Violet: Strawberry Mansion 3

by Julia Press Simmons

  Violet stuffed her hospital shirt in her jeans. They had explained to her that her shirt and bra had to be cut off in the ambulance. She put the call light on and waited for the nurse and the police officer to come back into the room.

  “You alright, honey?” The nurse asked. Her voice was laced with compassion and it made Violet’s stomach roll. “All you have to do is sign here and you are free to go.”

  Violet looked at the handcuffs in the officer’s hand and shook her head. Not exactly, she thought. She signed her discharge papers and held her hands out to the cop, He read her Miranda rights and escorted her out into the hall. People stopped, stared, and whispered as they walked by, but Violet could give less then a fuck about what they thought. She put her head down and counted the floor tiles until they left the hospital.

  There were four other girls inside the patty wagon already. Violet avoided there eyes but could not avoid their smell. The whole damn wagon reeked of sweat, liquor, and pussy. The officer cuffed her left wrist of a little light skin girl who smelled like sushi and absolute. They strapped them in with one long seatbelt, and then proceeded to hit every damn pot whole in the city.

  “Get the fuck off of me,” screamed the heavy set girl in the back of the wagon.

  The rat-faced crackhead she was cuffed to looked at her like she was crazy. “Bitch please; you think I want to be on you? You fat fuck. Nobody wants to be on you. These damn cops are driving like assholes.”

  Violet squeezed her eyes shut, and took small shallow breaths out of her mouth because she was afraid the smell was going to make her toss her breakfast. The wagon came to a complete stop. The cops got out and stood around shooting the shit.

  “They gossip like women.” One of the girls said. Violet couldn’t tell who because she kept her eyes closed tight. She was scared she realized—scared out of her mind, and all she wanted to do was close in on herself and disappear.

  After about five minutes the back of the wagon opened to the gray and smoky light of a parking garage. The officers helped them out of the wagon but did not free them from there handcuffs. They walked into the precinct linked like ducks in a row. The heavy set girl and rat-face began to argue about something, but Violet blocked them out. Her stomach was fluttering and her hands were trembling.

  “Shut the fuck up,” the black cop with the 1975 Shaft sideburns, hollered. “You are going to walk in here like you got some damn sense. You will stand against the wall and wait until it is your turn to be processed. You chose the right to remain silent so keep it zipped. If I here one more word, just one, and I’m gonna get real ugly and as you can see I don’t have that far to go!”

  Just breathe, Violet, breathe, she thought as they filled against the wall. Their forced silence was forgotten as soon as Shaft walked away. Sushi girl nudged Violet’s arm.

  “Hey what did you get knocked for? You don’t even look like you belong in here.”

  Violet looked at the girl who wore a dirty purple mini dress and sighed. They looked to be around the same age. The girl was kind of cute with pudgy cheeks and round eyes. Violet eyed the needle tracks on her arms. “I tried to kill myself.”

  “Damn, I didn’t know they locked people up for that. I mean they should put you in the Looney bin or something, but not lock you up with people like us.” Sushi girl smiled like she just portrayed the greatest compliment.

  Violet wanted to smile back at her but she couldn’t. She had no smiles left in her to give. Officer Shaft came back over, yanked Violet off the wall, and un-cuffed her.

  “All that ain’t even necessary,” sushi girl said.

  “I thought I told y’all to shut up.”

  She mouthed fuck you to his back as he carted Violet off to a smaller room to be fingerprinted. A female officer pushed a plaque with her name and a series of numbers in front of her.

  “I’m going to need you to take that wig off and step in front of the camera.”

  “I’m not wearing a wig.” Violet said quietly.

  The lady cop reached over the camera and tugged at Violet’s hair. “No you’re not.” She shrugged. “step in front of the counter and hold that plaque up. That’s right, now turn to the side.

  Violet blinked her tears away. “Don’t I get to call somebody?”

  The lady cop took her arm and walked her to a holding cell. “After you’re arraigned.”

