The Believer

by Kym Davis Boyles

  “Get up! Get up! Against the wall!”

  Leon sat up, obeying the thunderous orders coming from the COs holding batons high in their hands, a numb looking Charlotte among the prison staff. Frost grabbed Leon by the top of his shirt and pulled him off of the bunk. Leon stumbled to his feet before Frost threw him against the wall. Kelvin got off of his bunk with his hands raised, ushered to the opposite side wall from Leon.

  “What’s this about, Frost?” Leon asked with his nose to the wall, looking out the corner of his eye.

  Frost walked up to Leon and leaned in close to his ear. “Don’t move a muscle, Ladson.”

  Leon laughed. “Don’t be alarmed if you find your momma’s panties in my bed covers.”

  “Not likely Ladson, she’s too old for your tastes,” Frost retorted.

  “Maybe not,” Leon said with a slick grin.

  Martinez shoved his baton in the center of Leon’s back, pushing the prisoner's chest to the wall and causing him to yell out in pain.

  Frost laughed. “You don’t follow orders well, Ladson!”

  With his face against the concrete block wall and his arms by his sides, Leon’s chest throbbed in pain. But it was the thought of his cell phone being found that caused his heart to pound. He had left the phone inside his bible instead of putting it back inside the wall. He closed his eyes, angry that he was so careless.

  “You look nervous Ladson!” Frost laughed as two other COs rummaged through the cell.

  “No sir,” Leon answered, looking back and down at Charlotte who was on her knees going through his clothes. He hoped that she was the one to get to the bibles that were beside the bunk before anyone else did. Still, he hadn't told her where anything was kept.

  Frost turned over everything in his path and then noticed the two bibles sitting on the floor. “You got contraband, Ladson?”

  Leon turned toward Frost and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Of course not.”

  “If you do, I’ll find it and I’ll bury you in the hole,” Frost threatened.

  “If you don’t, do I get to bury you in one?” Leon asked.

  Martinez rushed over to Leon and hit him on the back of the leg with the baton. “Shut your mouth!” Leon almost fell as he hollered out in pain.

  Frost turned back to Charlotte. “Johnson, I want everything in this room checked. Don’t miss anything!”

  Charlotte and Leon’s eyes met as she and the others ransacked the cell. The COs laughed as they threw the bed covers and mattress from the bunk onto the floor, snatched the pictures from the walls and pushed Kelvin’s personal belongings on the floor.

  Leon kept his nose close to the wall while looking out of the side of his eye watching where Frost was in proximity to the bibles. He looked back over at Kelvin who had his forehead pressed against the concrete wall and his hands behind his head. Leon took a deep breath then turned to look at Frost who picked up the bibles. Leon’s heart thumped hard against his chest as he watched the man.

  “What’s the point, Ladson, if you don’t follow what they say?” Frost asked, holding the bibles in his hands, glaring over at Leon.

  Martinez laughed. “I guess it’s true what they say; the devil knows the word of God too.”

  Time stood still for Leon as he watched Frost proceed to flip rapidly through the thin pages of the Bible. Leon held his breath. Frost closed the bible then placed both of the books on the shelf.

  “The least you could do is show respect and keep your bibles off of the floor, Ladson!” Frost reprimanded him. Leon slowly exhaled, turning his face back to the wall and closing his eyes in relief.

  Martinez had turned over everything he saw but was still at a loss. “Nothing, sir.”

  “Tear the mattresses apart,” Frost demanded, keeping his eyes fixed on Leon.

  Martinez and Copeland took knives and tore open Leon and Kelvins’ mattresses and pillows digging out the fluff from inside and dumping it all onto the floor.

  “All clear,” Copeland concurred.

  “Keep looking, we’re missing something,” Frost said, looking beneath and around the entire cell until no crevice remained untouched.

  “That’s it.” Martinez announced, looking around at the mess and declaring the search over. Hearing that the guards had found nothing, Leon grinned.

