The Topekan

by Roy Batty

  “What was the money for?”

  “I had to buy her phone.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s confidential.”

  Chrissy stood looking at them from across the room with a sour look on her face. Lana waved to Chrissy, who frightened Danny by walking towards them. Danny felt like a rooster about to be torn to pieces. Chrissy stopped in front of them and stood with her hands on her hips then she held out a hand to Lana and said,

  “Chrissy.”

  Lana briefly touched Chrissy’s hand as if Chrissy was a leper then Lana said,

  “Lana, a pleasure to meet you.”

  They both had fake smiles. Chrissy replied,

  “How do you know each other?”

  “We just met. How about you?”

  “He’s my attorney…and a friend.”

  Chrissy looked at Danny and he nodded and said,

  “Yes, a good friend.”

  Lana asked Chrissy,

  “Who invited you to the mansion?”

  “You think you’re better than me? You probably haven’t worked a day in your life, little slut!”

  Danny was upset. The guests were looking and Bolton could be anywhere. He took Lana’s arm and ushered her out of the mansion.

  9.

  Danny’s apartment smelled like the elephant habitat at the zoo because the cat’s litter box was full. He was sitting at the laptop and was surprised to see an email from an address he didn’t recognize. It said, “Open the attachment, counsel.” His gut turned over. He opened the attachment and a video played. It was Danny and Chrissy in his bed. Danny’s heart clenched. The email said, “I have all your contacts. Unless you do what I say I’m going to share the video with them.” The sender had attached a list of lawyers and judges. Danny marched into the bedroom and rifled a hand across the venetian blinds. Something fell from the top and landed on the carpet. Some dust fell off too and Danny sneezed. He picked the object up and looked at it. A video camera. He was angry and paranoid. The phone rang. He answered it and a man said,

  “You know who this is?”

  “Who is it?”

  “I gave you the money for Glanton. You’re quite a playboy.”

  Danny didn’t know who he was speaking to but he wanted to hurt this man. Danny asked,

  “What do you want?”

  The man chuckled and replied,

  “When I was a boy, my family was farm workers. Picking strawberries, blueberries, other things…until a police officer shot my father in the head…over a pack of cigarettes...”

  “What the hell do you want?”

  “You’re going to bring her to the Panama.”

  “I’m gonna bring my foot to your ass.”

  “What will the judges think when they see the video?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “I’m ready to send it to all of your lawyer friends right now. All I have to do is press the button-”

  Danny hung up the phone then smashed it onto the table.

  10.

  Shane Glanton walked into the room wearing his black-and-white striped county jail jumpsuit and orange rubber sandals. His eyes shone and he said,

  “Dunedain! I been waitin’ to see you! I though you forgot about me boy!”

  He sat across the table from Danny. Glanton was bald, short, and stocky. They were sitting in a small visitation room. The floor was white linoleum and there was a buzzing fluorescent light overhead. The air had the sweet acidic odor of a military recruit processing center. Danny began,

  “Good to see you.”

  “What’s going on with my case?”

  “Lots of good things. I got an offer for you.”

  “What?”

  “Two years due to your history.”

  “What? Damn! They expect me to bend over and take it with no grease! Mugs in here get better deals than that for shootin’ somebody! Tell them they can rack up twelve in the box and spend their money! I’m takin’ it to trial!”

  “Yeah I figured you’d reject that.”

  “And when I get out I’m gonna do this shit some more!”

  Danny laughed and replied,

  “I need more money. So I need to know who you work for.”

  Glanton squinted and replied,

  “Why do you need to know that?”

  “If you want to get out on bond I need to pay the bondsman.”

  “I’ll get out of here with or without you.”

  “I just need someone to call for money. I don’t care who it is. I’m sworn to confidence.”

  “Tortuga. But if you get me tangled up in some bullshit, just rememebr I’ll be out soon.”

  11.

  The people seated in the pews in the courtroom listened as Chrissy whispered to Danny,

  “Take good care of me and I’ll take good care of you...”

  Danny was embarrassed and he leaned over and whispered,

  “Shut up.”

  She replied,

  “You better not let them arrest me! Last time they arrested me I had just gotten dinner delivered from Chili’s and the cops took my dinner and smiled at me as they ate it!”

  Danny found himself laughing at that and he was glad to be laughing. Chrissy’s frown became a smile and he liked that too. The tinny stench of sweat and burnt marijuana mingled in the courtroom air. The women were preoccupied and silent. The men were sullen and had sun-worn, creased necks. Some of the men had black smudges on their clothing from landscape jobs or auto mechanic work. An obese woman with a green oxygen tank sat in an aisle seat. In his suit and tie, Danny was part of the show for them. They watched Chrissy too because she was dressed in a tight blue top, tight jeans, and red heels. He wished she wouldn’t have dressed that way for court.

