“I wouldn’t think that Susan would put up with so many restrictions in her life.”
I smiled. “Unlimited charge accounts for clothes, trips to New York, cuddled and cared about? It’s mildly annoying, but she’s their only chick and she loves them. She explains that she’s spending her inheritance as she goes.”
“I gather they wouldn’t approve of Brian?”
“I honestly don’t know. I do believe that her daddy would tie the money up where he couldn’t gut her estate and would also demand a prenuptial agreement. That would upset Brian, but he’s forty and may want to come in out of the cold. Pickings must be getting slim for him to return to a town where the sheriff knows his record and has run him off once. I love Susan, but she’s a lousy judge of men.”
Jasmine grabbed her napkin and covered her mouth.
“Jesus, just listen to me! The pot calling the kettle black. I’m a fine one to judge, aren’t I?”
Jasmine drank some water and smiled weakly. She still didn’t trust her voice.
“You want dessert? Let’s take home ice cream. Fudge ripple okay?”
I grabbed the check and paid at the desk with my Visa card. Then I had to stand patiently while Jasmine counted out her half of the check into my hand. She never lets me get away with treating except on her birthday.
I was turning left off Bloodhound Lane onto the paved courtyard when I heard Jasmine gasp. It was a little after eight and just dark enough for the night lights to be a hindrance instead of a help. I had my gaze on the chain-link fence post so I wouldn’t turn too quickly.
I looked up as the headlights swept the area where everyone parks when they arrive. We had company. Sheriff Hank Cribbs’s official car and two other vehicles, which had the state seal in bright letters, were parked and three men in uniforms stood together eyeing our approach. They weren’t smiling.
“Oops,” I whispered.
“You didn’t wear your pager?” Jasmine sounded shocked. “Hank looks angry.”
I’m subjected to being called out for search and rescue twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I have a contract for three counties.
“I forgot it, okay? The worst they can do is shoot me. You take the ice cream in and put it in the freezer, then come back out. We may both have to go.”
I slid out of the seat and approached the men. Jasmine had understated Hank’s expression. He wasn’t angry; he was furious. The taller of the two others wore a captain’s bars, and when I was near enough to read their patches, I saw they were from Monroe, where I had visited Jimmy Joe. I guessed they were here to check out the message I’d left for the captain of the guard.
The captain spoke before I could greet them.
“Are you Jo Beth Sidden?”
“Yes, I am,” I returned pleasantly. “Are you here to check on the message I left at the information desk this afternoon?”
“What message?” he snapped.
“If you aren’t here about the report I left, then why are you here?” I delivered my question as briskly as he had spoken and managed to sound almost as snotty.
He reached into his tunic pocket and placed a folded piece of paper into my hand as he spoke.
“I have a search warrant signed by Judge Perry to search your property.”
“Why?” was all I could manage. Bewildered, I glanced at Hank and he stared back without any apparent change in his expression. Suddenly I knew. I felt laughter bubbling unbidden in my throat and fought the giggles.
“He escaped?” I consulted my watch. “Four and a half hours after he informed me of his intentions, he’s gone? In broad daylight?”
I couldn’t hold back the tide any longer. My laughter filled the warm humid air. I literally laughed until I cried. Digging a tissue out of my jeans, I dried my blurred eyes and it finally dawned on me that I was the only one making a noise. I listened to the ominous silence. Peering at my solemn audience, I moved a languid wrist.
“You really had to be there,” I began lamely, and then totally lost it, again.
I felt my feet momentarily leave the ground and my shoulder being pressed against the car window. The skyline tilted. The captain had thrown me against Hank’s unit and was in the process of handcuffing my wrists.
I heard a swoosh of air released from his lungs and saw him stagger sideways as Hank knocked aside his handcuffs and grabbed a handful of his shirt.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Hank inquired angrily. He pointed his left index finger silently at the other guard when it appeared he was going to join in the altercation. The guard quickly changed his mind when he saw Hank’s pointing finger and stood rooted to the asphalt. Hank glared at the captain.
