Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 2447

Printer-friendly version
The Daily Dormouse.
(aka Bike, est. 2007)
Part 2447
by Angharad

Copyright© 2014 Angharad
All Rights Reserved.
  
-Dormouse-001.jpg

Press conferences are nerve-racking things at the best of times, add the news that your own personal nightmare is at large and it was astonishing that my brain wasn’t in meltdown. I calmly texted Danni that Cortez had escaped and to warn everyone. Effectively to pull up the drawbridge and admit no one, except family members. Easy enough, you’d think, but that is where you’d be wrong.

Back to the press conference: contrary to Jason’s instructions, I was going to blow the lid on Cortez—expose his empire built upon the poverty of many and maintained by a gang of thugs to whom murder was a way of life. I started telling my story and Jason tried to stop me. “You can’t say this, it’s under investigation, there’s a court case pending.”

“They have to find him first. Given their efforts so far, I’m not holding my breath.”

“Cathy, you have to trust the legal system, if you don’t what else is there except the law of the jungle?”

Questions came thick and fast, we showed the photos of his assault on the young copper, his attempt to kill me and Simon’s subsequent rescue. “I wish I’d killed him,” he muttered under his breath and part of me agreed with him. So far we’d managed to turn the tables or escape him. Sooner or later that wouldn’t happen, or so the law of averages suggests if not dictates. If the only way I could prevent him killing me or mine was to reciprocate the threat, if only in my head, then that was what I would do. I was going to murder someone, albeit in self defence. I would pay Jim to track him down and euthanase him.

The decision left me feeling dirty and at the eventual end of the press conference when Jason took me to one side and began to berate me for embarrassing him, I stepped away from him and said through clenched teeth, “When you’ve seen what that man has done to poor people, when you’ve been threatened by him, when you’ve felt his hands around your throat and smelt his disgusting body so close to yours it made you want to vomit, then you can pass judgement on me. Until then, stuff it.” I strode away from him and back towards Simon and Sammi.

“What was all that about?” asked Simon.

“I gave him the facts of life, if he doesn’t like it we may need a new lawyer.”

“You did what?”

“I told him to climb off his pomposity and smell the coffee.”

“You did what?”

“Simon, you just said that—please take us home.”

“We’re supposed to be meeting Dad for lunch. Can you apologise to Jason then?”

“No I can’t.”

“We can’t afford to lose him.”

“It’ll be cheaper than losing me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped.

“Simon, there is a lunatic at large who wishes to kill me and mine. I don’t know about you, but I am going home for a change of clothes and then I am going to organise my defences.”

“Call James.”

“I’ve already sent him a text.”

“Look, I’ll get home as soon as I can.” He went to kiss me and I turned away.

“I’d better get back to the bank,” said Sammi.

“Which bank?” I felt nervous for her, the sense of foreboding hadn’t left.

“I’ll go into the main Portsmouth branch now, I can work from there.”

“You could work from home.”

“It’s not as secure.”

“Take the afternoon off.”

“I can’t, Mummy, remember I’m going on holiday and need to have everything up to date before I go.”

“I wish you’d come home, darling. I’m worried for you.”

“Don’t be silly, I’ll be all right.”

“Cameron, prepare to die.” Cortez suddenly appeared as we walked to reception. He raised his hand and Sammi tried to pull me out of the way. There was a bang and her body jolted and we both fell down. Police came running and Cortez disappeared.

I extricated myself from under her. She was in shock and blood was seeping from the wound under her right arm. There was blood frothing from her nose and mouth. She’d been hit in the lung. Her breathing was laboured. “I have to get back to work,” she said trying to rise but falling back into my arms.

“Lie still, darling, you’ve been shot.”

“Ambulance is on its way,” said a woman police officer. I thanked her and returned to trying to keep Sammi alive.

“Sorry, I messed your suit, Mummy.” She said as fell back unconscious and stopped breathing.

Simon ran up, “What’s happened?”

“What’s it look like?” I said as I began CPR.

“Oh shit.”

I tried pouring the blue light into her but somehow I couldn’t muster any, so I reverted to good old fashioned conventional medicine and began compressions of her chest. Sirens sounded and running footsteps and two paramedics appeared and quickly took over. Simon led me away while they worked on her, scissors slicing through the priceless garment as they attempted to plug the hole and restart her heart.

Sitting in the car following the ambulance I saw the blood on my own suit—it was probably ruined—not that it mattered too much, it was only cloth, it was replaceable, Sammi wasn’t.

I stared aimlessly out of the windscreen of the Jaguar, sitting in the seat she’d occupied a few hours earlier, now she was fighting for her life. “If she dies, I am personally going to kill Cortez.”

“Not if I get to him first,” said Simon, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel. “Not if I get him first.”

We screamed into the A&E parking bay and Simon told me to go in, he’d park and come and find me. I did as he told me, walking almost in a dream blood splashed all down my front and my skirt bearing quite a large red mark.

“Are you all right?” asked someone in scrubs running to me.

“My daughter has been shot,” I remember saying before collapsing into their arms. I awoke some little while later. Simon was sitting next to me.

“How is Sammi,” I asked weakly.

“She’s critical but holding her own.”

“She’s a fighter.”

“Takes after her mum.”

“We don’t know her mum.”

“You, ya dipstick.”

“Some role model I am. Why am I here?”

“You’ve been shot as well.”

“What?” I almost called him a liar or a joker but the pain in my side tended to grab all my breath.

“You were hit in the side, mostly a flesh wound, they’ve got the bullet out and stitched it up. You were so worried about Sammi you didn’t realise you’d been shot yourself, did you?”

“No, no I didn’t.”