  Judge Assington called her case. Chrissy and Danny got up and walked to the counsel table. Judge Assington began,

  “We are here today for arraignment. Mr. Dunedain, how does your client plead?”

  “Not guilty.”

  “Very well. We’ll set an evidentiary hearing next week.”

  District Attorney Damminway spoke,

  “We’ve received reports that the defendant has left town and had a bad UA. I ask that the bond be raised to a hundred thousand cash only.”

  Chrissy’s face turned red and she took a step backwards and raised a hand to her mouth. Danny was worried as hell. He wanted to get good outcomes for his clients at all times. There was nothing like the impotent feeling of standing there helpless while the judge and DA fucked your client. The judge said,

  “I’ll raise the bond to fifty thousand. You’ll be surrendered to the custody of the county jail at this time. Deputy…”

  The blue-uniformed sheriff’s deputy stepped behind Chrissy and took hold of her slim forearms. Chrissy looked at Danny with deer-eyed panic. Danny knew he’d better at least look like he was fighting for her. He spoke,

  “Judge, the appellate court ruled that unreasonable bonds violate the constitution.”

  “I’m aware of that, counsel, but the court of appeals has also ruled that reasonableness of bond is within the purview of district court.”

  Danny figured a little more arguing was in order, though he hoped to not piss off the judge, and he replied,

  “True, judge, but the court of appeals has recently ordered that bonds be in accordance with the guidelines in the statute, which provides a bond of $2500 for this offense. And the state haven’t provided any evidence of flight risk other than unfounded allegations.”

  Judge Assington was frustrated and he looked down for a moment then he said,

  “I’ll leave the bond at $2500 for now, but if your client misses court, leaves town, or has another positive UA there will be consequences beyond having her bond revoked.”

  The deputy let go of Chrissy’s arm and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Damminway asked Danny for a meeting.

  There was a dagger-shaped letter opener on Damminway’s desk, in easy reach of his right hand. He also
had a man-sized range target, used, tacked to the wall. He closed the door, sat down at his desk, and began,

  “Your client made a recording. We’d like to hear it.”

  What’s in it for me, dick? Danny replied,

  “I’ll look into it.”

  “All I have to do is get a search warrant. Do you want detectives searching her home? Or yours?”

  “They already came after my client about it.”

  “Who?”

  “A Couple of thugs. There were no police there to protect her. Same thing will happen if she rolls.”

  Damminway glared at him a moment then said,

  “A lot of people who thought they were above the law are going to be surprised. Remember that when you choose whose side you’re on. Will your client testify?”

  “What’s in it for her?”

  “We need to see what she can tell us. Then we’ll make an offer.”

  A shitty deal. They weren’t going to ensure her safety. Why did these assholes think they could do this to people? Danny wanted to ram a broomstick up this man’s ass. Danny had done a deal like this before and seen his client end up getting get a weak offer, as well as a “snitch” label. Damminway sat looking at Danny for a moment then he picked up the phone on his desk and said, “Come to my office.” Danny stood up and said,

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Wait.”

  “For what?”

  Then Danny heard someone step into the doorway behind him. Damminway asked,

  “Mind if we frisk you?”

  “I do mind.”

  The man in the DA’s doorway wore khakis and a white button down, no tie. He was wide and had dark grey hair but he was still game, you could tell by the way he stood. He had taken a wide stance and he filled the doorway. His thick forearms hanging loose at his sides. It was the DA’s lead investigator, Sammy Hutch. Hutch was a levelheaded former cop who didn’t wear animosity on his sleeve. He nodded to Danny. Damminway said,

  “Go ahead.”

  Then Damminway looked at Danny and added,

  “I’d advise you to comply.”

  Danny raised his arms and Hutch patted him down, pulled out Danny’s wallet, looked in it, and handed it back. Then he slipped his hand into Danny’s other pocket and pulled out the phone with the recording on it. Hutch held the phone up and looked at Damminway, who smiled and said,

  “You’ll wear a wire and talk to Tortuga.”

  “No way.”

  Damminway’s face reddened and he growled,

  “You slept with your hooker client and you’re interfering with an investigation! I could have you arrested any moment!

  Danny was at the boiling point and he spoke with contempt,

  “I’m not trading my ass for a job.”

  Damminway leaned back in his chair and smiled with his mouth closed then he said,

  “Don’t be a fool. You’ll go to jail.”

  “Why should I put my ass on the line for you?”

  “You’ll wear the wire and we’ll arrest him afterwards.”

  “It won’t work. They don’t trust me.”

  “It will work.”

  Danny ended up refusing and he strode down the hallway, still fuming. Danny hoped Damminway was bluffing, but if not, fuck it. The alternative was to put his own life on the line so they could have a weak shot at busting Tortuga. Someone behind him called out his name and he turned and looked. A sheriff’s deputy was jogging down the hallway. The deputy escorted Danny to Judge Assington’s chambers.

