Shelton Family Saga

Chapter 9

Strategy & Flapjacks                                                    Apr. 11, 1963, Helmsville

Sitting alone behind bars at the local jail, Hollywood was as calm as ever as they brought Hoochie in handcuffed and talking shit.

"Y'all are gonna pay for this. Ya got the wrong one. I already told that greasy fool I talked to earlier, I was outta the country. Man, I'm innocent!"

It didn't matter what the words were coming out of Hoochie's mouth. The officers had a job to do and that was to put him behind bars until a trial could be held. As they slammed the jail cell door shut, the officers sarcastically asked, "Y'all boys need anything?"

"Yeah, I need to call my lawyer," Hoochie said matter of factly.

Chuckling, the officers just walked away. Alone in the cell Hoochie and Hollywood began to strategize with Hoochie telling Hollywood, "Man I heard your name on the news. I can't believe they arrested you. Why'd you wear this outfit?"

Hollywood wasn't exactly soft spoken when he responded with, "Man how the hell was I supposed to know you were wearing the same thing when you robbed the bank?"

"Man shut up! You know they can hear us fool! Don't be saying I robbed no bank, cause you know I ain't rob no bank."

"Well shit, me either, but these jive turkeys got me in this jail. Hoochie my daddy gonna be mad as hell."

"Yo' daddy? Or you mean yo' momma fool, cause the way you cussin I ain't real sho'."

"Man whatever! Hoochie, I'm in big trouble. My folks don't play like this. I ain't never been in trouble before."

As Hoochie casually walked toward the small iron bench to sit down, he smugly told Hollywood, "And that's why they're gonna let you go. All you gotta do is just keep ya mouth shut and if they send ya to trial, man you're gonna beat it. You ain't ever been in trouble so you're gonna git off. Yo' daddy gonna see to it."

"Shhh, listen! You hear that Hoochie?"

Smug as ever he popped off, "Yeah I hear it; but, what they saying though?"

"I don't know, but somebody down there talking at the desk."

Hoochie and Hollywood got real quiet and strained to hear. Gradually, the distant voices became more audible.

"I'm here to speak to my clients."

"Your clients," the desk officer asked?

"Yes sir, don't you have a couple of teenage boys back there locked in a cell," the voice asked?

Hoochie and Hollywood looked at each other puzzled.

"Well yeah we do, but I don't think these fellas can afford no lawyer."

"I am their lawyer and I need to see and speak with my clients immediately."

"Well, I guess," the desk officer said.

As Hoochie and Hollywood listened to the echo of the footsteps coming down the corridor, sweat started to bead up around their forehead as their palms became moist. Hollywood's chest started to rise and fall at a quickened pace and he constantly kept clearing his throat. Without uttering a word, they looked at each other in perplexity, waiting and wondering who they were about to see arrive as their lawyer. Hollywood commenced to pacing a little bit making his way to the back of the cell, standing as far back behind Hoochie as he could get. It was at this moment, a tall slender man with leathery looking skin, dark brown hair and icy blue eyes stopped in front of their cell alongside the desk officer. As soon as the desk officer unlocked the cell door, in stepped Mr. Icy blue eyes. He patiently waited until the officer walked away and he could no longer hear the clunking of his shoes against the concrete floor down the corridor before he casually asked, "Which one of y'all is Hoochie?"

Petrified to answer, neither Hoochie nor Hollywood said anything, but Hollywood standing at the back of the cell, gestured with his head toward Hoochie.

The man, with a voice as rigid as his demeanor, looked at Hoochie and said, "I have one question for you. Did they give you the Miranda Warning?"

****

Wagonwood Street
Apr. 12, 1963, Helmsville, WY

After getting out of jail, Hoochie was free and back on the street. He woke up early the next morning and headed down to Helmsville Grocery Store. He was there to get some Karo syrup for his younger siblings that were making flapjacks at home. He purchased the syrup along with some Tang and a little jar of Sanka coffee for his daddy. He knew his family was tired of eating flapjacks all the time, but that's all they could afford. He swore that one day he was really going to be somebody. He had been hustling the streets for awhile now, but it was gonna be better as soon as he could get free from this bank robbery accusation. Things were going to be smoothed out and he would be able to take care of his family there on Wagonwood Street. They would be able to have more food to eat and clothes without holes in them. He knew in his heart that one day it was all going to change. He also knew it was up to him to initiate that change. He had set things in motion. Hollywood was his best friend in the whole world and he knew that whatever shit went down between them would always remain between them. The things they were experiencing now we're just a technicality in the scheme of it all, and would be resolved soon. Both him and Hollywood were very smart people and they weren't snitches. They had each other's back's for life. They were more than best friends, they were brothers. Blood brothers. They had made a pact and both of them had a scar on their forearm to prove it; however, he never did figure out who that so called lawyer was that got him out of jail. The man had just asked him if the police gave him some kind of warning before they arrested him. When Hoochie told him they didn't, the man had left and about ten minutes later the officers had came and unlocked the jail cell and told Hoochie he was free to go, but Hollywood had to stay. For some reason, they didn't let him go, which meant he had to wait for his daddy to show up. By the time Hoochie made it to the front entrance of the jailhouse, Mr. Icy blue eyes had disappeared. Who was he? He really really needed to know who'd orchestrated his freedom. Since his momma had died, no one had shown him any kind of support, so it was imperative he find out. When he made it back to his daddy's house on Wagonwood Street, he saw the cupboards were bare. He couldn't get anything for his family to eat, cause everything had closed up shop by the time they had let him go from the jail, so he'd made a mental note to get up at the break of dawn and get some food for the house. Now in the checkout line at Helmsville Grocery Store, Hoochie saw him again. Mr. Icy blue eyes was standing at the vending cooler by the door getting a bottled Coca-cola. Before Hoochie could pay for his items and make it to the door, Mr. Icy blue eyes had vanished again. Damn! Who was this dude?