Black Viper

by Christopher Speight

  “Please, Mr. Stone, have a seat. “Normally, I would just suspend–––”

  Principal Ponder hesitated when she spotted Frank’s firearm peeking from underneath his jacket. Frank smiled, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out his badge.

  “Oh, you’re a cop.”

  “Detective,” he corrected her.

  “I see. Well, like I was saying, normally, I have a zero tolerance policy for fighting and would suspend both parties for five days. Since your son had never been in any trouble in this school, I’m inclined to reduce his penalty to five days of alternative learning. The only problem with that is that I have to give Harold the same punishment.”

  Frank noticed the look on Principal Ponder’s face as she said this. It was apparent to him that Harold was a thorn in her side.

  “Well, I haven’t had a chance to talk to my son, so I don’t know what happened. Would you fill me in, please?”

  Principal Ponder leaned back in her chair and steepled her hands together. Just as Frank had been checking her out earlier, she was now doing the same to him. A disappointed look washed over her face as she glanced down and noticed his wedding ring. It was also refreshing to her to hear a parent being so polite. She usually had to deal with parents swearing at her and blaming her for their kids’ lack of discipline and inability to control their emotions.

  “According to his friend, Wallace, Harold poured milk on top of your daughter’s head and when your son found out about it, he beat Harold up.”

  “Wait. Are you telling me that asshole out there did something to my daughter? Where is she? Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine, Mr. Stone. Just a little embarrassed about having milk poured into her hair. I let her go to the restroom to get herself together, then sent her back to class.”

  Hearing that his daughter was fine took some of the tension out of Frank’s voice. “Well, I apologize for my son’s behavior, but I can’t apologize for him taking up for his sister. I’ve always told him to look out for her.”

  Principal Ponder leaned forward. She wanted to be sure that no one other than her and Frank would be able to hear what she was about to say.

  “Off the record, I’m glad your son beat the hell out of that boy. He has given me nothing but problems since he’s been here. He and his mother. It’s not my first go ‘round with him, and I’m sure that it won’t be my last.”

  Loud shouting coming from the office waiting area caught Frank’s and Principal Ponder’s attention.

  “Here we go,” she said, rising from her seat.

  “What’s going on out there?”

  “If I had to guess, it’s probably Harold’s mother. Every time he gets in trouble, she comes up here and causes a scene. For some reason, she can’t get it through her head that her son is a troublemaker.”

  Shaking her head, Principal Ponder walked out of her office, followed closely by Frank.

  “What is going on out—Hello Ms. Green,” Principal Ponder said when she saw Harold’s mother. Yolonda Green was rail-thin with short cropped hair. The security guard was standing between her and Frank Jr. Quickly realizing what was going on, Frank moved next to his son. He had no intentions of putting his hands on a female, but he wasn’t going to let her assault his son either.

  “Hello, Principal Ponder. Could you please tell me why my son is sitting over here all bloodied the hell up?”

  “It’s like I told you on the phone. He got into a fight and––”

  “I can see he got into a fight! What I want to know is what you plan on doing about it.”

  “Both parties will be in an alternative learning environment for the next five days. I normally issue an out-of-school suspension but wanted to give them a break,” the principal lied.

  Ms. Green looked from her son to Frank Jr. and frowned. “Why is my son being punished? He seems to have gotten the worse end of this.”

  “He also started the whole thing, Ms. Green. If you want to go that route, then technically, your son should get the worse end of the punishment, but I believe in being fair. Both parties are guilty, so, like I said, starting tomorrow both parties will be in an alternative learning environment for the next five days.”

  “You know what? Fine! But I’m getting tired of this school blaming everything on my son. It’s always something with this place.”

  Ms. Green then turned her gaze on Frank Sr. “And you, I’d appreciate it if you tell your son to keep his hands off mine.”

  “Then tell your son to keep his hands off my daughter,” Frank responded.

  “My son didn’t touch your damn daughter!”

  “The hell if he didn’t!”

  Yolonda Green turned and looked at her son.

  “Harold, did you put your hands on this man’s daughter?”

  “No ma’am,” he lied.

  Frank Jr. took a step toward him but was restrained by his father.

  “See! I told you my son didn’t do what he’s being accused of!”

  “Is that right? I guess teenage kids don’t lie, huh?” Frank said.

  “Maybe your kid does! My son would never lie to me!”

  All Frank could do was stare at the naïve woman. It was evident that her son had her wrapped around his little finger. Frank noticed the devious look in Harold’s eyes and shook his head. From his experience, this young man was on a path to destruction and, unless his mother opened her eyes to his sneaky and mischievous ways, she would be visiting him in either the penitentiary or the graveyard.

  “Ms. Green, we have several witnesses who saw Harold––”

  “I don’t care what those little snot-nosed bastards said! My son is not a liar! Harold, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Harold fell in step behind his mother. Just before turning the corner, he looked back at the principal and smiled.

