by C S Allen
“What an ass hole,” I said.
After eating, I took a nap and woke up at seven twenty-two that evening, I felt depressed and very alone. I felt like I was in solitary confinement with nothing to see or even hear. Dark grey walls, very little lighting, and nothing to clean up with was a real eye opener. If I was found guilty of any charges this is what I could look forward to every day until I was released. I couldn’t bear the thought of being in jail like that, so I decided to do as my dad had said and get an attorney. Then I finally went back to sleep.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning, I was rudely awakened by the jail door squeaking open and then slamming against the wall. That sound was deafening, and it echoed throughout the place. I sat up really quickly, feeling something bad was about to happen, and I was almost right because it was Gus who came to my cell.
“Morning, murderer, I have your breakfast for you. Just stay sitting on your bed right there so I can give you your breakfast. I hope you like eggs and toast with a side of a snot-ball from my throat. I mixed it in with your eggs so you can’t see where it is,” Gus stated, while smiling at me. Then he opened my cell door and walked in, giving me the plate of food. “Today is a big day for you, Willy. You’re going before the judge, and he will most likely deny you bail. Now, if he does give you bail, it will be so extremely high that you won’t be able to afford it. I’m guessing five hundred thousand dollars as bail if you’re lucky, but I doubt it,” Gus stated, looking down at me where I sat.
I didn’t say a word to Gus because I knew he wanted to pick a fight in some way. I just looked at the breakfast tray, saw there were no utensils again, and picked up a sausage off the plate with my fingers and ate it.
Gus stood in front of me for about a minute, watching me chew, before someone yelled for him. “Yeah, I’m coming!” Gus yelled back. “Eat up, boy, and enjoy your eggs; they’re extra silky today,” Gus said and then laughed on his way out of my cell.
I stopped eating and listened to Gus walk away and then heard the door close. “Asshole!” I yelled, hoping he heard me. My great breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs that I did not eat, two linked sausages, one slice of toast, and a bottle of water. At seven thirty, the jail door opened again, and I heard a lot of footsteps approaching this time. I stood up from my bed and there stood my mom, dad, some guy in a suit, and the sheriff.
“Will, your parents and your attorney are here to see you before you go to see the judge in a half hour,” the sheriff stated, as he unlocked my cell door and let them all in. “This cell door will remain open until everyone is done visiting you,” the sheriff said and then walked back up to the main door.
“Will, this gentleman is your attorney, Mr. Morin. He’s a criminal defense lawyer,” my dad stated, while moving out of Mr. Morin’s way.
“Will, I’m so glad to meet you. We’re going to get you out of here today and prove that you’re innocent,” Mr. Morin said, reaching out to shake my hand.
I shook his hand and said, “God, I hope so.”
“No need to call me God, just Mr. Morin will do,” Mr. Morin stated with a big smile on his face.
After the introductions and talk about what was going to happen at eight, I was optimistic. I thanked my parents a couple of times before they had to leave and go to the courthouse to hear my case. My attorney basically said for me to just be there and not say a word unless the judge asked me a question directly. I had doubts that Mr. Morin was going to get me out of jail, but he made me think otherwise. At seven fifty, we heard footsteps coming our way, so my mom hugged and kissed my cheek, and my dad gave me a handshake and a pat on the shoulder like fathers do. Mr. Morin shook my hand as well and said for me not to worry as the sheriff showed up to kick everyone out.
Before I was taken away in a van to the courthouse, I was shackled like a criminal with my ankles and wrists chained to a belt around my waist. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me; it felt like I was in a bad dream, and I couldn’t wake up. For some reason, Gus was my escort; maybe I was his pet project from the sheriff or he volunteered. I left my cell, walking slowly because the chain between my feet was about eighteen inches long. Gus, being the asshole that he was, pulled me along to be faster and made me almost fall a couple of times. I got in the van and sat down on one of the bench seats, and then Gus slammed the door without putting my seat belt on me. Gus got in on the driver’s side of the van and then closed the door.
“I need to be buckled in before we go, sir,” I said sternly.
“You don’t need to be buckled in because we’re just going across the street,” Gus replied, as he started the van’s engine and then put it into drive. We only went one block down the street, and then we went under the courthouse building. Gus pulled up to a special area for people who were incarcerated, and a sheriff’s deputy was standing in front of a door. When we stopped, Gus got out of the van, and I heard him talking to the deputy at the door.
“Yeah, this is the guy who the sheriff thinks did it all up there. You can take him since you’re working here today,” Gus stated.
“No thanks, he may not make it to see the judge if I take him,” the deputy said with a smile as he looked at me through the window.
Gus opened the door to the van and pulled me out roughly, causing me to stumble and hurt my ankle.
“Hey! There’s no need to abuse my client like that, Gus, knock it off!” Mr. Morin yelled, as he walked from behind the van. Gus stopped us from walking. “Are you okay, Will?” Mr. Morin asked me.
“No, he yanked me out of the van, causing me to lose my footing. My ankle hurts like hell,” I said angrily.
