| Dreams of Gold! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Fourteen |
All Catherine could find to tie up the thugs, were some knitted belts from old sweaters she no longer wore, and some winter scarves. Vincent used what she had and managed to securely, and neatly tie them up by the time the Police arrived.
Vincent then quietly waited out on the balcony, and listened with a grin as he heard Jennifer tell their tale to the police.
Officer McGrady was having trouble keeping the story straight, as Jennifer excitedly carried on. She was explaining how she, and Catherine had managed to take the three thugs on.
Joe arrived at Catherine’s apartment, just in time to bump into the police, who were hulling out the three hoodlums from her apartment.
As one of the officers apologized, he said, "Hey, sorry for stepping on your foot Mr. Maxwell, Wilkin's boys here are hard to handle!"
Under his breath, Joe questionably asked, "Wilkin's boys....."
As Joe stepped inside the apartment, he excitedly asked, “Hey what’s going on here!”
Catherine assuredly said, “Everything is all right. The depo is safe thanks to Jenny. Calm down.”
Then Jennifer piped in, “Yep! I hid it after I talked to you Joe.”
To which Joe said, "I'm not worried about the depo!"
As Officer McGrady was leaving he said, “It looks like they handled themselves pretty good Joe."
The officer then said, "Good work ladies, let me know if you two decide to sign up at the academy! I will definitely put in a good word for you.”
Joe stood flabbergasted! As he grabbed McGrady’s arm, he asked, “You don’t mean these two, nailed those perps do you?”
McGrady answered, “Appears so, hard to believe, but yeah…the one Chandler took out…keeps babbling something about some huge guy with long hair, and said there was a growling sound that came out of no where. But we can’t figure it out. Chandler and Aranson said they have no idea what he could be talking about. Ahh, he must have a concussion or something.”
Joe then turned to Catherine in a panic, and asked, “So you two are really all right?”
Catherine nodded and said, "We are fine Joe, really."
She then added, "And the police have the depot in their possession, I sent it off with the first squad that left here. I didn’t want to take any chances with Jenkins getting his hands on it!”
Proudly, Joe said, “Good thinkin’ Chandler, Hey McGrady, will you have one of the boys bring it up to my office first thing on Monday morning?”
To which McGrady, answered, “Will do Joe.”
After all the police had gone, Joe looked suspiciously at Jennifer, and asked, “Come on give…what’s the real story? Don’t tell me you two really DID apprehend those guys by yourselves! They are top of the line mobsters!”
Jennifer smugly looked at her fingernails, and then buffed them on her shirt, and said, “Sure did, and I saved the deposition by hiding it before they came here too!”
Next, Joe looked questionably at Catherine, and asked, “No now come on! What really happened?”
Catherine laughed and said, “Read our statements for yourself Joe, here it is.”
Picking up a copy of the Police report, he said, “Let’s see what this report has to say…. hmm, yadda, yadda, yadda…uh…Catherine Chandler entered her apt. At 10:45p.m. and saw there were intruders interrogating her friend Jennifer Aranson at gunpoint.
Chandler then stepped back into the hallway, and armed herself. As she re-entered her apartment, Aranson noted Chandler shouted the “Freeze” warning in a "Charlie’s Angels" type stance, taking the two assailants off guard. This offered an opportunity for Aranson, to then courageously turn on the two dudes that were holding her, (who, by the way Aranson noted were very cute. One looked like Al Pacino, and the other was a Gorgeous Ron Perlman look-a-like) and she was able to bonk their heads together, knocking them coocoo! (Aranson wanted it noted, she hated to do that to these cuties)
Meanwhile, Chandler who was taken from behind by a third assailant (who was not all that cute,as observed by Aranson, and looked a lot like Charles Nelson Riley) was able to clobber him by boinking him with a candlestick….”
Joe scoffed and said, “Ah come on, this sounds like a Three Stooges plot!”
Causing Jennifer to shout, “What are you talking about, I thought it sounded pretty realistic!”
Catherine cleared her throat, and tried to divert Joe’s attention away from their phony story, and said, “Joe…Jennifer did protect the Benson Deposition, that is the important thing.”
Joe looked suspiciously at the two, and agreed, “I guess so…still there is something fishy going on here.”
Looking downward, Joe nervously called Catherine over to the side, by the balcony doors, near where Vincent was standing. Joe hesitated, before he asked, “Hey Chandler you didn’t listen to your messages on your answering machine yet, have ya?”
Catherine wasn’t lying when she said, “No I haven’t Joe.”
