by David Banner
The loud screech of a buzzer echoed down the hall and into my cell. A few minutes later a tall skinny guard appeared at my cell door. "Waters,” he said. "Come with me."
"Okay,” I said. "What time is it?"
"Nine O’clock,” he said. "Lets go."
"I'm not supposed to be in court until 10:30,” I said.
"Not going to court,” he said. "Keep moving."
We walked down the short hallway, stopping off at the same small interrogation room I had been in the day before. It was small and cold, with fluorescent lights, a desk, two chairs and not much else. Images of Mayor Hall flashed through my mind. I wondered how he must have been involved in what had been going on, but mostly I wondered how he came to use the words of my father.
"Hello," a woman said through a thick Spanish accent as we walked into the small room. "My name is Victoria Woods. I'm your attorney."
She was dark skinned, with long straight hair that hung almost midway down her back and big black sunglasses. Her lips were covered in some of the reddest lipstick I had ever seen and she wore a white button-down shirt and sparkling black skirt. She was pretty, but in a familiar way. Something about the way she moved, about the softness of her features made me feel a little lighter, even if only for a second.
"Hello," I said. "Who hired—”
"We'll get into that later, I need a moment alone with my client.,” she said.
Then, sitting down she removed her glasses, looked into my eyes and spoke. "We have a plan..." she said.
"I'm sorr—” I said, stopping short.
It washed over me slowly at first, but after looking at those unmistakable shimmering green eyes I knew she was no stranger. "Hope?" I asked.
"You didn't think I'd just leave you in here did you?" She smiled.
"You're Spanish?” I said, looking at her dark features. The same ones that only yesterday had been a bright as the Florida coast.
"Yes," she smiled. "Puerto Rican actually. At least for the moment."
I had seen her go from blond casino girl, to local girl, then business woman and now Spanish lawyer. She was a master of disguise in the truest sense of the word and every time we met I became a little more enamored with her.
"I don't know,” I said. "I just wasn't picturing this."
"Listen," she said. "We're gonna get you out of here. Today."
"What?" I asked. "How."
"Well... not through the front door,” she said.
"The mayor came in to see me last night,” I said. "He offered me a plea deal. But then, on his way out the door he said something. Something that I had only ever heard my father say."
"What?" she asked.
"Something about talking to a turtle in the rain,” I said. "But it wasn't even just the words, it was the way he said them. I know it sounds crazy, but I think he knew my parents, I think this is all connected."
"There'll be no deal,” she said. "Not if what you think is true. Not if these files are what I think they are."
"So you're telling me not to take the deal,” I asked.
"In my professional legal opinion,” she said. "It doesn't matter. You're not gonna see the inside of that courtroom today."
I wanted to tell her to stop whatever it was she was trying to do. To just let the cards fall where they may. That maybe if I got in front of a judge I could convince him of what was happening. Or at the very least clear Micah. That would be the smart thing to do. Hire representation and let them do their job and for me to stop running around playing James Bond.
But I couldn't be sure it would work. The world already thought my brother and I were guilty and I knew from my parents’ work that innocent people got locked away all the time for crimes they didn't commit and I just didn't want to be one of them.
"What do the files say?" I asked.
"I only have pieces so far. They're still being decrypted." She put her hands on the table. "It’s really high security for such a small town lawyer. And I think I know why."
"Why?" I asked.
"Not now," she said. "You have a court date in a few minutes and I still have a few things to do."
"Okay..." I said, not fully understanding what was happening.
"Here," she said, handing me two small foam earplugs. "Take these. You'll know when to use them."
"Wait. What?" I asked.
"Just trust me,” she said.
"I do,” I said. "I trust you."
She stood, brushed her hands down the front of her skirt and slid the large black sunglasses back over her eyes. Then she walked around the table, ran her hands through my bleached hair and pressed her lips against my cheek. I wasn't expecting it, and the sensation sent my entire head tingling. But instead of pulling away she let her lips linger a moment too long. Then, with a smile she was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A SHORT TIME LATER I WAS BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE JAIL AND INTO A TRANSPORT VAN. My court hearing was in just a few minutes but, with Anna Maria being such a small place, I guess they didn't see much crime as I was the only person in the van.
My hands and feet were still shackled from the night before and my head was pounding from not having had anything to eat in over twenty-four hours. This was all proving to be a lot for me to handle and I couldn't help but think about how foolish I was thinking I could do all of this on my own after leaving Miami.
Even my mom and dad worked as a team almost all of the time. I should had used their old contacts to hire a PI, someone like the two of them who knew what they were doing, who knew how to use the system and people to their advantage. I had spent all of my time trying to stay out of the system and hide from people which didn't do much in the way of preparing me for a life of vigilante crime fighting.
Two armed officers walked out from the back of the jailhouse and hopped into the front seat of the van as we began slowly making our way down the small streets of Anna Maria Island. Even with my hands and feet cuffed to one another while riding in captivity I couldn't help but look out at the ocean and let myself get lost in the reflection of the bright blue sky.