Mr. Morin then came over to me and lifted my pant leg and saw that the ankle cuff had torn into my skin, and I was now bleeding. “Good, now we have a case of police mishandling prisoners. I think this injury will cost the sheriff’s department five thousand dollars for my client’s injury,” Mr. Morin stated sternly.
“He even spit in my breakfast this morning,” I said, looking at Gus.
“No, I didn’t, I just said that to make you grossed out,” Gus replied to me.
“Okay, so more mistreatment of a prisoner. I believe that would be under ‘mental anguish’ in the law books. Will, it looks like we will be asking for ten thousand, thanks to Deputy Gus here,” Mr. Morin stated with a smile.
“If you will excuse us, I have to bring him inside,” Gus stated, letting me go slowly this time because I was limping.
I went into the building and found other prisoners inside with orange jumpsuits on. They were shackled just like me and were standing in a line, facing a door to go into the courtroom. Gus told me to stand in line with the rest and to go forward when the door opened in front of us. Gus turned and left through the door we had come into and slammed the door hard.
“Let me guess who slammed the fucking door, it was Deputy Gus, right?” one of the prisoners asked about five men in front of me.
“It was him,” I replied.
The next thing I knew, everyone in the line was talking about how much of an asshole Gus was and how he mistreated them. Ten minutes later, the door in front of us opened, and we filed into the courtroom and sat down on wooden bench seats. Plenty of family members and what looked like members of the press were sitting in to hear what our outcomes would be. I saw my parents sitting within that group of people, and my mom waved. I gave her a smile, hoping that she wouldn’t see how nervous I was. A couple of city and county police were present near the judge’s desk and what I could guess were attorneys in suits were lined up against the wall. I didn’t see my attorney in that group, so I looked around the room again to see if I had missed him.
About twenty minutes went by, and then the bailiff ordered everyone in the room to stand for the judge. After the judge got in his chair, the bailiff told everyone to have a seat and to remain quiet. The judge and his two secretaries had a huddle for a quick moment, and then when they were finished discussing whatever it was, the judge beg
an to speak. “Being that we have a large crowd in here today, I ask that the members in the audience stay quiet at all times. I do not want any kind of outbursts or interruptions. If any of you cause a disruption, I will have you taken out of my courtroom. Now then, let’s proceed with the first case, number 97 -127 State versus William S. Reed.
“Are all the parties here?” the judge asked. More than one person said ‘yes, Your Honor,’ including my attorney, and they approached the judge’s desk. Five people in suits were standing in front of the judge for what felt like ten minutes or longer. They all looked like they were arguing with one another, and it made me worry, as I watched them shake their heads and point their fingers. At one point, I thought they were done because they started to walk away, but then the judge called them back for about a minute. Finally, they were finished with whatever they were doing and walked to separate sides of the room. The judge then said my name and told me to go down to the front of his desk and stand with my attorney.
Just as I stood up, I heard cameras snapping and whispers about where my parents were. As I got closer to Mr. Morin, he pointed to a spot in front of the judge’s desk, and I stopped there. Mr. Morin then leaned over to me and whispered in my ear that we had bail. I almost jumped out of my skin when he said that, and I smiled at him as he leaned back up. I stood there with Mr. Morin for fifteen minutes, listening to the judge talk about what the state believed had happened at the cabin, what Mr. Morin thought had happened, what was provided as evidence, and what everyone agreed to until a trial date was set. “How do you plead, Mr. Reed? the judge asked.
“Not guilty, Your Honor.” I thought we were done, but I didn’t think about the judge talking about bail next. I just thought that someone paid it, and I could leave.
“After listening to both sides of this case, and knowing Mr. Reed’s background, that he is a good citizen and has good grades in college, I will grant you bail, sir. However, the state has made it clear that if you are awarded bail, then you should be on house arrest. That means you will have an ankle monitor attached to your person 24-7, and it will tell us if you leave the area set by counsel. You will only be allowed to stay at your parent’s home, this courthouse, and to the emergency room, if there is an emergency. I am stating all of this in layman’s terms for all to hear and understand in this room. Mr. Reed, your bail amount is set at three hundred thousand dollars cash bond. If you cannot come up with that amount for bail, you will remain in custody until the court date is set. Mary, can you give me the next date that is available?” the judge asked.
“Judge, the next available date is October 28 at eight in the morning,” Mary replied.
“Is that a good date for everyone on both sides?” the judge asked, as he looked at my attorney and the state attorney. After about a minute, everyone had looked at their calendars and agreed that the date was good for all involved. Then the judge asked me if I had any questions.
“Yes, sir, I don’t understand why I have to stay in jail when I’m innocent. It’s not fair to an innocent person like me to be imprisoned for something that I did not do, Your Honor. If I’m left in prison and found not guilty, how do I get my life back that was taken from me?” I asked pleadingly.
“Mr. Reed, ask your attorney about those questions, I’m sure he can explain it better than I can, right Mr. Morin?” the judge asked, as my attorney nodded. The judge then stated that we were excused, and he asked what the next case number was.
Mr. Morin then said he would meet me back at the jail since Gus was coming over to escort me back to the van. As Gus escorted me out of the courtroom, I looked back at my parents, and my dad pointed at himself, then nodded, like he was trying to tell me something. I just gave a half-hearted smile and then turned to leave with Gus.
