THE TWINKLING

CHAPTER 5

make up and be friends?” He held out his hand to Detective Fence, who looked at it like it was diseased.

Fence replied with a smirk, “Do I look like a fool? You both planned this s**t and you got that little b***h over there in on it, too. Isn’t that right? Isn’t it?” The man was yelling loud and clear. It was apparent to me he was missing quite a few fries from his happy meal. Fence stared at us for a few more seconds, and then he said, “Yeah right, a joke! Uh-huh, like I said, officers, in spades; and you can take that to the bank!” He stormed out of the room; everyone was quiet for a moment.

Officer Randolph spoke first asking, “Jade, are you okay?”

“Yes, of course, I get threatened all the time.”

“Well, f**k him if he can’t take a joke!”

With that said, we all burst out laughing again. I was coming down from my comic relief when I heard someone coughing loudly behind the door where the judge’s chambers were located.

A man sneezed and said, “Oh God, I’m dying!” and then there was more coughing.

I knew it was the Judge I was there to see, and I also knew then, I was going to jail. That man was going to send me to the deepest, darkest prison he could find. Why? Because he had a bad cold and I’ve never met a man who can be amiable when he has a cold. I stared at the door praying it was anyone other than the Judge who was sick. ‘Please God, are you listening? Don’t let that be my Judge back there hacking out his brains! Hmm God, please!’ As I silently pleaded this prayer to the Almighty, the Judge walked in wiping his nose with a handkerchief. The bailiff was right behind him saying, “All rise!”

I kept my eyes on the Judge. He was everything I feared; a man with a bad cold, a gavel and the power to use it. I had gotten up with everyone else and then noticed I was the only one still standing. I sat down quickly; trying to turn myself invisible. I had a serious mantra of, ‘Please God; please God,’ going on.

The Judge whose name was Hugh F. Bailey, looked over my paperwork, cleared his throat loudly and said, “Ms. Stillwater, come here.” I got up on weak legs and walked toward the bench. “Stand right there, that’s far enough.”

I was about two feet from the bench when he continued with, “Ms. Stillwater, we have quite a dilemma here. I hope you can understand our position.”

I said nothing, because fear had me by the throat.

“It seems you, or someone who fits your description is wanted very badly by the Raleigh police. They want me to hold you on a fugitive warrant, and . . .”

I jumped in and said in my most demure voice, “Your Honor, I understand that someone fitting my description, except the eyes, is on the most wanted list of the Raleigh police. But sir, shouldn’t my attorney be in here now?”

“No, an attorney couldn’t help you now. You see, the law says the Raleigh police have seventy-two hours to prove you are the person they want. Your attorney has the same amount of time to prove that you are not. We are bound by law to hold you for that amount of time, unless you can come up with bail.”

Hope bloomed in my heart once again at the sound of that most beautiful word, bail!

Judge Bailey then said, “You’ll be having your extradition hearing in three days on November fifteenth; that gives everyone the time they need to . . .” He stopped to sneeze loudly.

I said politely, “God bless you.”

“Thank you. Anyway, the time they need to straighten this mess out. Either you are Janine Scott, or you are Jade Stillwater. One way or the other we’ll all know in about seventy-two hours. I set bail at five-hundred-thousand dollars cash.”

I felt faint when he said that; I prayed I had heard incorrectly. Then, it dawned on me that not only had he asked for an incredible amount of money, but he had also said cash. That meant no five percent of the actual amount; my family wouldn’t be able to come up with five-thousand dollars, much less five-hundred-thousand. I thought, ‘Okay, God, what is going on here? I’ve obviously done something to make you extremely angry.’

I said to the Judge in a shaking voice, “Your Honor, I’ve never been in any trouble at all, ever. Don’t you think that, that bail amount is a tad excessive for someone with no record, sir?”

He gave me a sad smile, “Yes, Ms. Stillwater, you’re right. That bail would be too high for Jade Stillwater, but for Janine Scott it wouldn’t be high enough. So, the bail stays until we find out for certain which one you are.” He slammed down his gavel and it was over.

I was in serious shock. Part of my mind screamed, ‘Run, Jade. Run! Just make a mad dash for whatever door that’s close!’ But that small part of my mind that was still rational said, ‘Jade, don’t do anything stupid. It’s only seventy-two hours, you can do this. You’re a Stillwater, you bend you don’t break.’ I sat down and lost the battle with tears.

