I felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Law & Order. Typical gray interrogation room with the typical double-sided mirror, where they can see you but you can’t see them. I just knew that sooner or later, two assholes were going to enter the room and play the typical good cop/bad cop routine. I’d been sitting in there for two hours, no doubt so they could watch me through the mirrors to see if I was nervous. It was all so stereotypical, and it infuriated me.
“Well, guess what?” I shouted, losing control and yelling at the mirror. “I’m not your typical ghetto Negro.” If they thought they were going to wear me down by making me spend hours in that place until I gave in and ratted out my best friend, they were sadly mistaken. I knew the law well enough to know that I didn’t have to talk to them without my lawyer present. I’d already made it known that I wanted to call him.
I started pacing in the small space. Feeling myself about to lose control, I tried to regain my composure. “They’re just trying to sweat you, Kyle,” I told myself. “Get yourself together. They’re just trying to sweat you.” I sat back down, determined to show them that they were not going to break me. That I wasn’t scared.
Finally, the door opened and Franklin walked in.
“I told you guys I want to speak to my lawyer,” I said, hopping up out of my seat. So much for staying calm.
“Sit down,” Franklin ordered, sounding like my legal rights were a mere annoyance to him.
“I don’t have to sit down,” I stated defiantly. I wasn’t about to let them start treating me like a bitch.
“Sit down.” His demand was delivered with a threatening tone this time.
I had to remember that even with onlookers on the other side of that mirror—hell, even with a camera recording everything—this cop could mop the floor with me. He could break my neck, paralyze me for life, and only suffer suspension with pay until a judge working for the same state he worked for found him not guilty. Fuck that! I sat my happy black ass down.
Franklin sat across from me, folded his hands, and gave me that trademark smug look I’d become familiar with. “First of all, this game you are playing is not going to work. You’ve been arrested for harboring a fugitive. Do you know how much jail time you can get for that? And let’s not even talk about lying to a federal officer.”
“Lawyer. I want my lawyer.”
“You’ll get your lawyer when I say you get your lawyer,” he said, throwing his weight around. “Now, I know Jay Crawford is your friend. You guys have been friends a long time. You love him, but he’s not a good guy. He’s a rapist.”
As much as I wanted to stay silent, I couldn’t. Hearing him say that about my friend burned me just as much as hearing Lisa doubt Jay’s innocence did. “He’s not a rapist.”
“You know he is. My God, a jury of the man’s own peers know he is. He served ten years for the crime.”
“He didn’t do it.” I stood firm.
Franklin leaned back in his chair. “Look, Kyle, don’t you want to get out of here?”
“Of course I do.”
“Go home with your wife?” Franklin’s tone had softened. It almost sounded sympathetic. I guess he was playing both roles, that of good cop and bad cop.
Wait. Did he just say with my wife instead of to my wife?
“Where is my wife?”
He smirked, no doubt satisfied that he’d finally struck the right nerve. “Don’t worry about that for now. Like I said, you want to go home, right?”
I held myself back from calling him the motherfucker that I wanted to, and simply said, “Yes.”
“Fine. Then just tell us where your friend is. We’ll drop all charges against you, then you’re out of here. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “Hell, I’ll even make sure you get the reward.”
He made it sound so easy.
“Imagine all the women out there you’ll be protecting.”
I shook my head. “You don’t know Jay like I do.”
“I know that you’ll be a hero for helping to get a rapist off the streets. Not only will you be a hero to everyone in this town, but imagine what your wife and kids will think of you.” He leaned in and winked. “You’ll get blow jobs even when it’s not your birthday.”
I had to admit, he was probably right about that. Me dropping the dime on Jay would be exactly what Lisa wanted. She was fed up with all this bullshit. Not only would it make her day, but it would make our marriage much better, because right now, things weren’t looking good on the home front.
I opened my mouth to speak, when the door cracked open and a head popped in.
“Deputy, his lawyer and wife are here,” a suited-up cop said.
“Fuck!” Franklin said under his breath.
Relieved that my wife was not in custody, I had to chuckle. “You heard the man. My lawyer is here. I’m done talking.” I pressed my hands against the table and stood up slowly, triumphantly, and headed toward the door.
Not inclined to allow me the last word, Franklin shot back, “By the way, we have your friend Allen and his wife in custody. Let’s see if he breaks under the pressure.”
I slowed my steps but refused to turn around and look at him. Still, he knew he had my attention, so he added one more thing: “If you do see Jay, give me a call. Your wife has my card.”
I’d had it with this guy trying to use my wife as a threat. I turned around and faced him, my eyes narrowed with pure disdain. “If you have any more questions for me or my wife, you can call my attorney.”
That only caused him to smirk again.
“And far as my friend Allen is concerned, his lawyer is my lawyer, so you might as well cut him loose now and save yourself the grief.”
Franklin jumped out of his chair and took a few quick strides until he was practically in my face. “You have a lot of mouth for a man who could be behind bars right now, Mr. Richmond. I’m cutting you some slack because I like your wife and I think you’re a genuinely decent person who is caught in his friend’s shit. But I’m running out of patience.”