SCREAMING BATFISH BLUES #17

SCREAMING BATFISH BLUES #17

JUICE

LEAVENWORTH

It’s amazing how good a Coke tastes when you haven’t had one in a real long time. Jake pounded down the first one and Banks sent a guard down to get him two more.

“Thanks for the Cokes. But who in hell are you? I know I’ve seen you before.”

“My name is Jerry Banks. I’m an agent with the United States government. What agency I am not at liberty to say. And I was at your court martial in Pearl Harbor.”

Jake remembered now. He had been in the back row of the courthouse when he had turned around to look at Sophie. Had never given a second thought to who he was or why he was there.

Banks leaned back in his chair. “You really got fucked.”

Jake snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I know you didn’t try to break into that idiot’s house and I know that his death was an accident.”

A shiver ran down Jake’s back. “How do you know?” he whispered.

“A young girl came forward to my office and told me what happened. Said that she had been out smoking a little pot with some friends and had been hitchhiking home when Ensign Dunn picked her up. He tried to rape her and you stopped it.”

Jake’s head was reeling. They knew. They finally knew. “Am I free? Can I go home?”

“It’s not that easy. Shortly after she came to my office, her father was discharged and they went back to the mainland before we could get a sworn statement from her. We weren’t able to find them.”

“Why didn’t you get a statement right away?” Jake’s voice was so high it practically squeaked.

“Legally we couldn’t. She was a minor and an adult member of her family had to be present. They left before we could get them back into the office.”

“Jesus fucking Christ. Am I going to have to stay here until you guys find her? That could years or maybe forever.”

Banks leaned forward in his chair. “It’s going to be forever on getting a statement I’m afraid. The family was involved in a car wreck in New Mexico, the girl and her father were both killed. Hit a train. It’s like

she never existed.”

Jake stared at the agent. It had taken approximately thirty seconds to dash his new found dream of walking out the door. What the hell was there to say?

“So you came all the way out here to tell me I’m fucked with a capital F?” Jake knocked his can of Coke to the floor. “You assholes are all alike.” He stood up and began to walk around the table towards Banks.

“Did Morgan send you in here to fuck with me? Help him out on his mind fucking?”

Banks leaned back in his chair and aimed a 9 millimeter at Jake’s chest. He must have pulled it out of an ankle holster.

“Don’t try to be a badass with me, Morrow. Not when I’m here to help you.”

He waved the pistol at Jake’s chair. “Now sit the fuck down.”

Jake shuffled over and sat back down.

“How are you gonna help me?” Jake sneered.

Banks reached down and holstered his weapon. “I can get you out of here, Jake. I have the power to have you released into my custody. Right this second. Staying out of here, though. That’s a different story. That’s not going to be easy. It’s going to entail you doing some really big favors for my office. A shitload of effort on your part. You’re going to get involved with some heavy duty action. Are you willing?”

“Shit, Mr. Banks. If you told me I could walk out that door right now. I’d do anything to get out of here.”

The agent stared coldly at Jake. “You will have to do anything. Anything I say. Anytime of day. Anytime of night. You balk one time at one of my orders your ass will be back in that cell. You try to bolt on me, I’ll blow the back of your head off. We understand each other.”

“Yes, sir.” Jake whispered.

Banks laughed. “Call me Jerry.”

He stood up and walked over to the phone. “Morgan, this is Banks. Radio to your officers and have them escort me and Mr. Morrow to your office.” He turned to Jake. “Ready to go, Jake?”

Jake fired out of the chair like his ass was spring loaded. The three guards entered and walked both Jake and Banks to Commander Morgan’s office. Banks opened the door and walked in without knocking.

Morgan sat behind his desk with a sullen look on his face. Banks walked over and flipped the file onto the desk.

“This has all the necessary signatures. I think that you’ll find that everything is in order.”

Morgan opened the file, his eyes seemed to bulge. “Holy shit! He signed this?”

“None other. Only the big guns get involved in these kind of operations.” laughed Banks.

The commander looked over at Jake. “Morrow, you have to understand my position here. You were sentenced to do your time at this institution and it’s my job to make sure that the sentence of the court is carried out whether you unjustly sentenced or not. Remember a commissioned officer is still dead.”

“You better make damn sure the day never comes that you ever cross my path, motherfucker!” Jake screamed out.

Banks stepped in front of Jake. “Easy there, big guy.”

He laughed and turned to Morgan.

“I think you probably had that coming, Commander. Well, I think our business is finished here. If you gentleman would be kind enough to remove these restraints, we will be on our way.”

Beiderman looked over at Morgan. The commander shrugged his shoulders.

“Go ahead, First Sergeant, release the prisoner.”

The cuffs and shackles were taken off of Jake. Banks reached into a bag and pulled out a shirt and a pair of jeans. “Get out of that prison shit and put these on.”

Jake dressed while the guards stared at him.

Jake glared at Beiderman. “Same goes for you, fat boy.”

“Jake, let’s go.” Banks gave a gentle tug on his arm. “Do you want anything from your cell?”

“No, let’s just get the hell out of here.”

They were escorted to the front entrance by Commander Morgan and First Sergeant Beiderman. Morgan entered the control center with the paperwork. Several minutes later the gate buzzed and slid open. Jake gave Morgan the finger as the commander watched him through the glass, then he and Banks walked through the gates and out the front door into a waiting van.

“You better hope to God you never come back here.” Banks chuckled.

The van drove straight to KC International and pulled right onto the tarmac next to a small jet. As soon as they boarded the plane and were strapped into their seats, the jet fired its engines up and began its departure out of Kansas City.

“Where are we headed?” asked Jake.

“Let me do the worrying. Tonight you just enjoy yourself.” Banks reached into a cooler and popped open a Guinness beer. “Try one of these.”

A couple of hours and more than a couple of beers later the plane touched down on a remote airfield in Nevada.

The jet taxied up to a large hangar and shut its engines down. Jake and Banks got out and Banks directed him through a door into the hangar. They walked down a hallway and went through another door coming out into what looked like a furnished apartment.

“Shit, I never expected to see this.” exclaimed Jake.

“Go ahead and take a shower and I’ll get some food brought in.”

Banks walked over and picked up a phone.

Jake took about a half hour shower. Washed his hair three times with three different shampoos, scrubbed down his body with some great smelling soap and a weird kind of sponge, and afterwards put on some

cologne that he couldn’t even pronounce the name of. When he came out of the shower, Banks was sitting at the kitchen table. On the table was a tray with what looked liked several joints already rolled, along with five or six Thai sticks on it.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Damn straight, you earned it. There’s a big steak with all the fixings being brought over right now. Smoke up, drink up, chow down, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Someone knocked at the door. Banks got up to answer it and suddenly stopped. “Jake, you didn’t turn queer in the joint, did you?”

“What? Why the hell would you ask that?”

Banks laughed and opened the door. Standing in the doorway was a knock out blonde with huge breasts and a tiny little waist, wearing only a orange see through negligee with nothing on underneath and high heels, she

was carrying a tray loaded with plates of steaks, fries, and cheesecake.

“The fridge is full of beer and champagne and I think there’s even a vial or two of nose candy in the freezer. You kids have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Banks shut the door on the way out and then suddenly popped his head back in. “Oh Jake, for security reasons I’ll have to lock the door. I hope you don’t mind.”

Jake didn’t respond. His hard on must have cut off the flow of blood to his eardrums.