Second chances Book 6/6

Chapter 1

Always getting up early in order to smooth her indomitable red hair, to finish by slightly making up her blue eyes, Caity looks at herself in the mirror, smiling her flirtatious smile. Her trouser suit perfectly ironed, she takes the shoulder bag containing her computer, then the luggage rack containing her boxes of files. She has a hearing at ten o'clock. Getting down to her car, she loads everything into her trunk before setting off, getting in shape. Barely out of her underground car park, she pushes up the volume with a wave of her hand, letting the music invade the cabin and then opening the windows for everyone to enjoy. The music of an obscure Moldavian metal band echoed as she passed the gate and parked in the basement. Caity had a knack for annoying his colleagues and the judges. Whether through her attitude, her successes, her independence. If everyone respected the father, they had trouble with the daughter, whom they had trouble understanding. Walking quickly through the halls, her black dress twirled, revealing her red pumps with twelve centimeter heels. Entering the courtroom, Caity took her seat and greeted her colleague.

"Mr. Wright," she greets, all smiles.

"Ms. Hammonds," he replies in an exasperated tone.

It was not a judgment given in front of jurors nor publicized. Caity knew it wouldn't take very long, she could quickly return to her office to take care of her other files. She and her colleague stood up when the judge entered the room. Without a word, he settled into his chair, opened the file and looked at the two lawyers.

"Mr. Wright, where is your client?

— He won't come, Your Honor.

— He will not come? He files a motion asking for the child abuse charges to be dropped and... he doesn't show up?" asks the judge in a curious tone.

"No, Your Honor, my client would like to withdraw his request."

The judge closes the file and steps back in his chair.

"Although I would be curious to know the reason, I have other things to do. Case closed!" he said using his mallet.

Caity watches the judge walk away before picking up her things and leaving the courtroom. Returning to her car, she sends a message to her office to inform them of the success. Opening the trunk, she puts down her files and folds her luggage rack which she slips next to the bag containing her black cargo pants, her long-sleeved black sweatshirt and her balaclava allowing her to hide her hair. Her uniform as she calls it, the one that allowed her to have an explanation the day before with her colleague's client.

For several days Caity had been noting Paul Wards' habits, and she went to wait for him when he left work. She'd slashed his car's tires and pulled up next to it, waiting for him from the back of a van she'd borrowed, affixing her target's own license plates to them. The second she heard him getting angry, Caity sprung out of the back of the van, slamming Paul into the back before throwing him in the back and closing the double doors. Leaving the scene of the kidnapping quietly, to park a little further, in a little frequented area of the industrial zone.

"Look at your work," she said, changing her voice, speaking slowly, accentuating her accent. "Is that a father's love for his children?"

Paul Wards was not looking at the photographs, but at the masked person, dark glasses, dressed all in black.

"Fuck you!"

The blow hit him hard, it still echoed in his head when his captor threw more photographs in his face as well as medical reports.

"That's what you do to your children when you're a coward!"

The blows rained down, terrible, it was a beating in order.