by Burke, Dez
Oh no, another wrong answer.
“Good, asshole. I’m glad. Then you know that you’re welcome to call your lawyer after you’re booked at the police station. Which will take a few hours. Let’s go.”
“Wait! Hang on. Isn’t there anything I can do to fix this?” Levi asks. “Honestly fellows, this situation has escalated for no good reason. I’m sure the sheriff’s department could use a few more bulletproof jackets or maybe even a drug-sniffing German Shepherd. I’ve heard they’re crazy expensive. Tell me what you need. I’d be glad to help out by making a donation. I’ve heard times are tough in Lee County, and I want to do my part.”
The officer lets out a loud sigh and glances back over at the second one. “Add trying to bribe a police officer to that charge,” he says. “Put your hands behind your back, buddy. Your big mouth has earned you a trip down to the police station.”
“You too, miss,” the other officer says.
“She’s under arrest too?” Levi asks with the reality of the situation finally sinking in. “Don’t worry, Annie,” he says to me over his shoulder. “I’ll take care of this.”
“No, but she’s coming along for the ride in case she’s been drinking.”
The officers lead us back to their black, four-wheel drive sheriff’s department vehicle parked beside the rental truck. They put Levi into the back seat and motion for me to slide in beside him.
“I’m so sorry, Annie,” Levi says to me while the officers get into the front. “This isn’t how I wanted our romantic evening to end.”
“Hey! No talking back there,” the officer warns, glancing at us in his rearview mirror. “Or touching.”
I nod back at him and keep my gaze focused out the window to keep from meeting Levi’s eyes. The date has turned into a disaster that I couldn’t have anticipated in my wildest dreams.
When we start down the bumpy road, Levi moves his knee closer to touch mine. I don’t dare glance at him for fear of getting him into more trouble with the officers.
One thing is for sure. Life with Levi is never boring.
30
Levi
The ride to the police station is one of the longest hours in my life. I desperately want to put my arms around Annie, pull her close, and apologize. Instead my hands are cuffed behind my back like a hardened criminal.
I try to catch Annie’s eyes, but she’s staring out the window and not even glancing my way.
I’ve fucked up.
Big time.
For once in my life, I should’ve kept my mouth shut instead of trying to sweet talk my way out of things.
Now I’ve dragged Annie into my shit.
Her hands are folded primly in her lap. Her pretty dress is inside out and there’s a piece of ragweed sticking out of her hair.
Annie has never been in trouble in her life except when she’s with me. Now I’ve put her in a position where she’ll be embarrassed and humiliated.
I can’t blame her if she never wants to see me again.
With any luck, once we get to the police station, she can hurry on home and this will be something we’ll laugh about tomorrow.
Or if not tomorrow, by next week maybe.
After forever, we arrive at the police station and the officers haul us both out of the car. Once inside, they quickly separate us on opposite sides of a busy room.
Immediately, I begin to draw stares from the other officers, and then the whispers start. There’s no need to hear their lowered voices to know exactly what’s being said about me.
“Is that Levi Hamby? Was he drunk? Why was he brought in? Isn’t that the pharmacist who works at the drugstore with him? I knew he was a no-good son of a bitch!”
Half of the officers in the room are already discreetly reaching for their cellphones to type out a message to their girlfriend or wife.
“You’re not going to believe who was just arrested. Levi Hamby!”
My arrest will be big news in a town with only one traffic light. By morning, the whole damn town will be talking about me and Annie.
She’s still sitting on the other side of her room with her head down, her long hair covering one side of her face. The arresting officer is standing in front of her, lecturing her loudly and giving her a strict warning about not drinking and driving. I’m worried this might get back to her boss at the pharmacy.
“Do you understand everything I’m saying to you?” the officer asks, talking down to Annie as if she’s sixteen years old instead of a highly-educated woman.
Annie nods solemnly. “Yes, sir.”
“Alright then, you’re free to go.”
He motions to a uniformed woman who’s sitting at a desk full of unorganized papers. “Can you make sure she has a ride home before she leaves the building?” he asks before turning Annie over to the female officer, who leads her firmly toward the door.
“Annie!” I call out to her before she gets out of earshot. “Wait a second!”
She stops walking and glances back over her shoulder.
“Don’t call Cole,” I say. “I don’t want to bother him with this. He has enough on his plate to deal with me.”
“Who am I supposed to call then?” she asks in a desperate voice. “How do I get you out? I don’t know what to do. Tell me. I can’t leave you in jail.”
“I’ll call my manager. He’ll know ten lawyers who can be here in no time. Go home. I’ll be out by morning. Don’t worry.”
“I can’t leave you overnight in the county jail,” she says. “I’ll call Dad. He might know how to post bail.”
“Hell no! Jesus! Please don’t call your dad. I’ll take care of it. Go home, Annie.”
The female officer she’s been turned over to tugs on her arm. “Come on, miss,” she says. “Talking time is over. You need to call a ride.”
I watch her walk away until she’s out of sight. Another office returns to uncuff me and take me to a room where I’m instructed to empty my pockets.
