Just another point of view.
"I will kill him", she said very quietly into the telephone. Carefully, she hung up. Then she stood, her big body motionless and rigid with tension. After 4 minutes and 23 seconds, she suddenly moved again. With determination she walked to the windowsill, picked up the big, sickly green vase on it and smashed it with all force she was capable of, to the ground. "Dea Haderlump, dea nixige!" she stated. "I kriag Di, Du Mällohn, du si-ei-feifiger, Du!!" With this terrible bavarian threat, she finally left the scene of her furor and the apartment, not without changing first into her best walking shoes and the good jacket and picking up her big, black, well-worn handbag.
After standing motionless for perhaps 5 minutes, there was finally some activity at the entrance-door. Somehow, Resi had known, with this strange inner certainty she sometimes had when she was VERY upset, that this time she would be allowed to come in, if she only waited long enough. So when the door opened, she said "Grüß Gott" with an air of assurance to the petite, Asian-looking girl, who stood there and walked past her, as if she did this every day.
Resi made her way to Malone without hesitation. Purposefully, she entered his open office, with the slim young girl at her heels. Malone looked up."Ah, here you are!..." That was as far as he got before a formidable Resi was at his desk, both her arms down on it. She bent very far forward, wide-open dark eyes looking straight into Malone’s. "Now!" she said. For a moment Malone had the strange feeling that he was facing an angry mammoth. And he knew that look. Something was utterly wrong.
"What is it?" he asked with sudden concern. That put Resi off balance. She had expected anger, defence, even indifference - but not concern from this man. She felt the flaming rage which had spurred her on and brought her here, slowly dying down and leaving her defenceless. She straightened up a little bit, heaved deeply and said uncertainly: "...Well, it...it is what you did to Wilma!"
Malone was quiet for a moment. Then he said: "Why don't you sit down, Mrs Dollinger? And..." this to Backus, who still stood very alert near Resi "...do we have a nice cup of tea for our visitor?" Backup could take a hint. She nodded and left with a last glance at the two.
"Now, that we are comfortable, Mrs Dollinger, tell me! What is it that happened to - hrm - Wilma?"
"It is... It is so. Wilma’s daughter she telephones me. She says 'Wilma is in prison - from work' and she is very upset. I can hear, that she is very upset. And this, and Wilma be Polish and we was here only last week, and..." At this point, the big woman got uneasy and looked away
"...and Mrs Bodova having no working papers..." Malone suggested mildly.
The red which had started on Resi’s neck, now crawled up rapidly to her head. She glanced at Malone defiantly and answered with the vestiges of the fury she had felt earlier "...and you have the guilt, I say! Are you not shamed of doing this to a harmless poor woman? Ha! Police!!” Backus, on her way back with the tea, heard the last sentence. She didn’t think that anyone had ever spoken to Malone like that and couldn’t repress an appreciative grin.
"CI5 is not police," Malone stated with fluent ease. "And what is more: we are more used to - ehm - defending the poor than harming them. But one thing is true: This may have come over Mrs Bodova because I asked for some inquiries to be made about you two. Please be assured that it was unintentional and I will immediately take steps to repair the damage. Ah, and here comes Ms Backus with your tea.” He shot a warning glance in Tina’s direction. “Miss Backus! Isn't the women’s prison Holloway? Ah yes! And Messrs Curtis and Keel, their flight must have landed by now. They can do some light work on their way to HQ. After all they have had a long and undeserved holiday on board that plane and they have to get used to working again. Ring them up! Get me the Minister on Line One! And then take Mrs Dollinger here and arrange for a car to take her to Holloway! NOW!"
* * *
"We must rescue a lady from a fate more terrible than death," Sam stated pointedly and in a loud voice so as to be heard over the noise of the car’s motor, to his partner Chris Keel as he ended the call on his mobile and made a nice handbrake-turn with the Ford Mondeo. It wasn't as easy as with the old Capris, Chris knew from the stories, the oldies in CI5 told all the time. Two small dimples started growing in his cheeks, as he thought about the incredible fairy tales that went round.
"Sam! Since when does Malone voluntarily give us pleasant tasks?"
"Since the beauty in question is about 55, meagre, height of 1,55 m, greyhaired...with, let me see...faded blue eyes, a wrinkled face, nose like a bird, of Polish origin and in custody for deportation.”
"Don’t say it! You're talking about the cleaner!"
Sam grinned approvingly: "And just to keep you happy: her partner, age 53, height 1.78 m, suspiciously dark, permed hair, brown eyes, forbidding face, 190 pounds put in a - well - shapely figure of Rubens dimensions, will meet as at the prison gate."
Chris gave a side-glance: "And what’s the shoe size?"
"5 and a half"
* * *
Resi arrived at the prison gate at the same time as the two rescuers. The director of Holloway had already been informed and was waiting for them in his office. No need to mention, that Malone’s influence had already set everything right and it was only a question of formal dismissal procedure, as the director apologetically said. He was more than polite, greeted Resi with a handshake, talked to the two men and finally guarded them all in person to the small dismissal room. There, a little birdlike person clad all in black, sat at the only table in the chamber.
