Leopard's Baby

“What the fuck time is it?” Emil Drekler yelled as he was shoved onto the floor. Manny Sebaro was seated in front of Drekler eating a sandwich, a bottle of beer on the table in front of him.

“A little after 4:00 AM,” Sebaro calmly replied. He put his sandwich down and took a swig of beer.

“Why the fuck did you have your guys drag me out of bed at this hour, Manny?” Drekler whined. “I only just got home from work.”

“How much are you into me for, Drekler?”

“A little over three grand,” Drekler said in a pleading voice as he began to sweat. “You know I’m good for it, Manny. I’ve just had a run of bad luck is all. It’ll get straightened out and you’ll get your money.”

At six-four, two hundred and twenty pounds, Drekler was a big man who liked to keep himself in shape. The other three men in the room, however, were not midgets. Although not as tall, they were all heavier than he was. Plus they were armed. He wasn’t.

“By my records you owe me forty-eight hundred and change,” Sebaro said. He paused to take another bite of his food. “You’re not counting the vig.”

“Whatever you say, Manny, whatever you say,” Drekler said. He licked his lips nervously. “I get paid in a couple of days. Over sixteen hundred. You can have half.”

“What if I want it all?”

“You can’t leave me with nothing,” Drekler whimpered. “My old lady would have a fit. She hates my gambling. Take half. Six pay periods and you’ll get your dough back.”

“That would be twelve weeks and only if I forget the vig,” Sebaro said. “That ain’t gonna happen. He motioned to the two other thugs in the room. They closed in on Drekler. One took out a club, the other a gun.

“Please, Manny, please,” Drekler begged, falling to his knees. “If you mess me up, I won’t be able to work. You won’t get no money at all!”

“You’d be an example in case anyone else tried to stiff me,” Sebaro said. He made a small gesture and the thug with the club tapped Drekler lightly on the top of his head. Drekler winced and hunched down, expecting another blow. Sebaro chortled and said, “Maybe we can come to an arrangement. What would you be willing to do to work off your debt?”

“Anything, Manny, anything,” Drekler said, beginning to have a little hope.

“You know this gash?” Sebaro asked as he held out a picture of Tammy.

Drekler took the picture and turned it so the light was better. “Yeah. She’s somebody we got in the lockup. If she’s the one I’m thinking of, she’s some hot piece of ass.”

“Then you might enjoy this little job,” Sebaro said with an evil grin. “I want she should get her stay in your establishment extended. A lot. You make it happen and I’ll not only wipe out what you owe, I’ll give you a grand on top of it. Can you arrange it?”

“Why do you want her to stay longer?”

“The ‘why’ is none of your fucking business,” Sebaro said as he slammed his hand down on the table. “Can you do it or not?”

“Sure thing, Manny, sure thing,” Drekler said. Relief flooded his body. He didn’t know how he’d do it, but he figured he’d think of something.

***

Olivia greeted the two SF Security men stationed outside the hospital room, chatted with them briefly, and entered the room. “How are you doing, Desiree?” she asked.

“I’ve been better,” Martinez replied. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. “A broken arm, a broken leg, three cracked ribs, and emergency surgery to repair a punctured lung. It could have been worse I suppose. If it wasn’t for your man, Ed, I’d probably be dead.”

“See, you didn’t need me after all.”

Martinez grinned, gasped, closed her eyes, took several shallow breaths, and pressed the button on the morphine drip. “It hurts too much when I laugh. Ed did the best he could, and he’s twice your size. In spite of that, I can’t help thinking you could’ve disabled all three of the bastards without breaking a sweat. Then I wouldn’t be lying here in pain. On the other hand, the publicity is doing wonders for my bill. Other members of congress are being flooded with emails and letters and calls in support of it. Maybe this time it’ll at least get out of committee.”

“So was getting injured worth it?” Olivia asked with a grin.

“Not even close,” Martinez replied with a chuckle and then winced in pain. “Once again, no humorous remarks. How’s Ed doing?”

“His injuries weren’t life-threatening the way yours were, but his recovery time will be longer. His broken arm will heel fairly quickly, but he’s going to need surgery to fix his knee. Rehab will take a while and it’s possible he might need a replacement.”

