Wife Wants a Hall Pass Ch. 27

The chime for the front gate went off ten minutes early. Tom had said about one o'clock.

I said to Linda, "Remember this is a surprise visit."

She nodded her head and said, "Yes Sir."

I keyed the mike and asked, "How can I help you, Officer?"

A voice came back over the intercom. It said, "Mr. Bowman, my name is Dennis Parks. I am a Deputy County Sheriff. Detective John Wilson of the Las Vegas Police is with me. The detective would like to speak to you about a case he is working."

I pushed the button to open the gate and said, "Come on up and park behind my pick-up. I will meet you there."

I met them and we all shook hands. I said, "It's pretty nippy out here. Let's go in and I'll ask my wife to make us some coffee.

I introduced both of them to Linda and she said, "I already have coffee brewing. Seat these gentlemen in your den and I will bring coffee presently. I took them to the den. They sat together on the couch.

The detective said, "The folks I talked to at the club said that your wife was a looker. I think that was a real understatement. You are a lucky man Mr. Bowman."

I chuckled and said, "Thank you. Both of you please call me Luke." I paused and then asked, "Do I know you Deputy? You look familiar."

He answered, "I was at one of your BBQ parties a couple years ago. My father works in your plant."

I said, "That would be Lee Parks, I'll bet. I do see the resemblance. He is a master machinist and he has been a fine employee for many years."

He said, "Yes Sir. I'll tell him you said that."

I looked at the detective and asked, "I think I know what this is about but tell me, if you would."

He answered, "I am investigating the assault of a young black man who had an altercation with your wife earlier the same night he was assaulted. I'm hoping that you or your wife might be able to shed some light on what happened."

I said, "I didn't see the altercation. I heard Linda shout the word, "No," and then I heard the report when she slapped the hell out of him. As you might understand, I became very angry and it was my intent to maltreat the son-of-a-bitch severely. I guess you might have called that an intent or an attempt to assault. I didn't get the chance. The bouncers had the situation under control before I could get to him. They threw him out of the club and that was it. Linda might be able to tell you more. She of coarse has told me what happened but I'm sure you had rather hear it from her."

He said, "Yes, I would. May I ask how you and Linda came to be at that club? It is an on premises swinger's club."

Linda had walked back into the room. She said, "I can answer that." She sat her coffee tray down on the table and continued. I asked Luke to take me there. I had heard about the club from a friend. Luke and I have gone dancing at a swinger's club in Dallas but it is an offsite club only. I was curious to see what went on in the Vegas club. We didn't see anything that was even racy. Maybe we didn't stay long enough. After the incident with Louis, we had one drink and left."

Detective Wilson said, "I see." He then asked, "Would you give me your account of what happened between you and Mr. Brown?"

Linda asked, "Who is Mr. Brown?"

He laughed and said, "The young black man that you have called, Louis."

She answered, "Oh yes, of course." She went on, "Mr. Brown approached us and asked Luke's permission to ask me to dance. He seemed polite and well spoken. I had never been asked to dance by a black man. I guess I wanted the experience. I indicated to Luke that I would like to dance with him so we wound up on the dance floor."

She took a break long enough to see everyone had coffee and then continued. "Through the first dance, Louis was personable and proper. He danced very well and I was enjoying it. During the second dance, he propositioned me. I told him, no. I said Luke and I were only there as observers. He had been so nice. I thought that would be the end of it."

She sipped her coffee and went on. "It wasn't the end of it. From then on, he became progressively more obnoxious and callus. I tried to leave the floor when the music stopped after our second dance but he held me in place until the third song began. He told me that Luke wasn't watching and pointed him out to me. Luke was at the bar and in conversation with a little red headed girl. Mr. Brown said that at the end of the third dance he was going to take me to a private room and have sex with me whether I wanted to or not. He said he would make me like it. I guess I screamed and slapped him. Two of the biggest bouncers you ever saw showed up and took control immediately. Luke showed up a few seconds later but it was over by then."

Wilson said, "That is pretty much what I had heard and I believe what you have said. Now I'm going to ask you a harder question. If you are not completely forthcoming, you could be arrested for obstruction. Obstruction of justice is a felony in some cases and you might wind up in prison."

I broke in here. I asked, "Linda have you been, "Completely forthcoming," In your account of what happened, so far?"

She answered, "Yes."

I said, "Please leave the room now, Sweetheart. I am about to say some ugly words." She rose from her seat and left the room. I watched her until she climbed the stairs and went out of sight. I looked to the young deputy and asked, "Deputy Parks, how much authority does this man have in my home?"

The deputy answered, "He has no authority in the State of Texas. That is why I am here."

I looked at the detective and said, "Ask me the hard question."

He said, "I wanted to ask what she knew about what happened to Mr. Brown later in the evening."

I said, "Let me tell you this, Detective Wilson. If you ever insult, try to intimidate, frighten or threaten my wife again, I will throw you out of here on your ear. I hope you understand what I just said, you little fat piece of shit."

