“That’s sweet. I’m okay. I didn’t really see anything, and I didn’t look at him afterward, so…” She shrugged. “It was kind of like seeing it on the news. It wasn’t that big of a deal. I told my dad about it, though.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he got what he had coming. Pretty much what I figured he’d say.”
I found the remark odd. “What do you mean? What he had coming?”
“He was charged with raping a girl. Did you know that?”
I let out a sigh. Lying to her wasn’t something I really wanted to start doing. “I did.”
“I found out last night,” she whispered. “I thought about it for a while, and then called my dad. He said prison justice takes care of what the legal system isn’t allowed to.”
I chuckled. “Your dad do time in the joint?”
She chuckled. “No. But he despises the legal system when it doesn’t work. He screams at the television sometimes. When cops get away with murder.”
“Sounds like a good man.”
“I told him about your first charge. He said they arrested you for wearing a kutte and having tattoos.”
“I like him already.”
She smiled. “He’s easy to like.”
“But you’re okay?”
“I’m good.”
Naturally I was curious about the surveillance footage, and if they’d found out anything in reviewing it. Not so much so that I was going to ask.
“You were right there,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.”
“Did you see what happened?”
“I watched him die,” I said, not really knowing why I chose to bring it up.
“Oh. Wow. That didn’t bother you?”
“I didn’t sleep all night, but I don’t think that kept me from it. Like I said, I was more worried about you than anything.”
She fought to keep from smiling, but only prolonged the inevitable. Her mouth curled into a grin. “Have you heard about your charge? If they’re dropping it?”
“I haven’t. Hopefully I will today.”
She crossed her fingers and raised them to the window. “You owe me a ride and a coffee.”
I raised my hands over my head and stretched. “I can’t wait.”
The thought of spending time with her away from the prison was exciting. For many reasons, I’d been out of the relationship game for years. Unlike many of the men, I wasn’t a man whore or a player, I simply felt I couldn’t afford a girlfriend.
The decision wasn’t based on finances alone.
For many reasons, I now viewed things differently.
“Okay. I better go,” she said. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you get out of here today.”
I crossed mine and touched them to the glass, hoping my level of excitement to spend time with her wasn’t all for naught.
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Four
Bobbi
Perry stomped into the observation station with a sheet of paper in his hand. Upon reaching his work area, he attempted to throw it amongst the mess of paperwork that was smeared across the surface of his desk. Instead of landing where he intended it to, it was caught by a gust from the air conditioning system. As it floated toward the floor, he kicked at it, missed, and all but fell on his ass.
I laughed silently at the sight of his idiotic behavior. “Everything okay?”
“You can go get your boyfriend and walk him to the gate.” He reached for the piece of paper that had fallen to the floor. He crumpled it in his hand and then waved it in the air. “Just got word they dropped his charges. Wonder who he’s paying off.”
I struggled to hide my excitement. “I’m sure the chief of police is on his payroll.”
“Wouldn’t doubt it.”
I was thrilled that Tate was being released, and even more so that I was going to be the one to tell him.
I stood. “You really want me to do it?”
“You bitched last time that you didn’t get to say goodbye. Take him to the gate and give him a big hug.”
I turned toward the door. “I’ll give him one from you, too.”
“Don’t bother.”
Briskly, I walked to Tate’s cell. When I reached it, he was doing sit-ups. It was painfully obvious that he’d spent a lifetime sculpting his body, but I wondered if his regiment was different when he was at home.
“Is that all you do?” I asked.
He jumped to his feet, stretched his hands over his head, and popped his back. “What else am I going to do in here?”
I turned the lock on his door. “Write another bestseller?”
He gave an apologetic shrug. “Fingers cramp writing with a pencil.”
I pulled his cell door open. “How about writing it from home?”
“They dropped the charges?” His eyes widened. “Seriously.”
“They sure did.”
He glanced around the cell, and then realized he had nothing to take with him. He turned to face me and grinned. “I’m good to go?”
I stepped aside and waved toward the cell block. “As good as it gets.”
He brushed the wrinkles from his khakis and walked through the door. “How’s your schedule in the next few days?”
I pushed the cell door closed and locked it. “I don’t have a schedule.”
“What do you mean?”
I started walking toward Receiving and Discharge, and he followed, step for step, at my side. “I go home at 3:30, exercise, read, and wait for my neighbor to come over.”
He gave me a cross look. “He neighbor, or she neighbor?”
He seemed jealous. Not terribly so, but enough that his jaw tensed and his eyes thinned.
“He neighbor,” I said, somehow remaining straight-faced as I spoke.
“What’s his story?”
I strolled toward the door as if we were on a leisurely walk along the beach. “Oh, nothing much. He comes over with low calorie snacks.”
He paused and shot me a look. “Your neighbor brings you snacks?”
I nodded and kept walking. “Low calorie snacks.”
In a few steps, he caught up with me. “Low calorie snacks? And, that’s it?”
“Sometimes he stays and talks.”
“Then he leaves?”
“Eventually.”
“How long does he stay?”
