Almost everyone in the police station could hear him, even though they were in a private visiting room. The father of the young man who had been arrested with the others was livid and screaming at his son.
“I will not pay for a barrister to get you out of this. I’ve warned you hundreds of times that you’d better stop playing with those ridiculous drugs, but did you listen to me? No! You and your know-it-all friends knew a lot more than I did. Well, let them pay for a barrister. You were buying it for them too, weren’t you?”
He continued without waiting for a response. “And you had the audacity to bring that nice young girl with you. What are her parents going to say?” He pushed on. “I’ve had enough. I have better things to do with my money. Your mother doesn’t deserve to give up things she enjoys just so you can be an asshole. We didn’t raise you like that. I will not see her give up the vacation she’s been planning for years to get you out of jail. No, you can rot in here as far as I’m concerned. I’ve given you everything for the last seventeen years and this is how you repay me? You’re on your own. I don’t know why you even thought you could call me. After this I don’t ever want to hear your name mentioned again. Call your mother if you ever get out because I fear she’ll still care, God bless her.”
The older man rose and turned to leave.
“Dad…” the boy started but his father stopped and turned back.
“I don’t want to hear that word ever again. No. Not until you can control your own life.” He turned back and continued to walk away.
After a moment, a guard walked up to escort the boy back to his cell. The boy rose reluctantly, tears streaming down his face, no matter how hard he tried to stop them.
* * * *
Janelle and her parents sat in another small private room adjacent to the visitors’ room with their barrister. They could hear everything that was being said next door.
“The poor boy,” Ingrid Reynolds said.
“You could be in a similar situation, Janelle,” Clark Reynolds told his daughter.
“He’ll be turned over to Juvenile House and a barrister will work with him,” Janelle’s barrister informed them. “But we have to worry about this young lady. I’m fairly sure I can get her released to you for the duration and I’ll suggest some community service for her to do. I’m sure that will work. There were no drugs in her possession. We can say it was the peer influence that brought her there. Janelle, would you mind doing community service for a while?”
“Oh, no! Not if it gets me out of this mess. I’m so very sorry I went there.”
“Why did you go?” the barrister asked.
“It seemed like fun. I’ve never met any drug dealers before,” was Janelle’s answer.
“Have you ever met a murderer?” her father asked. When Janelle shook her head, he continued, “Would you like to? I’m sure there are some in this city.”
“No, Dad, I wouldn’t want to. This is scary enough.”
“Then I hope you’ve learned something from this experience.”
Janelle nodded and put her head down to her chest.
“Now, tell me what the patrol officers did when they brought you in,” the barrister, Mrs. Peterson, started. “If they did anything to you they shouldn’t have, that could cut your sentence. Tell me exactly what happened to you today, starting when the police came to arrest everyone.”
Janelle looked at her mother, and then started relating what had happened that day.
An hour later, they all knew what Mrs. Peterson was going to tell the judge.
“Now, if you have the money, we can get her bonded out until the arraignment.”
* * * *
At breakfast the next morning, Cam sat with Laurie and Grace. It was several minutes before anyone said anything besides Good morning. Finally, as they sat over their breakfast and coffee, Grace spoke. “I have some magazines that I’m finished with if you’d like them.”
“Oh, yes. I’d love one,” Laurie said as she sat up. “I was so bored last night. All I did was go over what my barrister told me. My father or my stepfather wouldn’t post bond, so I guess I’m here until Friday.” She looked at Cam. “I met with the barrister last night. She’s really smart.”
“That’s good,” was all Cam said.
“Did you get to meet with yours?”
Cam shook her head. “I haven’t heard from anyone. I hope my friend got my message. Hopefully I’ll hear something today. I don’t want to go into the trial tomorrow not knowing what’s happening. I also don’t want to go in without a barrister. Maybe I should ask for a public defender.”
A new jailor walked into the block.
“How’s it going, Gracie?” she asked.
“As well as can be expected,” Grace answered.
“At least you have a couple friends for a few days,” the jailor continued. Then she turned to Cam and Laurie. “Which of you is Andrews?” she asked.
When Cam said she was, the new jailor handed her an envelope and a pack of cigarettes.
Cam opened the envelope quickly. It was a plain white paper that read: Things are progressing. Do not worry. M.
That’s all? Things are progressing? What things? Come on Michael, give me more than that.
“Is that from your barrister?” Laurie asked.
“No. It’s from my friend. I have no idea what she means. She said not to worry. How can I not worry?” Cam slammed her hand down on the table. A bit of the coffee in their cups splashed onto the table.
“Whoa,” Grace exclaimed in surprise. “Don’t break the table.”