A bored female officer behind a glass window dons a pair of gloves and calls out each item to me as she carefully logs it into inventory; my cellphone, the truck keys, a pocketknife given to me by Dad years ago, credit cards, and the cash in my leather wallet. The last item is Annie’s white lacy panties.
The officer picks them up with tweezers and raises her eyebrows at me in question.
I don’t offer one single word in explanation.
She obviously already has formed her own opinion of me. She can think what she wants.
“One pair of ladies underwear,” she says drily before writing it down.
After positioning me in front of a wall, they take my mugshot. There’s no doubt in my mind it’ll hit social media before I can get out.
The record label will be furious.
Not only have I bailed on the tour, now I’m doing real damage to the image they’ve carefully constructed for me.
They finally allow me my one phone call. Taking a deep breath, I pick up the receiver and dial the only person who I know for certain will take my call on a Sunday night.
“Harry?” I say when he picks up his cellphone after two rings. “It’s Levi. We’ve got a big problem. I need your help.”
31
Annie
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” Taylor says in a rush after I call her from the police station and explain my situation. “Don’t panic. We’ll figure something out about Levi. Sit tight until I get there.”
“Okay,” I say. “Thank you.”
I hang up my cellphone and turn to the female officer standing beside me. “My friend is coming now to pick me up,” I tell her. “She’ll be here in a few minutes. She lives not too far away from here.”
She nods at me. “Was that Levi Hamby that came in with you?” she asks. Her question tells me she already knows the answer. “What were you two doing to get arrested? It must’ve been something serious.”
“Nothing,” I say, letting out a long sigh and dropping my head into my hands.
>
There’s no point in denying it was Levi or reminding her she shouldn’t be asking me legal questions without an attorney present.
“Don’t you work at the drugstore?” she asks, giving me a closer inspection. “I was in there last week to pick up allergy medicine. I remember you took the time to come out from behind the counter and help me choose the right one. Pollen was killing me.”
“Yes, I’m a pharmacist there. I thought I recognized you too. Did the medicine help?”
“I can breathe now, so the answer is yes. You seem nice, so I’m going to return the good deed. Karma and all that jazz. You might be interested to know there are a few people with cameras lurking around outside in the parking lot. Unless you want your photograph splashed all over the place, keep your head down when you walk outside.”
“Photographers?” I ask in surprise. “They already know Levi is here? How is that possible? We came in less than an hour ago.”
“Monroe is a small town,” she says in explanation. “Everyone knows everything going on. People talk. Even my mama knew Levi was in town for a visit, and she hates country music. Word spreads fast when the gossip is juicy.”
“Thank you,” I say. “I appreciate it more than you know. If I can ever help you out in the drugstore again, please ask for me.”
While I wait for Taylor, I can’t help but wonder if the paparazzi has been stalking Levi since he arrived in town. It’s unnerving to think about and more than a little creepy. I don’t like the thought of strangers following us and watching our every move.
“Annie! Thank God you’re okay! I drove ninety miles an hour to get here.” Taylor rushes into the room, full of worry and concern for me. She grabs me in a big hug, almost squeezing the air out of my lungs before I pry her arms off. “Did the officers hurt you in any way?” She takes my arms and starts examining them carefully for bruises and then checks one side of my face and then the other.
“What are you doing?” I ask, taking hold of her hands to stop her. “I’m fine. They didn’t arrest me. I’ve been sitting out here in the waiting room, not fighting for my life in a jail cell with the general population. Stop freaking out.”
“I just wanted to make sure everything was properly documented for evidence in case you were mistreated,” she says. “Should I take photos of you with my cellphone? You might need them later.”
“Please don’t,” I beg her with a wry smile. “The officers didn’t do anything except embarrass me.”
“You look like absolute hell,” she says abruptly, reaching up to pull something out of my hair and staring at it. “Is this a daisy petal in your hair? My God, Annie! What have you been doing, and why is your dress inside out? Have you been rolling in hay? I’m talking about for real, not a proverbial roll in the hay.”
“Levi took me on a picnic on private property. We were trespassing. The cops arrived. He mouthed off a little and they arrested him. That’s the short version. Everything got blown way out of proportion and now he’s in jail.”
“Let’s get you out of here,” she says, glancing around the waiting room. “Is there any paperwork that needs to be filled out? Do I need to sign something for you to be released?”
I shake my head. “No, the lady said I could go whenever my ride arrived. They thought I’d been drinking, so they wouldn’t let me drive Levi’s rental truck. It’s still parked where we left it way up in the woods.”
Taylor throws a comforting arm across my shoulder and pulls me close. “I’m here now to drive you home. That’s what friends are for. We’ll figure out what to do about Levi on the way. This is all a new experience.”
“Tell me about it,” I say.
She swings open the glass door of the police station and we step outside. A sudden explosion of camera flashes in my face almost blinds me, and I stagger back. Taylor grabs onto my elbow to steady me. A young woman thrusts a microphone in front of my mouth.
