As she stepped through the large arched doorway into the cool gloomy interior of the abbey Katy felt the chill raise the hairs on the back of her neck. As it had been gloriously bright and sunny two seconds ago as she wandered aimlessly through the town this did not surprise her.
Katy had come to Paisley to do some shopping as the small village she lived in boasted only a post office come corner shop and she was tired of buying all her clothes online. A writer by trade she rarely left the large desk chair by her computer and lived most of her life through her characters but today something had made her long for the sound of other people. She had showered and pulled on jeans and proper shoes, feeling her usual bare feet would be less than comfortable on the hot paving slabs of town, hopped into her car and drove the 12 miles or so to the town centre. Parking her car in the shade of a multi storey Katy headed to the shops where the rudeness of the assistants reminded her of why she preferred online shopping. She then had a gentle stroll in the sun and pondered her afternoons work. Her latest story, an adventurous romance, was teetering on the brink of becoming convoluted and nonsensical if she did not restrain her main characters. Her eye had been caught by the large Gothic façade of the Abbey and she realised that in the thirteen years she had been living near Paisley never once had she seen inside this large building, despite its being one of the oldest in the area.
She entered slowly relishing the change in temperature as the sun had begun to burn her shoulders and the bag she carried rubbed her right painfully. It was quiet within the dark walls, the rows of seats empty and no one in sight. Katy stepped lightly over the slabs in the floor engraved with names and dates so distant from today. She gazed up at the light dancing playfully through the multicoloured windows that pictured scenes she did not recognize from her atheist upbringing. Sunlight dappled the floor where she stood but no warmth seemed to penetrate the building as coolness emanated from the stone floor and walls. Katy listened for any noises and was surprised to realise that she could not hear anything, not even from outside.
Katy walked slowly around the interior walls of the Abbey admiring the stone work, the intricate carvings upon the choir, the windows and even the tombstones and wondered inwardly why this beautiful place was not filled with tourists like a similar building in Glasgow or Edinburgh would have been. Perhaps it was just that people did not know it was there she mused as she rested herself on a pew deep in the shadows at the back of the central passageway.
The lack of noise was just beginning to make Katy feel uneasy when the noise of footsteps echoed through the church. Sinking deeper into the shadows to allow this new visitor the same sense of wonder and solitude that she had enjoyed she felt grateful for her long dark hair and subdued clothing which allowed her to camouflage herself so effectively.
“Did you get it?” a guttural voice came from a little doorway that Katy had not noticed before and a man emerged from what looked like a spiral staircase on the left of the choir. Two sets of feet came together at the front of the choir where Katy imagined the minister would stand during a service.
“Of course I fucking got it! What do you pay me for” a small package changed hands.
Katy slipped herself further down in her chair suddenly feeling like she had inadvertently witnessed something that no one was meant to see.
“Did anyone see you?” the first voice asked, Katy could see now that it belonged to a small slight man whose face was illuminated by a random splash of light. His face looked pointed and mean but intelligent also.
“No of course not, I’m the best in the business of course no one saw me!” the second man boasted.
A shot rang out, echoing around the hollow emptiness of the previously silent arena. The second man fell silently to the ground and Katy could see a darker shadow spreading out like wings beneath him. The first man looked at his fallen friend and smiled as he tucked the package out of sight along with the small handgun which Katy had not noticed before. She was frozen to her chair, hoping madly that he would not look up and see her sitting there, a witness to his crime. After all if one death did not matter to him another would make no odds.
The sound of running footsteps came to Katy and the man at the same time as she saw his disappear back up the staircase from which he had so quickly emerged and gently close the door on his way. It was only seconds before the owner of the rushing feet entered the Abbey through the side door and came to an abrupt halt in front of the still warm body. Wheeling about a young minister ran back the way he had come shouting for someone to call the police and that someone was hurt.
Katy pondered what she had seen and wondered what she should do. The right thing was of course to tell the police everything but the temptation to sneak out, be on her way and pretend she had seen nothing was great. That way no-one would know what she had seen and she would be in no danger. Or would she. Could she get out without being seen she wondered. She slowly rose from her seat and cautiously edged towards the side aisle closest to her exit. She walked gingerly, grateful for her soft soled shoes, down the aisle trying to remove from her sight both the fallen man and the memory of his sudden demise. She was two steps from the doorway when a hand fell heavily onto her shoulder…
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