He looked at the deputy.

Deputy Parks said, "Don't look at me. We are in Luke's house. I don't know how you people operate in Las Vegas but this is Texas. If you insulted my wife, I could be very hard on you myself. If Mr. Bowman threw you out of here and kicked your ass all the way to the front gate, I would consider him to be within his rights."

Detective Wilson raised his hands in a sign of surrender. He said, "Okay, I see that I did get a little out of line. I apologize. Please settle down and continue the interview. I came a long way to speak to you and Linda, Luke. Please don't let my inadvertent rudeness get in the way of it. I was just acting like a cop. I do apologize."

I said, "You didn't come down here to listen to Linda's story, did you? You could have talked to her on the phone. You consider me a suspect, don't you?"

He sighed and said, "Yes, and I do have some more questions for you."

I picked up the phone and dialed Saul's number. He answered and I said, "Saul, I have a police detective from Las Vegas and a local deputy sheriff sitting on the couch in my den. I am accused of fucking up some asshole in Vegas last November. How long will it take for you to get here?" I listened for a few seconds and hung up.

I looked at the detective and said, "Saul Goldberg is my lawyer. He said for me not to talk to you until he got here. If you want to continue this interview, it will be in his presence. He said he would be here in twenty minutes. I'm going upstairs to check on Linda. I'll be back when Saul gets here."

I left them and went to Linda. I found her sitting just out of sight at the top of the stairs. She said, "I love you, Luke." She was holding her pendant.

I asked, "Why are you sitting here?"

She answered, "When the door to the den is open, you can hear everything from here. I've been eavesdropping."

I sat with Linda until I heard the chime from the front gate go off. I went downstairs and opened the gate for Saul. I met him outside and took him into the kitchen.

He said, "Luke I fear that you are in great danger here. This detective from Vegas is in reality just a cop. The only way he can get a pat on the back or a promotion is to clear cases. The only way he can clear cases is by putting someone in jail. He probably would like to put guilty people behind bars but in truth, guilt doesn't matter to him as much as the pat on the back. The jails are full of people railroaded there, one way or another. Usually it's because some cop thought they committed a crime."

I asked, "What is your advice?"

He answered, "These people can't prove you were involved. They are past masters at distorting your own words and using them against you in court. You shouldn't give them the chance to acquire any ammunition. You should not participate any further. If you are ever arrested or questioned in the future, you should meet them with a damn good criminal defense attorney at your side. This is good advice, my friend. You need to follow it."

We went into the den and after introductions, Saul said, "I have advised my client to terminate this interview."

I said, "I would be a fool not to follow my lawyer's instructions." I looked at Wilson and said, "If you ever come up with any evidence that I beat up that punk, you know where I live. I'll be here."

Detective Wilson said, "Luke, may I speak to you privately and off the record for just a moment."

I looked to Saul. He said, "Do not talk to him. With a cop, nothing is off the record or private."

Wilson held up his hand with his palm toward Saul. He said, "Shalom, Chaver." (Peace Brother, in Hebrew)

Saul said, "On the other hand, if he wants to talk, you can listen."

I left Saul with the deputy and took Wilson to my office. I sat behind my desk and offered Wilson a guest chair. I said, "I'm not going to answer your questions or have a conversation with you. I am going to listen closely. You have the floor."

I noticed the beginning of a smile on his face and his deep-set eyes twinkled. He said, "Mr. Bowman, this was not a wasted trip for me. I want to do a small favor for you. I am not the prick you think I am. I want to tell you how close I came to busting you. First, I know that the insults and threats that your wife absorbed from Louis Brown were far worse than what she described tonight. Second thing, I talked to Peg Kirkland. She told me her story. I believed every word. I know the kind of man Mr. Brown is. He has been arrested twice for sex crimes against young women but he never served more than three days in jail. One of those charges was for a full-blown rape. He got away with it."

There was a pause and Wilson asked for a glass of water. I indicated the bar and he served himself.

"Third," he said, "I know that Louis Brown accosted a couple on the street outside the club about the time that you and Linda left. The fourth thing is, I know that Mr. Brown had a gun. In fact, it was a Walther PPK in .380. We found an unfired .380 round in the alley that had Louis's thumb print on it. He had loaded it into a magazine. I know it was a PPK because he was wearing a Bianchi leather holster that had been form fitted for a PPK. That's pretty good equipment for a street punk."

Wilson paused to sip his water and then continued. He said, "Number five. I'm sure he forced the couple into the dark alley at gunpoint. I think he probably had the woman on her knees in front of him just before he was disarmed and fucked up."

He paused for a second and then asked a question. He asked, "What did you do with the gun, Luke?" He waited for me to answer but I remained quiet.

The next thing on the scene is, "I have a VHS tape that shows your rental car leaving the scene one and a half minutes before the police got the call for an officer and an ambulance. I don't believe in coincident, Luke.