“You don’t lay a hand on a citizen in my county who hasn’t broken a law. You gonna arrest her for laughing? Let me know what citation you’ll be quoting for cuffing her and I’ll look it up. None comes to mind.”
“Let go of my shirt,” the captain demanded.
“Only after you apologize to the lady.”
He thought about it. “Sorry,” he muttered briefly. Hank let loose of the shirt and the captain began to nervously press the wrinkled fabric with both hands.
“She was impeding a state investigation for an escaped felon and possibly aiding and abetting,” he said, trying it on for size.
“Bullshit!” Hank declared. “You had served her with a legal search warrant. You don’t need her permission. Search away. But remember two rules. One, don’t open any drawers or cabinets and riffle through any clothing, if the space being searched is not large enough to hold a one-hundred-and-forty-pound male. Second, you don’t disturb the items on top of dressers, tables, desktops, and kitchen cabinets, or rake same onto the floor where they could be ‘accidentally’ stepped on. Are we clear on these points?”
“Maybe I should shove a broom up my ass and sweep the floor while I search,” the captain snarled in disgust. “Jesus H. Christ, whose side are you on anyway?”
“Law and order, Cap, and I follow the rules.”
The captain conferred briefly with his buddy and they split, the captain heading toward the house and the other moving to the kennel.
I wanted to bat my eyelashes and whisper “My hero” to josh Hank into a better mood, but a glance at his thunderous expression changed my mind. I decided to sound properly penitent as I apologized.
“I’m sorry, Hank, I was planning on telling you tonight when we got home. I didn’t decide to go to the prison until the last minute this afternoon. …”
My explanation trailed off when I saw his contempt.
“What?”
“You promised me you would let me know when you visited. You didn’t. I was just wondering why I still believe that you’re gonna tell me what really happens and keep me informed. I should know better!”
He held up a hand to stem the flow of my excuses. “Just answer my questions. Are you gonna search for Jimmy Joe Lane, if asked?”
“No.”
“Will they find him on your property?”
“No.”
“Did you help in any way in his escape or give him information he would need to leave the prison property?”
“Et tu, Brutus?” I was getting pissed.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“No, no, no. Is that clear enough?”
“Monroe could cancel your contract if you refuse to search.”
“Screw ’em. I’ve had three call-outs from Monroe in the past two years. They’re not exactly furnishing Kibbles ’n Bits for my kennel.”
“All the contractors could cancel.”
“Screw ’em all, including the Dunston County Sheriff’s Department, and the horse you rode in on! It must be really tiresome to be the perfect-sheriff-who-makes-no-mistakes Cribbs. I’m tired of apologizing every time I see your mug. In fact, I’m tired of seeing your face. When you finish with this current chore, do me a favor and stay the hell away from me!”
I turned and started tow
ard the back door and almost ran into Jasmine on the way back out from putting away the ice cream.
I gave her questioning look a “Later,” and stepped up on the back porch where my two roommates, Bobbie Lee and Rudy, were patiently waiting for my return.
“I’m gonna have some ice cream, you want some?”
They both beat me to the refrigerator.
9
“Second Guessing”
August 25, Sunday, 8:30 P.M.
I removed the half gallon of ice cream from the freezer, dug out a scoop each for Bobby Lee and Rudy and three for myself. I sat at the kitchen table and watched them bolt down their share and then move to their regular spots, Rudy on my left and Bobby Lee on my right. Tonight they sat closer than usual and leaned lovingly against my leg.
“You’re both adorable, but you don’t get any of mine.” I sat in the kitchen staring off into space for over an hour and brooded. Finally bored, I moved into my office. Rudy had given up the vigil long ago and had left to nap on my bed. Bobby Lee was dozing, leaning on my knee for support and emitting an occasional snore. Bloodhounds can sleep anywhere, even standing on their feet, if they can just lean against something. He followed me and stretched out on my right.
