Rattling Snaes Cage

Concluding the story of Patrick, Rachel, Snake and Jerry.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

*

Patrick sat in the courtroom dock looking across at the members of the jury that sat to his left. He scanned them trying to access whether they looked like they were likely to find him guilty. There were a couple of older woman who were looking at him as if he was something that had crawled out from under a stone, and one younger one that had been appraising him as if she wouldn't mind letting him screw her. Otherwise it was hard to tell.

Glancing around the well of the court as the Barristers seemed to be discussing some point of law or other he noticed the reporter sitting in the crowded viewers area, a man that had been making notes during the proceedings yesterday, which had been the first day of his trial. It looked like he and his exploits were going to make the news. Glad that he had chosen to wear the suit he had chosen he looked down at himself, adjusting his light blue tie. It can't hurt to look presentable for the public he wryly thought to himself, after all it was probably the last time he was going to be seen in public for a very long time.

There was a sudden lull in the court and then the Prosecution Barrister, standing in his black gown and white wig called for the next witness, Rachel McCormack. Patrick's stomach clenched, and his heart missed a beat. It had been six months since he had seen her or held her, six long months in remand dreaming about her and reliving every second they had spent together, and although he knew she was the one that would put the nail in his coffin, so to speak, he was desperate to see her.

She walked into the court, her black hair pinned up emphasising her sweet face, and wearing a black suit, the jacket revealing a slinky white camisole, her eyes looking everywhere except at him.

Sitting forward on his chair he stared at her, drinking her in, longing for her to look up and see him. But she stood in the witness box, taking her oath, her face looking down.

The Prosecution asked her the usual details about herself and then started to lead her through what had transpired that first night as she drove through the wooded country road leading home from where she worked.

Suddenly she looked up and straight at him, her grey eyes glistening with tears and he silently mouthed the words, "I love you" at her, winking and smiling as if they were the only two people in the room, and not a packed Court Room where he was on trial for kidnapping her and dealing in drugs.

Giving a small smile back she seemed to slightly nod her head at him and continued to tell her story of how the door to her car had opened as she sat by the traffic lights and a strange man had gotten in, bloodied and bruised and told her to drive where he directed.

Patrick didn't bother to listen, he just watched her, remembering the good moments, in the bed, the time lying on the couch stroking and talking, the meals in the kitchen, the taste of her kisses and the feel of her body, and he knew that was the only thing that would keep him sane over the next twenty years or so that he would probably spend locked away. According to the Prosecution and the media he was a menace and a danger to society, someone that needed to be kept away from the general public.

And maybe he was but he knew he would do it all again just for the chance to relive those few days with Rachel, and to be with the woman that he had fallen in love with.

*

Snake stood in front of the mirror in his bathroom inspecting the scars on his body left from the fight. The small line from the cut on his arm was fading; the slight silver scar on his bicep was hardly noticeable now. Turning so he looked at the slightly puckered scar on his left shoulder from the bullet, he shrugged. It gave him a more dangerous look, and he had no lasting effects from the wound.

After the fight, when he had gotten away he had managed to get back to his flat, phoned an illegal doctor that those in the underworld used and the damn thing had been removed and he had been patched up.

Getting dressed he knotted his dark blue tie and stared at himself in the mirror. Not bad he thought to himself, not bad at all. Today he was due for a meeting with his Solicitor in preparation for his own trial for manslaughter. It was really only a technicality as it was plainly self defence. He was the one that had ended up with the bullet in the back and he had been told by his legal team that there was little chance he would be found guilty, much to the chagrin of the cops who would love to have been able to get him for something.

But Snake was taking no chances, he had a separate team that his legal team knew nothing about, and as soon as they knew who was on the jury they would lean on a couple of the more, shall we say vulnerable ones, and make sure that they brought in the not guilty verdict.

After all, it was always better to play it safe when gambling, especially with his freedom.

*

Jerry rubbed the sunscreen into Megan's back as she lay on her stomach, the sun recliner a bright sunny yellow against the sexy little black bikini he had bought her only yesterday when they went shopping at the large fashionable Corte Ingles store in Peurto Banus. His hand worked the white shiny cream into her skin which was now a lovely healthy looking colour. Over the last six months Megan's health had improved substantially, with no bad Asthma attacks, and Jerry's love for her and enjoyment of spoiling her she had grown stronger day by day.

Leaning forward he placed a kiss on the back of her shoulder, and then gave a small pat to her bottom encased in the black cloth of the bikini. "That's it love.....don't lay here too long in case you get burnt."

Megan smiled up at Jerry, "and don't you forget you need to start to get ready for work in about an hour."

Standing up Jerry looked around the communal gardens of the apartment block they rented their flat in. People lay around in quiet groups, some sunbathing, some talking, children playing, and then over to the large sparkling blue water of the swimming pool. "Think I'll have a quick dip before I go up and get ready." And he walked over and dived in, letting the silky water cool his hot sun kissed skin.