  “Let’s go, all clear,” Frost announced to the COs. He walked up to Leon and leaned close. “I’ll find what you’re hiding cause you’re just not that smart.”

  Leon smirked. “You never answered my question, Frost.”

  Frost didn’t respond. Instead, he walked out of the cell with the other COs trailing behind. Charlotte looked back at Leon. With his leg throbbing, Leon turned around along with Kelvin to their ransacked cell.

  Chapter 38

  Walking outside of the prison gates after a 12 hour shift was always exhilarating for Mark Frost. He especially loved seeing the sunrise and the smell of fresh morning air as the wind blew cool against his skin when he walked outside of the prison walls. He didn’t like night shifts, having long since graduated from them years ago. Still, with Franklin being off expecting his new baby any minute, Frost had to make sure all the shifts were covered even if that meant covering them himself for a day or so.

  Frost yawned, jiggling his keys in his hand as he approached his black Nissan Sentra. He was glad to be going home to Deidre and his girls, to eat breakfast and then climb into his own bed. The job was no longer satisfying but it was a decent job and it was a paycheck for his family; their lives had changed drastically after leaving the military.

  Being a former military police officer, he was prepared to continue his career by joining the local police department after his discharge but Deidre wouldn’t have it. Deidre argued that being a cop in the city was not at all similar to his job on the military base where the most he ever encountered were domestic issues and simple drug possession cases. She refused to spend her life worried about whether he would return home after every shift. Although being a CO wasn’t his ideal job, he was hired almost immediately when he submitted his résumé and Deidre accepted the compromise.

  Getting into his car, Frost took out his cell phone and called her so she’d be expecting him. The phone rang two times before Deidre picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey baby,” Frost said, “I’m just leaving so I’ll be home in a little while.”

  “Okay, I have a good breakfast waiting on you.”

  “I can’t wait; I’m starved.”

  “Be safe. I love you,” Deidre said.

  “I love you back,” Frost said, hanging up the phone.

  Frost sat the cell phone on the passenger side seat and put the seatbelt across his chest. Starting the car, Frost pulled out and headed toward the prison gate that opened as he pulled up to exit. He waved at the guard as he escaped into the free world. He turned the radio on. The road leading to and from the prison was long and there was never much traffic, especially this time of morning. He saw a police car pull swiftly behind him. He took a quick look at the speedometer to make sure that he was going the speed limit and he was going a little under. He continued moving his head to the music watching his speedometer and eying the cop by way of his rearview mirror.

  Suddenly, the cop car moved close to his bumper. Mark frowned, not wanting to go over the speed limit. He wished that the cop would pass him because it was just the two of them on the two lane road and the other lane was clear. Typical of hotheaded cops, he thought. There were always a few on the force.

  He picked up the cell phone and called Deidre again. Something about the cop following him so closely made him uncomfortable. The phone rang until the call went to voicemail. Looking in the rearview mirror again, Frost took a deep breath. Suddenly, the siren blared and flashing blue lights flashed around him. Frost hit his fist on his steering wheel and cursed. Frost didn’t know what kind of game this cop was playing but nevertheless, he turned on his signal light and pulled over onto the side of the road. Tur
ning the ignition off, Frost opened his glove compartment and removed his insurance card, registration and driver's license out of his wallet. He put his head back on the headrest, not believing how the day was starting out. Is it too much to ask just to get home to my family?

  Frost watched and waited on the officer who didn’t immediately get out of the patrol car. He was afraid to even move, not wanting to make the traffic stop any worse than it had to be. Finally, seeing the officer’s car door open, Frost closed his eyes, anticipating the worse. When the officer appeared at the window, Frost realized that he knew the man: at least he had seen him before. He didn’t immediately know from where, though. Frost let down his window with his information already in hand. The officer leaned down in the window.

  “Good morning sir, license, insurance and registration please.” Chief of Police James Mason: that’s where I know him from. “Good morning officer,” Frost said, handing over the information and taking a quick look at his name tag; yes, it was him, Officer Mason.