Even if the mayor had been involved in trying to frame me and my brother for murder. Even if every resident of this place thought I was some high-speed-car-chase-loving-psycho, I still couldn't help but find the beauty in it. The crisp sea air, the warm gulf breeze, it all just called to me like a siren from the rocks and I was more than happy to get lost in its song.
"What the...?” I heard one of the officers say. "What is that?"
Sitting up I quickly looked around in every direction trying to see what was happening. Almost dead center in front of the van stood a life-size storm trooper. At least that’s what it looked like. I had never been much of a science fiction fan in my youth, but I doubt there was anyone in America who wouldn't recognize a storm trooper standing in front of them.
"Stop! Call it in,” the other officer yelled at the driver before hopping out and pointing his gun at it. "This is the police. Put your hands in the air."
I had seen enough the past few days to know that this wasn't going to end well for anyone. And while she hadn't said anything about this exactly I knew this had something to do with Hope. The whole thing was just so over the top. Just like her disguises, it came out of nowhere and it was all you could look at.
"Get back in,” the driver told the other officer. "The radios aren't working and neither is my phone. Get in, we have to get out of here."
Just as the officer got into the van my entire body was thrown to the floor of the van, sending shockwaves of pain down my still burned back. A large truck, the kind you see sitting in a Walmart parking lot and think to yourself “how do you get in that?” came crashing into the back of the van. But instead of stopping the big black truck just kept quickly pushing the police van forward.
I scrambled around in my pants for the earplugs she had given me. I had managed to keep them hidden in a place I doubted anyone would look. Pulling them out I placed them in my ears and waited
for whatever was about to happen. The sounds of tires screeching behind me and the officers screaming in front echoed through the small van.
But suddenly the van came to a stop, the officers stopped screaming and the tries stopped spinning. It was over, nothing had seemed to happen. I lifted my head to see that at that point the van was only inches away from the still stationary storm trooper. A few seconds of silence passed. Then, in a flash, the white figure in front of us blew up.
The blast was shockingly small, only causing enough damage to blow the head piece off of the life-size plastic suit. But it was what followed that brought the real pain. A sound, louder than any sound I had ever heard echoed through the air and blew right through my earplugs as if they weren't even there.
The two officers dropped to their knees, screaming and covering their ears. But my hands were still shackled and I had no such luxury. It was as though I could feel the sound penetrating my brain, sending blood flowing out of my ears and down the sides of my face. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd be able to endure it.
Then, in a sudden motion the van’s back door flew open and Hope appeared in front of me. Gone was the Spanish lawyer from only hours ago, replaced by something closer to the Hope I had seen that night in the everglades. She looked young, and bright again.
I reached my arms out and in a quick motion she pulled me up, over the seat and out the rear door of the van. She yelled something into my ear, but I couldn't hear her. Then she was gone. I turned to see her running toward the two officers who were still lying on the ground next to the van. I saw her give the driver a good punch, then pull a set of keys from his body.
Making her way back to me she unlocked my cuffs and pointed to the big truck.
“Get in,” she said as the screeching sound started to quickly fade away.
"What was that?" I said, my head still ringing like a church bell.
"The storm trooper or the sound bomb?" she asked, throwing the large truck into gear and speeding away.
"The sound bomb,” I said.
"It was an LRAD, sound bomb,” she replied.
"Whats that?" I asked.
"It’s a bomb, but instead of fire, it uses sound. The noise is higher than the human threshold of pain,” she said, tossing her earplugs to the floor.
"Right..." I said, having never heard of such a thing.
"We have to get to the water before anyone catches up with us,” she said. "I have a boat waiting."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"Back to the everglades,” she said, speeding through the small streets.
"What was the storm trooper for?" I asked.
"It was the only thing I could find large enough to hold the speaker. I got it from a pawn shop in Bradenton,” she said. "Guy tried to rip me off too, telling me it was an original. People think just because you're a woman you can be taken advantage of. So I kicked his ass and got it for free. That crap wasn't from the movie."
"Oh..." I said, almost smiling even though this wasn't the time for that.
"What?" She looked over at me, cutting a corner that sent the large truck driving on two wheels. "I just like getting what I pay for."
"But you didn't pay,” I said.
"No, but he did." She smiled again.
But, just like every other time I had exited Anna Maria Island it looked like we were going to have to do it the hard way. I could see a cop coming up beside us, driving along the street that ran parallel to the one we were on. Blue light bounced off of the houses and palm trees between us as he took every turn we did.
"Got another sound bomb?" I asked.
"Nope!" she said. "But I wouldn't worry too much about him. We're almost there."
"He's right on our ass!" I said, looking back to see the car had crossed over onto our street.
"I know,” she said. "How rude. I mean at least warn me first, right?"
"How are you so happy during all of this?" I said over the noise of the engine.
With that she slammed her foot down on the brake, sending the police car crashing into our big black truck. "Oh my God!” I yelled.
