Prologue
It was very early in the morning and Duncan Freight had not had anything to eat in the past twenty-four hours. He was really, really hungry and fancying a nice loaf, he was lounging near Brothel’s Bakery at the corner of 57th and Pleasant, waiting for the right customer to exit the building.
A car stopped in front of the bakery, a sleek black sedan with blinded windows, so you could not see who was inside.
Must be one of the really posh people, Duncan thought.
A young man stepped out of the passenger seat next to the driver, and headed into the bakery. In passing, he gave Duncan a polite nod. The awkward grin he was offered in return caused him to hasten his step.
Dingaling
The door to the bakery announced the coming of the first customer of the day.
Duncan carefully glanced through the window, observing the transaction taking place, money being exchanged for freshly - or possibly not so freshly - baked consumables. Practically smelling it, his mouth started watering as he stood ready.
As soon as the man exited holding the paper bag, Duncan jumped forward, pulled the bag from his hands and dashed down the street.
‘Hey!’ the buyer called out, startled, followed shortly with a familiar ‘Thief! Hold the thief!’
As he took a right into a narrow alley, Duncan could hear the man running in pursuit behind him. You’ll never catch me, he smiled to himself, I know these streets much better than you do.
Turning from the alley onto an abandoned street, he heard a loud crack and noticed he was suddenly flat on the ground. It took a moment for the shock to pass.
Well shit, he silently cursed, they shot me.
From his cobblestone vantage point he saw the paper bag lying ahead, whiffs of vanilla and sugar tickling his nose.
And I was so looking forward to that, he thought as his spirit returned to Central.
