Idioms...sayings understood by native speakers part seventy nine

John sat back in the chairman's study. He sipped on fine Kentucky Bourbon as he thought about the results of his day. He watched Sara grab the coffee, gulping it down. He smiled thinking how easy it was to take care of the one who he had confessed to. He had confessed and made a clean getaway. Sara would be no more. He placed his glass down and then kicked the recliner back.

A.J. strolled in.

"You seem pretty calm."

"Ah, well, I got half my mission done. Without Sara, you have no case against you, right?"

"Er, what do you mean? She was to agree to come back here and drop the charges."

"Hummn. Not likely."

A.J. glared at his demented brother.

"If she dies, it could become manslaughter, or murder."

"Not if all the other witnesses disappear. As far as any forensic evidence, that too seems to be missing."

He grinned to himself, as he pulled out his cell and hit a couple of buttons, then he handed the phone over to A.J.

A.J. arched his eyebrow and laughed.

"You really did this for me? I'm touched."

John sighed. Let him think whatever.

---

Rick was behind the wheel driving towards the Matthews residence.

"Carl, what is your plan?"

"Plan? When have you ever known me to have a plan, just play the Rick that the family knows and loves." He looked out the window as a few raindrops started to fall. He took his index finger and traced them. For this to work, he would have to be very, very careful.

---

Charlie sat in the front seat with Chris.

"So Charlie will talk to your brothers. Then Chwis won't get in trouble."

Chris wrinkled his brows.

"Charlie, you know that they do not like you. Why would you care if I get in trouble?"

"Chris is special. Charlie is special."

The sky light up but no thunder was heard. Charlie flinched.

"It is okay. That is heat lightening. Sometimes it will rain, sometimes not."

Charlie nodded.

---

Jenny sat in the waiting room. A security officer walked towards her with a rather handsome young man in a suit. She looked up in surprise.

"Hello. My name is Stanley Kuztavitch. I am the prosecuting attorney for Lansing County. I had hoped to interview Mrs. Sara Matthews today.. but it looks like there may have been some kind of turn for the worse. You are the hospital spokesperson?"

"Yes. My name is Jennifer Lundstrom. Mrs. Matthews has developed some complications. How may I assist you?"

'You are Jennifer Lundstrom?"

"Yes."

"You are one of the witnesses in Sara Matthews' assault case?"

"Yes."

"And you have recently filed charges against John Matthews?"

"Yes. Attempted rape. Why?"

"I think we need to talk." Stanley hurriedly sat down beside Miss Lundstrom. Evidence in the A.J. Matthews trial had gone missing. It the victim died it would be exceedingly difficult to prove anything... it would be up to the witnesses...

---

Christopher sat in his car looking worried.

Charlie smiled.

"Chwis, it will be okay."

"Numbers are easier than people... Charlie."

"Numbers? Charlie is bad at math."

"But good at people?"

"Charlie does not understand. How can Chwis sell ooowwgans?"

"Organs. Charlie, there are a lot of people that would pay anything to get a replacement for a bad organ."

"Is there any way of getting one without paying?"

"Sure. People sometimes volunteer their organs when they die."

"Volunteer?"

"Um, donate...um, give it to someone for free."

Charlie wrinkled his brows.

"So you steal from people who are not dead yet?"

"I wouldn't put it quite that way."

"How much would Charlie's heart be worth?"

"Um, given your age and health.. probably or say.... 200,000 dollars. Why?"

"That is not enough. Charlie needs it wight now."

"Charlie, the point is..."

"So..organs are just like your numbers."

"They are product that we sell."

"And the people you steal from... what are they?"

"Stock." he noted the confused look on Charlie deepening. "It is like a farmer when he harvests his corn field. The corn gets sent to sell and the plants are left to die."

Charlie thought about that.

"Chwis? I am not corn. Corn doesn't talk, walk, or does things but, gwow."

"Give me a break." Christopher hit the steering wheel.

"People are not.... cown."

