Snippet #2622399

Chesterfield went pale at Anna's ultimatum, the politician stammering as he tried to come up with a good answer. "I...w-well...I..."

Chesterfield kept that up for a good minute, clearly searching for an answer, or a way out of this in general. His eyes darted around, as if he was considering making a run for it then and there. He'd hardly get up, of course, before two pistols were pointed his way...hence the Mayor kept to his seat.

Finally, Chesterfield slumped in apparent defeat, closing his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. He'd weighed all his options, and it seemed he'd finally come to a conclusion. "...Yes. There is something I wish to confess."

His hand moved underneath the desk at the same time, and Horatio felt a flash of sudden intuition. His eyes widened, and he dove forward, tackling Anna to the ground mere moments later.

A loud, booming sound rang out just seconds later, a bullet bursting forth from underneath the desk, flying through the air that had previously been occupied by Anna's right thigh.

Horatio was on his feet mere moments later, decades of experience and training taking over at this point. At the same time, a brief look of shock passed through Chesterfield's face. The Mayor evidently hadn't taken into account the possibility that one of the Dogs would see through his ruse before he got a shot off at one of them.

He hesitated, and that proved his downfall. Horatio had already been reaching for his holster as he bolted back up on his feet, and by the time the Mayor had registered his failure, he already had his revolver out.

Out of sheer instinct, Horatio fired off two shots at the Mayor, hitting him dead center in the chest. The bullets hit home, as two large red streams swelled from the bullet holes, staining Chesterfield's shirt.

The Mayor slumped against his chair, his vacant eyes staring forward, and his face forever frozen in surprise.

The whole exchange had taken place in less then ten seconds, and by the time it was over, Horatio was breathing heavily, his body hyped up on adrenaline. After a moment, when the elder Dog registered his opponent's death, he finally holstered his pistol.

"Well," Horatio spoke up, his voice breaking the deafening silence following the gunshots. "Shit."

At once, Horatio grimaced...cursing himself for shooting Chesterfield dead, instead of just disabling him by shooting him in the arm. In his defense though....years of instinct and honing made him go for the kill shot. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't really thought about disarming Chesterfield so he and Anna could further interrogate him.

Well. What's done was done. Chesterfield was dead....but, he had tried to shoot Anna underneath his desk, and no doubt had he succeeded, he would have shot him as well. If it was any consolation, Horatio had clearly been in the right in killing Chesterfield.

"Looks like we're down a suspect," Horatio quipped, eyeing Chesterfield's corpse in distaste.