Chapter 15

I was sure the complimentary coffee was the type made from the sweepings off the floor of the packaging plant. The cereal was a generic rice puff, or cornflakes in those little individual cardboard boxes. There were a few breakfast pastries sitting on a table. They were shriveled up, as if they came from the day old market. Tonya was already in the lobby eating the crappy cereal when I showed up dressed for my morning hike. I waved at her as I passed. She caught up with me when I stopped outside to read a message from the Geek.

“Check your special email ... I got that mother fucker G.”

It will wait until I walk around the mean streets of Richmond Va, I thought. When I looked up there stood Tonya. She didn’t look all that put together it the harsh light of day and with zero makeup.

“Good morning boss,” I said with a smile. I enjoy the discomfort of her morning look.

“Is that sarcasm I note not in your voice partner?” She managed to sound almost pleasant. “Let’s get a move on.”

The walk was enjoyable. The temperature hadn’t climbed yet, at least not enough to be noticeable. It was just a typical early summer morning. Since the area was zoned highway business, we had to pay a lot of attention to the traffic as we started our hike. When I reached half a mile on on my pedometer, we had reached a more urban residential area.

That type area was defined by the need of maintenance on the exterior of the houses. There was raw wood showing on the trim and missing shingles on the roof. The area just showed a general lack of upkeep.

When the pedometer showed one mile I turned back toward the motel. We would have covered two miles when we got back. Tonya was going to have to find a gym, if the trip took more than a couple of more days, I thought.

I stopped at the convenience store again to fill my coffee thermos and to pick up a packaged cinnamon roll. I figured the roll would be okay since I had walked two miles that morning.

“I find it interesting that you limp around, and still walk two miles twice a day,” Tonya said.

“Well I’m old honey,” I said. “I’m allowed.”

“Yeah and yet you eat crap. I’ll bet if you lost twenty pounds you would feel much better,” she continued.

“Sweetie, skinny is way over rated,” I replied.

By that time we were back in our rooms. I pulled up my email and read the big reveal that the Geek sent. He did not have the Mother Fucker, but he did have an interesting fact that might lead to Tonya and me nailing his ass. We for sure needed confirmation. I decided not to mention this information to Tonya. We didn’t have to prove it, just make a good defense for defamation, if someone decided to sue us.

I sent a reply to the Geek to follow up on the lead. I wanted him to come up with the names of the lawyer who represented the prisoners who jumped bail while awaiting a postponed hearing. I also wanted the prisoner’s jail files such as they were. While the Geek worked on those, I got dressed and prepared to move to interview the disgruntled employees. They were identified by letters from supervisors at their termination files.

Tonya, the robot brain, and I located the first one a few miles outside the Richmond statistical area. What the fuck that was I had no idea. In the case of Ted Johnson former jailer it mean a small apartment shared by his wife and new child.

“So Ted,” I began after the introductions were complete, and we had won his trust. “I’m just looking for some background for our screenplay. You worked in the women’s section of the county jail?”

“Yes, where I worked was actually the section holding women awaiting court hearings. Most of the time after their first hearing they would get bailed out.”

“So Ted did most of the women manage to make bail instantly,” I asked.

“Not really, most of them had to wait till their family could raise the money. A few had their bail arranged before they even went into the hearing. Once the paperwork was complete, the bondsmen were johnny on the spot to bail them out.”

“So tell me did you guys work with the same bondsmen most of the time?” I asked.

“There were several of them, but we unofficially knew who to expect. Like if it was a serious felony, we expected to see Rocket Man. He was a Korean Bondsman. He tied up every asset the families of the jailbirds owned. He was a real slime ball.”

“Okay, what if you had a nineteen year old white runaway. Then who would you expect?” I asked.

“That would be Ginger. I don’t think I ever heard her real last name. Ginger showed up usually with the girls public defender. Ginger would bail her out.” Ted answered.

“Do you happen to remember what the outcome of those cases was?” I asked.

“No, I would have no reason to know,” he said.

We danced around a while longer then I said to Tonya. “I authorize a hundred bucks consulting fee for Ted here. Be sure he signs the receipt for the fee.” Yes it made her sound like my clerk, but she went along with it.

“What was that all about?” she asked when we were in the car.

“That was about covering our ass. We have the information on tape, if we use it, the receipt is proof that he spoke to us. We can prove where the information came from. It also gives us leverage for the next people we talk to.” I suggested.

“So where to next,” she asked.

“We have the names and address of two more former jail employees,” I informed her.

The only thing new we learned from the next man was that Ginger Bear was a private, bondsman, or bonds person. One who worked for herself, and mostly public defender or court appointed lawyers and their clients. Ginger Bear might not be her birth name, but it was her legal name.

The third name was a woman who ducked my first attempt to interview her. I had a feeling that the Sheriff would know that Tonya and I were in town by sundown. Cue the theme music from the movie high noon. There just might be that showdown after all.