Page 178 of The Last Love Song
‘Madam, would you please come this way?’
In slow motion Helen saw the handgun being drawn out of the bag.
‘Thirty seconds, boys.’
‘Madam, please. I don’t want to have to remove you by force.’
Helen watched her, expecting her to move forward and aim the gun at Con. But she stayed where she was.
Peggy, Peggy, Peggy...
‘Ten seconds and you’re on.’
‘Come on, madam.’ The security guard reached for her and took her by the elbow.
She lifted the gun and aimed it at the person standing directly in front of her.
‘Todd! Todd! It’snotCon she’s after, it’sDerek!’ Helen yelled as the security guard began to pull her towards the exit. ‘Derek, move! For God’s sake,move!’
He couldn’t hear her. The screaming from the audience had reached fever pitch.
Wrenching herself out of the security guard’s grasp, Helen dived forward, throwing herself between Derek’s back and the gun.
‘You’re on!’
The gun went off.
Helen slumped to the ground.
‘Bloody hell!’ Todd and Derek turned at the sound of the shot. Con and Ian had already begun walking onto the stage.
‘Peggy, what on earth...’ Derek stared in astonishment as he saw the gun, still smoking in her hand.
‘You killed him, you bastard, didn’t you?’
Derek’s face turned white. ‘What?’
‘Tony! My darling Tony. If you couldn’t have me, then no one else could, isn’t that right? You sad little weirdo!’
Todd was signalling to the security guard to alert his colleagues immediately. He pushed Lulu and Virginia out of harm’s way, terrified at the sight of the gun now pointed directly at Derek.
‘Jesus, what is going on? We need you on stage. I—’ Johnny stopped short as he saw Helen on the floor and the gun in the woman’s hands.
‘Okay, okay, I’ll go and talk to Con and the crowd, keep things going for a bit.’
‘Peggy, I really don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Stop calling mePeggy!’ she screamed. ‘I hate it. That was my stupid little nickname at school. My name is Maggie!Maggie!Maggie!Short for Margaret! Do you hear me?!’ she screamed.
‘Okay, okay, Maggie. I’m sorry.’
Derek watched as she waved the gun around, tears streaming down her cheeks.
‘You should be dead. I thought I’d killed you before, but you turned out to be Con. I didn’t understand it. But I can kill you now, can’t I?’
Derek saw the bunch of burly security guards coming up behind her.
‘Maggie...I didn’t kill your Tony...he...I...’ Derek’s breathing quickened.
