A Death

A Death

[SHORT STORY] Hammond and Baker are two government agents sent to south-west England to silence a former spy. The victim is an elderly lady and Hammond, on his first assignment, has been unable to go through with the job. The opening of the story finds him sitting in the car, waiting for Baker who's had no such qualms. It seems Hammond's career is over, end of story, but stopping for lunch, the two men are witness to a tragedy of a different order, and to an act of heroism that will haunt both of them. This story first appeared in "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine" in December 2008. It was subsequently translated into Finnish for the magazine, Isku, and was the inspiration for a short film by award-winning director, Garrick Hamm.