The past six months had been just like he had dreamt they would be, him and Megan living and loving in lovely surroundings, enjoying themselves on his split of the money from the drugs deal with Darwin.

He was sorry to have read in the English newspapers that he bought everyday on his walk down to the Supermarket at Calahonda at the bottom area that he and Megan lived in that Darwin had died, stabbed by Snake in the fight, and that Patrick had been apprehended at Dover before he had managed to escape.

Never worrying that Patrick would say anything about him to the Police, Jerry had read that his friend had gotten twenty years and was now in Wandsworth nick.

Floating on his back he looked up at the three story complex that curved around the large area, each and every two and three bedroom apartment with a balcony and their occupants either sunning themselves out here by the pool or empty until their owners came out from where-ever they lived around the year to them for their holidays.

Smiling to himself he started to get a plan.

The money that he had gotten from the deal had almost gone, and he and Megan were living on the money that Patrick's mate was paying him as security working at the club in Fuengirola at night, but it wasn't enough to satisfy him. And sitting up there in front of him were lovely easy pickings. Lots of empty apartments, owners out enjoying themselves, money and possessions waiting for him to pick up and bankroll his and Megan's new life in the sun

Swimming a length he raised his arms to balance himself on the edge of the pool, and looked across to another large complex in the distance. Hundreds of other empty apartments during the day or evening, all just waiting for him to break into and relieve of their contents, and multiply that by hundreds of apartment complex's across the Costa Del Sol and he reckoned he could bankroll his lifestyle for as long as he wanted.

Jerry climbed out of the pool, stepping past the three young children splashing and laughing on the wide steps, and stood letting the sun dry his body off naturally. Waving back at the couple that Megan and he had lunch with yesterday down at the small beach front restaurant he smiled. The woman sported a new piece of gold jewellery every day since they had arrived nearly two weeks ago. Should be easy to find a good fence in the area, and also Patrick's old mate that he worked for had form back in the UK and should be a font of information on local villains.

Walking over to where Megan lay sunbathing he sat down on the sun-lounger besides her, grabbing the bottle of beer from where it nestled on the grass next to it and took a long swig of the now slightly warm liquid.

Plans were swirling around his head. Many ways in which he could implement his new idea.

Laying back and letting the sun bake his body he also started to think about what Davy Ritchens, Patrick's mate in Marbella that dealt in the false passports had said over the heavy drinking session they had enjoyed together last Sunday.

He had grumbled about how Patrick was rotting in prison whilst Snake, who was universally hated, would probably get off the murder charge. Expounding the many stories about the things Patrick had done to help down on their luck old lags and needy family members of those that had ended up incarcerated when caught; Davy had told Jerry that he wanted to get some of them together to help break Patrick out of prison. After all, he had told Jerry, it had been done before, breaking someone out of Wandsworth nick. Look at Ronnie Biggs. They had got him out and he had spent over thirty years living in Brazil, and they could do the same for Patrick.

Jerry lay there in the sun. Tonight he was going to phone up Davy and tell him that if he was serious about it he was going to sign up and help on the escape. After all he owed the last six months to Patrick and getting him out of prison would be his way of paying him back.

That and he was always up for an adventure.

*

Snake sat with his feet up on the coffee table crossed at the ankles. His tie was pulled loose and his jacket off. The groaning body of Johnny 'the slice' lay on the floor in a heap at the feet of two of his men, bloody and broken after the beating he had just received. Looking at the growing list of names on the sheet of paper in his hand he glanced down at the man, both of whose hands were a mess of broken fingers.

"Tell me again Johnny; what was the redhead's name that grassed me to the cops?"

"Maria Rawlings." He mumbled through the bloody mess that was his mouth.

"Maria Rawlings.......the little cow......you're niece isn't she? Your wife's sister's daughter?"

Johnny nodded, the pain running through his body from the many areas the wooden batons wielded by the two men standing next to him had hit.

"You really should be more careful with your family Johnny. Firstly it's not nice to pimp out your niece and secondly I think she needs another lesson."

Looking back down at the list of names on the sheet of paper he mused out loud, "She's going to be the easy one to deal out the lesson to, next in line is going to be that girl that Patrick was hiding out with and then there's still the matter of payback to Patrick himself." Glancing up at one of his men he told him, "Go get the redhead and tell the men I'm holding a party up here in the flat, one woman, and as many men as you can muster."

Throwing down the sheet of paper on the coffee table he stood up, "and get rid of this pile of shit. He's bleeding all over my white carpet." Striding out of the room he undid his tie and started to get ready for the fun that he knew would occur tonight with the redheaded girl and his men.

Life goes on.........at least for some of them.

The End.........or is it!

If you want me to continue with the story of what happens next let me know.