The man in the black coat ch. 3

      Brena walked up the steps to her new house, everything reminded her of the past, before now, that would have bothered her. Now she had three children to care for and felt more at peace with herself and her past.  She had settled Tommy and Tia in a bedroom for the night, they were both very tired from the days trip. Tamora was in the livingroom watching tv and eating m&ms from the bag. She had just made it to the door with the rest of the groceries, when a hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pinned her to the house. She yelped as she hit the hard brick exterior of the one level ranch house that would be her home for the next few months. She struggled with all her might as her assailant had no difficulty holding her to the rough brick. She calmed as she thought of the three children inside, she couldn't let this jerk get near them, what if he was the one trying to kill them? She went limp as she thought of what to do. As she was thinking, she heard the strangest sound that she believed had ever been uttered. It was a mix between a squeal and a growl. Before she knew what was happening, Tamora flew out of the door, throught the screen door and into the man that held Brena. All the while, she was screaming," Let go of my mom, you creep," Brena did not know how to react to that, but her attacker didn't seem to know any better how to cope with a hysterical seven year old that was trying her darndest to beat him to death with a raggedy penguin.

      "Tamora, go inside the house this minute and call the police, and don't come back out until they get here. Check and make sure that Tia and Tommy didn't wake up during the commotion, we'll talk about your behavior later," Brena knew that she was being hard on the girl, but she was so terrified that she could have been hurt. Brena looked down at the man that had just recently been the victim of one of the most vicious beatings she had ever seen. And by a seven year old at that. "And you," she turned on the man like a vicious tiger, no one messed with her family, and those kids were her family, "What do you think you were doing attacking me in the middle of the night?" she ranted. "My children were just inside, do you know how much you probably terrified them? If there weren't children present, I would have myself a piece of your hide right now. You'd better feel lucky I didn't have a baseball bat in my hand when she got done with you. She is already terrified that there are mysterious killers out there just waiting to get her, what do you think she believes now? It certainly isn't in Santa," her breathing so ragged from her tirade that she had to catch her breath, she leaned against the house. The man reached out as if to help her, but she was not taking a chance with that, she grabbed his arm in a hold her brother had taught her and used her leverage to throw him into the rose bushes. She heard his yelps of pain as he landed and knew her aim was just as good as always.

      She was contemplating going after him and dragging him out when she heard police sirens, she figured that was their jobs. She walked to the side of the house and motioned for the police to come around the house to the side yard. The police men followed her, asking questions all the way, she told them what happened and waited for them to drag the jerk out of the bushes. She knew already that the man was not the same man that had killed Claudette. He was probably a petty theif trying to take her cash and credit cards.

      As the men dragged the limping man out of the bushes, she realized something strange, they weren't dragging him, they were helping him, being gentle as he murmured something to them as they walked. Why were they doing this? He was the man who had not ten minutes earilier thrown her against the side of her own house. Why would HE deserve that kind of treatment? "Okay, what is going on, aren't you going to arrest this man? He is the man who just got finished accosting me." She made aggitated noises in the back of her throat at the blushes that extended down the cheeks and throat of one of the officers at her comment. "Causing bodily harm to another human being is still a crime, yes?" she stated, knowing full well that it was," He just caused me bodily harm, why is he not in jail yet?" She was furrious at the situation, the two officers stood there as if they did not know what to do, as if it were extremely difficult thing to do. The man who stood inbetween them watched her as if she were some strange alien being, rather than a woman trying to get him sent to jail.

    One of the officers mustered up the courage to finally say something, "Well, ma'am, I'm not sure I have the authority to arrest this man."

    "Of course you have the authority to arrest this man, you are a member of the police, are you not? That gives you the authority to arrest anyone who breaks the law, that would be him. Unless, you would consider him throwing me against the wall not illegal, which would be preposerous. The only question is, are you police officers. If you are, then it is your sworn duty to arrest anyone who breaks the law, aka him. If you are not, then get someone in here who is going to uphold their vows to protect the innocent, so I can go check on my children," though the men looked slightly offended, they seemed to have made up their minds on what to do.

    They each grabbed an arm of the man presently beeing discussed and pulled him to the police squad car appologizing the entire way. The man who had been silent throughout the entire fiasco suddenly started talking in a low melodious voice, "She's right, you know, I did assault her, even accidentally. I deserve to be taken it until this is all straightened out. Now how would it look if the Sheriff refused arrest?"