Chapter 3
Evil Forces
It's unsettling to realize that while you are stretched out on the sofa watching Dallas or M*A*S*H, evil forces could be conspiring against you. That while you sit in the warmth and security of your own home, an avalanche of adversity could be perilously close to being unleashed in your direction. No matter who you are or where you live, no one is exempt from such ill fate--not even Don Blaylock whose life seemed perfect.
The call came in after midnight. Rebekah passed me the telephone. I sat up on one elbow.
"Hello."
"Stan, this is Don. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but I need your advice immediately."
"It's okay, Don. What's up?"
"Rob and his friend Jesse are in jail."
"In jail? What happened?"
"They went to a bar with a couple of girls, I guess. Rob drank too much and was having trouble driving home. Some cop saw him and stopped him for suspicion of DWI."
"Oh, God. . . . So, where are they?"
"Dallas city jail."
"Okay. They usually keep them there a few hours before they transport them to the county jail--so we have some time."
"What should I do?" Don asked.
"Go on over to the jail. I'll meet you there in thirty minutes. We'll have to run a writ. Did you call the other boy's parents?"
"No, I'm not at home. I'm at Baylor Hospital."
"What are you doing there?"
"The cop let the girls drive Rob's car home. They got into an accident on the way home."
I sat up and threw off the covers."Oh, geez! Are they all right?"
"I think so."
"Well, you can tell me more about that later. Call the other boy's parents, I can't help him unless they retain me."
"All right, I'll see you in a few minutes."
I got up and put on jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. One of the fringe benefits of running writs was there was no dress code. After jumping into my yellow Corvette, a gift from a woman I'd managed to keep out of federal prison, I headed down I-30 toward Dallas. As I passed the Fair Park exit I noticed a scorched, late model Mercedes being loaded onto a flat bed tow truck. Glad I wasn't in that baby when it went up in flames. I took the Business 75 exit, traveled a few blocks, turned down Main Street and pulled up in front of the Dallas City Jail. I got out of my car and looked around warily. Downtown at night was dangerous, but since this was City Hall, I guessed it would be safe. I walked up the long steps to the lobby and took the elevator to the second floor.
The reception area was crowded with a diverse mix of stressed-out citizens waiting to get their loved ones out of jail or, at least, to visit them. I figured each had an interesting story. Scanning the room, I spotted Don sitting on a bench looking rather forlorn. I walked over quickly and greeted him.
"Stan, thanks for coming," he said.
"No sweat. Have you talked to the jailer?"
"Yes, but they said we needed some kind of writ of habeas corpus or something."
"Right. What's the charge? Did they say?"
"DWI."
"What about the friend? What's his name?"
"Jesse Ramirez. He's been charged with public intoxication and assaulting a police officer."
"Okay, I'm going to go see my bondsman. I'll come back here to have the boys sign their bonds, and then I'll run the writ. Did you get a hold of Jesse's parents?"
"Yes, I talked to his mother. His father is out of town. She asked if you would get Jesse out of jail too."
"Okay, good."
Don shook his head. "What am I doing here, Stan? What did I do wrong with Rob? I've warned him over and over not to drink and drive. What possessed him to get behind the wheel when he was drunk?"
"God knows. Teenagers these days just don't have much common sense."
Don got up angrily clenching his fist. "Just wait until I see him. He's going to wish he were never born."
I sighed. "Calm down. You're going to get through this. I'm sure Rob has an explanation. He seems like a good kid."
"Maybe you're right. I bet it was Jesse. I never liked that kid. It must have been his idea to go to Greenville Avenue. Rob will never associate with that punk again, you can damn well be sure of that!"
It took me twenty minutes to run to the bondsman's office and get the bond. As I was driving I wondered why Rob would have done something so stupid. Would Reggie be as irresponsible when he started driving? Jesus, I hope not. I wondered what I could do to make sure I never had to make a trip to get Reggie out of jail. When I got back, Don was pacing up and down the hallway. I intercepted him and told him I had the bonds and was going to give them to the jailer to get signed.
A minute later I sat down next to Don. "Well, now we wait."
"How long will it take?"
"It depends."
"On what?"
"On whether they can find Rob and Jesse any time soon. It's crowded back there."
"Wonderful."
"So, has Rob ever given you trouble before?"
"No, never, I really don't understand this."
"Huh, well maybe it's just a fluke. Sometimes kids just get unlucky. I remember when I was in college I got three tickets in one week. It was all bullshit stuff. I think the police pick on young kids, don't you?"
"I suppose, but nothing like this has ever happened to me. I never expected to have to bail Rob out of jail. He's always been such a good kid."
"Times have changed. It's tough to be growing up these days with drug dealers and gangs on campus."
I commiserated with Don for over an hour. He told me all about how he and Pam had met, fell in love, and married. He related how his marriage hadn't been all peaches and cream, how they had struggled for years financially and finally got a break when the promotion came. He told me he thought Rob might have the talent to be a major league pitcher. Then he filled me in on the accident.
