Against the Odds Ch. 03

"That feels lovely," she said, "but don't shoot; pull out when you're near and I'll pour some champagne on to it and suck for desert."

After Sophie had finished her desert and Troy had pushed the bottle into her to give him some champagne to suck out and get her away, they lounged in the softly bubbling pool and talked. He learned mostly about the late blossoming of Ellis as she's been a white-faced, introverted but yet highly intelligent high school senior when Sophie had met her; she recalled giving Ellis a zero grading for sex appeal.

"She seemed such an enigma, which is what attracted me. Here was someone who cried for no reason, was horrified to hear students slagging off about their parents and sibblings and I couldn't shake her belief that she'd die a virgin. She didn't wear any make-up – the only girl in the entire school except for the dozen religious weirdoes and she tried to be absolutely correct in everything she said or did."

Troy refillted their glasses.

"I went to one of our advisors who was a friend of my mother's and she said, 'Oh, Miss Fellows is the one to fix Ellis – she can draw talent from stone'. So Ellis and I were late enrolments into drama and the rest is history – she turned Ellis into a brilliant actress able to be more believable in passionate scenes than any of us, including those being shafted back stage but of course I don't mean just sex. She almost brought the room down in her final year as Joan of Arc – we all cried so much, even during readings and rehearsals. She was the true high school virgin graduate but fortunately followed tradition and lost it later than night."

Troy wasn't surprised; after what he'd learned about Ellis and her family it seemed inevitable she would be drawn into real life as she entered the senior education system.

At college she was a top student but built up a huge number of complaints about her sexual conduct – the poor girl was only making up for those lost years, according to Sophie. Finally her mother was called in and told to take her daughter elsewhere or she would be tossed out and her reputation stained as a result of that. So her mother sought advice from her lawyer about what to do about her willful daughter and the geriatric said law school of course. Once again it happened: our young Ellis found her groove."

Troy yawned and Sophie offered him dinner but he declined – he was full of party fare. "Okay, let's go to bed and nap for a couple of hours and then I'd like to be let loose to show you what I know about sex."

"Oh yes please," Troy grinned. "And then I may need a steak!"

Molly was back at work the next morning and Ellis returned a day later. When the crowd around her had gone Troy went in, kissed her on the cheek and handed her a big bouquet of flowers and then left the office. The note inside the card said: "I love my fabulous white suit and new boots and isn't Sophie a pet. However, I choose to wait for someone else."

* * *

Two days after Kelly had left for Ireland and his new office administrator was upstairs charged with arranging the internal layout of their new office area for subdivision, Troy drove over to The Grill. He tried to go there once a month to lunch with Duane and Paul because it pays to have a couple of friendly cops working the inner-city beat when you deal with tenancy disturbances, arson, willful damage and just plain nasty people.

"Hi Duane."

"Hi Troy – say Helen, the usual for my pal Troy please."

"Coming up – is this the usual Troy," Helen grinned cupping both boobs.

A big guy entered on crutches.

"Oh whoa fellow," Duane said, pushing back on his chair as the stranger pulled out a shotgun from under his coat and slipped off the home-made sling.

"Everyone keep calm," Duane shouted as women began whimpering and men began to scatter. One woman screamed.

Fear hit Troy's stomach as the gunman with the malevolent grin was Bute – the big guy who'd snatched and held Ellis prisoner. Bute's right leg was in plaster. So this is how it would end.

The door to the toilets opened and out stepped the other cop Paul, pulling up his zip. Daisy was right behind him adjusting her clothing and appearing very red faced; that turned to white as soon as she saw the shotgun. Bute had remained looking at Troy too long with a gloating stare and that allowed Paul to pull out his revolver and blast a close-range hole through the centre of Bute, chest high. Blood spurted over two women seated just alongside Bute and they screamed as if they'd been shot but the single shot fired by Bute as he fell mostly blasted off his good foot. He was dead before he hit the floor.

"Maintain your position Paul," Duane shouted. Everyone stay where you are. Lock the doors Daisy – we need to record details of this crime scene. Call the boss Paul. You – the manager – are those two security cameras in operation right now?"

"Yes, it's our policy..."

"Thank you. Well Paul, with that film this will be a short investigation. Why the hell is that guy after me? Did you hear him make a threat or even say something Troy?"

"Nuh, I didn't even see him until he was right in and he said nothing. He just looked at both of us and smiled in a crazy looking way."

"Agreed, do you know him?"

"Never seen him before."

"I'll repeat the question once again Troy and the investigators will ask you again and again: "This man who was pointing the shotgun at us, have you ever seen him before?"

"Who me? No, I've never sighted the scumbag before."

