35.
Some time later
“This sucks, Reggie,” Stan said as he took a sip of the station house coffee.
“So what’s new, Stan?” the chief replied. “The coffee here has always been terrible.”
“I’m not talking about the coffee, which is even worse than I remember. I’m talking about this whole situation.”
“What did you expect, Stan?” Reggie asked. “The guilty to be punished? Justice to be done regardless of how rich and powerful the culprits might be?”
“I’m not that naïve, Reggie, but not one of those rich bastards has been indicted yet.”
“Well, give it a bit of time, Stan. Who knows what might happen?”
Stan shook his head. “The media has moved on to the next scandal. These days, there’s a new one every hour on the hour. Even Candy Stevens won’t return my calls.”
“I saw her on the tube the other night,” Reggie said. “Something about that hoarder in Queens with 100 cats in a two room apartment.”
“I guess even a crucifixion is only good for fifteen minutes these days.”
Reggie chuckled. “It’s your own guys’ fault, Stan. Moore was already crucified once, so the second time isn’t as newsworthy. The sequel rarely does better than the original.”
“Maybe if they’d been able to drag the Warden back from Mexico, he might have given his pals up in exchange for a chance at getting out in twenty years or so. He struck me as someone looking out strictly for number one,” Stan said.
“That ‘suicide’ does seem awfully convenient,” Reggie allowed. “But good luck proving otherwise. And regardless he can’t talk now.”
“It certainly made an impression on the Matron and the other guards. They’ve clammed up, taken their pleas and none of them saw anything. But what about the prisoners who saw the guys without their masks, that means nothing? Barb recognized some of them from the papers.”
“It’s tough to make a case on the word of convicted criminals. You know that, Stan. Barb was convicted of misconduct and the others are thieves, junkies, murderers and the like. Plus, Chao and Morton have personal grudges against Moore, so who know what they would say on the stand? And, of course, these guys are going to hire the best of the best to defend them.”
Stan tried hard to counter this, but he knew in his heart that Reggie wasn’t far wrong. “If only they’d found that guard’s phone with the pictures that Barb told me Buckner took. Even criminals tend to be believed when there’s pictures to back their story up. But I suppose the Warden was smart enough to get rid of it and she was dumb enough not to forward them on before he did.”
Reggie nodded. “My advice, Stan, hard as it may be, is to let it go. You were a guard there and did some things that wouldn’t look good for you if they became public. So far, they’ve left it alone out of respect for your career and the fact that you did what you did out of love for Barb. At least that’s the charitable interpretation. So, just leave well enough alone. You hear me?”
“Yeah, I hear you, Reggie. That’s why I came to see you, to know where I stand.”
“Well, now you know. At least the crooked judges have been suspended and there’s a new Warden at the prison, so the prisoners can go back to their normal miserable lives. No more strappings or Roman orgies or crucifixions.”
Reggie continued, “And it may be small consolation, but I got Jack Davis busted back to beat cop. They can’t cut his salary under the contract, but management can reassign him. I’m glad to be rid of him; I couldn’t stand the little weasel.”
Stan shrugged. “That’s something, I guess.”
“You do what you can, Stan,” Reggie said.
“Yeah, Reggie, and all the sentences given by those bent judges are being reviewed, so I hope Barb will get out soon. I really miss her.”
“I think that’s likely. It’s the least they can do. I hope this will put an end to her need for adventures. The girl has had enough for ten lifetimes, I should think.”
“She assures me she’s done, Reggie. All she wants is a nice quiet, boring life. And you mean woman, not girl, right, Reggie?”
Reggie laughed. “Yeah, I meant woman. But, tell me, do you believe her, Stan?”
“This time, I’m cautiously optimistic. She’s been crucified twice now and isn’t it three crucifixions and you’re out?”
Reggie laughed, harder this time. “You’re still the man, Stan. There is one thing I have to ask you though.”
“What?” Stan asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Did you do that reporter? That video showed you guys were in that motel room together for quite some time.”