  ***

  Kyle screamed into the base of his cell phone so loud that they could hear him around the corner. “I swear to God you little bitch if you don’t show up at Rita’s with my shit I’m gonna cancel you and every muthafucker you know!” He hung up the phone and through it across the room. “Kisha come the fuck on.”

  “Damn, Kyle, I’m getting my stuff.”

  “We don’t have time for that, girl, bring your ass.”

  “Fuck that. You leave your shit. I’m taking mines.” Kisha pulled the bottom drawer out of her jewelry box and dumped the contents into her Fendi bag. She went over to her closet and grabbed her shoe box off of the top shelf. Five rubber band knots of money lay under the tissue paper.

  Kyle smacked the box out of her hand. “Bitch I said to come on.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you, Kyle?” Kisha asked dropping to her knees. “That’s my money.”

  Kyle yanked Kisha off the floor by her hair. “It’s going to be your ass as soon as Rodney finds out about the load Violet copped. He dragged Kisha out of the room.

  “Get off me,” she screamed. “Let me get my money.”

  He wrapped her hair around his fist and pressed her against the wall. “A couple of thousand ainnt gonna cut it, Kisha. I need to get the hell out of here and think. We are going to Rita’s and that bitch better be there with my Lexus and my work.”

  “Let me go, Kyle.” Kisha said between clichéd teeth.

  He flung her against the banister. She had to grip the rail to keep from flipping over.

  Kyle ran down the stairs. “I’m going to Rita’s. You better come on, or stay the fuck here but I’m out.”

  “Wait, Kyle, damn, I’m sorry.” She ran back into her room rubbing the tears out of her eyes. She caught a glimpse of her mascara smeared over her cheeks in the mirror. “Oh, great, just great.” She grabbed her wipes off of her vanity, wiped her face and kicked off the stiletto’s she sported. She didn’t have time to change out off her dress but she managed to wiggle her feat into her Nikes by her bed. “Don’t fucking leave me, Kyle, I’m coming. Don’t you fucking leave me.” Kisha bent down and picked her money up off the floor. “Asshole”, she mumbled under her breath.

  Once she gathered everything she thought she could possibly use, she ran down the stairs two at a time and froze. She was staring down the barrow of a semi-automatic 9mm handgun. “Jesus Christ,” Kisha whispered.

  “Ah, ah, ah,” Bunky said shaking his head. “His name is Smith & Wesson.”

  Chapter 4

  Begonia was in disguise. She was dressed to the nines; Gucci jeans, milky white Prada blouse, and 4 inch black Prada heels. She was tired from arguing with Diana, her foster mother all night. Daisy’s foster mother had contacted their social worker and told her about Begonia’s nightly visits. Diana was angry as hell, and Begonia felt a little bad about that. However, nobody, and I mean nobody is gonna keep me away from my sister. She leaned against the light pole, lit a cigarette, and peeked over the rim of her dark shades.

  “Fucking disgusting!” She puffed the cigarette and let the smoke curl out of her nose. “You can have the fucking National Guard set up a perimeter around this damn house, lady, but you are not going to keep me away from my sister. Believe that”

  A security company was installing a high-tech surveillance system at Daisy’s foster parent’s house. Bars covered every window and the doors looked to be reinforced steel. “You have got to be kidding me.” Begonia dug inside of the coach bag she stole from some women on the bus. She pulled out the cell phone and called T-Bird.

  He answered on the first
ring. “You love me and you want me inside of you.”

  “Still smoking that shit I see,” Begonia smiled despite herself. “How did you know it was me?”

  “Nobody in there right mind would call me at this hour but you.”

  “T, it’s 11 o’clock.”

  “A nigga don’t wake up until 2pm eastern standard. Where’d you get the phone?”

  “From your momma, look I need access codes to a Shelter’s surveillance system, and I need something to cut through bars.”

  “All, Bee, come on. I thought you were going to take a different route. If you’re not making enough at your gig, you know I got you.”

  “I’m not going to rob any one, T. I just need to get inside of a place that’s all.”

  “Why do you need to get inside of a place that is so well protected?”

  “Are you going to help me or what? I mean what’s up with all these fucking questions? You practicing to turn state’s evidence or something?”

