she reminded me of another.
The cops got there when they got there. I moaned about it later but I know the wait wasn’t as long as it felt – Time has a way of dragging on when you’re caught up in the middle of something.
Jean unlocked the door. Waved her hand out into the parking lot. “She says he’s out there. Say’s he has a gun.”
The officer glanced over her shoulder at Maroula, with a look that suggested he didn’t really believe in things that went bump in the night. When he asked “Is she drunk?” I wanted to throw a box of Virginia Slims at his head.
I didn’t. And after a good stare he told Jean to “Go back in and wait” and “Another car’s on it’s way.”
As Maroula begged the older woman to keep the door locked, I flashed back to offender profiling, victimology studies (see no.23) and EU prison law.
I remembered another woman, just a year earlier, who jumped from a third story window and broke most of the bones in her lower body after being tied to a boiling radiator for two weeks…A Legal Aid defence team who drug her through court and tried to paint her a drunkard and a whore…And the guy who did it, who claimed he was just-your-average-Joe engaging in some innocent, and entirely consensual, S&M. (He ended up getting a laughable two years in prison where he’s now moaning about the food and his human rights.)
I hoped Maroula wouldn’t turn out the same way, but worried that she would.
Continued…
Facebook comments:
8 Responses to “she reminded me of another.”
Leave a Reply
[...] Continued… 15 Comments so far Leave a comment [...]
My word. All I can do is shake my head. A radiator? I can see now how such a job (criminologist) can change you.
Andrea, you’re right. You watch CSI and think you can imagine ‘worse case scenarios’. You go to bed at night and try not to dream about it.
Then you meet someone like this lady (the woman trapped in her apartment…not Maroula)…someone who’s gone through things they could never show on television.You see the man who did it…you see him smile and you begin to fear things you never feared before.
It makes sleeping difficult.
Aren’t some people utter bastards?
Though I think there are way too many tv shows showing sadism of this sort, way out of proportion to the amount of violence that’s goin on in real life. The last thing we need to to feed our paranoia.
Violet, you’ve hit the nail on the head with that phrase.
Also, I tell women all the time (and Lord knows I’ve said it before on this blog)…Don’t watch Law & Order. DO read Gavin de Becker.
I’m ready for part IV.
I did that 25 (turned into 30) Things About Me, that you did. I sound fun but a tad crabby -LOL!
Your 25 is more interesting!
It’s all in fun!
If ya’ll haven’t read Buffy’s 25…you need to!
Sorry but my last comment had too many website addresses on it. This would be the proper one.
There is one thing from CSI that I’d imagine is a bit true. One of the characters has said several times that it never ceases to amaze her the things people will do to each other.
Sad.
[...] Pt 3: I hoped Maroula wouldn’t turn out the same way, but worried that she would. [...]
Good Lord.