“What time is it?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“What?” I gasped, I’d been here six hours.

“Don’t worry, Jim’s friends are guarding the rest of the family.”

“I want Cortez dead.”

“I’ve already offered an obscene amount of money to Jim to take care of that.”

“What’s happening to us? We’re becoming as bad as him, aren’t we?” I said the tears running down my face.

“No, he does it to enhance his reputation for nastiness. What we’re doing is pest control.”

“I hope Sammi will be all right.”

“Trish is on the job.”

I smiled then drifted off into oblivion.

05Dolce_Red_l_0.jpg

up
214 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

Those who can DO. Those who can't teach & those who are totaly

... incompetent become police. What are they going to do next? Arrest Cathy for public bleeding with out a permit?

-- grin --

I wonder CAN one in Britain sue the police and prison system for incompetence, reckless endangerment? Or so on?

Time to use the bank to bankrupt those in charge of the local plod as our three cats are far more intelligent each than this whole force or is that farce around Cathy.

Nice stuff. Great heroine bashing, Ang.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Time to become lethal.

This makes be somewhat cranky. It is well past time that this guy gets orfed. It is a good thing he is such a bad shot. I could name dozens of ways to torture him, but someone else has already said them.

Gwen

But... Don't you know?

It's more civilized to allow a murderer to live to kill another day than it is to get rid of him. We need to protect the violent and disarm the innocent.

I vote for

the demise of Cortez---with no mercy---because that is the only justice it deserves.

But please, let it be not in a way that hurts Cathy.

Hugs, Fran

Have to agree

Don't want Cathy to feel guilty about paying for Cortez to be exterminated. Hoping the police will take care of it for her. Glad Trish is on the job. Wonder why Cathy couldn't send healing to Sammi... because she'd been shot too?

Death is too

good for a piece of scum (i would use stronger words but thats not very feminine )like Cortez. Not content with wrecking many other lives with his drug empire he seems intent on finishing off not just Cathy but her family as well.... Nasty men deserve a nasty ending .... Lets hope he gets it!

Kirri

Multiple Amputations Would Be My Choice

littlerocksilver's picture

Do the fingers a joint at a time. One joint a week. Take the toes, then the feet. Make sure he recovers each time. After the arms and legs have been removed, put him in a room with plenty of food and water, and leave him alone for what ever time it takes. I want it to be slow - real slow.

Portia

Remind me

Remind me not to piss you off.

Wow, Cortez seems to be able

Wow, Cortez seems to be able to appear and disappear at will. Is it just police incompetence, or are some of them in his employ?

I hope Simon's payment to James buys a private army, both for defense and offense.

Kris

{I leave a trail of Kudos as I browse the site. Be careful where you step!}

Dirty Cops

In my experience most Police I have encountered, are hard working and idealistic. The dishonest ones are rare.

Perhaps it would be better to investigate the Police, however rather than directly persue Cortez. Him having gotten loose on the plane and then again escaping in the UK, to me definitely means that something is not what it should be.

How can the Police be this incompetent in this case?

G

Please

Dahlia's picture

Someone kill this bastard Cortez!!! How could this twit get into this press conference with the plod all about it and supposedly watching for his despicable ass. I'll be so upset if Sammi ends up dying, even if it was to protect Cathy. What a waste of space and user of the air the rest of us breathe.

Dahlia

I'm not...

I'm not sure what to say... Other than there are times it REALLY sucks to be Cathy, or near her.

Wonder how Jason feels about things now. He probably STILL wishes she'd not said stuff that wasn't scripted. You'd think that security might be a bit better around Cathy, but I guess they were feeling over-secure with Cortez in jail. *sighs*

Looking forward to the next exciting episode of... Have Bike will Travel...

Annette

Incompitent police force!

They couldn't catch him the first time, so Spain had to do it for them. Then, after he is handed over, he manages to assault Cathy while in police custody. Then, he escapes. And he manages to acquire weapons in a country with gun control that is so tight that they don't even trust most police with weapons.

Or, more likely, he has managed to purchase some cops in high places.

It's too bad they can't extradite him to Texas. They know how to handle dangerous and violent criminals.

The Goverment must allow you to sue them

Other wise they are for the most part immune to their own wrong or neglectful doing. I just can't see England giving up that important of a blank check even to a lord. May be a convenient accident could befall Cortez. But I think Catherin may be quicker in the execution on any actionable information. This may be the lesson the Glory is trying to get Catherin to learn, point defense of your self and your family is not stooping to an animals level it is the right of self defense full stop.

There are many dirty things that is the responsibility of people of who have sovereignty to take the action in putting down a rabid dog is one of those responsibility's.

Then after rolling in the dirt doing this ugly job you wash it off and go on with your life, the point being is that you are still alive and dealt with the problem honestly. You have power and that requires sometime that you use it. Catherin needs to make peace with that. All of the others who are dead or imprisoned by Cortez's evil do not have that. Catherin does and should use it. It is simply the way of this mortal world of flesh and bones, a hero can and must step up to defend those who can not defend them selves.

With those with open eyes the world reads like a book

celtgirl_0.gif

Thriller Writer

Hello Angharad.

I am enjoying the story immensely.

Perhaps in the future when EAFOAB has ended, you could start a new career as a thriller writer.

Judging from the comments above, you have many fans engrossed in your current storyline.

Love to all

Anne G.

There is definitely an

There is definitely an insider or maybe more, helping Cortez. He could not have simply gotten to the exact location Cathy and Simon are without such help; and especially with a firearm to use on them. Too bad Cathy did not have her bow and arrows with her at the press conference. She might have gotten him then and been completely justified in doing so, as he had just shot her daughter and her.