Sauntering over to her answering machine, he asked, “Uh…do you mind if I uh…erase a uh…message I left earlier. It was nothing.”
Catherine knowingly said, “Sure Joe, go ahead.”
Noticing Joe was all dressed up, she asked, “You look nice, were you out on the town tonight?”
Joe blushed as he said, “Well, yeah, I mean I was home when Jenny called, but I was out… and now we’re back at my place, err I am back at my place that is to say…”
Quizzically, Jennifer teasingly asked, “Joe? Do you have a hot date waiting for you back at your bachelor pad?”
Jennifer started laughing, and then Catherine teased him further, by saying, “Here we are, busting heads taking a bite out of crime, and you are on a date!”
Jennifer added, “Hope I didn't interrupt anything when I called.”
Joe embarrassingly said, “All right now that’s enough.”
Catherine then seriously asked, “Kidding aside Joe, who is she…what’s her name?”
Joe, sweetly said, “Angela Luciano, ah…she’s new in the office.”
Catherine thought about it and said, “I didn’t know there was any openings in the office, the only person who is leaving is…me!"
As it dawned on her, that Joe was out with her replacement, she incredulously asked, " Joe, you couldn’t have replaced me already!”
Joe looked down and said, “Yea well…yes…she kinda dropped in our laps, er so to speak.”
For just a second, this caught Catherine off guard, making her feel sad and dispensable. Out with the old and in with the new! However, she had seen this happen many times herself before, to other people. Both at her Dad’s firm, and there at the D.A. People, who work hard, and are seemingly the pillar of the organization, they retire, or move away, die or move upwards, and somehow...business DOES goes on. They are replaced, and are replaceable…just as she is!
Catherine realized as Joe erased the message he left on her answering machine, this new girl, must have replaced her in her in Joe’s heart too.
She smiled sadly, and said, “It’s all right Joe. I am glad. I didn’t want you to be short handed around the office.”
To which, Joe kindly explained, “If it would’ve been up to me, I would've waited Chandler. I was certain you were gonna change your mind…but you know the commissioner…Gotta move on!”
Joe then stepped closer, and added, “It’s not too late Cath, you know you can come back anytime."
Catherine sweetly smiled at Joe, and tipped her head to the side as she said, “Thanks Joe, but...”
Sadly he finally conceded, saying, “No chance of that uh Cath?”
Catherine shook her head no, and answered, “No Joe, I have someone I love very much waiting for me, to begin a new life with him, and that is where I long to be.”
Joe and Catherine shared a look and a hug, and then Catherine lovingly, said, “I would like to meet Angela sometime.”
Joe took Catherine’s hand, and said, “I’d like that, and she’s Italian. Ma’s gonna love her…and hey, I would like to meet your guy too.”
Taking a deep breath, Joe turned to Jennifer, and then back to Catherine, and said, “Well I better get back, I don’t want to keep Angela waiting too long.”
Catherine added, “Sure Joe, I’ll be seeing you around.”
Joe nodded, and then said to Jennifer, “Thanks Jenny…you did a great job here tonight…you both did. I don’t know how to thank you for getting the depo Cath, we’re gonna nail Jenkins now. You can feel proud, I know I am, I am very proud of you.”
As Joe stepped to the door, Catherine said, “Thanks Joe…that means a lot to me.”
After Joe left, Catherine looked to the balcony and saw Vincent, who had stepped into view. He looked so strong and beautiful as he stood there, knowing Catherine was now his…all his, and she was committed to sharing his world with him.
Running into his arms, she hugged him, and told him how grateful she was to him for saving Jennifer's life, and her own.
Vincent heaved a relieved sigh, and said, “If something had happened to you…"
Catherine then confessed, “I don’t know what I would have done if you would’ve been injured in some way! I tried to block our bond so you wouldn't show up in the middle of a gunfight. But somehow...you knew anyway, and saved us tonight.”
Jennifer looked on as her friend was within Vincent’s embrace, and though she felt the chemistry between them before, she, for the first time was struck by the power and the strength of their love for one another.
Vincent then turned to include Jennifer, as he said, “I believe it would be for the best, if you two stay down in the tunnels tonight. You should not remain here, I sense the danger may not be over.”
Catherine agreed and said, “You could be right. Until word gets out Jenkin’s men have been apprehended, my apartment could be targeted again.”
Looking at Jennifer, she asked, “Jen, what do you think? Wanna go?”
To which Jennifer, excitedly said, “Are you kidding Cathy? I am dying to venture down into the tunnels, and visit this place that is going to be your new home!”