  “That’s fucked up, Bee.”

  “Yea, tell me about it.”

  “I’ll call you around 5 with the codes. Should I use this number?”

  “Seeing as how I’m about to throw the phone and the pocketbook it came from in the trash, I’d say you’d need another way to reach me, holmes.”

  “Aight, bet, take your ass to work and I’ll call ya there.”

  “T-bird, I aint goin to work today…”

  T-bird hung up the phone.

  Fucking prick, Begonia thought. She tossed the phone and the purse on the ground and kicked it into the sewer.

  ***

  Violet didn’t wait inside the holding cell long before they called her name. Nothing seemed to last long. Her mind was racing and she couldn’t hold onto a thought. Fear, hurt, shame, and anger crowded down on her all at once. And, on top of all of that she was freezing. It’s cold as balls in here, she thought. She wished for death. Anything to stop the pain, she thought as she arrived in what looked like a small conference room.

  Someone, who, Violet didn’t know, read off all of Violet’s charges. They asked her if she’d understood what they were saying, and she nodded weakly. I don’t understand anything. Tears slipped down her cheeks.

  “Your bail is set at one million dollars.”

  The air rushed out of Violet as if she were punched in the chest. “I don’t have a million dollars.” The guard, or cop, Violet wasn’t sure who he was, she just knew he was stronger than a mother fucker. He yanked her to her feet, but her knees gave way and she fell back into the chair. Violet was screaming inside of her head, but nothing was coming out her mouth. I don’t have a million dollars. She was yanked out of the chair again and pushed down the hall. It was a female cop this time. She was saying something but Violet couldn’t make out the words.

  The cop pushed her down on a cot inside the cell. “Look at me,” she said squatting down and leaning into Violet’s face. “Understand something, sweetheart. The crazy routine won’t get you far in here. You’re just going to manage to piss a whole lot of people off.” The officer gripped her face. “Do you understand me?”

  “Yes,” Violet whispered

  “Good.” The officer backed out of the cell and closed the door. The bars clicked into place with a loud pop.

  Violet lay down on the bench and rolled into a ball.

  “I’ll be back in 20 minutes so that you can make a phone call.” She looked at Violet with pure hatred in her eyes. “Maybe you could have your kingpin boyfriend throw up 100k to get your narrow ass back out on the street.” She walked away from the cell. “Oh, that’s right; he left your dumb ass for dead on I95. You may just be shit out of luck, princess.”

  Violet yanked her hospital gown out of her jeans and tried to rap up in it the best way she could. OH my God, she thought as she stuck her thumb in her mouth. Oh my God.

  ***

  “What’s going on?” Kisha whispered. She wanted to run but she couldn’t make her legs to move. Her eyes darted around wildly until they landed on her brother. Kyle was on his knees in the dinning room. His mouth was duck taped, and his hands were tied behind his back. He was actually crying. I think I’m going to throw up, Kisha thought.

  “Don’t just stare at him sweetheart.” Bunky grabbed Kisha by the hair and pushed her on the floor next to brother. “Get over there with him.” Bunky looked at Amir and smirked. “Tie this bitch up too. She’s coming along for the ride.”

  Amir grabbed Kisha’s arm, but she yanked it away. Bunky walked over to her and shoved his glock in her face. “Ah, ah ahh, be nice, sweetheart.”

  Kisha gave Bunky a murderous stare and slowly placed her hands behind her back.

  “Aww shit, man. Ya little sista gots some heart. Well would ya look at that.” He walked over to Kyle and squatted in front of him. “You over here crying like a little bitch and ya sista’s ready to go to war.” He grabbed Kyle’s face and kissed him on the forehead. “It’s going to be okay man. Don’t cry.” Kyle yanked his head away and Bunky laughed. “Why don’t you give ya brother some of your heart, Kisha?”

  “Fuck you,” Kisha said as she lunged at Bunky. Amir gripped her arms and held her still.

  “You wan’t to fuck me, do you?” Bunky stood up. “I’m sorry baby we don’t have time for that.” Bunky grabbed the crotch of his pants. “Although,” he said sticking his gun on her temple. “You can suck my dick.”