The next thing is, I have checked your history. You are a Jarhead and you keep yourself in good shape. I know you have had some martial arts training and Linda has too. In addition, you are a cowboy. The doctor that worked on Mr. Brown said that the man who assaulted Louis Brown was probably a cowboy. He could have been a surgeon. There are a lot more cowboys in Vegas than there are surgeons."

Wilson paused and then asked another question. He asked, "How many bull calves have you turned into steers Luke?" I didn't answer. He said, "You knew how to cut that asshole's nuts out."

I couldn't help myself. I put on a show then. I Laughed and said, "Really? He got his nuts cut out. That's damn fine poetic justice but I just wanted to kill him." I asked a question, "Why don't you just ask Louis who did it?"

He looked at me and said, "If I'm going to answer questions, you need to offer me a taste of that Crown Royal sitting there on the bar. I rose from my seat and asked, "Rocks?" He nodded. I made us both a double.

I handed him his drink and said, "Answer the question."

He said, "I tried that. The man is incoherent. He just babbles. His doctor says he may never recover. He did make me understand that he only saw you in the dark and all honkies look the same to him anyway. He did know Linda's first name and that she has green eyes. I saw Linda's eyes. I still don't believe in coincident."

He sipped his drink. He said, "My boss said that it would be a waste putting Brown on the stand anyway. He wouldn't be credible and your lawyer would eat him alive.

Wilson said, "Make me one more drink and I'll tell you what is going to happen next."

I wanted to know so I paid his bribe and had another myself.

He said, "This trip wasn't wasted. I thought you were guilty from the first but I wasn't sure. I'm sure now. I don't have to keep looking for another perp. You committed this heinous act but I can't prove it. With the help of a good prosecutor, I could probably get you indicted in Nevada but I see your standing here. You have money and at least some political pull I'm sure. I would bet that someone at the Sheriff's Office gave you a heads-up call, soon after I checked in yesterday. You got that lawyer here to easily. He must have been waiting for your call."

"I don't think I could ever get you extradited or convicted," he said. "I'm going to tell my boss that you did it but it would be a waste of money to try to prosecute you. It comes down to money quite often."

We sat there and looked at each other for a minute. We drank.

Wilson smiled and said, "Now do you want to hear the bottom line?" I nodded and he continued, "I don't think my boss or the city fathers want to take you to court. This incident wasn't kept under wraps very well. Mr. Brown's history was published from public records. Everyone knows him to be a villain. There are people that believe you to be some kind of a vigilante hero. It will be better just to let the story die."

He hesitated and said, "Now, my boss gave me this little vacation and paid for it so that I could give you this message in person. He wants you to stay out of Vegas. He wants you to know that if you are so much as stopped by a traffic officer in Nevada, you will be arrested for investigation of aggravated assault and locked up for three days. That's as long as we can hold you without charging you."

I chuckled and spoke in my best western drawl, "Marshal Dillon said to the bad man, "Stay out of Dodge."

He laughed, sipped his drink and asked, "Do you want to just own up to it? It would make you feel better." I shook my head. He said, "I didn't think you would snitch on yourself but I guess it was worth a try."

He finished his drink and stood up. He said, "That's all I've got, Luke. I wish we could have met under better circumstances."

I said, "Me too, John. I'm sorry about the, "fat little piece of shit", remark."

He laughed and said, "I get called worse almost every day. I made you angry on purpose. I knew you had the violence in you to fuck Louis Brown up when you threatened me. I don't miss much and your lawyer was right to tell you not to talk to me. You are a smart man but I might have tripped you up, if you had given me the chance."

We adjourned to the den and then to where the cars were parked. I talked a few seconds with Deputy Parks. I said, "Give my regards to your folks and tell your boss, howdy, for me."

He replied. "I certainly will, Sir. Please understand, I am only here today because, I was ordered to escort this prick. It's my job to follow orders."

I chuckled and said, "You performed very well today. I'll tell that to your boss the next time I see him."

He said, "Thank you, Sir," and sat down in his patrol car. Detective Wilson was already in the passenger's seat. We watched them disappear through the front gate. I thought, "I'm glad that is over."

Linda had come out to greet Saul as soon as the cops left. She came to my side to lean on me and hold one of my arms in both of hers. I felt her shiver. The monster moved.

Saul said, "The young deputy told me how that man in Las Vegas was injured. Did you really do that, Luke?"

I answered, "Saul, my friend, I will never own up to that, to anyone."

He said, "Good man." He looked at Linda and said, "It's always nice to see you Mrs. Bowman. Maybe the two of you will have dinner with my wife and me sometime soon."

I felt Linda shudder. I thought, "She is attracted to him."

Saul drove away. I asked, "Babe, are you attracted Saul? I felt the mini orgasm move through your body just now."

She giggled and replied, "I don't think I could ever be attracted to a lawyer. I've had two minies in the last few minutes but they were both for you, my Luke. I have been scared for you all afternoon. I become aroused when I'm frightened. Take me to bed. We can skip the foreplay."

To be continued...