Through the tears and the snivelling and the pleas for mercy, Cora finally
managed to get all that she knew about Richard Copley out. Angry punctuated
her pauses with encouragement to go on or with angry nods. It was a relief
for Cora when Angry finally said:
"Alright, that's enough then."
"Thank God." Cora said, taking another draw of the apple juice. There was suddenly the sound of a doorbell ringing.
"That'll be the cops." Scrawny said. Suddenly, the enormity of the situation crashed down on Cora.
"The cops?!" she said, startled.
"Yep, I said I wouldn't be the one to kill you." Angry said casually. "The cops'll do it for you."
The police in Mexico were notorious for both their apathy and their brutality. Cora let out a shriek as she tried to break out of her bindings.
"No! No! I didn't kill you, let me go! Please, no!" Cora shrieked. The chair toppled over for a second time, and her head bounced against the floor painfully. The last thing that she heard before she blacked out was:
"Well, at least that's one complication out of the way."
Cora awoke with a pounding headache and blurred vision. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her left temple.
"What... Where am I?" she asked groggily. There was no answer. She began to examine her surroundings. It did not take long for Cora to realize that she was in a jail cell. The walls were thick, gray, unadorned stone, the floor was cold concrete. There was a cot in one corner of the room, and a toilet, sink and mirror on the other side of the room. Instead of a west side of the room, instead of a door, there were vertical and horizontal bars to prevent any escape.
So. This was how Cora was going to die. Locked up in a prison cell, unawares of the date or the time or how her family was doing. She sniffled, but she refused to cry.
At least she was alone in her cell. She stood up, letting her hand fall limply to her side. She headed to the door, clutching the thin metal bars of the jail.
"Hello?" she called. "Helloooo?"
"Oh. You're awake." a gruff voice said in Spanish, and a guard was at her door.
"What's going on?" Cora asked. The guard blinked, and she had to remember to speak in Spanish. She repeated her question.
"You were turned in by James and Rick Strider." the guard said with a slight grin.
"Damnit." Cora muttered.
"You'll get one free phone call, of course. And a visit from the mayor sooner or later."
"The mayor?!" Cora was alarmed. "Why the mayor!"
"He's made it his plan to rid this village of Copley and his assassins." The guard said. He seemed to be enjoying Cora's discomfort. Cora winced. There was no way that she could stay in Mexico after this if she ever got out of here. Amelia and Madre would be in danger.
"Don't I get one phone call?" Cora pleaded. The guard hesitated, then nodded. He unlocked the jail cell door and lead Cora down a long hall. Finally, he pointed at a phone that looked like it was going to fall off the wall at any second.
"There you go." the guard said, sitting down in a rickety wooden chair next to the phone and eyeing Cora as if she would run away. Cora picked up the reciever and dialed a number. It didn't take long for a voice to answer.
"Hi!" Amelia said.
"Hey, Amelia." Cora said, trying to sound bright.
"Hiya, Cora! Daddy wants to know where you are. He wants to take the family out to supper! Oh, and he bought me a really nice necklace!"
"That's ... great." Cora said. Chances are, she would never see Amelia again. "Can you get Mom?"
"Yes, Cora." Cora heard the phone set down with a soft clank and Amelia calling mother. Finally, the phone was picked up.
"Hola." Madre sounded tired.
"Hi, Mom. Look, I don't have much time, so I can't make small talk." Cora said quickly. I'm in jail."
"You're in JAIL!?" Mother shouted. Cora winced.
"Listen. I was caught. Look, get out of Mexico, now. Go to America with Dad. Trust me on this! The mayor's been trying to get a Copley Assassin, and if you think I'm going to get a fair trial, then you're wrong. I might not even get a trial. If I do, I'm guilty for sure. Just get out of Mexico."
"Father can get people from Umbrella to help you!" Mother cried. "He will!"
"Fine, fine." Cora said impatiently. "Just get out of Mexico."
"Don't worry, Cora." Mother consoled.
"I'll worry if you don't start packing this instant!" Cora exclaimed violently. Suddenly, Father's voice came on the phone.
"I can't believe you would do this Cora. You're right. You and Amelia have been corrupted enough by the streets of Mexico."
"I'm not corrupted." Cora growled furiously. "I just worry about Amelia and Mom's safety."
"Umbrella owes me a favor." Dad insisted.
"So what? Use it to get a house in America!"
"We won't need that. Look, I'll see what they can do. They told me that if either of my daughters needed somewhere safe, or a job, then they would give them one - no matter what the circumstances."
"Fine! Call Umbrella! Just get out of Mexico!" Cora shouted.
"We will, Cora. We will." Father said. Cora exhaled in relief. Unless if Umbrella could give a job to someone on Death Row, then she was screwed.