  Kyle screamed against his gag and tried to lunge toward his sister.

  “Oh now you got some balls.”

  Amir pushed Kyle on the floor, pulled his gun from his waist; he cocked it against Kyle’s forehead. “I don’t need much of a reason to cancel you, youngin. Move again.”

  Bunky unzipped his pants and fumbled with his boxers.

  Nate walked out of the shadows in the corner of the room. Kisha didn’t even notice he was there. He and Bunky were identical in everyway but their eyes. Nate’s eyes were a quiet brown that held a deadly glint.

  “Zip up your fucking pants, Bunky, we don’t have time for this shit.”

  Bunky pulled his dick free and started jerking it in Kisha’s face. “Not until this bitch gets a chance to taste this nut.”

  Nate pulled his gun out and pointed it at his brother. “I won’t tell you again.”

  Bunky paused in mid stroke. He knew his brother meant what he said. Nate would erase a nigga without a second thought and zero remorse. Bunky put himself back in his pants zipped up and knocked Kisha out cold with the hilt of his gun.

  “Was that necessary?”

  “It was either knock her off or knock her out. I’d figured you would prefer her sleep.”

  “Whatever man,” Nate walked over to the window but didn’t put his gun away. “Let’s get out of here before Kyle’s little crew decides to check in.” He peeked out of the curtain. “Bunky take them to the car.” He pulled his glare out of the window. “I don’t want to come out there and see any perverted shit either. This is supposed to be simple. Don’t make it hard. Amir you give this place a thorough sweep. Any and all work and cash you find belongs to Rodney.”

  ***

  “Alright, come on princess. Rise and shine.” The cell door slid open and hit against the opposite wall with a loud pop. “It’s time for you to make a phone call. Let’s see if you can reach out and touch someone with deep pockets.”

  Violet rose from the cot slowly. She was stiff from the cold, and a little queezy. She stretched and started to stuff her gown into her jeans.

  “Come on, princess. We don’t have all day. You look like shit.”

  “At least I have an excuse.”

  “What you say?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I fuckin thought so. I don’t need an excuse to bring the pain right to your ass.”

  Jesus, give me a break. These cops act like they take their lines straight from the movies, She thought. She stepped outside of the cell and waited.

  “Straight ahead, sweetness, you’ve got ten minutes.�
��

  Violet didn’t say anything. Her stomach started to rumble and growl. Maybe I shouldn’t have refused the damn cheese sandwich and juice box, she thought.

  The women in the surrounding cells started hollering as soon as they spotted Violet. “Why the hell does she get to use the phone first?”

  “Because, she actually has someone to call, Angie, now shut up and sit down.” The officer slapped her baton against the bars. “Everybody shut up and sit down, or I’ll make sure this is the first and last phone call of the day.”

  The cat calls didn’t stop, but Violet wasn’t paying attention any way. Who the fuck am I going to call, she thought frantically. Calling Kyle wasn’t an option and Begonia didn’t have a phone. Her stomach turned violently when she picked up the receiver, she called the only other number she knew.

  Chapter 5

  The phone rang but Tabitha ignored it. She stared at her little girl who was sitting on her lap tracing her letters and smiled. Erica was wearing a purple princess dress and she had a pair of her grandma’s stockings on her head to mimic long flowing locks. She wasn’t exactly in a good mood. We’ll be moving in a few weeks, Babygirl, and I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing, she thought as she rubbed Erica’s back.

  “Mom can you get the phone?” Tabitha didn’t feel like talking to anyone but Erica at the moment.

  “That’s right you have to trace the words. A is for apple. Let me here you say it.”

  “A is fo apple.”

  “Good girl.”

  The phone kept ringing and Tabitha rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table. “You keep working, baby, I’ll be right back.”

  She walked into the living room shouting upstairs. “How come you didn’t get the phone, Mom?”

  “Baby I’m in the tub. I ain’t about to leap out of it and prance around naked for a call I know is not for me.”

  Tabitha smiled and answered the phone.