Chapter 15

From the DA's office we went to the local Rainbow Steakhouse. Simpson convinced me to carry a couple of burgers and fries to the jail. We delivered the approved paperwork, which we hand carried through the building to the office of the head jailer. While the staff made their checks and balances, I ate a McDouble and fries. That and a canned coke from the machine in the hallway was lunch for both of us.

It wasn't my favorite meal, but I also didn't feel that I had been punished. I sat quietly in the small jail house waiting room while they rounded up Gypsy Allen. When the jailer brought her in to us, he also brought a stack of paper for Simpson to sign. He signed for her since he was in charge. I smiled as I watched.

While he signed I gave Gypsy a close look. She was trying her best to look innocent, but I wasn't convinced. She seemed to be on guard and thinking every second. She should be of course, since everything she said and did could find it's way into court. I tried to relax and convince myself that she was harmless.

I tried, but it was a long way back to Warren County. I was reasonably happy not to have signed for her. It wasn't just that she might run, or that she might force us to injure her, it was also that she just might piss someone off and get us all in deep shit along the way. She had very little to lose by creating a scene everywhere we stopped. I could only hope that Simpson planned to keep the stops to a minimum.

"Gypsy, I'm Deputy Sylvia Porter, I spoke to you on the phone. This is Detective Simpson, he is handling your case for the Sheriff's office." I made the introductions myself, since I had no faith in Simpson at all. I didn't want him to screw it up, but then again it was his problem not mine.

"I can't say it's nice to meet you, but it kinda is. I am ready to get back home to see my sister and my lawyer. I want to get this over with," Gypsy said.

"We will try to get you back as quickly as possible," Simpson said with a huge smile. Why wouldn't he have one she was drop dead gorgeous compared to me. She had those soft mommy boobs and had managed to keep her tummy flat. Her ass and thighs seemed to be almost perfect for those boobs.

"Did you get lunch?" I asked to get Eddie's eyes off the top of her sweat shirt. they had obviously allowed her to change before they brought her to us.

"I wasn't hungry too excited I guess," she replied.

"Did you use the bathroom? We won't be stopping for a while," I explained.

"I'm fine. I just want to get on the road home," she said.

I turned my attention to the guard. "Has she been through a metal detector?" I asked.

"No, but I can run a wand over her, if you want?" he suggested.

"We do want," Simpson said. We had to wait about five minutes while they found, then ran a metal detector wand over Gypsy. She was clean, but if she managed to kill me, I wanted it to be for my fuck up, not some Florida jailer's mistake.

In the parking lot I cuffed her hands in front of her, but also around her seat belt. She could get the seat belt open but it would only allow her a limited amount of movement. I was trying to be as careful and yet as cooperative as possible. I was hoping Gypsy would do the same. She wasn't the first prisoner I had ever transported, so I knew not to take anything at face value.

"You ladies about ready to go," Simpson asked.

"Simpson, I would be willing to bet that somewhere between here and the Warren county jail, we have to wait for you. It's just the way life happens." I did not say asshole, but yes I was thinking it.

At 3PM we pulled onto the interstate highway for a minimum of 9 hours on the road. It was possible for us to be home by midnight but not likely.

"We are going to need gas soon," Simpson commented shortly before 6PM.

"I am going to need a bathroom break soon," I agreed. "How about you Gypsy?"

"Yeah sometime soon," she said. She seemed to have been deep inside her own thoughts. Since we had been warned not to question her without her lawyer present, I had avoided making conversation with her. I did answer anything she asked as pleasantly as possible.

"Is everyone up there upset with me?" she asked.

"Honey, I can't discuss this with you, but it's going to depend on what happened," I replied.

"Well I can tell you this, I didn't kill Jen," she said. I interrupted her.

"Sweetie, I'm sure you have been told you don't have to talk to us, since you have a lawyer. You probably shouldn't." I could see Simpson cringe. He would have taken her statement and tried to justify it later. I could tell that Gypsy wanted to talk, so lawyer or no lawyer she was going to tell her story when she got back. How much truth there was in her story was another issue all together.

"If you give me a cigarette, I will wave my right to a lawyer and tell you everything," Gypsy said to me.

"I can't make that kind of deal," I said.

"She can't make the deal because neither of us smoke, but when we stop for gas I will buy you a pack of cigarettes no strings attached," Simpson said. At least maybe we could get away without being accused of bribing her.

Simpson pulled in at the next turn off. He also pulled into the first gas station we came to. "The sign said there was a Waffle House down the road. Do you want to go now or wait till we get there," Simpson asked me.