“Sorry,” mumbled Cam. “I don’t like being kept in the dark. Being in jail makes me nervous.”
“I know what you mean,” Grace said.
“What do we do here all day?” Laurie asked.
Grace shook her head. “There’s not much happening here. We can go out in the yard for a couple hours.”
“Maybe that’s what I need: some fresh air.” Cam reached for her coffee cup and drained it.
Laurie reached out and put her hand atop Cam’s. “Maybe you shouldn’t worry if your friend told you not to. She must know what’s happening. Maybe they have a barrister coming in for you tomorrow.”
“God, I hope so,” Cam said with a sigh. “This is why I got out of the States. I hope none of that follows me.” She looked around for the jailor. When she saw her, she held up a cigarette with a questioning look on her face.
The jailor nodded and walked over with her lighter and lit Cam’s cigarette.
“Were you in trouble in the States?” Laurie asked.
“Not that I know of, but you can never tell.” Cam sat forward and took a deep drag on her cigarette. She braced her elbows on her knees.
“What will you do?” Laurie asked. She was quite concerned.
“I’m not sure. I wish I knew what was happening.”
About an hour later another jailor came into the cell block.
“Cameron Andrews, you have a visitor,” he announced.
“Finally!” Cam exclaimed as she stood up. The jailor led her out to the visitor’s room. As they walked in, Cam looked around. There was only one man in there, who stood when she entered. He held his hand out as she approached.
“Cameron Andrews? Jason Summer,” he introduced himself.
“Summer? Only one?” Cam grinned as they both sat down at one of the small tables.
“Yes, only one. Up here, that’s all we get.” He smiled back at her. “I’ve been paid to represent you tomorrow,” he said.
“By whom?” Cam asked. Michael? Jean-René? Maggie? Whom?
“Well, to tell you the truth, Cameron…May I call you Cameron?”
Cam nodded quickly and he continued. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. A messenger delivered at letter with a nice cashier’s check to my office last night. I’ve been studying your case ever since.”
“And the letter wasn’t signed?”
Jason shook his head and said simply “No.”
Cam pounded her fist on the table. She immediately felt the guard walk up behind her.
“It’s okay,” she said, waving her hand. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.”
She pulled the pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. “Got a light?” she asked. Jason shook his head, so she turned around and looked at the guard. “Light?” she asked, holding up the cigarette. He stepped forward and flicked his lighter for her.
“Thanks.” After taking a long puff, she turned back to Jason.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m very confused by what’s happening.”
“You’re charged with possession of twelve grams of cocaine,” he said, “and with your record, it doesn’t look very good. I know you pleaded ‘not guilty,’ but the drugs were in your purse. I would suggest you throw yourself on the mercy of the court.”
“The mercy of the court?” Cam exclaimed. “I’ve never known a court to be merciful.”
Jason chuckled. “I know it feels that way, but judges can be kind,” he said.
“Kindness about drug possession? Who do you know who’s kind about that?”
“We can always plead out for a lesser sentence, Cameron.” He tapped his pen, nervously on the tabletop.
“I don’t have anything to plead with,” she said with a long sigh.
“Let’s talk and see what we do have,” he said.
Damn, do I play this as a convicted felon or come out and tell him the truth? No, if Jean-René, or whomever paid him wanted him to know, they would have told him. I guess I have to play this out. But how do I want to play it? As the tough butch that I’ve always been in these situations? Well, kid, get it together and play your part.
“All right, Jason,” she said, “what do you propose?”
They sat and talked for a half hour. When Cam shook his hand and they stood up to leave, she was even more confused as she had been an hour earlier.
* * * *
When she returned to the cell block, the jailor directed her out the back door where Laurie and Grace were in the yard, sitting in the sun.
“Cameron!” Laurie exclaimed when she saw her come out into the yard. “What happened? Was it your friend?”
“No. I have a barrister. I don’t know what good he’s going to do. He wants me to plead guilty and he’ll get my sentence reduced.”
“Doesn’t that sound good? I’m going to plead guilty, too,” Laurie told her.
“Yes, but this is only your first offense.”
“Isn’t this only your second?” Laurie asked.
“I don’t remember anymore.” Cam sighed.
Laurie threw her arms around Cam’s neck. “Don’t be sad,” she whispered. “We’ll get through this.”
“Well, you will.”
“You will, too,” Laurie said, hoping to encourage Cam. “Gracie, tell Cam it will be all right.”
Grace looked at Cam. “It’ll be fine,” she said without conviction. “What do you think’s gonna happen?”
“I’ll probably get twice what everyone else gets.”