The captain of the guard had spent less than ten minutes searching the house. There are only a few places that a man could hide in my house. Hank had taken all the fun away by warning the captain that he wouldn’t be able to trash the rooms, leaving them looking like a hurricane had blown everything on the floor and smashed half of the breakables. Thank God, the search warrant had stated that the premises could only be searched for a fugitive. If it had permitted a complete search for any signs or clues that he had been here, it would have taken all of us at least three days to put everything back and clean up.
I shouldn’t have let Hank get to me. It was just that I had gotten so angry when he cut off my explanation about why I hadn’t told him of my prison visit. I had planned to call him at home when Jasmine and I returned from supper. I did have over an hour at home this afternoon, but instead of calling him, I had soaked in a warm bubble bath and inhaled three cold beers before leaving for Pete’s. That’s what Sundays were for.
I had been waiting to tell Jasmine the full story tonight, when I knew she would crack up over my smitten suitor and his premature proposal. Now she was out there watching them search and didn’t know a blessed thing about what was going down.
I should have been out there with them, but she had Hank, Wayne, and Donnie Ray with her. I would be a liability. If I saw either one of the uniforms knee or shove a dog, I would have to spend the night in jail for battery on a law-enforcement officer.
It was after eleven when I heard car doors slamming and engines being started. I went to the back of the office and peeked out through the window blinds. The prison vehicles were backing and turning and going out the driveway. Hank was standing by his unit talking to Jasmine. I didn’t see Wayne or Donnie Ray, so they must have gone upstairs to their apartment. Hank finished talking and gave Jasmine a tight hug. They were both laughing when he slid behind the wheel and left. Jasmine stood there until he was out of sight. I hurried back to my desk and propped my feet up and tried to look relaxed when she entered.
“They have any luck?”
“If you mean did they find Jimmy Joe Lane, the escaped prisoner, did you really expect them to? There could have been twenty adult elephants a few feet back in the brush of old-growth forest inside your fence and they wouldn’t have known.
“Hank was kind enough to point out this fact to them, when they halfheartedly shined their flashlights on the edge of the clearing and didn’t set a foot inside the uncleared area. The captain mumbled that they would be back with twenty men to search the area at daybreak, but Hank doesn’t expect them to return.” She grinned.
“Hank told me to tell you that in case Jimmy Joe was back there, you should warn him so he could clear out before daylight.”
“Very funny,” I said wryly. “Did dear ol’ Hank have any more words of wisdom for me?”
“He said that he was pissed at you and you were pissed at him but that was SOP, so I shouldn’t fret.”
“Ready for some fudge ripple?”
“No, I need coffee, tons of coffee, and not the debugged kind. I need caffeine. I’m still shaking.”
“It’s warm out,” I stated, filling the coffeemaker in the office.
“My shakes are from nerves, not goose bumps. I want to drink coffee and hear every word about what happened today, and especially about the ‘message’ you tried to tell the males about before they cut you off at the knees.”
I looked up from the coffeepot in surprise.
“I can’t believe my ears. Are you really saying that Hank did something wrong?”
“He be a man, don’t he?” she said solemnly.
I laughed. “Bless you. I think it’s the first time you’ve ever taken my side when Hank and I were fighting.”
I handed her the cup of delicious-smelling coffee, and fixed one for myself. I might not sleep for hours, but this was an occasion. I recounted Jimmy Joe’s odyssey and the entire visit at the prison. She shook her head at Jimmy Joe’s thirty-odd years left to serve for simple assault and his audacity in disappearing right under the guards’ noses.
“Do you really think he was successful in escaping, or is he hiding somewhere on the grounds and hoping he can get out after the excitement dies down?”
“He’s had six years to plan this. He has a large, close-knit family that is willing to help him. I don’t know how he pulled it off, but I believe he’s celebrating freedom right now in the Okefenokee Swamp with a few close relatives and friends.” I lifted my coffee cup. “Here’s to Jimmy Joe. May he live a long and happy life free of restraints!”