“Shit,” Martinez said. She stiffened, put her head back, furrowed her brow, and clenched her teeth together. It was obvious she was in considerable pain. When it had subsided she said in a breathless voice, “That was a bad one. Who were those guys anyway? Were they part of some gun-nut group out to get me?”

“Nobody important,” Olivia said. She gave a mirthless chuckle. “Not part of any group. Three guys who’d been drinking in a bar near your apartment saw you leave in your car a couple of weeks ago. They decided they’d do something to ‘protect the second amendment.’ They snuck in and found where your space was. Two days ago they camped out waiting for you to get back.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!” Martinez exclaimed. “Enough about me. I know you have your own problems. What’s happening with your daughter.”

“Nothing good,” Olivia said and sighed. “I visited her a week ago. Understandably she’s… despondent, though she won’t admit it. I can tell, however. Another woman attacked her and she got into a fight, which landed her in solitary. I tried to get in to see my grandson. I thought if I could bring her pictures of him, it might perk her up, but I was turned away. I have a hearing before a judge this afternoon, but I don’t have high hopes. Speaking of which, I have to get going.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Liv,” Martinez said as Olivia got to her feet. “I’d welcome a return visit whenever you get the time. I can’t concentrate enough to get work done and there’s only so much daytime television I can tolerate.”

***

“All rise,” the bailiff for Judge Carlton Newhouse said as the judge entered the courtroom and walked briskly to the bench. The judge sat and indicated that everyone else should as well. He placed a folder he’d been carrying in front of him, opened it, extracted a document, and studied it for about thirty seconds.

“Mrs. Olivia Selinson has petitioned the court to allow her access to her grandson, Brendan Roberts, now in the custody of his paternal grandparents, Senator and Mrs. Roberts,” intoned Newhouse. “I’ve read briefs by both parties. Mr. Dombrosky you represent Mrs. Selinson. Do you have anything further to say?”

“Yes your honor,” Dombrosky said as he got to his feet. “Mrs. Selinson is the maternal grandmother of the child. There is no reason other than maliciousness to deny her access to her grandson. When the child was in the custody of his birth mother, Mrs. Roberts was allowed to see him. Mrs. Selinson asks no more than the same courtesy be extended to her. It’s not as if she’d be a danger to the child. She is a responsible citizen who for many years was a Secret Service agent on the presidential protection detail. Surely if she was deemed worthy to protect the President of the United States she should at least be allowed supervised visits to her grandson.”

Dombrosky sat. Newhouse offered Covington the opportunity to present a rebuttal.

“The Roberts family resents the statement that their decision to restrict access to the child was malicious,” Covington began. “The prenuptial agreement, signed willingly by the child’s mother, gives Senator and Mrs. Roberts sole discretion as to who may see their grandson. Brendan is only ten weeks old. There have already been many upheavals in his young life. Now that he is beginning to adjust to his new living arrangement, it is thought that bringing someone from his former situation would be detrimental to his health, both mental and physical. We have submitted an affidavit from a respected pediatrician to that effect. The doctor is certified in pediatric psychiatry. Perhaps if Mrs. Selinson would request visitation rights in two or three years, after Brendan has become fully comfortable in his current situation, the Roberts might reconsider.”

Newhouse took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. He appeared to be studying the documents in front of him. After nearly three minutes of silence, he raised his eyes and said, “I really can’t understand how a visit from the child’s maternal grandmother could be injurious to him. From everything I’ve seen, grandparents can play a vital role in raising a child.”

Olivia felt a surge of hope, but it died with Newhouse’s next words. “Two things, however, prevent me from granting the petition. I don’t think I have grounds to override the opinion of a noted expert in the field. Also, I can’t get around the fact that the prenuptial agreement does allow the Roberts family to decide who may or may not visit their grandchild even if I think they’ve made the wrong decision. Therefore I must deny the petition, though I urge Senator and Mrs. Roberts to reconsider their position as soon as possible.” Newhouse banged his gavel and said, “Next case.”

***

Desiree Martinez was dozing when a light knocking at her door awakened her. Harrison Tenber, the local head of SF Security, entered her room. After inquiring about her health, he apologized because his man was unable to prevent her from getting injured. He said from that point on he was going to assign two of his best people to her at no extra charge. He asked if there was anything else he could do for her.