Duane: "A simple yes or no answer Troy.

Troy: "No."

Duane rubbed his sweaty forehead. "That bozo had me lined up."

"I reckon he was a weirdo," Troy offered. "I think I was to be next and then he'd work his way through the whole room."

"Yeah, that's a point. He looked mean enough to do that."

"Remember everyone, keep your positions as witnesses. The cops are on the way...er, I mean our task force is on the way. Everyone is safe. Our bozo is dead. Sorry we can't get the blood off you ladies till the crime scene has been photographed. You are being so very brave – your country is proud of you."

Duane then whispered to Paul: "Paul, what's your story for being out the back?"

"Er, I was adjusting her shoulder strap?"

"Fuck, you're married Paul. Say you went out to pee; even cops are allowed to pee."

"But Daisy came in pulling up her bra – that will be seen on security video."

"A complete co-incidence – remember to say that Paul if questioned on that point and you remember you have a husband Daisy. Just say your tits are so heavy you're always having to pull up your bra."

"Okay Duane, whispered Daisy. "But can I say boobs instead of tits?"

"Sure Daisy and if the investigators want to know what we are talking about now tell them we were recalling the good times we've had here without some weirdo trying to wipe out the lot of us."

"Oh God," whispered Daisy. "He was trying to do that – will I get danger money for working here now?"

"Can it Daisy," here come the boys and the media. "Troy, you heard what I told Daisy?"

"Yeah buddy, I'm with you guys all the way."

Changing from a whisper, Troy said, "You saved the lives of everyone in this room, Officer Paul whatever your name is. You performed magnificently, a real credit to your uniform."

Everyone applauded and Paul took a bow as eight policeman outnumbered by the media arrived at the door. "Unlock it Daisy but first pull up your front," Duane said.

As soon as crime scene photos were taken one team of police interviewed Paul, another Duane and the third Troy. When Troy gave his details the information was fed into a patrol car computer and soon after the reply came: Clean but licensed to carry."

"Where's you gun Troy?"

"Never bought a gun – that licensed was taken out seven years ago when I worked for a security firm for three months before I went to South Africa. It was their gun and I signed it back in. Here's the firm's card."

"Would you have made enemies in South Africa?"

"Yes, because of the nature of my work, perhaps several hundreds."

"No, I mean enemies with reason to kill you."

"I just said, perhaps several hundreds, given the chance."

"Jesus."

"Hey Serg – the print shows the meat here has form, plenty of it, and had been working for a ranch here until being paid off. He apparently stalked an itinerant worker who turned on him and smacked him with a chain, smashing his foot beyond repair but the hospital info desk says he's refused to have it amputated."

"Ah, here we go," said the sergeant. "We try to locate that itinerant worker, right. And meantime we build up the deceased's profile. We wait for this guy's blood test – I reckon with that pain he'll be on medical painkillers plus illegal drugs to block pain. Just have everyone sign their statements and they can go. Have you guys finished marking Paul's firing position and finding why the big-chested blonde came through the door with him?"

"Yes Serg. Paul had been draining his bladder and the blonde was wrestling with her juggs."

"Strange language, Melvin. Why don't you let the press in. Here's the Lieutenant, just in time to describe how he stopped mayhem while waiting for us to arrive. Good work Paul, you'll pick up a commendation and silverware for saving all these people; you'll probably be on national TV tonight. You can go as soon as the media is finished with you Troy – you weren't able to tell us much but were lucid, consistent and had a perfect image in your head of what you saw happen. We need more reliable witness like you."

On the way back to the office Troy stopped at a public phone and called Mitch and told him about the demise of Bute.

"How convenient," Mitch laughed. He should have been fired for numerous things years ago but dad didn't have the guts to do it. Leave this to me; I'll brief everyone who needs to know. We did pay him off handsomely to get rid of him without fuss. He was caught over at our own quarry site with a city guy manufacturing illegal substances. We caught them red-handed after waiting for them to return and start working; I caught everything on film so that ought to satisfy the police. We can take them to the spot where we dumped the manufacturing plant and I did keep a bottle of the powder for a memento. I take it back over there and leave it for the cops to find,"

"Excellent – but sterlize a new jar and top and transfer the power into that wearing gloves all the time. Wear a hat to avoid hair falling into the jar and don't sneeze of cough anywhere near the jar and then transport it in a towel and then destroy everything used in the transfer."

Mitch asked Troy had he been a policeman or a criminal. Troy said neither but had received intensive security training, He also read detective novels.

At the office Troy found Ellis was free so called in Molly and shut the door.