  “Mr. Frost, do you know why I pulled you over?”

  Looking up at the man standing tall at his car window, Frost was almost star struck, remembering the man on television. He wanted to mention it but it wasn’t the time. Needless to say, Frost didn’t know how fast he was going and it didn’t matter; he would be respectful, not wanting any unnecessary confrontation especially with the Chief of Police.

  “No sir, I don’t know why,” Frost answered.

  Officer Mason didn’t smile. “I clocked you doing 70 in a 60.”

  Frost gasped, knowing that he made certain not to drive over the speed limit. Still, being so exhausted, he refrained from saying so. “I apologize, sir. I must not have been paying attention to the speedometer,” he lied.

  “I’ll be right back with you, Mr. Frost,” Officer Mason said, walking back to his car.

  “Ugh!” Frost watched Officer Mason walk off. He scratched his head, hoping that the officer would have some kind of compassion on him; he certainly didn’t need a speeding ticket right now as his and Deidre’s finances were tight enough. As he waited, Frost’s cell phone rang and he looked over and saw that it was Deidre. He’d have to call her back when this stop was over; he was in no mood to talk. He tapped anxiously on his steering wheel, waiting for the officer to return to his car. After a few minutes, the officer was back at his window.

  He handed Frost back his information. “Sir, I’m not going to cite you this time but you need to slow down for your own safety and everyone else’s on the road.”

  Relieved, Frost tried to refrain from smiling at the officer. “Thank you so much, Officer Mason. I really appreciate that.”

  Officer Mason tapped the roof of Frost’s car with his palm. “Remember what I said sir, and have a nice day.”

  As Officer Mason walked off, Frost smiled, putting his insurance and registration back inside his glove compartment. He picked up his cell phone to call Deidre when Officer Mason appeared back at his window.

  “One more thing, Mr. Frost,” the officer said. “Ladson wanted me to send you this message. He buried you first.”

  Frost was staring at the officer in confusion when Officer Mason cocked the gun, aimed and fired.

  James parked his patrol car on the old bridge that was all but deserted now. He remembered when they were kids how they would sneak to the bridge and throw things over the railing. He could still hear his momma yelling at them, “Y’all gonna end up falling over that bridge one day and drown your crazy selves.” James could laugh about it now as he looked around the abandoned area, wondering if anyone ever came back through these parts since it was still so peaceful.

  James walked over the bridge and looked over at the clear rushing water below. He threw the gun with great force into the abyss. It flew in the air until he saw it fall into the white waves and disappear. He stood satisfied for a moment, leaning over the railing and looking at the sun glistening on the water before heading back to his patrol car. As he began walking back across the bridge, his personal cell phone rang. It was Victoria.

  “What’s up, Vicki?”

  “James, where are you?”

  James huffed, “I’m working.”

  “I know you are,” Victoria lowered her voice, “I wanted to remind you that we have an appointment with the flooring people today.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got some things to handle. How about you go ahead and let them show you some samples and I’ll be home shortly.” There was silence on the phone and he knew that was from Victoria not receiving the answer she wanted.

  “James, you know that I don’t like doing stuff like this on my own,” Victoria said.

  James cursed under his breath. He hated when she responded like a whining child. “I’m coming. Let Javier help you until I get there. I’ll only be a few minutes late.”

  Victoria hesitated. “He’s the groundskeeper James, what does he know about flooring?”

  “Vicki,” James said, stomping his foot on the ground and making sure that she could hear the frustration in his voice.

  “Okay James, fine; but please hurry.”

  James ended the call, placing the cell phone back on his clip. He looked out again at the water before making his way to his patrol car.

