(2) The Summer of '66: You've Lost that Loving Feeling
Caelan disembarked at the dock at Ingleside at 5 p.m. He hadn't spoken to his friends or his 'summer fling', the rich and gorgeous Barbara Ann McLaughlin, since he left for the offshore rig two weeks ago. Hey, he had certainly thought of them -- especially her -- while he worked, worked out, and did PT on the rig, but the only communication was ship-to-shore, and that was restricted to business or emergency use. You could write letters, but come on - it didn't really matter.
She was waaaay out of his league anyway, so he had left her with his buddy Theo, telling him to take good care of her for the remainder of her vacation. She and Theo had a flirting/teasing thing going even with him standing there, and they obviously were attracted to one another. She was at Port Aransas to have a good time, and he had no claim on her. They had shared a lot of pleasure in the short five days after they met, true, but he knew that she knew it would end when he left to go work seventy miles out in the Gulf for two weeks.
He spotted his red pickup in the lot, picked up his duffle and started toward it. Memories of the dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty with the phenomenal body and the capability to fuck him senseless, while orgasming a dozen times, flooded his mind. After their final, lingering kiss, he had boarded the boat; she had wrapped her arm around Theo, he wrapped his arm around her, and they waved as he motored out of sight.
Caelan sighed, 'It's for the best,' he assured himself. 'There is no way that was going to work out, so now you are free to do whatever and whomever you want, and she is back in Dallas doing the same.' Still, being here where he last saw her was disquieting.
As he approached his truck, a uniformed Deputy Sheriff called his name and walked toward him. "Are you Caelan Kelly?" He acknowledged he was, and noticed a second officer standing beside a patrol car with his hand on his pistol. "Mr. Kelly, we need you to come with us. Charges have been filed against you for assault with bodily injury. We need to take you to the station, get your official statement, and see where we go from there."
"I assume the complainant is the cowardly prick otherwise known as Chad Smithwick, who actually assaulted ME in front of dozens of witnesses?" The officer answered, "We can discuss all that at the station. Telling your side is the purpose of your official statement."
With permission, Caelan stowed his duffle bag in his pickup and got into the back seat of the squad car. The ride gave him time to think. When they got inside the Sheriff's station, Caelan stated calmly, "I need to make a phone call. I won't answer questions or otherwise participate in an interview without my attorney present."
The cops shrugged, told him he wasn't under arrest so he could make a call, but having a lawyer present wasn't necessary. He insisted, so they showed him to the pay phone, and returned to chat with the officer behind the elevated desk.
He deposited a dime to call 'Aunt Peggy', praying that she would answer. He didn't really have an attorney, but hoped she would give him a name and number to call. He hadn't personally had many run ins with the law, but he had watched too many other kids and young men get railroaded, especially when rich folks were involved, to take a chance.
Peggy answered on the second ring; Caelan identified himself and explained the situation. She told him to sit tight, and not to talk to anyone until her attorney arrived in twenty minutes. He made it in fifteen.
After payment of a $20 'retainer', Caelan had a brief meeting with John Jameson, Esquire, in a conference room. They then met with the officer assigned to take his statement. Jameson asked to see the complaint, read it thoroughly, and announced that his client wished to file a complaint against the complainant, Mr. Smithwick, who first assaulted his client.
That caused a bit of an uproar, but they did the paperwork, and then Caelan gave his official statement. Because the statement included an admission that he did hit the complainant, albeit in self-defense, the officer decided he should be arrested. Jameson argued against it, but Caelan spent the night in jail. His arraignment would be held and bail set the next morning. The jailer was a good old boy who felt like Caelan was getting a raw deal, so he had a cell to himself and food brought to him.
Peggy showed up at the arraignment dressed in her finery. She smiled at the judge as if he were a good friend; the judge smiled back. He checked the docket with a puzzled look, turned his eyes back to her, and continued with a bewildered face. When Caelan's case was called, the harried-looking prosecutor spelled out the charges in a tired voice, without looking around. He then demanded 'the assailant' be remanded without bail due to 'being a danger to the community'.
The defense countered that he was a member of the community in good standing, and that he had filed assault charges against the complainant, who was actually the responsible party; therefore, he should be released on his own recognizance.
The judge frowned at the prosecutor, looked at Jameson, and asked, "Will bail in the amount of $10,000 be a hardship for your client?" Peggy rose up in her seat directly behind Caelan and announced, "If I may, your honor, I will gladly put up the bail for this WONDERFUL YOUNG MAN in any amount you order."
The prosecutor turned toward her, saw who it was, finally noticed that her own attorney was defending the miscreant, and 'Oh, shit! What have I gotten into?' flashed across his face. The judge looked directly at him, defying him to object, when he set the bail at $5000. He spoke not a word, studying the charges instead.
"Paul! Paul!" the ADA heard, and saw Jameson right behind him as they left the courtroom. "Paul, you need to rethink this. I don't know what you are relying on, but we're fixing to give you a thrashing in court! The complainant was the initiator, not my client." "I'll look into it a bit more, John, but I have four sworn statements..." Paul replied. "And I'll produce a dozen, including neutral parties. Believe me, this is a stinker. Cut your losses!" "I'll look into it and get back with you tomorrow, John; will that work? Now I've got to go; too many cases to juggle!"
Peggy's chauffeur opened her door; Caelan greeted him and walked around to get in the back with her. "My truck and clothes..." he began, before she cut him off. "Theo and Carl took your spare key and picked it up last night. We're going to stop and buy you some clothes for court and for play, and then you are coming over to my house and we are going to have a talk!" The no-nonsense voice persuaded him to simply nod in acceptance.
"Speaking of Theo, I didn't expect him to be around. How is he doing?" "He's fine, Caelan. I've talked to him quite often in the past two weeks." "I'll bet you have," he said under his breath. She smiled a knowing smile and ignored him. 'Well, I guess that proves it; they are still together,' Caelan thought.