"He's had a four-and-a-half lunch hour and wishes to apologize," Ellis giggled.

"Just take this calmly," Ellis. "Your worse nightmare is over. By sheer coincidence I'm aware the big guy that snatched you is no more. It's almost 5:00 – switch the TV on to the local news station.

"The guys name is Bute. About once a month I have a cheap lunch with a couple of cops I met the first day I arrived here when I went to retrieve my motor-cycle outside City Hall after carrying you back here, Ellis. Today in walks Bute on crutches and pulls out a shotgun. He was going to blow me away. He was grinning inanely – the cops think he was on drugs. He was looking at me and the cop beside me. Just as he was lifting up the shotgun the other cop came through from the bathroom, sizes up what was happening and drilled the guy through the chest. The gunman, probably already dead, blasted a shot through his good foot."

"Ohmigod," Ellis cried.

"It's okay, it becomes better," Troy said. "I realized a full police investigation would probably lead right back to your kidnapping and place us all in the crap. So I claimed I didn't know the guy and planted the idea that he was probably a weirdo out to shoot us all and it apparently appeared logical to them and that's what they told the police investigators. It is a criminal offence to lie and mislead the police but I had more than more own butt to protect. I've just called Mitch and he will get the story right at his end – they actually did fire Bute and later found him on the property at an old quarry manufacturing drugs with the help of a city guy the cops are sure to pick up. So, if Mitch and we three keep our mouths shut it is probable no-one will ever know the truth and I can sleep a little easier at nights. I've had the thought that Bute could come after me."

"Oh Troy, my poor darling," Ellis cried, running around her desk and climbing on to his knee and kissing his face.

"Er, I think the news is starting," Troy said, and with Molly sitting to his left was able to edge over his right hand to cup Ellis's breast; it was left there for fifteen seconds before being gently removed.

With the two women splattered in blood crying and the shot cutting to Troy saying "He was a weirdo, probably drugged to his eyeballs out to shoot everyone" and Duane the policeman saying "I thought I was a gonna" it looked like restaurant mayhem and looked dreadful for the future of the restaurant until Troy was quoted again as saying, "This is a real advantage of eating in a restaurant inhabited by cops."

The interviewer asked Paul, "What made you draw on the gunman?"

"I stopped as I opened the door sensing something was wrong and just as I tensed to react as appropriate the waitress called Daisy appeared out of nowhere and bumped me forward. The deceased began lifting his 28-29 inch barrel pump-action 12-gauge and I knew if I ducked and he followed me then perhaps my partner Duane could jump him but if I were wrong Daisy would take the blast in the...in the...in the chest. I had the whole restaurant to protect so I plugged him where it mattered."

"Right where they call the A-spot?"

"Something like that. I was more concerned about my civilians than doing my ABC."

"You're one hell of a guy Officer Sutherland. A hero."

"Nah, just a guy being in the right place at the right time. Lieutenant Crosbie is always telling us to concentrate on doing that."

"Now Daisy, tell me...

"My name is Megan," she pouted.

"But Officer Sutherland called you Daisy."

"The police won't allow officers to become touchie familiar with waitresses so they just give us cute names."

"Oh really, I think Daisy suits you."

"Why thank you."

"Daisy, I mean Megan, what was your worst fear during those traumatic and tense moments?"

"I was thinking if I went home with my chest full of lead, Skipper wouldn't like it because he's very proud of these."

"I wonder why. No, please, don't answer that Daisy."

"This is Harry Hope, reporting today's shooting, signing off for Channel Five News at Five."

There was silence for a moment. "D-did you see the size of her lead-free chest?" Ellis said to Molly.

"I did indeed – I feel so inadequate with these."

Ellis left Troy's knee. "I wonder why Troy chooses to go to that restaurant and yet not go there every day?"

"One visit and he feels exhausted perhaps?"

At last Troy bit. "Cut it you guys – someone died in that restaurant today and many of those patrons were terrified."

"Yes, that's true," Ellis sighed. I apologize for my flippancy. Were you scared?"

"A little, but I had this plan see. As soon as he raised the gun at me I was going to stomp on his plaster and hurl myself off the chair sideways, taking the gun and keeping it pointing to the ceiling."

"Would you have succeeded?"

"Probably not because I'm out of practice. But the advantage of going point-black with a shot gun is you don't learn you failed."

"Ohmigod," cried Ellis rushing into Troy's arms and kissing him.

"Oh you two – take him home to bed, Ellis."

"No, I must resume work," she said, pulling down her hem that had almost caught against her hips.

"I have work to do – see you later guys," said Troy.

Molly stood, hands on hips. "I can't believe you two are real."

To Be Continued