“Hear, hear!” Jasmine agreed. “Were you serious about not going after him, if the powers that be should ask?”
“Absolutely. I really didn’t appreciate the search warrant. I can only guess what happened with the message I left at the information desk. Either the guard ignored it, or he left a message on the captain’s desk and when Jimmy Joe was discovered missing, the captain checked the visitors’ log and decided that I helped him somehow.”
Jasmine frowned. “They found him missing very quickly. Did he trip an alarm or something?”
“They have an early meal for supper on Sunday afternoon, right after visiting hours end. They have the lockdown count at five P.M. I suppose that is when they found him missing. God, he really had to be touched in the head to try to escape in broad daylight when he knew they would discover his absence within the hour. So far he seems to be successful. Course Hank wouldn’t call to tell me if they already had him in custody. I imagine the only news we’ll get will be from the newspaper and the radio station.”
“After hearing what was going on, I understand now what the captain meant by ‘What message?’ He really did seem surprised.”
“I agree with you. I don’t think he knew anything about my message, but then again, he may have but thought I was trying to throw him off the scent. Who knows?”
Jasmine smiled. “Tell me what you think of your newest admirer.”
“Don’t you dare tease me about his confession of undying love for me. Tell me why I’m so unlucky in the men who seem to be attracted to me. Is it something I say or do?”
“I’m not going near that question, thank you very much.” Jasmine yawned and stretched like a cat. “I’m exhausted, and have an eight A.M. class. I’m gonna hit the sack. Need anything before I go?”
“Not a thing. I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep tight.”
She trudged off to bed and Bobby Lee and Rudy left for their late-night run. I didn’t wait up for their return. I undressed, crawled under the sheet, and prepared to spend a long time before I slept. I went out like a light. I awoke once during the night from the nightmare that visited at least once a week.
Bubba was moving toward me in slow motion, his bat poi
sed to clobber Jasmine. I pushed her away lightly and she floated out of my vision as I slowly fired six rounds into his torso. Bubba clutched me in his fatal fall and the copious flow of his blood covered me like a soggy blanket.
I awoke in a cold sweat and trembling from fear. I exchanged yellow-colored sheets for white ones with blue sprigs of summer flowers and pink shorty pajamas for light green. I lay back down to rest, knowing sleep would be impossible. I drifted off near dawn.
10
“Saying Good-bye”
August 26, Monday, 8:00 A.M.
I slept in this morning. After the late night and an unwelcome nightmare, I felt quite peaked. After three cups of coffee and a bowl of cornflakes with a banana, I began to feel somewhat human again.
I read the paper with my coffee. If I hadn’t been informed last evening about the “Great Escape” I could have easily missed the short two-paragraph report on page three. Fred’s front and second pages were devoted to the tragedy of three of our townspeople shot and killed in a high-school history room. The funeral announcements were heavily outlined in black, with pictures directly above each notice. The ghouls would be disappointed with the coverage. Fred had avoided any mention of how or where they died, nothing about a shotgun or gore, and had affixed no blame. This was for the local families who could clip the articles and have them Xeroxed and encased in plastic for the family albums.
I dreaded funerals and today I had three to attend. Leon Kirkland’s parents refused to let Sara be buried next to Leon and also wouldn’t let her be a part of his service. Sara would be buried in her parents’ plot and her funeral would be at eleven A.M. Leon’s funeral was at one P.M., and Norma Jean Tramore, a widow of six months, would be buried beside her husband, Randy. Who would have thought that they would both die in the same year?
The phone rang before I finished the paper. A female voice asked for Jo Beth Sidden.
“This is she speaking.”
She asked me to hold for Warden Sikes, Monroe Prison. Aha! Jimmy Joe had been found within the wire and I was gonna get an apology, or he was still missing and the warden wanted me to find him. Either way, it was payback time. I’d met Sikes during past searches. He seemed to be a nice, polite person and had admired the bloodhounds.
A Bloodhound to Die for Page 6