"Time's up." the guard said.
"Look, I have to go." Cora said. They were probably her last words to her mother.
"Alright, that's enough then."
"Thank God." Cora said, taking another draw of the apple juice. There was suddenly the sound of a doorbell ringing.
"That'll be the cops." Scrawny said. Suddenly, the enormity of the situation crashed down on Cora.
"The cops?!" she said, startled.
"Yep, I said I wouldn't be the one to kill you." Angry said casually. "The cops'll do it for you."
The police in Mexico were notorious for both their apathy and their brutality. Cora let out a shriek as she tried to break out of her bindings.
"No! No! I didn't kill you, let me go! Please, no!" Cora shrieked. The chair toppled over for a second time, and her head bounced against the floor painfully. The last thing that she heard before she blacked out was:
"Well, at least that's one complication out of the way."
Cora awoke with a pounding headache and blurred vision. Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her left temple.
"What... Where am I?" she asked groggily. There was no answer. She began to examine her surroundings. It did not take long for Cora to realize that she was in a jail cell. The walls were thick, gray, unadorned stone, the floor was cold concrete. There was a cot in one corner of the room, and a toilet, sink and mirror on the other side of the room. Instead of a west side of the room, instead of a door, there were vertical and horizontal bars to prevent any escape.
So. This was how Cora was going to die. Locked up in a prison cell, unawares of the date or the time or how her family was doing. She sniffled, but she refused to cry.
At least she was alone in her cell. She stood up, letting her hand fall limply to her side. She headed to the door, clutching the thin metal bars of the jail.
"Hello?" she called. "Helloooo?"
"Oh. You're awake." a gruff voice said in Spanish, and a guard was at her door.
"What's going on?" Cora asked. The guard blinked, and she had to remember to speak in Spanish. She repeated her question.
"You were turned in by James and Rick Strider." the guard said with a slight grin.
"Damnit." Cora muttered.
"You'll get one free phone call, of course. And a visit from the mayor sooner or later."
"The mayor?!" Cora was alarmed. "Why the mayor!"
"He's made it his plan to rid this village of Copley and his assassins." The guard said. He seemed to be enjoying Cora's discomfort. Cora winced. There was no way that she could stay in Mexico after this if she ever got out of here. Amelia and Madre would be in danger.
"Don't I get one phone call?" Cora pleaded. The guard hesitated, then nodded. He unlocked the jail cell door and lead Cora down a long hall. Finally, he pointed at a phone that looked like it was going to fall off the wall at any second.
"There you go." the guard said, sitting down in a rickety wooden chair next to the phone and eyeing Cora as if she would run away. Cora picked up the reciever and dialed a number. It didn't take long for a voice to answer.
"Hi!" Amelia said.
"Hey, Amelia." Cora said, trying to sound bright.
"Hiya, Cora! Daddy wants to know where you are. He wants to take the family out to supper! Oh, and he bought me a really nice necklace!"
"That's ... great." Cora said. Chances are, she would never see Amelia again. "Can you get Mom?"
"Yes, Cora." Cora heard the phone set down with a soft clank and Amelia calling mother. Finally, the phone was picked up.
"Hola." Madre sounded tired.
"Hi, Mom. Look, I don't have much time, so I can't make small talk." Cora said quickly. I'm in jail."
"You're in JAIL!?" Mother shouted. Cora winced.
"Listen. I was caught. Look, get out of Mexico, now. Go to America with Dad. Trust me on this! The mayor's been trying to get a Copley Assassin, and if you think I'm going to get a fair trial, then you're wrong. I might not even get a trial. If I do, I'm guilty for sure. Just get out of Mexico."
"Father can get people from Umbrella to help you!" Mother cried. "He will!"
"Fine, fine." Cora said impatiently. "Just get out of Mexico."
"Don't worry, Cora." Mother consoled.
"I'll worry if you don't start packing this instant!" Cora exclaimed violently. Suddenly, Father's voice came on the phone.
"I can't believe you would do this Cora. You're right. You and Amelia have been corrupted enough by the streets of Mexico."
"I'm not corrupted." Cora growled furiously. "I just worry about Amelia and Mom's safety."
"Umbrella owes me a favor." Dad insisted.
"So what? Use it to get a house in America!"
"We won't need that. Look, I'll see what they can do. They told me that if either of my daughters needed somewhere safe, or a job, then they would give them one - no matter what the circumstances."
"Fine! Call Umbrella! Just get out of Mexico!" Cora shouted.
"We will, Cora. We will." Father said. Cora exhaled in relief. Unless if Umbrella could give a job to someone on Death Row, then she was screwed.
"Time's up." the guard said.
"Look, I have to go." Cora said. They were probably her last words to her mother.