Catherine looked up at Vincent, and said, “We will meet you at the threshold Vincent.”
To be continued.
Chapter Fifteen
Vincent then quietly waited out on the balcony, and listened with a grin as he heard Jennifer tell their tale to the police.
Officer McGrady was having trouble keeping the story straight, as Jennifer excitedly carried on. She was explaining how she, and Catherine had managed to take the three thugs on.
Joe arrived at Catherine’s apartment, just in time to bump into the police, who were hulling out the three hoodlums from her apartment.
As one of the officers apologized, he said, "Hey, sorry for stepping on your foot Mr. Maxwell, Wilkin's boys here are hard to handle!"
Under his breath, Joe questionably asked, "Wilkin's boys....."
As Joe stepped inside the apartment, he excitedly asked, “Hey what’s going on here!”
Catherine assuredly said, “Everything is all right. The depo is safe thanks to Jenny. Calm down.”
Then Jennifer piped in, “Yep! I hid it after I talked to you Joe.”
To which Joe said, "I'm not worried about the depo!"
As Officer McGrady was leaving he said, “It looks like they handled themselves pretty good Joe."
The officer then said, "Good work ladies, let me know if you two decide to sign up at the academy! I will definitely put in a good word for you.”
Joe stood flabbergasted! As he grabbed McGrady’s arm, he asked, “You don’t mean these two, nailed those perps do you?”
McGrady answered, “Appears so, hard to believe, but yeah…the one Chandler took out…keeps babbling something about some huge guy with long hair, and said there was a growling sound that came out of no where. But we can’t figure it out. Chandler and Aranson said they have no idea what he could be talking about. Ahh, he must have a concussion or something.”
Joe then turned to Catherine in a panic, and asked, “So you two are really all right?”
Catherine nodded and said, "We are fine Joe, really."
She then added, "And the police have the depot in their possession, I sent it off with the first squad that left here. I didn’t want to take any chances with Jenkins getting his hands on it!”
Proudly, Joe said, “Good thinkin’ Chandler, Hey McGrady, will you have one of the boys bring it up to my office first thing on Monday morning?”
To which McGrady, answered, “Will do Joe.”
After all the police had gone, Joe looked suspiciously at Jennifer, and asked, “Come on give…what’s the real story? Don’t tell me you two really DID apprehend those guys by yourselves! They are top of the line mobsters!”
Jennifer smugly looked at her fingernails, and then buffed them on her shirt, and said, “Sure did, and I saved the deposition by hiding it before they came here too!”
Next, Joe looked questionably at Catherine, and asked, “No now come on! What really happened?”
Catherine laughed and said, “Read our statements for yourself Joe, here it is.”
Picking up a copy of the Police report, he said, “Let’s see what this report has to say…. hmm, yadda, yadda, yadda…uh…Catherine Chandler entered her apt. At 10:45p.m. and saw there were intruders interrogating her friend Jennifer Aranson at gunpoint.
Chandler then stepped back into the hallway, and armed herself. As she re-entered her apartment, Aranson noted Chandler shouted the “Freeze” warning in a "Charlie’s Angels" type stance, taking the two assailants off guard. This offered an opportunity for Aranson, to then courageously turn on the two dudes that were holding her, (who, by the way Aranson noted were very cute. One looked like Al Pacino, and the other was a Gorgeous Ron Perlman look-a-like) and she was able to bonk their heads together, knocking them coocoo! (Aranson wanted it noted, she hated to do that to these cuties)
Meanwhile, Chandler who was taken from behind by a third assailant (who was not all that cute,as observed by Aranson, and looked a lot like Charles Nelson Riley) was able to clobber him by boinking him with a candlestick….”
Joe scoffed and said, “Ah come on, this sounds like a Three Stooges plot!”
Causing Jennifer to shout, “What are you talking about, I thought it sounded pretty realistic!”
Catherine cleared her throat, and tried to divert Joe’s attention away from their phony story, and said, “Joe…Jennifer did protect the Benson Deposition, that is the important thing.”
Joe looked suspiciously at the two, and agreed, “I guess so…still there is something fishy going on here.”
Looking downward, Joe nervously called Catherine over to the side, by the balcony doors, near where Vincent was standing. Joe hesitated, before he asked, “Hey Chandler you didn’t listen to your messages on your answering machine yet, have ya?”
Catherine wasn’t lying when she said, “No I haven’t Joe.”
Sauntering over to her answering machine, he asked, “Uh…do you mind if I uh…erase a uh…message I left earlier. It was nothing.”