Resi had eyes only for Wilma. What had they done to her? This was not the woman she knew. Seeing her sitting there so motionless, with eyes like... like the dead, Resi felt a cold fear creeping up inside her. They had worked together for 5 years now and Wilma was the best partner she had ever had. They understood each other. They were friends. She wanted her friend back. "Come now, Wilma," she said in a croaking voice, at the same moment as the dark haired boy said, "You are free, Mrs Bodova" and the other one "Oh gosh! Lets go!"A general movement set in. Chris took Wilma delicately by the arm and helped her stand up. Sam opened the door and led them out. Resi followed behind.
Sam said, "We’ll take you home now. But our boss, Mr. Malone, would like to meet you both tomorrow. Could you come back to the HQ – you know the HQ – tomorrow, late afternoon at about 5 p.m.?"
Resi nodded: "Say him, we will come."
"Chris! Lets get the ladies home and then we have to go directly to the hospital. Malone wants us to guard Tom closely."
* * *
The next day, the two women were punctually back at the now well known entrance of the CI5 Headquarters. The still slightly suspicious security guard led them up to the operational control room. A nice little office party seemed just to about to come to its end. Everybody looked a little tired, some of the men with stubble shadowing their cheeks, the women with dark smudges under the eyes. “Don’t you people have homes to go to?” said Malone as he came out of his office. People started leaving, until only Harry Malone, Tina Backus, Sam Curtis and Chris Keel were left. On seeing the new arrivals, Malone led the pair into his office. Resi looked disapprovingly around her. Not tidy.
"Yes, Mrs Dollinger, we just saved the world yet another time, but here, in my office and the whole HQ, not everything is as it should be. That’s the reason I wanted to talk to you. You will have already guessed: I want you and Mrs Bodova to become a part of my team. In other words: good employment-terms, official contract, social benefits, a work permit for Mrs Bodova and long and unattractive working hours for you both. What do you say?"
"No." Resi said.
Wilma, who had for the first time in two days shown a reaction at the word ‘work permit’ sat a little bit more upright.
Malone smiled benignly and gave a number. "This is what you will earn - plus a work permit for Mrs Bodova."
Slowly, Wilma turned to her friend and hissed, "Resi!"
Resi kept a poker face and said another number, "plus a work permit without time limit for Wilma!"
Malone allowed himself a little brighter smile. "I agree."
Resi looked at Wilma, who only nodded. "Good. Then..." she stood up, "we will shake hands and we have a contract."
Malone also stood up. Formally, earnestly, he took Resi’s outstretched right hand in a firm grip and shook it. Then he repeated the same with Wilma.
"And now..." another side glance to Wilma who nodded again "you show us the equipment."
"Oh. It can wait until tomorrow."
"No." Resi answered. "This office cannot wait, I say! We start immediately. Right Wilma?"
"Right Resi."
"Oh. Good. Can you please go ahead then, I will be with you in a minute."
"Good" Resi answered, turned around and on her way out picked up a piece of crumpled paper which had fallen down. Wilma took the empty glass from the desk with an apologetic smile. "Dirty." she said.
Out of the office, Resi suddenly stopped. "Zefix. I bleeder Depp! I forgot about the Bus fare. I will ask. You go on" With that, she walked back to the office.
"Therese!!!" Wilma shouted, using Resi’s full name. Sometimes her partner was such a penny pincher, it was really embarrassing. Hadn't this man done enough for them? Brought her out of the prison! A work permit! But Resi didn't hear. Wilma sighed and started looking around her with a newly awakened interest in life. At the moment, only the young American with the kind blue eyes was there. And speaking of eyes - he had looked up with a start, when she had shouted after Therese. Slowly, she walked nearer.
Sam and Backup came back finally from their self-given task of brewing a good pot of strong coffee. Their entrance broke the spell under which Chris had told an old charwoman about himself. Sam looked at his partner in astonishment but said nothing. Wilma gave them a friendly nod and looked at Malone’s office, where the controller and Resi had just come out. Sam watched bemusedly as the three of them headed, if he saw this right, to the facilities room."He did it again, didn't he?" Sam asked with a mocking smile. "And from the way he’s laughing smugly, it seems to be the beginning of a big love affair! A ménage à trois."
Backup and Chris looked in the direction the three persons had vanished and started laughing.
* * *
After showing them the facilities, Malone left the two cleaning women to their task. Resi looked at Wilma, who seemed to be full of interesting information.
"You had nice chat?" she asked.
"You do not believe, Resi. They save the world. Top Secret. Today, they go to ...Wulsten Haus. A big chair with an eagle. All very important politics from all Europe. But bad people, from Bulgaria. Pah. Bulgaria! says all, not? The bad people, they bring a bomb! But silly police, they not listen to CI5, The politics, they not listen! And all is very upset in CI5, Sam and Chris..." Aha, Resi thought, she is already on first name terms. Trust Wilma, when it came to getting into people’s confidence. "Yes?" she asked.
"...they come in the last minute! Take the table with coffee-pot! What do you think? Because bomb is under coffee-pot!!! and put it out - and Wummm!!. Good boys, Sam and Chris. Sam is cool, Chris is hot. Long history, CI5 have. And Resi? What is a 'bubble perm'?" Resi looked at Wilma: She looked mischievous. The sparkle was back in her eyes. The only question left was: what was the woman up to now?
rg/2000-06-05Renates e-mail
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