Looking back I no longer saw the officer, though I could still see his light and hear his siren loud and clear. "Is he gone?" I asked.
"Nope!" Hope smiled.
"What?" I said, leaning my head out the window to see that the hood of the police car had gotten stuck on our axle during the hit and that we were now dragging him along with us. "This is so bad."
""Jump!" Hope screamed.
"What?" I said, looking over to see her leap out the door.
I had seen people leap out of moving vehicles a thousand times in movies and I had even pictured my parents doing it, but never had I thought that I would be the one to do it. Especially given the fact that out truck was now pulling a police car with it. But I knew my best chance at clearing both my name and my brother’s name was to stay out of jail and with Hope, so I jumped.
My body crashed into the ground and went rolling into a patch of grass. I was in pain, a lot of pain. On the way out my pant leg had gotten caught on something, causing me to lose balance and go sailing toward the ground head first. I landed hard, my skull crashing against the blacktop like a ton of bricks. My already injured back slid across the pavement, tearing my skin like it was paper. As I lay on the ground staring up at the blue island sky I could feel my shirt begin to soak with blood.
"We've gotta get to that boat,” Hope said, pulling me up from the ground and placing my arm over her shoulder.
We did our best to run, with me having to stop every few seconds because of the pain. But we weren't far from shore and I could see the small white boat in the distance and before I knew it I was watching Anna Maria Island disappear into the distance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
T HE REST OF THAT DAY WENT IN OUT AND OUT IN A BLUR. I remember the feeling of the sea under me, the motion of the boat rocking back and forth and the heat of the Florida sun on my skin. But I don't remember time, the way it passed or how much of it I lost.
I remember feeling the road underneath me, I was in a car and we were moving fast. Hope's face flashed in out of my mind. I saw my brother. We were sitting at a bar and then beside a fire next to the beach. We smiled and spoke about his latest conquest and how he was still looking for the girl who was fast enough to keep up with him. I was at peace and I didn't want to wake up.
But like everything, my memories eventually gave way to reality and I woke to find myself in an unfamiliar room, lying on my side. I wasn't in pain anymore, I was too numb for that. I could feel the burns on my back and the wound on my head, they were covered in something wet. Some kind of bandage.
I tried my best to sit up as straight as I could and take in my surroundings. It was late... or early maybe, I couldn't be sure. The sun was low in the sky and the air was quiet. The only light came from a small lamp in the corner of the room, casting soft shadows across my body. I was in a small bed, which looked and felt more like a cot than anything else.
From the other side of the door I heard the low murmur of conversation. Two female voices went back and forth against one another, though I couldn't make out what either one was saying. I wanted to know who they were, I assumed one was Hope, but couldn't make out the other. I wondered for a moment if maybe it had been the television, or a conversation being held over speaker phone, but they sounded too real for that. I tried my best to sit upright by grabbing the small table next to me, but my fingers hit the bottom of a small glass and it shattered on the floor.
I heard rustling from the other side, then the door opened. I was startled by what I saw. Standing in the doorway looking directly at me was Rachel. "How did you get here?" I asked.
"Hope called me,” she said.
"How did she even find you?" I asked.
"She just came walking into the bar and told me to get every bit of medicine I could find,” she said. "She told me you were hurt."
"You didn't have to come,” I said.
"Thank you,” I said. "Where's Hope?"
"She out there. Looking through a bunch of files, she's been doing it ever since we got here,” she said.
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
"Four days,” she said.
"I've been asleep for four days?" I said, struggling to sit up a little straighter.
"Five," she said. "Hope left you here, then came to get me."
"Shit!" I said. "What about Micah? Hows Micah?"
"He's okay,” she said. "I've been to see him every day. Just like I said... He's just really worried about you."
"About me?" I said. "I'm fine. He just needs to keep his spirits up and understand that I'm trying to get him out."
Rachel walked closer than sat down on the small cot next to me, causing the thin sheets to pull against my skin and for the first time since I woke up I realized I was naked. "How did Hope know to find you?" I asked.
"She said you told her I used to be a nurse,” she said. "At first I thought she meant after you hurt yourself, but then she told me you were passed out."
"Right..." I said, remembering the night I spent sleeping on the floor next to Hope. The night we almost...
"She told me the two of you have been through quite the adventure together. That you told her one night in a house,” she said, turning her eyes away from me just slightly. "Shes a very pretty girl, and obviously smart too. She seems to care about you."
"Nothing happened,” I said.
"I know,” she said. "She told me."
"I just slept on the floor next to her. She's had a rough go of it lately,” I assured her.
"I know the feeling,” Rachel said.
The emotion in her voice was clear. Rachel had been hurt in the past. Having been in an abusive relationship for far too long before finding the strength to escape. It was easy to forget that sometimes when I was with her. But I could see the thought of whatever may have happened with Hope causing that old wound to ache again. The thought of it hurt me, but I wasn't sure how to comfort her in that moment other than to let her know I was there for her. And that my intention was never to cause her any pain. So I took her hand in mine and just held on, looking her in the eyes.
