Prisons

by Rob Edwards

  Judith slammed the spaghetti spoon down on the counter, spraying sauce all over the wall. Dar closed her mouth and stepped back.

  “Get in the car,” Judith said.

  “What?”

  “I’ll get Noah. You, get in the car.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just get in my damn car.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the car across from Grant Park. The man was there with his wife, pushing her wheelchair onto the paved walkway for their evening stroll. “See that man over there.” Judith pointed at him. “That’s Noah’s father.”

  Dar looked over at the man. She could tell he was middle-aged, and attractive. It was the slightly bent walk he had because he was tending to his afflicted wife that made him look older. “How do you know that? I thought they weren’t allowed to tell at a sperm bank.”

  “Dar, don’t be thick.” Judith said. “I know he’s the father because…”

  Dar looked at her. It took several moments for her to catch on—her brain slow to process the fact that she’d been lied to all these years. She pointed at the man. “You and him?”

  Judith nodded.

  “What the hell are you saying here, Jude?”

  Judith looked back over at the man, thinking on those days, years ago, when she had actually been in love. “His name is Jack Brody. I worked with him at Danser. We were part of the same strategy team and I was so hung up on him.” She looked back at Dar. “Let’s face it, I was living pretty fast and loose in those days. All the traveling I did, I had a guy at pretty much every stop, and I enjoyed my time with each and every one of them.” She looked back at the man and his wife. “But none of them were like Jack. He was stable, emotionally strong, smart, funny, and he knew what a relationship should really be. I knew this because he would always talk about his wife, and all the little things he would do for her…and I loved him. It’s not that I wanted a guy like him. I wanted him. Then, one day he was out of sorts, you know…just not with it. We were on a consulting trip to Baltimore, and he looked as if he couldn’t even think straight. When our work was done, I asked him if he wanted to have a drink in the hotel lobby and discuss what was bothering him. When we met he told me that they had found out his wife had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was all he could do to hold it together, so I whisked him back to his room so he could be free from prying eyes in case he needed to cry. When we were in his room, he cried hard.” Judith paused. She noticed a tear rolling down her cheek and wiped it away. “And I was there to make everything all better. I completely took advantage of this guy for my own selfish desires.”

  “Ummm, you’re kidding, right?” Dar said. “He was there too. He had a hand in it.”

  Judith shook her head. “No, that’s just it. He wasn’t there. He was so lost in his own desperation for his wife, that I just kept pouring him drinks. He’d cry, and I would fill his glass one more time. Then, when there weren’t any more brain cells left, I moved in and did the only real thing I knew to make a guy feel good. In the morning, when he realized what happened, he cried even worse, and I knew I had completely destroyed this man’s world.”

  “Jude, you can’t take responsibility for this.”

  “Dar, I take complete responsibility for this,” Judith said. “I had planned it out. When I saw him vulnerable, I did everything I could to move in on that. I just wanted to know what it felt like to be with someone who was that good a person. And so now I have Noah to let me know, every single day, what can happen when you do what you want, instead of what’s right.”

  “Oh my God,” Darlene said. “Are you telling me that you believe Noah has autism because you behaved badly?”

  Judith covered her face and broke down. She felt Darlene’s hand grab her shoulder, pull her in, and hold her tight.

  “Sister, that’s crazy. But then again, you’ve always been my crazy-ass sister.” Darlene held her for several minutes until Judith could control her tears. “So that’s why you left Danser?”

  Judith nodded.

  “And you never told him you were pregnant.”

  Judith shook her head.

  “And you were too ashamed at the whole ordeal to let anybody know about it, including me. So you made up the whole thing about quitting your job and going to the sperm bank because you wanted a life change.”

  Judith nodded.

  “Jude, you’ve put yourself in your own prison because of one stupid mistake you made. And for some reason you think it needs to be a life sentence.”

  Judith wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

  Darlene kissed her sister’s head. “This is breaking my freaking heart.”

  Judith sat back and looked at her. “Why? These are my mistakes, not yours.”

  “Yes,” Darlene said. “But cold-blooded killers are treated better than you’ve been treating yourself.”

  Another week passed and Noah’s voice did not return, nor were there any signs that it might. In fact, his mood seemed depressed, without hope. Everything he did was sluggish, with no happiness or childlike curiosity in his heart. The “Delton episode” as Judith referred to that period, had left Noah broken.

  Sunday afternoon came around. Judith was on the couch watching as Noah sat on the floor, staring at two glasses on the coffee table. Not even this simple activity held joy in it anymore. The doorbell rang, and she dragged herself off the couch to answer it.

  A young Hispanic man nodded at her. “Miss Judith Higgins,” he said.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Hector Sanchez. I’m a friend of Delton Hayes’ from Two Rivers, and there’s something that I think you should know.”

  Chapter Forty

  Delton recognized the hallway. He’d been here plenty of times to talk with Taysha and Miss Higgins. He wasn’t sure why he was here this time though, until the door opened.

  A short balding white man in a wrinkled gray suit stood and smiled. “Hello, Delton. I’m Ray Bauer, and I’ve been asked to represent you for the death of Richard Simpson.”