  Judge Assington leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. He was wearing khakis and a pastel green shirt with no tie. His eyes were magnified behind wire rims. He began,

  “It’s been brought to my attention that there is a video of you having inappropriate relations with a client. I must report this to the ethics commission. You’re suspended from practicing in my court until they’ve completed their investigation.”

  Danny’s world was falling apart but he stood there like nothing was happening. The judge continued,

  “Counsel I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into but I sincerely wish you the best of luck.”

  12.

  Chrissy and Danny walked side by side on the creaky, sun-worn marina at Lake Quivira. Danny had a beat-up old sailboat there. The smarmy odor of the lake filled the air. Danny began,

  “I need to get off your case.”

  “What? Why?”

  “I work for someone whose been charged for hammergate.”

  “Why don’t you get off their case instead?”

  Danny had to scramble for an answer. He didn’t want to tell her it was about money or that he was suspended from practicing in Assington’s courtroom. The sailboat dipped with his weight as he stepped on board. He turned, looked at her, and held out a hand. She took his hand and stepped onto the deck but she lost her balance when the boat dipped with her weight. He put his hands on her hips and she looked up at him with narrow eyes. Danny liked her a lot, though he knew she was dangerous and not in love with him. He handed her a life vest and said,

  “Put this on.”

  “I’m not putting that stupid thing on.”

  “God dammit just do it.”

  “No! It looks stupid.”

  “Put it on or I’m throwing you overboard.”

  Chrissy pouted, took the life vest, and slid into it but she didn’t buckle it. She said,

  “You better put one on too!”

  Danny smiled and he put on a life vest and replied,

  “I’m going to keep you safe by getting off your case.”

  “Are you sure it’s not because of that girl from the party?”

  “Not because of her.”

  “So what happens to me?”

  “Dusty Larue will represent you.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “He’s good and I’ve known him a long time. There’s another thing. The DA wants you to roll on Blackbush.”

  “What do I get in return?”

  “They won’t say until after they’ve used your statement to intimidate him into pleading guilty.”

  “I’d have to testify?”

  “Maybe. And he would know you rolled on him, even before the trial.”

  She frowned and shook her head no. Danny continued,

  “It’s not worth it. If you become a state’s witness you’d have people out to silence you, even worse than now.”

  Someone came walking down the marina. Dusty Larue. He was wearing his threadbare gray suit and a brown tie. The wind picked up and whipped his thin hair around his head. His tie flopped over his shoulder. Larue frowned and stepped onto the boat then Danny handed him a beer and said,

  “Thanks for sending Lipshitz my way, pirate.”

  “Is the referral check in the mail?”

  “It is. I couldn’t imagine you doing real work.”

  “I know you can’t. You wouldn’t know real work if you saw it.”

  Chrissy asked,

  “What are you guys talking about?”

  Danny introduced Chrissy to Larue then he unmoored the sailboat and the let the current take them onto the lake. He sat at the prow and drank a beer as Chrissy jabbered at Larue, who was frowning. Danny spaced out but was startled and brought back by a muffled boom that came from under the water. Danny was worried and he looked overboard. Chrissy asked,

  “What was that?

  Then there was a sound of rushing water. The boat began to move backward and Danny panicked and yelled,

  “Grab the oars!”

  Chrissy was upset too. She asked,

  “What?”

  Danny pushed the sailboat’s propeller into the water and kicked it on then he yelled,

  “Get below deck and grab the oars!”

  Chrissy asked,

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Do it now!”

  Chrissy and Larue stood looking at him. Danny was frustrated. He dove below deck, grabbed the oars, and
brought them up. His face was red and his eyes bulged. He held out the oars and yelled,

  “Row the damn boat!”

  Chrissy and Larue each took an oar, put them in the water, and began rowing. The boat continued to move backwards. Driftwood floated past. Finally the boat slowed and held suspended on the water as the little engine whined and they rowed. The dark water rushed past beneath. People on the marina watched. The boat began moving backwards again. Danny panicked even more when he glanced back and saw what he feared: a whirlpool. He was afraid they were going to die a horrible death. How could it end this way? Then he heard a speedboat engine gunning full blast. He looked up and saw a boat racing towards them. Moments later it pulled alongside them and the green-uniformed ranger who drove it threw a rope to Danny. After they boarded the speedboat there was a crunching noise. Danny turned and saw his little sailboat standing on end and breaking in half. The ranger punched the throttle and they roared toward the marina. Danny shouted over the roar,

  “What was that?”

  The ranger replied,

  “Fissures in the rock bed acting up!”

  “What?”

  “Underwater earthquake!”

  13.

  Danny and Dusty Larue stood before the front door of Governor Carnahan’s mansion. Danny was saying,

  “Because I don’t wait around for you pussies to make a move! That’s why. And don’t mention the girl.”

  Danny, hat in hand, knocked on the front door. Carnahan opened the door and said,