  22

  “Boy don’t you walk past me without giving me a hug,” Sadie said to Frank Jr. He was still upset about what Harold had done to his sister, so much so that he never even saw Sadie sitting on the porch. She was stretched out in a lawn chair munching on a bowl of Butter Pecan Ice Cream.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Ms. Sadie.”

  Frank Jr. walked back down the steps and jogged across Sadie’s lawn. Taking the steps two at a time, he hopped on her porch and threw his arms around her.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Where’s your sister?”

  “She had drama practice, so she won’t be home until later. Ms. Sadie, did I do something wrong? I mean, I thought I was doing something good by protecting my sister.”

  “Sweetie, you did do good. You’re supposed to protect your sister. Now and always.”

  “That’s what I thought. But the way my dad looked at me when he left the school made me feel like I had messed up somehow.”

  Frank Sr. walked out onto his porch and looked around. When he spotted his son talking to Sadie, he walked over to the railing.

  “Jr., get inside and take that garbage out. When you get done with that, wash the dishes.”

  “Wash the dishes? But it’s Rhonda’s turn to wash the dishes.”

  Frank Sr. stared at his son for a few seconds before speaking again. “Did you hear what I said?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Then get in there and do it.”

  With slumped shoulders and a frown on his face, Frank Jr. walked down Sadie’s steps, up his own, and into his house.

  “Meanie!” Sadie yelled in Frank’s direction. When Frank was sure that his son was out of earshot, he broke into a smile.

  “Now why would you call me that? And I hope that’s sugar-free ice cream you’re eating.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes and sighed. Had she known that Frank was coming back out onto the porch, she would have waited until later to enjoy her guilty pleasure. She began to rue the day that she revealed to him and his children that she had diabetes. They only stayed on her case about it because they loved her, an
d while she understood the method behind their madness, it sometimes grated her nerves.

  “Frank, it ain’t but a spoonful of ice cream left in this container. I’ll be done in a minute.”

  “Is that right? Let me see.”

  Before Sadie could protest, Frank leaped off his porch and made his way toward her. Not wanting him to see how much was really inside the container, Sadie tried to hurry and eat the remaining contents. She was just sticking the last spoonful in her mouth when Frank reached down and tilted the container.

  “See? I told you that there was only a spoonful left.”

  Frank looked inside the container, and then back at Sadie. “Whatever Sadie. You ate damn near a gallon before I got over here.”

  “Did not.”

  All Frank could do was laugh and shake his head.

  “Your son thinks that you’re mad at him.”

  “I know.”

  “Well, are you?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Then why are you making him do Rhonda’s chores?”

  Frank looked around to make sure that his son wasn’t coming out before addressing Sadie’s question. “The only thing in that sink is a coffee cup and a fork. Hey, I had to punish him some kind of way. Plus, I’m teaching him something that will help him as he gets older.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you should tell him that, Frank, because he thinks that he did something wrong by protecting his sister.”

  This news surprised Frank. Although he did give his son a hardened look when he left the school, he didn’t want him to think that he’d done something wrong in protecting his sister.

  “Really? Well, I guess I’d better talk to him about that. I’m never going to get mad at him for protecting his sister.”

  “I know. I told him that, but I think it would resonate more if he heard it from you.”

  Frank nodded his head in agreement. He talked with Sadie for a few more minutes before heading back into his own house. He was halfway inside when he heard loud yelling and cussing coming from across the street. When he turned to see what was causing all the commotion, he saw a woman fleeing from a huge man. She had a terrified look on her face and appeared to be running for her life. The brutish-looking man chasing her had an evil scowl plastered on his face. His bloodshot eyes told the tale of a man who looked to have had a little too much to drink.

  “Help, my God, somebody, please help me!” the woman screamed. The look etched on her face confirmed that she was frightened beyond belief. Her blouse was torn halfway off, exposing her bra.

  “Come back here, you whore!” the enraged man shouted, as he chased after her.

  Sadie turned to alert Frank, but he was already in motion.

  23

  “Call the police,” he said, leaping off the porch. In a flash he was across the street. He arrived just in time. The man was just getting ready to land a blow to the young woman’s face when Frank tackled him to the ground. The man was larger than Frank, so it was a struggle to keep him subdued.

  “Get off me! Get the hell off me! I’m gonna kill that no good-cheating slut!”

  “Hey! Calm down! Take it easy!” Frank yelled.

  If the man heard Frank, he didn’t pay him any attention. The more Frank tried to calm him down, the more the man tried to break free. The two men began rolling around on the ground.

  “Sir, I’m going to tell you one last time to calm down! I’m the police, and if you don’t calm down, I will be forced to take you to jail!”

  “I don’t give a damn who you are! That slut cheated on me with my brother, and I’m going to break her damn neck!”

  The man finally broke free of Frank’s grip. He stood up and looked around. When he didn’t see the woman he’d been chasing, he turned his rage on Frank.

  “Since you wanna come to her defense, I’m gonna give you some of what I was about to give her ass!”