“There is one thing,” she said. He raised his eyebrows. “I appreciate having two bodyguards, but, frankly, I don’t feel safe unless Olivia is with me.”

“Believe me, if I could assign her to you, I would. But she’s on an indefinite leave of absence at her own request. She has some personal difficulties to deal with.”

“I’m fully aware of her problems. I have a suggestion.”

“Okay, I’m listening.”

Martinez took a sip of water and said, “Ask her to come back part-time. Anytime she’s available, she’ll be with me along with a second person. If something crops up where she has to leave, she can just take off. I won’t be unprotected. Most of the time I don’t even need one person. Send someone else over until Olivia gets back. I doubt she’s spending twenty-four hours a day trying to get her daughter released.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tenber said thoughtfully. “I’ll check with her. Anything else?”

“How’s Ed doing? I heard he has a long recuperation. Even though he wasn’t able to protect me fully, he did save my life. I hope he won’t lose his job.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Tenber said with a snort. “Right now he’s on convalescent leave with full pay. When he recovers he’ll be back on the job. We cover his health costs one hundred percent. If we didn’t operate that way, we couldn’t get the best people.”

***

Tammy abruptly sat upright in bed. Something had awakened her. A large, hulking figure loomed in the doorway of her cell. He advanced toward her. Suddenly she felt two stings on her body and an electrical current went through her. The figure came closer and she recognized him as Emil Drekler, one of the guards. While she was recovering from being tased, he yanked her nightshirt over her head, leaving her naked, pushed her down onto her back, held her hands over her head with one of his large hands, and unzipped his fly with his other hand. He climbed on top of her between her knees and prepared to enter her. Tammy suspected he’d raped other inmates in a similar fashion. Women who were afraid to say anything for fear of retaliation. But this time he didn’t know the shit-storm he’d gotten himself into.

Tammy wrenched her hands free and punched Drekler in the face, breaking his nose. He howled in pain and blood spurted. She shoved him away, brought her legs back, and kicked him off of her. He stumbled back and went down, screaming. Tammy jumped out of bed and started toward him, thinking, I’d love to have my leopard rip him to shreds.

Two other guards appeared in the doorway. With an effort she was able to stop her attack. She knew that would only make things worse for her.

“What’s going on?” one of the newcomers shouted. It was Collins, the same female guard who’d escorted Tammy to solitary after her fight with Sheila Barker

“This bastard tried to rape me!” Tammy yelled.

“No, that’s not what happened,” Drekler bellowed as he got painfully to his feet.

Drekler and Tammy began screaming at the same time, making understanding either of them impossible. Tammy started toward her tormentor, but Collins stepped between them. The other guard, a male, shouted, “SHUT THE FUCK UP BOTH OF YOU!” in a stentorian voice loud enough to bring silence. “I’m going to send for the night supervisor,” he said in a normal tone. “He’ll get to the bottom of this.”

The supervisor arrived and said, “What’s going on?”

Once again Drekler and Tammy started to speak simultaneously. The supervisor shouted for them to be quiet, and said, “One at a time. Drekler you first.”

“I heard a noise and went into the cell. She was standing there naked, just like she is now. She said she’d fuck me if I got her drugs. When I said no, she attacked me. Took me by surprise so she got a couple of punches in. Busted my nose. Who knows what she woulda done if I hadn’t tased her.”

“That’s bullshit!” Tammy exclaimed. “He tried to rape me. He came into my cell, tased me, and while I was recovering, stripped me and tried to hold me down while he did me. I got lucky and got a hand free and punched him. Look how fucking big he is. I wouldna stood a chance in a fair fight.”

“This is a ‘he said, she said’ situation,” the supervisor said. “In such a case I have to resolve it in favor of the guard. Drekler, I’m warning you. I’ve heard rumors about you with other inmates. I’ll be watching you. Roberts, this is your second fight. Strike two. If there’s a strike three, you’re in deep shit. Any inmates involved in a fight get solitary no matter whose fault it is. Collins, get her dressed and take her over there. Drekler, let’s get you to the infirmary.”