was splattered with gushing blood. Li reeled, his left hand holding his nose, his right fist flailing at her. She leapt to her right and was about to bring him down with a kick to the back of his knee when her legs were swept from under her and she crashed onto the sidewalk. She looked up. Li’s partner loomed over her, his arm still dangling, a maniacal look on his face. She rolled away from him and then saw Andy limping towards them, his gun pointed.
“No,” she yelled.
Then a whistle screeched and she heard the sound of heavy boots on the sidewalk. Two policemen emerged through the ring of spectators.
Thank God , Ava thought.
“Sergeant Li, what’s going on here?” one of them asked.
( 1 5 )
AVA HAD NEVER been in a jail cell before. In fact, she’d never so much as seen a prison, from the outside or the inside.
The policemen who handcuffed her, put her in the back of their squad car, and drove her to what she assumed was their precinct office had been polite enough, if a bit firm. They weren’t as restrained with Andy. His arms were yanked back and twisted before the cuffs went on, and they threw him into the back of the car, whacking his knee with a baton as they told him to stay quiet.
They removed the cuffs when she got to the office and turned her over to a short, stocky woman with a corporal’s two stripes on the arm of her blue shirt. Ava was directed to a chair beside a desk, where she sat and watched the corporal empty her bag and list its contents on a sheet of paper.
“Sign here,” the corporal said.
When she did, the corporal opened Ava’s passport and compared the signatures.
“What now, fingerprints and a mug shot?” Ava asked.
The corporal raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been charged with anything yet.”
“He attacked us,” Ava blurted. “We were defending ourselves. I know he’s a policeman, but that shouldn’t make any difference.”
“Listen to me, girl. The best thing you can do while you’re here is not talk. Don’t tell me too much. Don’t talk to anyone else until you know the score. I have to put you in a holding cell with other women, who’ll probably want to gab. Don’t talk to them either.”
“A cell?”
“We have to keep you somewhere until they decide what to do with you.”
The corporal was completely matter-of-fact, but instead of calming Ava, her manner was unnerving. “Do I get to make a phone call?” Ava said, her mouth dry, a slight stutter to her speech.
“This isn’t America.”
“I’m Canadian.”
“You still don’t get to make a phone call.”
“But I need to let people know what’s going on, where I am.”
“After they decide what to do with you, you can contact someone. Until then, like I said, keep your head down and your mouth shut.”
“Okay.”
“Just one thing — they told me you broke Li’s nose.”
“I might have.”
“He’s a pig with women. It’s time someone taught him a lesson.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
The corporal shrugged. “I’ll take you to the cell now.”
The office was long and narrow, but with enough space between the two rows of desks for Ava and the corporal to walk side by side. Andy was at the desk closest to a large steel door. He was still handcuffed, and one of the arresting officers sat next to him while another, behind the desk, was asking questions.
The corporal punched in a security code. The door buzzed and opened into a large room that had three cages on either side. The cages had steel bars on all sides and across the top. They were about three metres high and maybe five metres square along the sides. A wooden bench ran along each side, and in one corner was a toilet without a seat, a roll of rough-looking toilet paper on the floor next to it. Ava recoiled.
She kept her eyes locked on the wall in front of her, trying to fight off her panic. Every eye in the room was locked on to her, with the exception of a female police officer sitting on a stool, her
“No,” she yelled.
Then a whistle screeched and she heard the sound of heavy boots on the sidewalk. Two policemen emerged through the ring of spectators.
Thank God , Ava thought.
“Sergeant Li, what’s going on here?” one of them asked.
( 1 5 )
AVA HAD NEVER been in a jail cell before. In fact, she’d never so much as seen a prison, from the outside or the inside.
The policemen who handcuffed her, put her in the back of their squad car, and drove her to what she assumed was their precinct office had been polite enough, if a bit firm. They weren’t as restrained with Andy. His arms were yanked back and twisted before the cuffs went on, and they threw him into the back of the car, whacking his knee with a baton as they told him to stay quiet.
They removed the cuffs when she got to the office and turned her over to a short, stocky woman with a corporal’s two stripes on the arm of her blue shirt. Ava was directed to a chair beside a desk, where she sat and watched the corporal empty her bag and list its contents on a sheet of paper.
“Sign here,” the corporal said.
When she did, the corporal opened Ava’s passport and compared the signatures.
“What now, fingerprints and a mug shot?” Ava asked.
The corporal raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been charged with anything yet.”
“He attacked us,” Ava blurted. “We were defending ourselves. I know he’s a policeman, but that shouldn’t make any difference.”
“Listen to me, girl. The best thing you can do while you’re here is not talk. Don’t tell me too much. Don’t talk to anyone else until you know the score. I have to put you in a holding cell with other women, who’ll probably want to gab. Don’t talk to them either.”
“A cell?”
“We have to keep you somewhere until they decide what to do with you.”
The corporal was completely matter-of-fact, but instead of calming Ava, her manner was unnerving. “Do I get to make a phone call?” Ava said, her mouth dry, a slight stutter to her speech.
“This isn’t America.”
“I’m Canadian.”
“You still don’t get to make a phone call.”
“But I need to let people know what’s going on, where I am.”
“After they decide what to do with you, you can contact someone. Until then, like I said, keep your head down and your mouth shut.”
“Okay.”
“Just one thing — they told me you broke Li’s nose.”
“I might have.”
“He’s a pig with women. It’s time someone taught him a lesson.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
The corporal shrugged. “I’ll take you to the cell now.”
The office was long and narrow, but with enough space between the two rows of desks for Ava and the corporal to walk side by side. Andy was at the desk closest to a large steel door. He was still handcuffed, and one of the arresting officers sat next to him while another, behind the desk, was asking questions.
The corporal punched in a security code. The door buzzed and opened into a large room that had three cages on either side. The cages had steel bars on all sides and across the top. They were about three metres high and maybe five metres square along the sides. A wooden bench ran along each side, and in one corner was a toilet without a seat, a roll of rough-looking toilet paper on the floor next to it. Ava recoiled.
She kept her eyes locked on the wall in front of her, trying to fight off her panic. Every eye in the room was locked on to her, with the exception of a female police officer sitting on a stool, her
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