(aka Bike) Part 1662 by Angharad Copyright © 2012 Angharad
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I released Trish’s hand and she went off to play with her brain-box sister, the two of them together had a higher IQ than the rest of Portsmouth put together. The phone rang and Jacquie got it. I took over sorting out our youngest offspring. “Well, Missy, did you reset your internal clock then?” I asked her and she laughed cheekily.
“Danny, call for you,” Jacquie yelled up the stairs.
A moment later there was the thunder of feet and thump as he jumped the final few steps into the hallway. I heard his muted voice. Then, “Mum, can I go out?”
“When?”
“Now.”
I looked at the clock, it was eleven o’clock. “Are you coming home for lunch?”
“I’m playin’ footie, so probably not–I’ll grab a sandwich when I come home.”
“Why don’t you make yourself one and take it with you?”
“Yeah, okay.” More muted conversation and he ran back upstairs. Five minutes later, the clomp of shoes and the single thump as he jumped again.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that,” I chided as he came into the kitchen.
“What?”
“Jumping down the stairs, if you slip you’ll hurt yourself.”
“I won’t.”
“No you won’t, because I don’t want you doing it anymore.”
“Aw, Mum, you treat me like a little kid.”
“Well if you act like one, what d’you expect?”
He buttered some bread and slipped some cooked meat inside the two pieces of bread, cut it in half and slipped it into a sandwich bag. “Can I take some crisps?”
“Of course you can.”
“Thanks.”
“There’s some chocolate bars in the fridge.”
“Oh, wow.” He helped himself to one.
“Aren’t you taking a drink?”
“Yeah, I’ll get the water bottle off my bike.”
“If you’re running about, you’d better take two drinks.”
He went and got his bike, and filled the water bottle. From the larder he took a bottle of water and with his lunch, he slipped them into a larger plastic carrier and put them in his backpack.
“Have you got your boots?”
“Yeah, course.”
“Well you clean them when you get home.”
“Mum, it’s bone dry out there.”
“Yes, well be careful, that will make it very hard if you fall.”
“Mum, I’m a boy, remember. We do falling and other things–and we don’t cry like babies like girls do.”
“Okay, big tough guy, where are you playing football?”
“On the rec, why?”
“I like to know where you are–I’m your mother, I worry about you.”
“Well don’t, I can take care of myself.”
“Sure you can.”
He went to leave and I said, “Have you forgotten anything?”
He stopped and thought for a moment. “No, why?”
I tapped a finger on my cheek, “You sure?”
He rolled his eyes and kissed me on the cheek. “Can I go now?”
“Of course, here.” I pressed a two pound coin in his hand. “You might want an ice cream.”
He smiled and his face lit up, “Thanks, Mum.”
“Be careful,” I called to his vanishing back. “Boys,” I sighed and Catherine chuckled. “I didn’t think it was that funny,” I added and she wriggled and laughed.
After lunch, I went to my study while Jacquie and the girls cleaned up the kitchen. I’d just started on my survey when the phone rang. I let Jacquie deal with it. “Mummy, it’s the police,” she called through to me. I picked up the extension.
“Hello, Cathy Cameron.”
“Lady Cameron, it’s Sergeant Groves at the central police station. We have a Danny Maiden in custody for shoplifting.”
“What? My son’s not a thief.”
“He was caught by the shopkeeper holding the stolen goods.”
“I’ll be straight down.” That was all I needed, bang goes my hour of peace and quiet. I asked Jacquie to hold the fort and to tell Simon where I was if he was back before me. Then after changing to something more formal, I rushed down to the police headquarters.
Sergeant Groves was a man in his forties. He was sitting opposite Danny and I in an interview room. With him was seated a woman uniformed officer. “This is off the record for the moment,” said Groves.
“Isn’t that against policy?” I asked.
“I’m hoping we can get by with a caution, but a lot of this is going to depend upon his attitude and the evidence.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “Can you tell me and these two officers what happened, Danny?”
“We finished our game and I remembered you’d give me the two pounds for an ice cream. I parked me bike and was about to go in the shop and these two kids come runnin’ out, one of ’shoved something in me hands and the next minute the shop keeper grabs me and drags me inside, calling me a thief.”
“So you didn’t take anything?” I clarified.
“I ’adn’t even got into the shop.”
“The shopkeeper, a Mr Pravit, accuses him of being an accomplice after the fact.”
“I think he might well be mistaken. If my son says he didn’t go into the shop and that some stranger dumped something in his hands, then that’s what happened.”
“Lady Cameron, your adopted son, has got previous, up to you old ways are you, Maiden?”
“No, honest, I didn’t take nothin’.”
“Once a thief...”
“Isn’t there room for change in your scheme of the world?” I challenged him.
“Yeah, they get worse.”
“My son is no thief,” I insisted.
