Character has "genre savvy"

16 Jan 2013
(from The Write Practice (thewritepractice.com): prompt is to write story with a character who has "genre savvy")

Malone ran from her car over to the victim. A quick look at the bullet wound and it was clear the murder weapon was a .45 handgun, just like in the other shooting. She knew this because, well, detectives were just good like that. Hearing footsteps off to her left, she looked over and saw a large man, dressed all in black, pounding around the corner of a building. That had to be the perp.

Sprinting to the corner took no effort at all, even in heels. Malone skidded to a stop in front of what turned out to be the opening of a dark alley. Well, not that dark, since alleys like this were always nicely lit. A shot rang out. Malone didn’t flinch. The first shot always missed. Making good use of the long pause between shots, she darted behind a dumpster just as the second shot ricocheted past.

She heard footsteps again, coming closer. Crouched and ready to spring, she waited for the guy to step around the dumpster. There he was, just within range. Malone lunged at him and knocked the gun out of his hand. The weapon slid conveniently out of reach, and now it was time for all that Krav Maga training to pay off.

They started raining deadly blows on each other. Punches, kicks, elbows, whatever. Malone smiled grimly as the fighting continued. She knew they could keep this up all evening with only fat lips and bloody noses to show for it. Except for that last kick to her knee, which laid her out flat on her back. Oops. He picked up the pistol and aimed it at her. Double oops.

Before shooting, though, the man launched into a description of how carefully he’d planned his crimes, how smart he was, all the usual stuff. Malone heard a car squealing to a stop down the street. That had to be her partner coming to the rescue. Heading toward this alley, which was obviously the right one due to its nice lighting. She grinned at her attacker as he kept talking. Plenty of time.