Officers Buffalo and Randolph walked over to me looking as sad as I felt. Officer Buffalo handed me a tissue, I took it and whispered, “Thank you.”

Officer Randolph said, “Jade, we’re not equipped to hold you for three days, so you’re going to have to go to the county prison.”

County prison! God, we are having the mother of all problems here! I pleaded, “I don’t want to go to prison! I just want to go home!”

Both officers knew enough at that point to keep quiet. I simply couldn’t believe what was happening to me. I closed my eyes for a long moment, and then I opened them again. Yes, I was still there. It wasn’t a nightmare from eating too much spicy food.

I asked, “Will I be able to speak with my family?”

Officer Buffalo stared at me, as if he were searching for something and suddenly blurted out, “My God! Those are really your eyes!”

“Yes, they are.”

He gave me a crooked smile that reminded me of someone, but I was too much in a fog to remember. Then, he said, “I’ll make sure you get to call your family. In fact, I’ll take you to county myself.”

As we walked back to the car, Officer Randolph said, “I have to go back to the station. Bosey, you think you can do this by yourself?”

Officer Buffalo stared at me for a moment; then, he said, “Yeah, I’ll be alright.”

Officer Randolph turned to me and said, “Hey listen, Jade, if it’s any consolation I don’t think you’re the woman they’re looking for. There’s something a little too classy about you.”

Taking off his hat, he went on, “I mean, I’ve been around the criminal element going on thirteen years now, and well, you just don’t . . . well, you’re not one. That’s what I’m trying to say. I’d bet my badge on that, ma’am.”

Tears shimmered in my eyes, as I answered, “Officer Randolph, that was very sweet. Thank you, sir.”

He blushed deeply, took both of my hands and said, “Be strong.”

I nodded, and he left.

Officer Buffalo opened the back door of the squad car and helped me in. I didn’t have on the handcuffs, so it was a lot easier. I sat back and tried to get as comfortable as possible. I had no idea where the county prison was located and I was still very much in shock. So, when Officer Buffalobegan to speak, I didn’t catch the first couple of words.

Blinking my eyes, and taking a deep breath, I said, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“That’s okay. I know you’re feeling pretty shitty right about now.”

I murmured, “That sir, is an understatement.”

We rode for a while in silence; then, Officer Buffalo began to speak again. “I live in Essington, Pennsylvania. Do you know where that is?”

I answered, “Actually, yes I do. It’s close to the airport, isn’t it?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Anyway, there’s a pond there behind the Radisson Hotel where the kids like to play ice hockey and ice skate once it freezes over.”

Knowing he was telling me something he considered important, I stayed silent.

“You know it’s been really cold these last few days and some of the smaller creeks and ponds froze over. A couple of days ago, some of the Junior Hockey Team decided to practice on the pond. They figured with the weather so cold the ice would hold them. Well, they figured wrong!

“My sister works at the hotel and I was taking her lunch. When I drove past the pond I heard screaming. I stopped the car and what I saw was the most frightening scene I had ever witnessed. There were about five or six kids in full hockey gear all trying desperately to help each other out of the water. Under their combined weight the ice had broken. That hockey gear weighs a ton! Anyway, one of them went under while I watched.”

Unable to stop myself, I had to ask, “Oh, my God! What happened?”

“I ran,” Officer Buffalo said in a whisper, “faster than I’ve ever run in my life. I grabbed the first kid and tossed him out of the water while yelling to the others, ‘Get off the ice.’ I knew they were trying to help, but they still had on that gear, and the ice was cracking everywhere. Every time I had enough air, I hollered, ‘Get off the f*****g ice!’

“I was dragging this kid out of the water, which was freezing cold, colder than anything I’ve ever felt; and the kid was terrified. I could see it in his eyes. His tears were freezing on his face and his lips were blue.”

Officer Buffalo’s voice cracked, as he continued, “I finally got him to safety, then I ran back for the second one, but he wasn’t there anymore. He had gone under, so I did the only thing I could. I jumped in; the water felt like thousands of small knives cutting me all over. I don’t know how I was able to swim, but I did! I had to find that kid!

“I mean, I don’t have any children of my own yet, but I’ve got plenty of nieces and nephews . . . and to lose one of them,” he paused and slowly shook his head, “well, I just can’t imagine. When I spotted him, he was still trying to swim, and I grabbed him. That poor kid was so frightened he fought me.