.
Another illusion, Jade realised, but she didnât have time to admire
it. More people were pushing into the ballroom area behind her, marvelling
at the dance. They gasped as the dancers changed again. For the moment
there seemed to be no way out. A hidden door would open, but only after
everyone was in the ballroom and had enjoyed the illusion. Everyoneâ
including the woman with the gun.
She couldnât see McCain. Maybe heâd managed to slip away and get out
of this nightmare haunted house, but for Jade it was a trap. There was
only one quick way out. The glass partition between the audience and the
dance floor came up to Jadeâs shoulder. She braced her hands on the top of
it, then hauled herself up and over.
She tilted and twisted over the top, landing heavily on her back, but
she was up at once. She needed to hide somewhere before the woman saw her
âassuming she hadnât watched Jade vault over the screen.
It was at this point that Jade realised how the illusion of the dance
was achieved. The dancers were on film, projected on to a glass screen
behind the partition, reaching up almost
the wooden panelling, but there was no way out.
They spun round, just as the woman pushed past the last people and
stood in front of them. There was no escape now.
6
Jade and McCain had their backs to the fake fireplace. The woman
reached inside her jacket, and Jade could guess what she kept there. Would
she just shoot them where they stoodâin front of so many witnesses?
Suddenly the floor of the room tilted, as if the whole house had been
tipped up. The woman staggered back, just as surprised as everyone else.
McCain and Jade grabbed for the ridges of the wooden panelling, desperate
to avoid being flung after the woman. But they were still easy targets.
Then the lights went out. In the complete and utter darkness people
screamed with a mix of terror and delight.
The panel that Jade was holding began to move; itwas sliding away
from her. Light spilled into the room from behind the panel. It was a
door, and beyond it was a corridor, the floor at an angle and lights
flickering on the skewed walls.
âGo!â McCain yelled in Jadeâs ear.
She didnât need telling twice. Jade ran. She hoped McCain was close
behindâand that the woman in the suit, the woman with the gun, was a
long way back.
Most people were walking slowly, looking at the pictures on the walls
of the passage. Some were optical illusions; some were of fainting
Victorian ladies menaced by ghosts and demons. One transformed from a
handsome man into a rotting skull as Jade ran past.
âKidsâ stuff,â she muttered, and kept running.
Straight into a mass of cobwebs strung across the passage. To her
horror and embarrassment, Jade shrieked. She clawed at the strands
clinging to her face, and kept running. There was a loud bang behind her.
Was it part of the haunted house stuff, a door banging or a gunshot?
The passageway turned so abruptly that Jade almost ran into the wall.
A continuation of the passage was painted on itâanother illusion. But to
the side,the passage opened out into a large ballroom.
A glass screen separated off the side of the room, so that Jade was
in effect still in a corridor. Through the glass she could see the rest of
the ballroom. An enormous chandelier hung from the ceiling. Classical
statues stood in alcoves. Huge windows were covered with lavish velvet
curtains. And through the room, dancers moved elegantly and effortlessly
to the slightly tinny sound of Sait-Saensâ distinctive Danse
Macabre .
Yet, as they danced, Jade realised they were not real. They were
becoming insubstantial, like ghosts, and Jade could see through them. The
dancers then reappeared as if solid, only now their clothes were faded and
torn, dusty and grey. And the faces of the handsome men and beautiful
women were pale, fleshless skulls.
Another illusion, Jade realised, but she didnât have time to admire
it. More people were pushing into the ballroom area behind her, marvelling
at the dance. They gasped as the dancers changed again. For the moment
there seemed to be no way out. A hidden door would open, but only after
everyone was in the ballroom and had enjoyed the illusion. Everyoneâ
including the woman with the gun.
She couldnât see McCain. Maybe heâd managed to slip away and get out
of this nightmare haunted house, but for Jade it was a trap. There was
only one quick way out. The glass partition between the audience and the
dance floor came up to Jadeâs shoulder. She braced her hands on the top of
it, then hauled herself up and over.
She tilted and twisted over the top, landing heavily on her back, but
she was up at once. She needed to hide somewhere before the woman saw her
âassuming she hadnât watched Jade vault over the screen.
It was at this point that Jade realised how the illusion of the dance
was achieved. The dancers were on film, projected on to a glass screen
behind the partition, reaching up almost
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