The man sighed, loudly. "You just don't have the mental capacity to understand."

"Melanie... did she love you?"

"What?"

"Melanie. She was just cown too wight?"

"Huh?"

"It is stupid to kill yourself over a man... that is what Ka tie said."

"Melanie never knew I existed."

"Weally?"

"She was in my Calculus class in college." He paused.

"And?"

"And we were in a study group together. Melanie, John and me."

"So she knew."

"Knew what?"

"That you were there."

"I don't wish to talk about this anymore."

"John...did he like Melanie?"

"He told me Melanie was trying to use me. And he took care of it."

"So, Melanie was twying to...use...you?"

"Yes. Um, just getting to know me and make me like her for money."

"Like you...use...people for ooowwgans." Charlie stated, smiling at some understanding.

"I don't use...people."

"You don't?"

"No..." Maybe, Christopher thought, but...

"Then Melanie didn't, wight?"

"Stop this. We have to go in."

---

Carl saw a electronics store.

"Rick, can you stop here for a minute?"

"Sure, why?"

"I want to get a couple of things."

Carl went missing for about fifteen minutes. He came out with a sack.

Rick saw him pull out a tape recorder.

"I think someone has watched too many espionage movies."

"Look. I am going to stop all this today. If I can get all their confessions on tape, they will leave us... all of us alone."

"So, what about the police?"

"No. I want to handle this."

"Carl?"

"It is my responsiblitlity, Rick. No one elses. Okay?"

Rick sighed and pulled out his phone. If this was going to be played right, he might as well get the experts.

---

"Yeah, Rick. What's up?" Dejuan asked, answering his cell.

"Sure, we can meet up. But hurry. Charlie is on his way to the Matthews' house.

"Where?"

"Got it."

Dejuan unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed over the seat to get to the back of the van.

"What is it now, Dejuan?"

"We are going to meet Rick at the end of the street by his house. I have got some planning to do. I think we are going to get this all taken care of today."

"Look, we need to get to Charlie."

"We will. This will only take five minutes."

---

The limousine pulled up beside Christopher's car. Martin got out and saw two men sitting there. One was Chris, looking like his blank, dull self and the other.... Martin smiled.

He knocked on the window, laughing seeing Christopher jump.

As the window rolled down, Martin said, "Come in. Come in. Chris, bring your friend. We are just about to have some supper."

Rain startled to fall in a light drizzle, as Charlie followed the other two into the big house of the hill.

---

The room had two chandeliers, walls that were painted white with brown planks forming arches on the walls in a pattern that gave the room an austere feeling. Portraits were hung in each of these arches... Charlie was speechless as they walked in. His whole house could probably fit into this room. He wished his teddy bear had come with him. He wished that Li Li was with him. But, something inside him filled him with a strange peace, and for the first time, in his life... even though he was alone with these bad men. He simply was not by himself.

Martin signaled to his servant and whispered, "Tell A.J. and John to come here right away. We have a guest for supper.

Then he turned and looked at Charlie.

"I remember you. You are Charlie. Lynn's brother."

Charlie nodded and awkwardly offered his hand.

"My, you sister would be proud of your manners." As he shook this challenged person's hand, he glanced at Chris who seemed more pale than usual.

"How is it that you met Chris?"

"Chwis was at Katie's house."

"Ah." This stupid guy got caught.

"Chwis said you sent him to find out if Katie's dad had anything on you."

"And does she?" Half joking, not expecting an answer.

"Charlie is not sure. Ka tie was trying to think."

"Now that is interesting, isn't Chris?"

"Charlie does not lie."

"That is good. It is good not to lie."

"Then how come you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"You tell Chwis people are like numbers. Owwgans are like corn to sell. How come?"

"Charlie, Charlie, Charlie. I think we should eat something first before we have this discussion."

The other two brothers emerged.

"This cannot be. Charlie? Aren't you that assistant;'s brother?" A.J. stated with a smile.

"Charlie doesn't like you. You huwt Sawa."