We reached the door that led to R&D. I pushed the key into the switch, turned it, and waved my arm toward the open door.
He motioned toward the door. “Ladies first.”
“You walk in front of me,” I said. “It’s policy.”
“Oh.” He chuckled. “Right.”
He passed through the door and paused. I caught up to him, and we walked side by side to the discharge desk.
“Personal effects for Tate Reynolds,” I said.
“Twice in a week,” MacMillan said with a grin.
“I like the food,” Tate said.
“If you knew what was in the oatmeal, you wouldn’t eat it.”
I laughed. “He loves the stuff.”
MacMillan walked to the back of the cage and quickly returned with a clear plastic bag. He dumped the contents on the counter, and then read from the sheet of paper that accompanied it. “One pair of blue denim jeans. One leather belt with buckle. One wallet with driver’s license. One straight razor. Two hundred and seven dollars in US currency. Two black beaded bracelets. One leather bracelet. One black plastic watch, G-Shock brand. Two sterling silver ear rings. One white ribbed tank top. One pair white socks. One pair black lace-up leather boots. One cell phone, LG brand.” He looked at Tate. “Look like we’re square?”
“Yep.”
I looked at his phone. “You carry a flip phone?”
“I do.”
I looked at the ivory handled razor. “And a straight razor?”
“My dad gave me that one.”
“You’ve got more?”
“I collect them.”
“But you carry it?”
“Everywhere I go.”
I surveyed the pile of personal items. There were no keys.
“You don’t have any keys,” I said.
“Bike’s at the shop.”
“Where’s the shop?”
“Oceanside.”
“That’s what? Eighty miles?”
He shrugged. “Ninety.”
“Long taxi ride.”
He grabbed his jeans, boots, and shirt. “It’s a longer walk.” He tilted his head toward the bathroom. “Is that locked?”
“No.”
“Be right back.”
In a moment, he emerged from the bathroom. The difference was overwhelming. Wearing dark washed denim jeans, the bracelets, a wife beater, and boots, he took a few steps toward me. Inspecting his straight razor as he walked, it seemed he was a different person. Without looking up, he slipped it into his back pocket.
He rubbed his growth of beard, glanced at me, and grinned. His beard no longer looked out of place, it was sexy. It seemed his tattoos were more colorful. He raised his hands over his head, stretched, and popped his back. As he lowered his arms, he hooked his right thumb in the pocket of his jeans and cocked his hip slightly.
Just like in the book.
I looked him over with eager eyes. He was no longer inmate Reynolds.
He was Becker Wallace.
I became flustered and my face went flush. I tore my eyes away from him and fixed my gaze on the doors ahead of me. “Are you, uhhm. Are you…are you ready?” I stammered.
“Suppose so.”
“Follow me.”
I led him through the doors, and to the front steps of the wing. “That’s Bauchet Street. It leads to Vignes. Vignes will take you to--”
“I know my way out of here.” He inhaled a deep breath, tilted his head back and let it out. He looked at me. “What time you get off work?”
I checked my watch. “An hour and ten minutes.”
“I owe you a ride and a cup of coffee,” he said. “Pick me up at the corner of Vignes and Cesar Chaves, and I’ll add dinner.”
“Done,” I said without hesitation. “I’ll be there and 3:35.”
He walked halfway down the steps and then turned around. “See you then, Officer Madden.”
It dawned on me that he didn’t even know my name.
“Bobbi.” I smiled. “Call me Bobbi.”
Chapter Two Hundred Twenty-Five
Tate
I leaned against the light post and watched the cars pass for almost an hour. It came as no surprise that no one offered me a ride. I wondered if I was dressed differently if someone would have. If I didn’t have tattoos. If my face was shaved clean and my hair was neatly combed.
My first tattoos were on my forearms. I got them in hope of warning those who would otherwise want to strike up a conversation not to bother. It discouraged a few, but not everyone. It seemed the ink was an invitation for people to ask me questions about the tattoo’s meaning or my thought process in getting them. The more ink I got, the fewer questions were asked. Now? People avoided me like the plague.
The unmistakable sound from a muscle car’s exhaust caused me to look up. A black 1971 Chevelle with white racing stripes came around the corner at the end of the block. The rumpity-rump from the racing cam and the sound of more than four hundred horsepower from the big block Chevy engine was music to my ears. One of my all-time favorite cars, the iconic machine was on my bucket list of things to own one day.
The engine accelerated, paused, and then accelerated again after the driver shifted gears. I gawked in admiration at the quality of the bodywork and the mirror-like reflection the black paint provided.
The driver shifted another gear. There was no showboating, no spinning the tires, and no overrevving the engine. It was apparent the owner admired the car as much as I did. Completely lost in admiring the piece of machinery, I gazed blankly as the car approached. When it rolled to a stop at my side, I blinked a few times and stared in disbelief.
The passenger side window opened halfway.
“Hey mister, want a ride?”
I wiped my hands on the thighs of my jeans and reached for the door handle. After opening the door and peering inside, I realized traffic was backing up behind her.
