‘They paid me to kill you.’
The words sing sharp in the cavernous hall. The barber holds the blade gently to the throat of his client.
The client’s eyes look into the mirror and bounce back at the barber. Neither man moves.
‘Will you?’
A tiny bump of white lather has built up, resting between the blade and the skin.
‘They say you are a murderer and that you are going to kill again.’
The client’s gaze is unwavering. His hands stay firmly placed on the armrests of the chair.
‘Yes.’
The barber swallows.
‘Are you going to kill the people who paid me?’
A bead of sweat rolls down the temple of the barber. The client’s eyes narrow, just a fraction.
‘If they are the same people I intended to kill before, then yes.’
The barber quickly licks the dryness from his lips.
‘Good.’
The barber brings up the blade and finishes shaving his client.
Paddy Dobson
22nd April 2022