“Is it true Levi Hamby has been arrested for drunk driving?”
“Drunk driving? No, that’s not true,” I say indignantly. I stop walking and turn toward the woman to defend Levi.
“Come on, Annie!” Taylor says, tugging me forward. “Stop talking. Don’t say one word to her.”
“Levi Hamby has been arrested though, right?” the reporter asks, following along beside me as we walk toward Taylor’s car. “Is he still inside the police station right now? Or has he been released? Can you tell us what happened?”
“No comment,” Taylor says loudly. “Don’t say anything,” she mutters to me. “Keep walking to the car and don’t look at them. Speed up.”
“What’s your name, miss?” another reporter calls out to me. “Were you with Levi when he was arrested?”
The questions keep coming, one right after the other.
“Aren’t you the woman who sang with Levi in church this morning?” another one asks. “How do you know Levi? Are you his new girlfriend? Would you care to make a statement?”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Taylor says over her shoulder to the crowd following us. “For the last time, no comment. Stop bothering her!”
We reach her car and she quickly hits the unlock button on her fob.
“Hurry! Get inside,” she says.
I slide into the passenger seat. She tosses me her sunglasses and leans over to pull down the sun visor on my side to help block the view of the cameras pointed at me.
“Here, put my sunglasses on and keep your face turned away from the window,” she says. “They’ll be taking photographs and video. Keep your face hidden as much as you can. This is crazy! There must be twenty people out there with cameras of one kind or the other.”
“Where did they come from?” I ask. “There’s only one newspaper in Monroe, and the same man writes everything.”
“They’re crawling out from everywhere,” she answers. “Half of them are real reporters and the other half are wannabe social media stars trying to get shots of Levi. The funny thing is they’re both dangerous because any of the photos they take will land on social media.”
“I don’t understand what’s happening,” I say. “This is a circus.”
She starts the car and backs slowly out of the parking space while trying not to hit any of the photographers who are hurrying alongside the car. I make the mistake of turning to watch them and see a camera lens pressed against the glass.
“Move out of the way!” she yells through the window then blows her car horn, causing the photographers to jump back.
“Ha! That did the trick,” she says with a wicked grin. “Annie my dear, this is what fame looks like. A livestream video of you and Levi singing ‘Amazing Grace’ at church this morning was uploaded onto social media by a random twelve-year-old kid with a cellphone. It’s already gone viral. My guess is the reporters piled into their cars and headed to Monroe the minute they realized where Levi’s been hiding the past few weeks.”
“But how did they know he’d been arrested?” I ask, confused. “It hasn’t been more than a couple of hours.”
“My guess is one of the arresting cops leaked the info as soon as they picked you up. I don’t know for sure. Secrets are impossible to keep these days with social media always being turned on and running.”
“You mean the cops might’ve known who Levi was before they arrested him?” I ask in surprise.
“Didn’t you say he was driving a rental truck?” she reminds me. “How hard would it be to run the tags and see who it was rented to? I’m sure they knew. The cops in this town can be assholes at times. Who knows? They might even be jealous of Levi. You know how men can be.”
She reaches over to pat my leg and grins at me when we make it out of the parking lot and turn onto the road.
“You’re a celebrity now, Annie,” she says. “This is your big fifteen minutes of fame.”
“Ugh! I had a feeling you’d say that,” I reply, slumping down lower in the seat. “I don’t like it. Not one bit. It’s unnerving.”
“I was only
kidding,” she says, giving my hand a sympathetic squeeze. “I know you’re the type to hate the limelight. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. What can we do about Levi? Should we contact a bail bondsman or a lawyer?”
“Do you know any?” I ask. “Because I sure as hell don’t.”
“Good point. I’ve never seen a sign or an ad for a bail bondsman. I’m sure there must be one in Monroe somewhere. Otherwise nobody would ever get out of jail.”
“I’ve never known anyone who was arrested,” I say. “Not a single person. Levi told me not to worry and to not call Cole. Levi said his manager would take care of it.”
My cellphone buzzes in my purse. I check the number, thinking it might be Levi.
“Who is it?” Taylor asks, glancing over at me.
“I don’t know. It’s a Nashville area code. I better answer it.”
I hit the answer button.
“Hello?”
“Is this Annie?” the male caller asks.
“Yes.”
“This is Harry, Levi’s manager,” an impatient voice says. “Listen up. We need to talk. I understand Levi’s been arrested. This is what I need you to do.”
32
Levi
Early the next morning, a young police officer walks over to unlock my solitary jail cell and swings the door open. He couldn’t be more than nineteen or twenty at the most.
Due to my notoriety, they’d kept me in a private cell rather than sticking me in the drunk tank holding cell down the hallway.
For that I was grateful.
Monroe isn’t known for a criminal element. Drunk driving or disturbing the peace is probably the worst offenses committed in town.
“Good news!” he says. “You’ve been released, Levi. You’re free to go. I hope your time here wasn’t too uncomfortable.”
I stand up from the hard bench where I’ve spent the long night and after stretching my sore muscles, move past him out of the cell.