“I’ll see you at three today, Will,” Mr. Morin stated, as I walked a few steps toward the exit.
Lucky for me, Gus didn’t say anything on the short ride back; I wasn’t in the mood to hear his mouth. When we got back inside the jail, Gus took off my chains and handcuffs. He then escorted me back to my cell without a word and closed the cell door. I just stood at the cell door, listening to Gus walk away, and then I waited for the slamming of the jail door, but he didn’t do it for some reason. I was going to be stuck in jail for months on end until my court date, six months of the same color, the same food, and the same crap every day. What do I do to pass the time away? How can I handle Gus slamming the door and spitting in my food? Will I go crazy and want to die? I sat down on the bed. I felt gross since I hadn’t brushed my teeth or changed my clothing. I felt an overwhelming feeling of loneliness, and fear struck my stomach. I brought my feet up on the bed as I sat there and put my head on my knees to cry. My nerves were shot, and I wanted to die right then and there. I cried silently so no one could hear me outside the jail door. My throat and chest hurt from trying to keep silent, so I lay back on the bed and curled up. I eventually cried myself to sleep for an hour and a half until I heard the jail door screech open.
I heard footsteps from a couple of people walking, so I sat up from the bed and looked at the door of my cell. To my surprise, it was Detective. O’Reilly and the sheriff who had arrived to talk to me.
“Hello Will, you doing all right this morning?” the sheriff asked, as he looked in at me.
“Not really, I haven’t changed my clothes or taken a shower in two days,” I replied.
“I’ll take care of that problem today, all right? Right now, we want to tell you something that we were just made aware of. Detective O’Reilly here has had some information come his way that may help you soon with your case,” the sheriff stated with a grin.
“He’s right, Will. We just got some information that we will let your attorney know about in just a few minutes. Right now, I’m starting to believe that some of the crazy things you stated yesterday may be true,” Detective O’Reilly stated, looking sincere.
I got up off the bed and slowly walked over to the door of my cell to hear more.
“The fire marshal did some investigating and found that the fire at the cabin was set with a torch-type devise. The trees had scorch marks on them that were horizontal and diagonal. Fumes in the area also dictate a napalm-type substance only a flamethrower uses. I don’t suppose that you have one of those hanging around, do you?” Detective O’Reilly asked me.
I just started to smile and felt very alive again once I heard that. “No, I don’t think I have one hanging around anywhere,” I replied, putting my hands in my front pockets.
“Will, your friends and our deputies are at the morgue getting ready for autopsies. We will be able to tell if your friends were shot before or after the fire. Not only that, but when their blood is drawn, anything that was injected, swallowed, or somehow put into their bodies will be found by the medical examiner. So, if there are any spiders out there that attacked those victims and left venom, we will know in a few days. I’m starting to worry just a bit that this stuff you told us is true, Will,” the sheriff stated, looking at me with seriousness.
“Sheriff, I worked, I went to school, I studied all the time, had a few friends, and I don’t lie. My friend Emma’s face was chewed off by a spider, the helicopter crashed because of the spider’s webbing, bullets should be found from the deputies’ guns and Olivia’s shotgun. That whole place may be burned, but there may be something left. And the radio calls should be re-examined if they were recorded. I believe that only three of us got on the radio, and we called for help first,” I quickly stated, trying to prove my innocence all at once.
“Okay, okay, slow down, Will,” the sheriff stated with his hands up. “There’s something I need to know, and I haven’t asked you before. You can tell me if you wish to have your attorney present or not on this question, okay? Now, I have seen a video of you roaming around inside that government building. And you did say that you were there, but how did you get inside the facility?” the sheriff asked.
“I was with other people, and they had a card tha
t they used to unlock the door. Then we went inside, and I was brought to a white room with a table and chairs,” I replied.
“So, I take it that you don’t want your attorney here then?” the sheriff asked.
“No, sir, I’ll tell you the truth,” I replied sincerely.
“Okay, but the room that we saw you in wasn’t white, and it looked like a lab of some kind,” the sheriff stated.
“Oh my God, yeah! I found that place when I was pissed off at the people who worked there. I walked out of that one white room where I was and decided to walk around and found that crazy place. That’s were all of the experiments take place and where a huge scorpion was banging its tail against a wall. That thing was about three feet long and was mad as hell because it kept on hitting the wall,” I replied, remembering that room.
“So now you’re saying there are scorpions at that facility?” Detective O’Reilly asked.
“That’s all that I could see before I was found, and I wasn’t supposed to be in that room. If you have seen a part of the video, then you need to get the whole hour’s worth of video. You will see just one woman with me inside that room, and she wasn’t alarmed and didn’t call for help. She did surprise me, though, when I was looking at the scorpion. She yelled my name, and I jumped because I was so mesmerized by that scorpion. That’s my proof that I was there legally, get the video!” I said excitedly.
“We did see just ten seconds of you being in there, so I think there should be a request to see at least a few more minutes. And if there are cameras all over the place, what about that entrance Will supposedly broke into?” Detective O’Reilly asked out loud.