  “Hey.” Delton waved with his cuffed hands.

  Ray gestured to the other side of the table. “Please take a seat and let us discuss it.”

  Delton shuffled over and plunked down.

  Ray Bauer opened a file, spun it around, and slid it over. “First things first. I want to get your signature on this form giving Two Rivers Correctional Facility permission to keep you in protective custody for an extended period of time.”

  “Protective custody?” Delton said. “It ain’t protective custody. It’s solitary confinement.”

  “Maybe so. But you are safe because of it. From what I understand, Mr. Simpson had a great many friends who now want to do you harm.”

  “They ain’t nothing but Simpson’s hillbilly jug band. They don’t scare me.”

  “Simpson didn’t scare you either, did he?” Ray tapped the form. “Please sign so we can get on with the rest of the meeting.”

  Delton scoffed, picked up the pen and signed the form. “I don’t know why they don’t put all of them in solitary. I’m the one who was attacked and I’m treated like the bad guy here.”

  Ray pulled the folder back, closed it and set it aside. “Right, well I’ve looked over the case and the statements of the witnesses and I think it would be in your best interest to plead out to voluntary manslaughter. With good behavior you could get out in four to six years.”

  “What?” Delton said. “I thought you were here to represent me?”

  “I am,” Bauer said. “And after looking everything over, I think this is the best possible option for you.”

  “I’m not pleading guilty to something I’m not guilty of. He tried to kill me. I was trying not to die.”

  “There are several eye-witness reports stating that you attacked him, and only one saying it was the other way around. I don’t see how you would have a chance of winning by trying to plead self-defense.”

  Delton shook his head. “I’m not plead
ing guilty. It’s not happening.”

  Ray sighed, shook his head, and gathered his papers together. “Then I guess we’re done here for right now. I’ll contact you when we get closer to a hearing on this.” He stood, walked over to the door and knocked twice.

  “How long you think this is gonna take?” Delton asked.

  The door opened and Ray turned back. “I have no reasonable idea. Things like this can take weeks, months, or years. Have a good day.” Then he walked out.

  The guard looked at Delton and nodded to the door. “C’mon, Hayes. Let’s get you back.”

  Delton let out a long breath, struggled to his feet, and headed back, feeling like he just signed away his chance to ever leave his tiny, lonely cell.

  Chapter Forty-One

  “It was self-defense!” Judith screamed.

  All 200 students in the auditorium attending Dr. Fitzpatrick’s sociology class turned to look at her. Dr. Fitzpatrick stopped writing on the white board and looked up to the top of the stairs. When he saw Judith, he capped the dry erase marker he had in his hand and placed it on the tray. “Students, will you excuse us for just a moment?”

  Judith scurried down the stairs. A flurry of chatter erupted with every step she took. Dr. Fitzpatrick stepped over to a door at the side of the stage and opened it for Judith.

  As soon as she breezed through the doorway into the small office, she spun around. “Delton killed that man in self-defense.”

  Dr. Fitzpatrick closed the door quietly. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t change anything.”

  “Wait,” Judith held up a hand. “You knew?”

  Dr. Fitzpatrick shuffled nervously. “I found out the other day.”

  “And you didn’t let me know?”

  “Miss Higgins, my reaction was just the same as yours,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said, rubbing his hands together. “And I petitioned to have the project reinstated on the basis of this new revelation. But I was completely shut down. So I didn’t feel there was any reason to bring it to your attention and have you get upset again.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Who was it that shut you down? The board?”

  “No. It was the warden at Two Rivers. He had not been a fan of the project from the start, and after the incident, he felt it better to not let it begin again.”

  Judith could feel her heart beat faster. “He felt it better?”

  “You see, the public outcry has been quite severe and…”

  “Oh, he hasn’t seen severe yet,” Judith said. She walked toward the door and threw it open. Nearly every student in the auditorium jumped in their seats and their chatter stopped abruptly.

  Dr. Fitzpatrick followed her out of the room. “Miss Higgins, I don’t think….”

  But Judith didn’t slow. She stomped up the steps and out the door, leaving a bewildered professor to deal with his stunned class.

  “Mr. Luzynski can see you now,” the elderly secretary of the Two Rivers Correctional Facility Warden said, with a pleasant smile.

  Judith stood from the hard plastic orange chair in the lobby and walked through the thick metal door of the warden’s office.

  The office was hardly elaborate—cement block walls with thin fake wooden trim around the tile floor and the doorway. There was a very high, and very small window above and to the right of the warden’s desk.

  Warden Luzynski stood behind his large metal desk and gestured to a chair when Judith walked in. “Have a seat,” he said, in a no-nonsense sort of way. What he left unspoken were the words, “so we can get this shit over with.” He was a short, bulbous man with a large nose and a head of thick black and white hair that looked like it had been combed very well, two days ago.

  Once Judith had taken her seat, he took his, in polite fashion. “So, Miss Higgins, I’m aware you were part of the Marmont project…”

  “Yes, Warden, an integral part,” Judith said.

