Twenty

The main yard of the Central Police Station is crawling with the press and a sizeable crowd.

The previous evening's episode of Elaine's popular GIRL VIBZ talk show which featured Mr. Chris Bawa as "The Beast" has made the press besiege the police station that early, eager to grab a good story.

From radio, television and print, the media gang are now all over the relatively small police station. They have mounted their equipment, brandished cameras, recorders and microphones and virtually taken over the main courtyard of the station.

Some of them were carrying the story live on their various networks.

Allan Davidson, the big-headed Central Police Station Commander, emerges from the confines of the police station and approaches the group of press personnel. There is a rush for notebooks, dictators, recorders, cameras and microphones as the big man stops and surveys the hungry group with cold eyes.

"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen. I will be very brief. Yesterday evening Miss Barbara Brooks, a Prisons Service officer, had a very unpleasant accident and accused Mr. Chris Bawa of trying to rape her," he begins in clipped tones. "She also accused him of assaulting her. Last night though, she changed her story. She confirmed that she might have been temporarily unstable due to the traumatic experience she went through. She has therefore retracted her charges and has admitted that Mr. Chris Bawa didn't harm her. In fact, he saved her life by rushing her to hospital."

A barrage of questions is aimed at him, and he raises both hands and gestures to them to keep calm. He refuses to speak until they gradually calm down. He then points to a female journalist.

"So, in other words, Miss Brooks' allegations against The Beast are false?" the journalist asks.

The policeman gives her a very cold stare.

"I'm yet to be acquainted with anybody involved in this incident named The Beast, ma'am," he says in a disapproving tone.

The journalist looks embarrassed almost immediately, and clears her throat once.

"Sorry, but after last night's program on television, that's how everybody now refers to Mr. Bawa," she says in a rush. "I'm very sorry for that. So, you're saying Mr. Bawa is free now?"

"Since the victim has admitted that Mr. Chris Bawa did no wrong, it would be against the law to hold him, so yes, he's been released."

A portly male journalist holds up his hand, and the Commander points to him.

"Could it be that Mr. Bawa indeed assaulted this young lady in his attempt to rape her, but she's now scared of going to court and going through all the ordeal of re-living the whole incident?" he asks with a disdainful curl to his lips. "Under that circumstance, she might feel obliged to let the case go, thereby letting a dangerous man loose on our streets again."

"If that were the case, I don't think the victim would have requested the company of Mr. Bawa at the hospital immediately because she is sorry and misses him a lot," the policeman says with ice in his voice.

"I don't get it. So how did she get so injured if she wasn't attacked?" the journalist persists.

"According to her she slipped and smashed into the French Windows at her home. Mr. Bawa rushed her to hospital."

A pretty, buxom female journalist speaks.

"But it doesn't make sense. According to the report Mr. Chris Bawa had a deep knife wound in his arm, and Miss Brooks was pretty cut up too. This 'slipped-and-fell' story just doesn't add up, Commander. It seems to me one of them is not telling the truth, and there's some cover-up somewhere."

"We'll still go ahead and investigate this case, ladies and gentlemen. But, based on Miss Brooks' retraction, Mr. Chris Bawa is free to go. If our investigations reveal foul play, we'll go ahead and apply the full rigors of the law. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other urgent matters to attend to. Good Morning."

Again, there are staccato machine-gun questions, and he holds up his hands again. There are groans of disappointment from the press personnel. The Commander smiles unenthusiastically and walks away from them. They chase him, demanding to speak to Chris, but he pays no heed to them and enters the police station.

He saw Chris, who has just signed the Release Form and is heading toward the main entrance. The Commander quickly approaches Chris. Chief Inspector Dan Curtis hands the Release Form to Sergeant McBaiden, and then Curtis approaches Chris from behind.

The Commander stops in front of Chris.

"You can't go out there, Mr. Bawa," he says kindly.

He notices how Chris Bawa is fighting to control his fury, and rightly so, the policeman admits quietly to himself.

The Commander feels a sudden rush of sympathy flooding his heart for this man who has suddenly become Public Enemy number one.

"And why is that, sir?" Chris asks in a tight whisper.

The Police Commander walks to the window and parts the curtains, and then gestures to Chris. Chris joins him at the window and sees the great number of press people out there.

"Paparazzi, my friend. They'll crucify you if you go out there. Come, I'll take you through the back door to the senior officers' car park where I let your sister-in-law wait for you," the police commander says.

Chris' eyes narrowed.

"Who? Ira is here?"

"Oh, yes. She came here quite early to bail you, but I informed her Miss Brooks has retracted her story and you're already a free man. I asked her to wait at the car park. Come with me, Mr. Bawa."

Chris turns to follow the man, and finds his way blocked by a smirking Dan Curtis.

"Hey, asshole, how did you like your cell last night? You'll definitely be back, so I'll keep that cage warm and reserved for you, turd," he says in a nasty, rasping voice.

The Commander notices the intense look of murderous wrath on Chris' face, and he reaches out blindly to pull the young man back. Curtis sees the murder in Chris' eyes, and he realizes quite too late that he has gone too far. He grabs his pistol and pulls it out of its holster but Chris is already on the move with the speed of lightning, chopping down with the rigid edge of his left hand on Curtis's gun wrist, and Curtis cries out as a numbing pain spreads through his arm, rendering it helpless, and his gun clatters to the floor.

Chris grips the hapless cop around the neck and lifts him clear off the ground. Curtis begins to choke for air as his tongue rolls out and his hands beat feebly at Chris' wrists.

The other policemen present, McBaiden included, grab their guns and batons.

Some point their guns at Chris whilst McBaiden rushes at them with his baton raised, evidently trying to smash it across Chris' skull. The Police Commander suddenly puts his body between Chris and McBaiden.

"Put that baton away this instant, Sergeant!" the commander orders angrily.

"Sir, he's assaulting a police officer in a police station!" McBaiden shoots back angrily.

"Put the fucking baton away, Sergeant, or I swear I'm gonna have your hide for this!" the Commander screams into McBaiden's face, and after a while, and with a murderous look at Chris, the Sergeant lowered his baton, but he keeps it in his hand, tapping it against his thigh.

The police commander turns to the other policemen, and his furious gaze sweeps over them.

"Holster your guns, NOW!"