“Yeah, well I got records in there which beg to differ.”
“Danny hasn’t been in trouble since he’s lived in a family. He’s a good kid and as straight as a die.”
“I’m thinking leopards and spots, Lady C.”
“I’m thinking poor deduction, Sergeant. You’re making assumptions based upon biased reasoning. The old fashioned, give a dog a bad name. I’m suggesting we look at the CCTV and see what that shows.”
“It’s on its way.”
“Good, if it proves me wrong, I give you a free hand to charge him as you wish, if it doesn’t, I suggest you release him and find the two boys who are guilty of this theft.”
He shook his head. There was tap on the door and an officer came in with a DVD. They placed it in a player and after a bit of fast forwarding, he found the relevant part. It showed two youths, one black the other looked Asian, grabbing a box of some sort from the counter with the till, then they dashed out of the shop. Subtle it wasn’t. Moments later, the shopkeeper gave chase and his body obscures what happened next. Then he’s seen dragging Danny into the shop with one hand and holding a box with the other.
“That doesn’t prove anything.” I commented upon the grainy film.
“It certainly don’t prove him innocent.”
“Nor does it prove him guilty. If you were standing outside a shop waiting for your mates inside to rob the place, wouldn’t you run when they did?”
“He was caught off guard.”
“Only because he wasn’t involved. If he’s innocent, the shopkeeper is guilty of false imprisonment.”
“I believe you have had involvement with this department before, Lady Cameron? In fact we have an unofficial note on your name, address and phone numbers to avoid any confrontation with you at any cost. Why is that?”
“How would I know?”
“They also say you tend to be the pension destroyer, is it true?”
“Not as far as I’m aware. I did successfully sue some of your colleagues and the force for undisclosed damages.”
“Quarter of a million, they say,” the sergeant added.
“I gave it to a children’s home in Wantage.”
“Very noble of you.”
I shrugged.
“Is this the only camera? Surely these days they have places bristling with them.”
“Is this the only camera, Smith?” he said to his colleague.
“Dunno, Sarge.”
“Well shift that exquisite arse of yours and find out.”
“Yes, Sarge,” she shuffled out from under the table and walked quickly from the room.
“Did you do it, Danny?” asked the copper of my son.
“No, I told you the truth.” The copper shook his head.
I put my hand on Danny’s shoulder and squeezed it. I had every confidence in him. He looked at me and there were tears in his eyes. “Sorry, Mum.”
“Is that a confession?” asked the copper.
“No, I didn’t do nothin’.”
“That’s okay, kiddo. I’m sure we can sort it out.”
“I hope so, Mum.” I put my arm round him and pulled him into a partial hug.
“Where’s your bike?”
“Dunno,” he looked at the copper.
“Still outside the shop, I s’pose.”
“It had better be, or your shopkeeper is going to find his insurance premiums going up.”
“You’re not going to sue him for a bloody bike are you?” asked the incredulous sergeant.
“No, I’m currently going for defamation, false arrest, wrongful imprisonment, loss of property due to negligence–I think that’s it for now.”
“Geez, you’d sue the socks off him?”
“I hope we wouldn’t need to go that far. But if he impugns one of my children without evidence that would convict in a court of law, he has to face the consequences.”
“He was caught with a box of condoms in his hand, three hundred quid’s worth.”
I managed to keep a straight face. “And just what use would they be to a minor? I think your evidence is at best circumstantial, at worst a misconception.”
The sergeant looked at me and smirked. “Very funny.”
“On its way, Sarge,” called the police woman returning to our room.
Fifteen tedious minutes later, we were walking free when the second video showed that Danny was telling the truth and the film showed it quite clearly. He’d just locked his bike up to a post when the two youths came dashing from the shop and one of them dumped the box in his hands as he was about to go into the shop, whereupon the shop owner grabbed him and dragged him inside.
I drove him back to the shop and we loaded his bike into the boot of the car after removing the front wheel. Then I marched him into the shop. The shop keeper went quite pale, which seeing as he was Indian, was quite a feat.
“I don’t want him in my shop,” he threw at me.
“Don’t worry, he won’t be back here, but we came for an apology before we leave.”
“I’m not apologising to him.”
“You can speak to my barrister in court if you prefer, you’ll probably have to sell this dump to pay the legal costs plus borrow to settle the damages. Last time, it cost the defendant a quarter of a million, plus costs, which were even more.”
“I don’t have money like that.”
“Well I suggest you apologise, because I can tell you, I have half a dozen issues to take to court, including wrongful arrest and false imprisonment, plus defamation. My barrister would eat you with that sort of ammunition.”
He glanced out through the door and saw my Jaguar sitting there. The way he was looking me up and down, he was evaluating my clothing. It was a genuine Chanel suit.
“I think you are a bully, madam.”