"Charlie.. there are things that you don't understand."

John narrowed his eyes.

"Charlie, why are you here?"

"Because."

"That isn't really an answer, now is it?"

"You huwt people. You huwt Jenny. How come?"

John smiled.

"Because I choose to."

"That is not an answer." Charlie looked at the big house. "You are family. You live in this big house. Other people have families. They live in houses. Why would you want to huwt them? They don't know you. If you got to know them, you would not huwt them. Wight?"

Martin gave Chris a dirty look. Then fixed his face quickly.

"I don't know what you heard, Charlie. But we are good people. We have given this town free health care, jobs, built schools.."

"No." Charlie took a deep breathe and continued. "You are just taking cawe of your cown." Charlie paused. "Charlie came with Chwis because Charlie does not want you guys to huwt Chwis. He got caught on accident. That is all Charlie has to say. I will go home now."

Charlie turned only to find the door had closed.

"Charlie, aren't you going to stay for supper?"

---

Dr. Clark was waitin for the toxicology report. He kept thinking of the vital signs that were absolutely correct but meaningless. Her blood pressure is low. That would imply shock. But then her heart rate should be fast to try and compensate, not be as low as thirty eight. He ordered a set of cardiac markers just to make sure Sara had not had a heart attack. Her breathing rate is almost non existant, so he switched the vent to completely control her rate.

"Get a Cardiologist in here now."

He pulled up the computer charting to see just exactly what medications that Sara had been given. He noted 25 mg of Metoprolol given at nine this morning, but then her blood pressure was 130/88, with a heart rate of 94. She should have tolerated that. She had also recieved two percocets for pain. Again, it was the first she had taken since nine the previous evening. That should not have affected her.

He looked up and shook his head.

"Dr. Gomez." As he noted the Cardiologist's badge, Dr. Clark gave him a rueful smile.

"I would recognize that voice anywhere, Dr. Clark."

"Please, call me Sam. I am at my wit's end here."

The Cardiologist looked at the heart monitor as Dr. Clark gave him a quick history of her surgeries and that before the incident, medically she was healthy. He frowned.

"Get an EKG."

"Already done, here." Dr. Clark handed it to the man. Sinus brady with unifocal PVCs.

"Do you have markers?"

"Here are the resutts," stated Dr. Clark.

"So maybe it is not a heart attack. The respiratory rate is almost non existant."

"I already gave 0.4 mg. of Narcan to reverse any narcotics in on board."

"Toxicology?"

"Pending."

"Where is her list of medications?" He looked over Sam's shoulders at the medications given to the patient. "She was on the Metoprolol because..?"

"Because she was post op, recommendations by the hospitalist."

Dr. Gomez nodded.

"Your patient is showing signs of Metoprolol overdose. I am going to set up for TCP right away. But the doses I see given should not have caused this."

"There is a chance the woman has been poisoned."

"You mean someone could have given her extra Metoprolol."

"Yes, mixed with something else." Dr. Clark stood up, and snapped his fingers. "Barbituates... with the meds she had on board, if she was given a large dose of barbs, she would become comatose."

"Someone really did not like your patient, Dr. Clark." Dr. Gomez stated as he called down to cath lab to get set up for a transcutaneous pacemaker. "For now, have them set up an external pacer at a rate of fifty five."

"Nurse, you heard the man. I want an external pacemaker set up and get some rumazicon, now."

As the one nurse went to go get the drug for administration, she sent another for the external pacemaker, and then, another showed up with lab results.

"Dr. Clark, look at this. She is positive for opiates and barbituates."

---

Carl and Rick walked up to the front door of the big house.

"Rick, this is going to be tough. No matter what is said in there, remember I love you like a brother."

"That's fine. But we have to get my little brother out of there. That is the priority right now."

"I know. I love my nephew too. I wasn't there for Allan. I have got to there for Charlie."

Rick nodded. As he said a quiet prayer, Carl opened the door to the lion's den.

to be continued.