  Chapter 39

  The visiting area was loud with shrieks of emotion, outbursts of laughter and chatter among the children who hadn’t seen their fathers or women who hadn’t felt the touch of their mates in a while. When Mimi first walked in, all eyes were on her. She woke up early, washed her short curly do and made sure her makeup was perfect, then added sparkling diamond studs and a new powder blue dress. In grabbing every man’s attention in the waiting area, she realized that she may have overdressed seeing most women in jeans and shirts.

  She had to admit that she wanted to look more beautiful than Aaron remembered to punish him more, as wrong as she knew that was. Now sitting and waiting for him, she was nervous, finding it hard to believe that she had driven 250 miles to see a man that she vowed to erase not only from her life but her mind.

  As it was, something in his letters, possibly his extreme remorse, prompted her to send a reply to that first letter then eventually accept the first phone call. After their conversations, Aaron was all Mimi thought about. She remembered how much joy she had with him and how attentive and comfortable he made her feel. Maybe she was just wishful but when he asked her to visit, she agreed. Now, a bundle of nerves, Mimi looked around waiting and wondering until Aaron appeared in the room, still handsome even in the tan prison uniform. Before she knew it, she was smiling.

  The cool breeze hit Mimi’s face as she walked beside Aaron around the grassy prison picnic area. She had never been to a prison and didn’t intend to make it a habit, but it wasn’t how she imagined prison. Although there was no shortage of guards around them, it was obvious to Mimi that the prisoners and their visitors had the freedom to hug and hold hands outside at the picnic tables. Some were even laying out blankets on the grassy lawn. Mimi herself was too nervous to sit still so she insisted they walk.

  “I imagined prison must harsher, I guess it’s not what I see on television,” Mimi said, looking around.

  “It’s harsher than what you see but this is a minimum security prison; part of my deal.” Aaron winced. “That didn’t come out right. I just meant that it’s not a maximum security prison but make no mistake about it, I’m still a prisoner.”

  Mimi nodded but remained quiet. Aaron looked better, even happier than she remembered. His brown skin was smooth and healthy, his arms strong and his shoulders broad. He had that same charming smile that was so alluring in the past. She almost didn’t want to make eye contact with him, afraid of rekindling any old feelings of attraction because nothing was the same anymore.

  “How are you?” Aaron asked, sneaking looks over at her as they walked side by side.

  He is a gentleman; he hasn’t even attempted to hug me or take my hand. “I’m fine,” Mimi answered feeling the butterflies
of an old flame and the anger and mistrust from extreme betrayal. “Why do you keep staring at me?” she asked.

  Aaron grinned. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “I can’t either,” Mimi said, taking a deep breath and wondering herself why she was there as they walked the yard together nervously.

  “You look more beautiful than I even remembered.”

  She looked over at him. “You don’t look so different, maybe slightly bigger.”

  Aaron flexed his muscles with a big smile. “Do you like it?”

  She forced herself not to smile; she looked away. She had so much to say to him that she didn’t know where to start.

  Aaron took a breath and looked out into the distance. “Mimi, I’m sorry for hurting you and I wish I could do everything over. You just don’t have any idea how sorry I am.”

  “I didn’t come here to kick and scream at you. I came to look the man in the eye who devastated the lives of so many people who showed him so much love and who would have given him the shirt off of their backs if need be.” She thought of Sam.

  “I know that now but you have no idea who I was,” Aaron said.

  Mimi wiped her watering eyes. “That’s an understatement.”

  “I mean, I was a lost man, I came from nothing and never knew what it was like to have anything like what you all gave me. I was caught between lives and I never thought I’d fall in love and then it was too late. I was too far gone.”

  Mimi stopped as he continued a few steps ahead of her before realizing that she had paused. He looked back. “I want you to explain who you are and why you came into my life,” she demanded, staring at him and feeling the pain he inflicted all over again.

  Aaron parted his mouth to speak then looked down at his feet. “I don’t know what to say to make you feel any better about me but I’m not the same man that you knew back then. God has changed me and given me another chance and—”

  “And I’m expected to do the same thing?” Mimi asked, stopping him mid-sentence.