Stan grinned sheepishly. “Nothing happened, Reggie. I swear on a stack of bibles. I was exhausted. I had driven all night to see you and then gone back up there. I’d watched my lover suffer horribly. We had a couple of drinks and the room started spinning, so I lay down and passed out. When I woke up, Candy was still there, typing on her laptop. Yeah her shirt has a few extra buttons undone, but she wasn’t naked and neither was I. She told me it was time to go, so we went.”
“That’s a very nice story, Stan.”
“It’s the truth, Reggie. You don’t believe me?”
“The question isn’t whether I believe you, Stan. It’s whether Moore, who will no doubt find that video once she’s out, will believe you.”
“Yeah, Reggie. We’ll just have to see. Maybe they’ll decide she should complete her sentence after all.” Stan and Reggie both laughed. Stan took another sip of the coffee, cold by now. “Man this really sucks,” he said.
***
Some time even later
Stan poured them each a glass of champagne, French and vintage, only the best for the prisoner finally returned home. Stan had to admit that Barb appeared changed by her experiences at Newtown, a bit chastened, as who would not be, by such events. This time, he was willing to believe, or almost, her solemn vows that they would lead a quiet life from here on out. No more crazy adventures.
After all, if being crucified twice wasn’t enough to convince a person that peril was best avoided, what would be?
“Barb, I’m so glad to have you home that even the idea that the creeps who took advantage of you and your fellow inmates are probably going to escape justice, as galling as that is, is something I can get over,” he told her, sincerely.
“I agree, Stan,” she said smiling. “We’ve both seen enough not to expect justice will be done in this world. And after all, you weren’t exactly innocent of wrongdoing yourself, Goldman.”
“Look, Barb, I had to win their trust.”
“Sure, Stan, but I saw the look on your face, when Matron caned me after you set me up. You were enjoying every minute of it, admit it.”
“Yeah, OK, it was a turn on to see you squirming from the lines she put on your tight little. She packed some punch, I’ll give her that.”
“And that blow job Buckner and Morton made me give you in the cell, don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that?”
Stan grinned, a grin that could well be called shit-eating. “Yeah, Moore, I enjoyed that,” Stan allowed. “That was a skill you did pick up there on the inside, I must say.”
“Is that your idea of a subtle hint, Goldman?”
“Take it however, you like, Moore.”
“You’re really pressing your luck now. I could easily have died up on that cross and you were busy fooling around with that blond reporter.”
“Nothing happened with her, Barb. I swear on my mother’s grave.”
“Oh, come on Goldman, you think I’m an idiot? You were in that motel room with her for hours. You trying to tell me you were playing gin rummy?”
“Nope. I was sleeping. I’d been up all night with the orgy and driving down to the city and back up again and I was totally wasted. She poured me a drink, we talked, she poured me a second, the room started spinning, I lay down and when I woke up it was time to go. And I was fully dressed and so was she, more or less.”
“How convenient, Goldman.”
“It may be convenient, but it happens to be 100% true.”
Barb looked at him askance. “Well even if I believed that, and I don’t, if you hadn’t been so tired, you would have done her, wouldn’t you have?”
“I refuse to answer on the grounds that my answer might tend to incriminate me,” Stan replied.
Barb got to her feet, a determined look on her face. “That’s it Goldman. It’s time you got a taste of the old prison strap. I may not be able to hit as hard as Matron, but, I’ll give it my best. Downstairs with your sorry ass. Now!”
“Oh come on, Barb. They would probably have killed you if I hadn’t risked that very ass to film that video.”
“Good for you, Stan. But I still owe you for what you did with that Candy Stevens-what a ridiculous name- whether with your cock or with your dirty mind. Now, let’s go!”
Stan stood. “OK, Barb, I’ll go along. But only if you promise me you’ll suck me off after. After all, it would be a crying shame to let those hard-won skills you picked up in prison go to pot on the outside.”
Barb scowled. “You just earned yourself another six with that Goldman.”
“But you’ll think about it at least?”
Barb sighed. “Men!” she muttered. “Maybe, Goldman, if you’re truly sorry about Candy. And you will be when I’m done. Now downstairs with you.”
THE END