Catherine knowingly said, “Sure Joe, go ahead.”
Noticing Joe was all dressed up, she asked, “You look nice, were you out on the town tonight?”
Joe blushed as he said, “Well, yeah, I mean I was home when Jenny called, but I was out… and now we’re back at my place, err I am back at my place that is to say…”
Quizzically, Jennifer teasingly asked, “Joe? Do you have a hot date waiting for you back at your bachelor pad?”
Jennifer started laughing, and then Catherine teased him further, by saying, “Here we are, busting heads taking a bite out of crime, and you are on a date!”
Jennifer added, “Hope I didn't interrupt anything when I called.”
Joe embarrassingly said, “All right now that’s enough.”
Catherine then seriously asked, “Kidding aside Joe, who is she…what’s her name?”
Joe, sweetly said, “Angela Luciano, ah…she’s new in the office.”
Catherine thought about it and said, “I didn’t know there was any openings in the office, the only person who is leaving is…me!"
As it dawned on her, that Joe was out with her replacement, she incredulously asked, " Joe, you couldn’t have replaced me already!”
Joe looked down and said, “Yea well…yes…she kinda dropped in our laps, er so to speak.”
For just a second, this caught Catherine off guard, making her feel sad and dispensable. Out with the old and in with the new! However, she had seen this happen many times herself before, to other people. Both at her Dad’s firm, and there at the D.A. People, who work hard, and are seemingly the pillar of the organization, they retire, or move away, die or move upwards, and somehow...business DOES goes on. They are replaced, and are replaceable…just as she is!
Catherine realized as Joe erased the message he left on her answering machine, this new girl, must have replaced her in her in Joe’s heart too.
She smiled sadly, and said, “It’s all right Joe. I am glad. I didn’t want you to be short handed around the office.”
To which, Joe kindly explained, “If it would’ve been up to me, I would've waited Chandler. I was certain you were gonna change your mind…but you know the commissioner…Gotta move on!”
Joe then stepped closer, and added, “It’s not too late Cath, you know you can come back anytime."
Catherine sweetly smiled at Joe, and tipped her head to the side as she said, “Thanks Joe, but...”
Sadly he finally conceded, saying, “No chance of that uh Cath?”
Catherine shook her head no, and answered, “No Joe, I have someone I love very much waiting for me, to begin a new life with him, and that is where I long to be.”
Joe and Catherine shared a look and a hug, and then Catherine lovingly, said, “I would like to meet Angela sometime.”
Joe took Catherine’s hand, and said, “I’d like that, and she’s Italian. Ma’s gonna love her…and hey, I would like to meet your guy too.”
Taking a deep breath, Joe turned to Jennifer, and then back to Catherine, and said, “Well I better get back, I don’t want to keep Angela waiting too long.”
Catherine added, “Sure Joe, I’ll be seeing you around.”
Joe nodded, and then said to Jennifer, “Thanks Jenny…you did a great job here tonight…you both did. I don’t know how to thank you for getting the depo Cath, we’re gonna nail Jenkins now. You can feel proud, I know I am, I am very proud of you.”
As Joe stepped to the door, Catherine said, “Thanks Joe…that means a lot to me.”
After Joe left, Catherine looked to the balcony and saw Vincent, who had stepped into view. He looked so strong and beautiful as he stood there, knowing Catherine was now his…all his, and she was committed to sharing his world with him.
Running into his arms, she hugged him, and told him how grateful she was to him for saving Jennifer's life, and her own.
Vincent heaved a relieved sigh, and said, “If something had happened to you…"
Catherine then confessed, “I don’t know what I would have done if you would’ve been injured in some way! I tried to block our bond so you wouldn't show up in the middle of a gunfight. But somehow...you knew anyway, and saved us tonight.”
Jennifer looked on as her friend was within Vincent’s embrace, and though she felt the chemistry between them before, she, for the first time was struck by the power and the strength of their love for one another.
Vincent then turned to include Jennifer, as he said, “I believe it would be for the best, if you two stay down in the tunnels tonight. You should not remain here, I sense the danger may not be over.”
Catherine agreed and said, “You could be right. Until word gets out Jenkin’s men have been apprehended, my apartment could be targeted again.”
Looking at Jennifer, she asked, “Jen, what do you think? Wanna go?”
To which Jennifer, excitedly said, “Are you kidding Cathy? I am dying to venture down into the tunnels, and visit this place that is going to be your new home!”
Catherine looked up at Vincent, and said, “We will meet you at the threshold Vincent.”
To be continued.
Chapter Fifteen