  “Eh…how do you mean?”

  “My son, Noah, was cared for by Delton Hayes.”

  “Yes. Yes, I know that,” the warden said. “So what is it you want from me?”

  “I just learned that Delton’s actions were in self-defense. I would like him reinstated into the program.”

  Warden Luzynski shook his head. “That ain’t happening. The program is dead. Over.”

  “Well, perhaps you could allow Delton to see Noah on a one-on-one basis here.”

  Luzynski waved his hand. “I’m sorry, Miss Higgins, that can’t happen.”

  Judith leaned in. “But why are you punishing Delton for something he didn’t do?” She hated that she sounded like she was pleading.

  “But he did do it,” Luzynski said. “Have you not read the papers or seen the news? I’ll clue you in if you haven’t. The story is very clear—Delton Hayes killed Rick Simpson in a drug related incident in my prison. It’s an incident that would not have happened if it weren’t for that damn program.”

  “But that’s not the whole story, and you know it,” Judith said.

  “Look, Miss Higgins, public opinion is a very fickle thing. The stories that people tell are beyond my control. I can only try my damnedest to not give them anything more to talk about. Now what do you think would happen if I were to allow that project to start up again? Do you think the news reporters would say, ‘good for them for giving those guys a second chance?’ No. They’d vilify me, and they’d vilify you for being a part of it.”

  “But what about letting Delton see Noah alone?”

  “If I did that, the entire state would be holding their breath waiting for something to go wrong. And the minute your son stubbed his toe, they’d all call for the crucifixion of Delton Hayes. Not to mention all of the investigations into child endangerment I would have to deal with, and probably lose, since the man had already killed somebody before I put him in a room with your son. Look what they’re saying now. I have Delton locked away for his own safety, and the media is spinning it that he’s kept by himself because he’s so dangerous to everyone else.”

  Judith fought back tears. “But my son needs him.”

  “I feel for you, Miss Higgins. I really do,” Luzynski said, trying and failing at sounding sympathetic. “But until something big changes, there isn’t a thing I can do even if I wanted to.”

  Girding her strength, Judith stood. “Well then, I guess it’s up to me to make big changes,” she said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Wait and see.” She nodded at him. “Thank you for your time, Warden.” Then she turned and walked out, not knowing what she would do—just knowing that, for Noah’s sake, she couldn’t stop here.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “You can’t be nervous,” Darlene said. “You just have to be natural.”

  Judith fixed her hair in the reflection of the coffee table. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re not in front of the camera.”

  After obsessing over her conversation with Warden Luzynski for several days, as much as she hated to admit it, she understood his position, and would probably make the same decision if she were sitting in his chair. He talked about the media, and public opinion, and she knew those were extremely strong powers at work, and if they were ever lined up against you, that meant you were royally screwed. Judith knew this very well. When she worked at the PR firm, she did everything she could to help individuals and companies leverage the strength of public opinion.

  So that is what she had decided to do now.

  With Darlene’s help, Judith was going to put out a video explaining everything that happened with Noah and Delton, explain Delton’s plight, and attempt to steer the train that is public opinion and media bias.

  “Okay, are you ready?” Darlene asked, pointing her phone at Judith.

  “I’m ready,” Judith said.

  “I’m rolling…action.”

  “Hello there, I’m Judith Higgins. And this is my son, Noah.” Judith quickly described Noah’s ASD, his involvement in the Marmont p
rogram, and how, after working with Delton Hayes for two months, he had seen amazing progress and began to speak words for the first time in his life. And she discussed how Noah had regressed since the end of the program. “He’s been depressed that Delton, his one true friend, is no longer in his life. He has had several meltdowns, and those of you who know anything about autism can understand how bad that is. But what is even more distressing is that Noah no longer tries to speak.” Judith’s voice cracked and she took a moment to regain herself. “And now, even small tasks and activities that used to bring him contentment, if not joy, hold no interest for him. He is a shell of what he used to be.” Judith started crying. “Shut it off.”

  “I’m gonna keep rolling,” Darlene said. “But we’ll cut out everything we can’t use. You’re just doing so well I don’t want to stop your momentum.”

  Judith gave herself the moment to cry, letting her tears flow until she felt soothed. Then she wiped her eyes and blew her nose, sat up and looked into the camera again. “Now, I’m sure you’re thinking, why would I want to put my son back with a man who killed another man over drugs? Well, the truth is, that is not the truth. The stories you have seen on the news and read about, are not what actually happened. I have talked to people that were there. What happened is that Delton turned another man in who was in the program who was doing drugs. Delton feared for the child’s safety and wanted to put a stop to it. The other man was thrown out of the program and tried to get his revenge in prison. In trying to protect himself, Delton was hurt very badly, but the other man fell and stabbed himself with his own makeshift knife. Delton did not kill the man. He acted solely in self-defense. But that doesn’t matter in cases like this. If you’re involved in a violent act, how can you possibly be around children, it doesn’t matter if you were trying to help the children or not.”

  The doorbell rang. Darlene stopped the video recorder. “Damn, that was going well.”