The Second Doublewide on the Right, part 81

I’m Fixin’ To present part 81 of The Second Doublewide on the Right:

After it became apparent to Lt. Kelly of the Ocmulgee Sheriff’s Department that Jimmy Ray Hurd had clammed up he said, “Okay, Jimmy Ray, have it your way. We’ll go ahead and introduce you to our accommodations and you can sit in jail until this coming Tuesday, when you’ll be arraigned in Superior Court.”

Jimmy Ray finally decided it was time to say something so he asked the lieutenant what did that mean.

“It means you’ll go to court and plead guilty or not guilty to the charges against you. If you plead guilty you’ll be sentenced. If you plead not guilty you’ll sit in jail until a trial is scheduled.”

“Wait a minute,” Jimmy Ray said in alarm, “can’t I get out of jail on bond?”

“You’ll have to talk to a bondsman or a lawyer about that.”

“Well, how do I get a lawyer?” Jimmy Ray asked.

The lieutenant was already standing up, pushing his chair up to the table when he replied, “You can hire one if you can afford one. If not, tell the judge and he’ll appoint a public defender to represent you. Now, if you’ll follow me I’ll introduce you to one of our Detention Officers.”

This was all very confusing to Jimmy Ray, but not so much that he didn’t know to ask for a phone call.

“There’s a phone on the wall,” the lieutenant told him, “you got two minutes.”

After Jimmy Ray spent all two minutes talking to his little sister on the phone, they locked him up in the same cell that currently contained Quantavious Cortez Carter. As soon as he settled down on a bunk across the cell from his neighbor, he looked directly at him and said, “I thought you got away!”

“I did,” Quantavious told him, “but then I got stopped for speeding and they already had a warrant out on me and here I am. What I should’ve done was never come back to Ocmulgee County. But that’s all right, even though they framed me, I got myself a lawyer hired. He’ll be in here to see me first thing on Monday morning and get my bond set and get me out on bail by Tuesday.”

Quantavious studied Jimmy Ray for a few moments before he said. “What they get you on? You want me to tell my lawyer you need him too?”

“Aw, they got me charged with all kinds of crap, but no; I don’t need me no lawyer. I got a plan I’m working on to bust out!”

Jimmy Ray heard Quantavious snicker before he said, “How the heck you gonna do that?”

“Just hang around and you’ll see,” Jimmy Ray replied with a look of grave confidence on his face.

“Looks like I ain’t got no choice except to hang around,” Quantavious said as he stretched out on his bunk and turned his back to his cell mate.

Saturday morning came and a jailer rousted them out of their cell to the day room for breakfast. Jimmy Ray was surprised when they were served eggs and grits with toast. He had expected something along the line of fried baloney and gravy.

Just as he was sopping up the remnants of his breakfast with his last crust of toast he felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned he saw that it was a detention officer who said, “You got a visitor. Follow me.”

The officer escorted him down two hallways before he delivered him into a booth with a bench to sit on and ledge to lean on. There was a phone on the wall and through the thick glass above he saw his little sister sitting and waiting on him, looking real scared. Before the jailer could move away Jimmy Ray asked, “Hey, do they tape what you say to your visitors?”

“None of the conversations with visitors are monitored. You got 20 minutes.”

Jimmy Ray snatched up the phone and motioned for his little sister to do the same. “Listen now,” he told her, “ain’t need to be scared, but we only got 20 minutes with a lot to cover, so pay attention. Have you moved any stuff?” It’s all right to talk, you heard the man say so.”

Still, she glanced left and right to make sure no one was close enough to hear her before she declared, “I got ten thousand in cash!” And everything packed up real nice so it will be compact and easy to move.”

“Good girl. Now I remember you saying that your job included cleaning the Ocmulgee County Courthouse on Mondays.”

“That’s right,” she confirmed, “and I know every crook and cranny in that old court house.”

“They’re taking me to court on Tuesday morning and I’m trying to figure out—-”

“There’s a room next to the court room where they keep the prisoners locked up until it’s their turn to go before the judge. That’s where they’ll put you,” she informed him.

Jimmy Ray smiled through the thick glass at her with pleasure. Then during the remainder of the visiting period he told her to take all the money hidden in his trailer, and also in the hubcap of his truck.

During the last few fleeting minutes of visitation Jimmy Ray instructed his little sister what he wanted her to be fixin’ to do while she was cleaning the court house on Monday.

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