  The man lunged at Frank awkwardly, throwing a wild punch that Frank easily ducked. He was so off balanced that Frank was able to catch his arm and twist it behind his back. The man screamed in pain. Before he could mount any other form of attack, Frank yanked out a pair of handcuffs and placed them on the man’s wrists. Frank looked around and saw that he and the man had attracted an audience. It always amazed him how the slightest sign of trouble could bring nosy people out of the woodwork. Most of them had their cell phones out, recording the event. He glanced around and saw that some people had even come out onto their porches to watch.

  “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” the man asked.

  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m placing you under arrest.”

  “Placing me under arrest? For what?”

  “Well, for starters, assault on a police officer.”

  “What? Man, I didn’t know you were a police officer.”

  “I told you that I was a police officer when I was trying to restrain you. If you would’ve listened instead of acting like a damn fool, you would have heard me. You can come out now, ma’am,” Frank said when he noticed the woman peeking from behind a parked car.

  “Take him to jail! Take his abusive ass to jail!” she yelled.

  “Jail? Oh, come on baby, you know I wasn’t going to hurt you. I just wanted to talk to you.”

  Frank looked down at the man and shook his head.

  “To hell with that,” she said. “That’s the last time you’re going to put you hands on me!”

  As the woman got closer, Frank noticed that she had a black eye. That revelation quickly caused his temper to flare. In his opinion, any man who beat up on a woman wasn’t any kind of man at all. Frank grabbed the man by the collar and snatched him to his feet.

  “What happened to her eye?”

  “Huh? Man, I don’t know,” the man lied.

  “Oh, you don’t huh? Miss, what happened to your eye?”

  “That bastard slapped me!”

  “She’s lying!”

  “I am not!”

  “Okay, that’s enough! Both of you be quiet.”

  Frank sympathized with the woman’s plight, but the entire situation was getting on his nerves. He had planned on relaxing for the rest of the day with a cold beer in one hand and his TV remote in the other when this nonsense occurred.

  “What’s your name miss.?”

  “Felicia.”

  “Felicia what?”

  “Felicia Gray.”

  “Okay Ms. Gray. Tell me what happened.”

  “Man, I knew it! Every time a man and a woman get into it, y’all always take the woman’s side!” the man yelled.

  “You damn right I’m taking her side! She was running for her life trying to get away from you, and she has a black eye, so if I were you, I would shut my damn mouth and pray that I don’t get into any more trouble than I’m already in!”

  Frank then turned his attention back to Felicia. “Go ahead Ms. Gray.”

  “Well, this asshole’s birthday is next weekend, so me and his brother, Vince, was planning to throw him a surprise party. We met up yesterday at Tizzano’s Party Center in Euclid to drop off the down payment. He paid half, and I paid half! That’s why we were together, dumb ass! Wasn’t nobody cheating on you!”

  The woman’s eyes bore a hole straight through her attacker. The man felt so stupid that all he could do was drop his head.

  “I’m sorry. I really thought you two were having an affair.”

  “You oughta be sorry. I tried to tell you I wasn’t cheating on you, but you wouldn’t listen!”

  “What’s your name, sir?”

  “Rodney. Rodney Sims.”

  “Well, Mr. Sims, your woman-beating ass is gong to jail,” Frank said, patting him on the shoulder.

  “Come on man. It’s just a little misunderstanding.”

  “I’m afraid it’s much more than that. Domestic Violence is a felony.”

  Frank was getting angrier by the minute. He hated men who tried to act so tough when it came to assaulting females but were total cowards when it came time
to face the consequences for their actions. A wide smile broke onto his face when he saw a police cruiser approaching.

  “Looks like your ride is here, tough guy.” Frank roughly yanked Rodney toward the curb. The police cruiser stopped in front of them. Frank waited patiently as the officer cut the engine and got out of the car.

  “Detective Stone. I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my dinner,” Officer Duncan said, with a smile. Officer Anthony Duncan was an imposing man to say the least. He stood at an even six foot seven inches tall and weighed a very solid three hundred pounds. His bald head was as shiny as a glass marble. His arms were so muscular, that he often had to wear short sleeve shirts to be comfortable.

  “Oh, you’re going to love this. This piece of crap right here, Mr. Rodney Sims, likes to hit women.”

  The smile slowly eroded from Officer Duncan’s face. When he was eight years old, his mother was killed by her live-in boyfriend of two years. The youngster had to sit helpless on many occasions while his mother was pummeled into submission, so any man who put his hands on a woman in a harmful kind of way was the lowest kind of scum to him.

  “Is that right?” he said, scowling. “Well, in that case, you have the right to remain silent. If you give up that right, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you.”

  Officer Duncan then clutched his massive hand around the fabric of Rodney’s front collar, yanked him forward, and looked him straight in the eyes. His next set of words were barely above a whisper, but the menacing tone in which he said them nearly caused Rodney to urinate on himself.

  “And if you give me any trouble or lip on the way to the station, I reserve the right to beat you to a bloody pulp.”