Page 3 of Six Steps to Happiness
Finally, she heard the sound of number eight’s door opening, and Ronnie immediately stood to attention. Her heart raced. That police officer had to have seen through Gaye’s charade and Ronnie struggled to contain her excitement at the prospect of her neighbour getting locked up for the night.
“Thank you for your understanding,” Gaye said.
Ronnie cocked her head, puzzled.Understanding? What understanding?
Her confusion deepened when the police officer stepped outside, allowing Gaye to close her door on the whole episode. Ronnie’s eyes narrowed. “And what are you doing with that?” she asked through the window, spotting the pizza box in his hands.
She watched on, helpless, as the officer headed down the path towards pizza man. She fumed. Clearly it was of no consequence that her neighbour was a lying so-and-so and had just wasted precious police man-hours. The two men talked in hushed tones, leaving Ronnie not only wishing she could lip-read, but wondering what the hell was going on and continuing to stand aghast, she felt tempted to bang on the window and insist the police officer did his job. Gaye had to have committed some sort of crime. Surely her earlier display warranted an arrest for a breach of the peace.
Discussion over, pizza man shook the police officer’s hand before returning to his delivery vehicle and going on his way. Ronnie pursed her lips; she’d had such high hopes. If anyone could have met Gaye head on, Ronnie had been convinced it was him; another reminder that images could be deceiving.
Disappointed, she waited for the police officer to climb into his car and drive off into the distance too, realising that yet again she had no choice but to accept defeat, that there wouldn’t be aForSalesign going up next door quite yet. But much to Ronnie’s surprise, the police officer didn’t move, he simply stood there, looking down at the pizza box he still held. After a moment, he straightened himself up, before turning his attention to Ronnie. She froze as he stared her way. “Oh, Lordy.” Taking in his expression, he clearly knew what she’d been up to.
Her mind raced as he walked towards her door. However, try as she might, she still couldn’t come up with an alibi for the time of the pizza order. She knew she should go and speak to him, but the nearer he got, the scarier he looked, and Ronnie couldn’t bring herself to move. She picked up her wine glass, pausing for a second before downing its every drop. “You can do this,” she told herself. “Remember, you’re the real victim here.”
Placing her glass on the windowsill and shutting the window, she smoothed down her clothes, wishing to God she looked a tad more respectable as she headed back through the lounge and into the hall. She hesitated at the front door, steeling herself as she opened it, suddenly stopping when she found herself face tochestwith the policeman. She swallowed hard, her eyes slowly moving upwards until they finally looked into his. “Officer,” she said, her voice cracking. If he’d seemed tall and intimidating from a distance, the man was positively terrifying up close. “How can I help you?”
“I believe this is yours,” he replied, holding out the pizza box.
Ronnie took in his sternness and with panic rising, wondered if that was a trick question, a ploy to make her say something she might later regret. She looked from him to the offering, and praying her blushes didn’t give her away, made sure to keep her hands by her sides. Her antics might not be those of a master criminal, but Ronnie wasn’t stupid, she knew acceptance would be an admission of guilt.
“May I come in?” he asked.
As tempting as it was to refuse entry, Ronnie knew better than to risk any further trouble, and her heart pounded as she stood aside, her hand gesturing down the hall to the kitchen. Following him, Ronnie told herself to play it cool. Guilty or not, she’d seen enough crime shows in her time to know anything she did say could be taken down in evidence and used against her. For her own sake, she had to remain silent.
Watching the police officer scan his surroundings, she saw his eyes settle on the Bello Italianotakeaway menu she’d left sitting on the kitchen counter.Oh, bugger, she thought, as he placed the pizza box down next to it. She felt the colour drain from her face. It was the exact evidence he needed to slap on the handcuffs and lead her outside, humiliating her in front of all the neighbours. Worse still, in front of the two next door. Ronnie pictured herself being paraded out, the both of them smirking and rubbing their hands with glee. As if they hadn’t put her through enough.
“I take it you know why I’m here?”
Having incriminated herself already thanks to the menu, Ronnie didn’t want to look any more foolish by denying it. But as sure as damn it, she wasn’t going to admit to anything.
“And I suggest you also know harassment is a criminal offence?” The police officer stared at her, his eyebrows raised in anticipation of an answer.
Ronnie, however, remained steadfast.
He shook his head at her continued silence. “As much as I appreciate you’re having a hard time…”
Ronnie flashed him a look. That was putting it mildly.
“The way I see it we have three options. One, I can arrest you.”
Ronnie’s back stiffened. After everything she’d been through.You mean you can try, she thought, ready to go down with a fight.
“Two, I can give you a formal harassment notice which stays on record for a year…”
Ronnie scoffed. Having never had as much as a parking ticket, the very idea that her name be kept on file somewhere was ludicrous.
“Or three…” The police officer pulled out his notebook and a pen and began writing. “You can sign this.”
Suspicious, Ronnie eyed the notebook and pen being proffered. Something else she’d learned from her TV viewing was to never sign anything without first getting it checked by a lawyer.
The police officer sighed at Ronnie’s lack of co-operation. “It simply says that next door have agreed not to press charges.”
Ronnie almost spluttered.How bloody kind!
“And that I’ve given you a verbal warning telling you to cease and desist.”
Ronnie snatched the notebook and pen from his hand.