“No, I’m protecting my own. You’re in the wrong, now I’m offering you an easy way out, or a hard road if you so choose.”
“You are wealthy?”
“Depends upon your definition of wealthy.”
“You are. I know. Okay, sonny, I apologise, I was wrong to grab you. Now please leave my shop and never return.”
“Say, thank you, Dan.” I instructed him.
“I ain’t gonna say anything to him, bloody twit.” Danny turned abruptly and left.
“I guess he changed his mind about the ice cream. Good day to you.” I followed my son out to the car.
“Thanks, Mum.”
“It’s okay, son, but next time don’t let anyone dump on you, okay?”
“Was it really a box of frenchies?” he asked.
“I beg your pardon?” I asked stifling the laugh which wanted to spread all over my face.
“You know, condoms, French letters–in’t that what they call ’em?”
“So I believe–tell you what, let’s go find another shop and get an ice cream.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Oh did you win your football game?”
“Course, I scored three as well.”
“Well done, here we go.” I let in the clutch and as we drove off I saw the scowling face of the shopkeeper in my rear view mirror. It certainly wasn’t his day, but was glad that he apologised–litigation is so tedious.
Comments
It is to laugh!
"litigation is so tedious" Now there is a classic line, and from Cathy instead of Trish and the rest of the mad mob. LOL!
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Force the plod to do it.
I was hoping that she'd badger the plod to bring the disk and a player down to the shop to prove his innocence.
When I was about 3, I got blamed for putting a hamster in a milk bottle and I ditn. To this day I think it was terribly unjust.
Gwendolyn
Cast iron
You'd think that the plod would make sure that they had a cast iron case before upsetting the Camerons. They already have her down as 'The Pension Destroyer'.
S.
Cathy v Police
= no contest .... I almost felt sorry for the Sergeant... almost!. You would have thought by now the least they would have done is make sure the evidence was watertight, And as for the shopkeeper, well he was nothing if not pragmatic.. Faced with Cathy did he have any other choice?..
Kirri
Apology?
I wouldn't call "don't come back an apology". If I were Cathy I would be outraged by that and definitely sue. A shopkeeper is a public service as well as a profit centre. They are a profit centre only because they are a public service. Refusing service based on dislike or distaste is discriminatory. I don't like that.
I don't see why they'd ever go back to that shop but
I agree. A pretty weak apology. If he grabbed Danny, I'd call that assult. A criminal not civil offence.
That really wasn't...
That really wasn't a heart felt apology. That was a coerced statement. It's quite obvious that the shop owner still believed that Danny was involved. As a result, he'll have it out for Danny (& anyone else he might associate with him)... If, at some future point, he's in some position where he could "do dirt" on Danny, we can be sure he will.
*sighs* I dunno if showing him the video that proved that Danny was not involved would convince him. Some folks just won't change their minds once they've made them. And, he KNOWS Danny's guilty. *sighs*
Thanks,
Annette
And that is why her children
love and respect the hell out of Cathy. They can expect fair treatment and stern boundaries and punishments. Consequently if they know they did something wrong it would probably tear them apart not to own up to it.
Kim
Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1662
Great seeing Danny and Cathy together.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Another example
And, we see another example of how those with can make sure that justice is actually served...
Had Danny still been a foster child - at any of his previous foster homes, we can be fairly sure they'd never have bothered going for the second video... He'd have been assumed guilty and the circumstantial evidence convicted him. :-( *sighs*
Sad when the laws only seem to work for the rich, consistently. :-( There's far to much of that going around.
Thank you,
Annette
Law
Law has always been for the rich. Law is all about being rich or getting rich. (Usually via the law.)
XZXX
Bev.
False accusations.
False accusations always wound and the wound goes deep. They can carry to the grave, especially when there is no requittal or apology.
Glad Danny got off but I can see how the corner shop owner was reluctant to apologise. He probably suffers every day from shop-lifters. Like most small businessmen in Britain he suffers from the double whammy.
Firstly for being a victim of crime with little or no redress.
Secondly he suffers from oppressive and dysfunctional laws when he has got just cause to litigate.
As I wrote in a reply to Anette above. The law only serves the rich and powerful.
Good chapter Angie; as ever. Still lovin' it.
OXOXOX
Bev.
The police still don't learn...
Despite the unofficial note advising them to avoid confrontation with Cathy at all costs, they still try...
As for the shopkeeper, perhaps it would have been better to have shown him the CCTV footage clearly demonstrating Danny was innocent - with what happened, the shopkeeper probably believes Danny was guilty and only got away with it because of Cathy's wealth.
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
So, no Bike tonight?
I do hope that Angharad is OK.
Gwendolyn
I suspect his business is not going to last,
The shop keeper is not very bright. Being a shopkeeper is as much a person business, you make friends with your customers. This guy did nothing but make enemies, and I suspect Danny will make sure his reputation suffers.