Passion In James County X
Badge of Dishonor
By D.C. Roi
Chapter sixteen
Luke Thomas walked into Tim Jackman's office near the end of his shift. "Lou, can I talk to you about something?" he asked.
"Sure, Luke," Tim said. "Have a seat. What's up?"
Luke held up a VCR tape he had in his hand. "I think, maybe, you better see what's on this tape," he said. "Today, Jonas and I picked up a couple of slime balls - Bud Dickerson and Skunk Loomis - and took them to the lockup on warrants your division issued."
Tim nodded. "I know, they're the ones behind that series of burglaries, right?" he said.
Luke nodded. "Yeah, that's them," he replied. "Anyhow, you know we have those new TV systems in the cruisers, the ones that tape what's going on in the car. Policy is that we have the camera on when we've got prisoners in the back, to protect us in case they claim we abused them. Bud's a real chatterbox, and while Jonas and I were out of the car talking with the detectives, he was bragging to his pal about something I think you better hear."
"Give me the tape," Tim said. He took the tape from Luke, stood up, and put it in the combined TV/VCR in his office and turned the machine on. The TV screen lit up and the image of two unsavory-looking men in handcuffs in the back seat of a police car filled the screen.
"Don't worry about gettin' busted, Skunk," Bud Dickerson told the man sitting next to him in the car. "We'll be out on personal recognizance soon as we go to court."
"Yeah, Bud, but you told me we wasn't gonna get busted, "his friend protested. "Jesus, Bud, you know I hate bein' locked up! If I'd a had any brains I'd a stayed home. I shoulda known better than to let you talk me into bustin' inta them places. My old man's gonna kill me for gettin' busted again."
"I told ya', don't worry," Bud said. "Look, tell you what. Soon as we get out tomorrow, how about I get you a little poontang."
"Who?" Skunk replied. "I seen the chicks you go out with, Bud, I ain't sure I'd touch one 'a them."
Bud grinned at his partner, exposing a mouth filled with rotting teeth. "Nah, this here's prime ass," Bud said. "It's the chick who lives down the road from me."
"Down the road from you?" Skunk said, sounding surprised. "That married red-head with the dynamite body, is that who you're talkin' about? The one who lives in that new house?"
Grinning, Bud nodded. "That's the one," he said.
"Man, Bud, I seen her, she's choice!" Skunk exclaimed, looking at his friend with a little bit of awe. "How in the hell did you get in her pants?"
"You ain't gonna believe this," Bud said, puffing himself up a little, "the fuckin' cops helped me."
"The cops?" Skunk asked. "Come on! How did the cops help you?"
"Well..." Bud said, "I been watchin' her house, you know, 'cause sometimes she comes out in a fuckin' bikini to get some sun, you know? And I broke in once, too. The cops got no idea who did that, but I noticed the fuckin' state patrol seemed to be comin' back a lot. Same fuckin' pig, you know? That one think's he's hot shit, Billingham. Anyhow, one day when he was there, I went over. Guess what he and the chick are doin'?"
"You mean the chick is fuckin' the cop?" Skunk asked.
"Like a fuckin' bunny," Bud replied. "So, a little later, I paid her a visit."
"And she let you screw her, just like that?" Skunk asked, his voice a little higher in pitch than it had been.
Bud shook his head. "Nah, it weren't quite that easy," he said. "I hadda point out to her that unless she came across for me, her old man might find out what she was doin' with the cop. After I told her that, she came across."
"No shit!" Skunk exclaimed. "She any good?"
"Best I ever had," Bud said, smirking. "I figger once we're out of court tomorrow, you and me, we can go over and pay her a visit."
"Yeah!" Skunk said. "Oh, yeah!"
Tim shut the TV/VCR off and shook his head. "Jesus!" he exclaimed.
"That comes pretty close to an admission of rape, doesn't it?" Luke asked.
"It does," Tim said, "I think we have an admission on the burglaries, too. But I don't think the prosecuting attorney will go with the rape charge unless we have a complaint from a victim. And I'm not sure that tape will be admissible, either."
"It might be," Luke said. "We tell prisoners they're being taped when we put them in the car, and there are signs in the back, too."