It was a cold, starlit night.  A light breeze rustled the litter which lay scattered around the grounds of the A1 storage warehouse.  Andy Turner hummed as he keyed the security clock, one of four, set along the walled perimeter.  Once he had keyed the first, he had six minutes to key the others and the process was repeated each hour.  The taco graph was inspected after each shift failure to complete a round within the time limit resulted in fine, repeated offences in dismissal.

Andy strolled back towards the security guard’s cabin beside the high entrance gates.  Moths flapped feverishly against the glass lens of the security lights, whose beams lit up most of the warehouse.  Since his return from Vietnam in ’75, five years earlier, he had been fighting what he felt was a childish fear of the dark.   At home in winter he slept with the light on.  He felt just as comforted by the blazing beams of light which lit up the warehouse, as the holstered handgun he carried.  He was pleased to return to the cabin.  He was getting hungry and Maria’s tuna sandwiches lay waiting his attention in his lunch box.  He turned the handle and entered, tossed his peaked cap on to the desk in front of him. A gun muzzle slammed into his side.

“Put your hands on your head, don’t try anything foolish.”

A man stepped out from behind the door and relieved Andy of his gun.

“Step away.”  Andy did as he was told.  The gunman kicked the door shut.

“Sit.”  He pointed to the only chair available, it had been moved from behind to the side of the table, pushing it out of sight of the only window.

“Put your hands on your head and keep them there.”   The man stepped around to face him.   He was heavy set man with beady deep brown eyes below bushy eyebrows.  The nose had the characteristic bend of a fighter who had suffered as much, if not more, than any opponent, the upper lip was hidden by a wiry, nicotine flecked  walrus moustache.   Andy knew he had seen him somewhere before.  

“We’re gonna have a little talk, do as I say, no one gets hurt.”