"A Mercedes on I-30?" I said.
"Right."
"Huh. I saw them hauling it away on my way in. Was anybody hurt?"
Don shook his head. "I think the girls are going to be okay, but the driver of the Mercedes wasn't so lucky."
"Really? How bad are his injuries?"
"Pretty bad. . . . He died, I understand."
"Oh, no. . . . The car is in your name, I presume?"
"Right. I couldn't put it in Rob's name until he's eighteen."
"How much insurance do you have?"
"You know, I'm not even sure." Don said.
Finally the jailer signaled that he had the bonds signed. I took them and advised Don I would be back in thirty minutes. Then I went to my car and headed for the sheriff's office. Hearing about the accident had jolted me. I tried not to seem alarmed as Don related the story. He had so much on his mind already. But I knew if someone had died, there would surely be a wrongful death suit filed. When I returned to the jail, Don was staring out a window into the darkness. I walked up, put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Okay, I think we're getting close."
Don turned around and gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God!"
After taking the writs to the jailer, I came back and sat next to Don. "Just another thirty minutes and we're out of here."
"Another thirty minutes?!" Don complained.
"Yeah, I don't know what they do back there, but they don't do it in a hurry, that's for sure."
Forty-five minutes later, we could see Rob and Jesse through a glass window getting their belongings returned. A minute later they stepped into the waiting room. Don rushed over to Rob.
"Are you all right, son?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Come on, let's get out of this wretched place," Don said.
We all left the jail waiting room and walked down the stairs into the cool night air. When we got to the sidewalk, I asked, "So, where are you going now?"
"I've got to
go back to the hospital. Pam is there with Jennifer and Linda."
I didn't feel like going to the hospital. My mind didn't function too well in the middle of the night. All I wanted to do was go home and go to bed, but I knew I had better go and learn as much about what had happened as I could. On the way to the hospital I couldn't keep my mind off Reggi. He hadn't got his driver's license yet, but that day was fast approaching. It was pretty scary to think he'd be out on the road soon.
The hospital parking garage was deserted as I pulled in just after four. I parked my car and then caught an elevator to the main lobby. Before I went up to Jennifer's room, I called Rebekah to tell her I would be a while longer. I knew she would be worried and wouldn't sleep until she had heard from me. She sounded grateful to get the call. A few minutes later I entered Jennifer's room. Pam, Don, and the boys were already there. Don and Rob were standing by the window arguing. I stayed back not wanting to get in the middle of a family argument.
"I thought you were going to stay home and watch the Ranger's game," Don said.
"That was the plan, but things happened. Jennifer Rich and Linda Connors came over and they wanted to go out. What was I supposed to do?"
"I can understand you going out, but the drinking? You know it's illegal for you to drink at your age. I can't believe they were serving you. And why did you have to get drunk?"
"I didn't intend to. I just didn't pay close enough attention to how many drinks I was having."
"Do you realize how this is going to screw up your life?" Don scolded. "How many times have we discussed drinking and driving. What do we have to do to get through to you!?"
"Nothing! I just screwed up. I'm sorry."
Don looked at me. "Well, I sure hope Stan can do something to help you out of this mess."
I flashed a reassuring smile and said, "I think there is a good chance I can. The important thing now is to remain positive and work together to get through this. Beating each other up won't help."
Don nodded and turned away. Rob looked at his mother who was seated in a chair next to the bed. She shook her head. "They may kick you off the baseball team," she said.
Rob's mouth dropped. "What? No way!"
"Yes, don't you remember Roger Hamilton. They found drugs in his locker and he got kicked off the team."
"Shit! They can't do that. I've got to finish the season."
"You should have thought of that before you got in your car drunk," Don spat.
"Damn it!" Rob said. "I can't believe this."
"Watch your language young man," Don said as he glared at Rob.
"What else could go wrong? Jesus!" Rob exclaimed.
So much for my peacekeeping efforts.
"Pam Blaylock, please come to the nurses' station," the intercom blared.
Pam left the room and rushed over to the nurses' station. We all followed her, curious as to the purpose of the summons. A nervous middle-aged lady was standing talking to the nurse. The nurse saw Pam and said, "Oh, Mrs. Blaylock, this is Jennifer's mom, Martha Rich."
"Oh, hi, this is my husband, Don, my son Rob, Stan Turner, our lawyer, and Rob's friend, Jesse."
"I know Jesse. Hi, Jesse," she said.
"Have you seen Jennifer yet?" Pam asked.
Martha said, "I just left her. I wanted to thank you for staying with her. She told me how comforting you were."
Pam shrugged. "Oh, I didn't do anything really, just sat and talked with her. Are they going to discharge her soon?"
"No, they're going to admit her," Martha said.
"Why, I thought she was okay?"
Martha hesitated, then said, "They think she is, they just want to keep an eye on her . . . you know . . . since . . . since they say she's pregnant."
Rob's face turned white, "Did you say pregnant?"
Mrs. Rich turned and looked at Rob. "That's right, Rob, I said pregnant."