I hopped inside and pulled the door closed. “Holy fucking shit. This thing is spotless.”
Her mouth curled into a prideful grin. Her dirty blond hair was no longer twisted into a bun. It was loose, curly, and tumbled over her shoulders and onto her chest. Wearing a fitted Heather Gray dress with pink accent stripes, she looked nothing like she did at work, and everything like I imagined she would.
She checked over her shoulder, saw a break in traffic, and let out the clutch. As the car lurched forward, she pressed the gas and merged into the long line of cars.
“My dad gave it to me as a graduation gift.”
The interior of the car looked – and smelled – new. “Whoever restored it did a great job.”
“He did it. Even the paint work.”
I buckled my seatbelt and then shot her a look. “Your dad?”
“Every nut, every bolt. In his shop.”
“Holy shit. What did he do for a living?”
She grinned. “Restored muscle cars. He retired a few years ago.”
“That’s a shame he retired. There’s not very many men around that do work like this.” I wiped my hand along the dash. “It’s a lost art. Everyone wants a BMW or a Benz these days. No one wants to spend sixty grand on a Chevelle.”
As she merged into the freeway’s traffic, she pressed a cassette in the cassette player. After a few seconds of silence, the Chi Lites Oh Girl began to play.
The song took me back to my childhood. Although it wasn’t of my era, my father listened to it when I was a kid. He believed all of the good music was recorded prior to the 1980’s. His record collection and turntable came into my possession upon my parent’s passing, and I listened to his records while I wrote.
“I love this song,” I said.
“It was one of my mom’s favorites.” She laughed and motioned behind her. “My dad made this mix tape for me. It’s a bunch of her favorite songs.”
I glanced over my shoulder. A large case of what I assumed was cassettes sat in the center of the rear seat.
“No CD player, no iPod, and no automatic transmission.” I closed my eyes and became immersed in the music. “This is fucking awesome.”
“Are you like Becker Wallace? Do you hate technology?”
I opened my eyes and looked at her. “I don’t hate it. I just haven’t embraced it yet.”
“Will you?”
“Why don’t you have a CD player or some Bluetooth bullshit?” I asked.
“It wouldn’t be era correct,” she said. “My father would crucify me if I did.”
“I’m going to fight it as long as I can. For now, I like my life just the way it is. If I want to do a status update, I roll into the shop and announce it.”
She chuckled. “That’s funny.”
The song ended, and Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door began. “You know what? Things were simple back then. A man just lived his life, had whatever he surrounded himself with at his disposal, and didn’t have to worry about being inundated with everything that happened on earth. If some kid got shot by a cop in Mississippi, people in that town knew about it, but the world didn’t. Now, anything that happens is plastered all over the internet. Instantly, people are depressed about something they’d otherwise know nothing about. I can’t see that there’s any good that comes from it.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Awareness?”
“Awareness of what?” I laughed. “That mankind has the capacity to be evil? Cane proved that long ago. Now we’ve got Blue Whale Challenges that encourage people to commit suicide, Facebook live feeds of people drowning or being shot by cops, and kids with smart phones recording car wrecks and watching people die instead of adm
inistering aid. I want it to be 1960 again.”
I looked at her. Her eyes shifted back and forth between the road and me. I waved my hand toward the cassette player. “Right now? It’s about as close as it can get. That’s why I ride a bike, don’t have a smart phone, and don’t use social media. For me, it’ll always be 1960. Close as I can get, anyway.”
She smiled. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Are you Becker Wallace?”
I snickered. “Pretty much.”
She nodded lightly. “I thought so.”
The songs of the 1970’s continued to play, each of which were on my list of favorites. I found it awkwardly reassuring that we shared the same taste in music and that she was driving my dream car.
One day, when I hit it big, I’d own a 1970’s Chevelle. For the time being, I’d decided to simply sit back and enjoy Mr. Madden’s handiwork.
As we rolled down highway 5, just outside of San Clemente, I recalled the day I went for a ride while I was writing the book. It was the day I realized who Becker Wallace was. For me, it was the turning point. The day the book made sense to me. Every book I’d written had one, but, no differently than the readers, I was in the dark until that moment came.
I gazed out the window, fixed my eyes on the ocean, and mouthed the words to The Weight, by The Band.
My mind drifted to thoughts of how things had changed for my closest friends, for the club, and for our future. Most of the men had Ol’ Ladies, kids, or kids on the way. The club’s biggest rival, Satan’s Savages, was now defunct.
It was the dawn of a new generation, no doubt.
The thought of the men having families, commitments, and loyalty outside the club was oddly rewarding. Knowing the men as well as I did, I realized in some ways, the commitment of a relationship and of a family would take each of them back to the 1960s.
Kids gathering at Cholo’s house playing baseball and running along the beach. I could see our resident surfer, Pee Bee, teaching them to surf.
“Which Oceanside exit?” she asked.
I looked at her, unaware that we’d made the entire trip. It seemed like only minutes had passed. “54-A”
She changed lanes. “Almost missed it. Where from here?’
Filthy F*ckers: The Complete Series Box Set Page 111