Part 38 (1/2)
”Don't tell me anything about it. I still have that polygraph card. Maybe it don't mean nothing to you, but it's precious to me. You never f.u.c.king got that, did you?”
”I do now,” he said, as he sat back down.
I felt a weight come off me. ”You can tell her something else,” I said to him. ”Tell her you you spoke with the man who went to prison for raping her. The innocent man who really isn't so innocent. A bad, dangerous man. That's me, right? You tell her not only did I do that guy's time, he hung a s.e.x-fiend jacket on me, too. Tell her, if that sc.u.mbag ever crosses my path, he's dead.” spoke with the man who went to prison for raping her. The innocent man who really isn't so innocent. A bad, dangerous man. That's me, right? You tell her not only did I do that guy's time, he hung a s.e.x-fiend jacket on me, too. Tell her, if that sc.u.mbag ever crosses my path, he's dead.”
”That I do believe, Mr. Caine. If she hadn't been raped, none of this-”
”I don't care what you believe, Mr. Johnson. All I care about is, she she believes it. Can you get that done?” believes it. Can you get that done?”
”I can.”
”Okay. That's one piece. Remember what you promised?”
”We've been all over-”
”No. No, we haven't. You said you could get me immunity, remember?”
He just nodded.
”I know it's too late for that. But when you offered it, that was the same as telling me you know some connected people. High-up connected.”
He just stared at me.
”Seeing how long you managed to drag this insurance thing out, I figure you must still know people like that. Permanent Permanent people, like. So what I want now, it's something I know you can do.” people, like. So what I want now, it's something I know you can do.”
”Which is?” he said. His eyes were half closed, like when you squint to see something better.
”I don't want to be a s.e.x offender.”
”But that's all-”
”f.u.c.k if it is. I'll take your deal, but I'm not letting anyone keep me on a leash.”
”What are you talking about? You're not on parole. n.o.body's got any 'leash' on you.”
”Just make the conviction into something else. Anything Anything else, I don't care. With that s.e.x-offender tag on me, I have to tell them every time I change my address. I can go back to prison just for moving without doing that. I can't have that hanging over me.” else, I don't care. With that s.e.x-offender tag on me, I have to tell them every time I change my address. I can go back to prison just for moving without doing that. I can't have that hanging over me.”
”Did you get the notice? The one that tells you-?”
”Yeah. They gave it to me as a going-away present.”
”All right. Have you registered yet?”
”No.”
He nodded, like he was agreeing with himself. Then he said, ”Will you settle for the conviction standing? On paper, I mean. But your name never goes in the registry?”
”I can't.”
”But that's all you-”
I heard the voice of that writ-writer, cluing me in. It echoed in my head: It's pure bulls.h.i.+t. ”Sealed,” all that means is they can't put it in the newspapers It's pure bulls.h.i.+t. ”Sealed,” all that means is they can't put it in the newspapers.
So I told him, ”Whoever you can...talk to, they'll tell you how it really really works. There's all kinds of paper floating around. Paper that says I did a rape. I'll never really be out from under with that over my head.” works. There's all kinds of paper floating around. Paper that says I did a rape. I'll never really be out from under with that over my head.”
”Even if we could...arrange to go back and erase every trace, it could take years. And finding every single single trace might be impossible.” trace might be impossible.”
”You don't need that,” I told him. ”I don't care about the arrest. Even the charge. Or the indictment. This isn't some trick for me to slide out from under two priors. In fact, it'd be fine with me if you made it another manslaughter.”
”Another?”
”I'm on paper for one, but I pleaded it out to misdemeanor a.s.sault. But any felony felony a.s.sault, that'd be a violent crime. You pick it; I'll take it, so long as I don't have to keep checking in, like I was on parole for life or something. I won't wear that jacket.” a.s.sault, that'd be a violent crime. You pick it; I'll take it, so long as I don't have to keep checking in, like I was on parole for life or something. I won't wear that jacket.”
”Just sit here for a few minutes, all right?”
”Sure,” I said.
He got up and walked away. I didn't even turn my head. If he was going to pull something, I didn't want want to see it coming. to see it coming.
”I've got something for you,” he said when he came back. ”That misdemeanor you told me about?”
”Yeah?”
He waved his hand like a fly was after his food. ”How many times do you think you can slide on serious crimes? You'd think a guy with your record would know better than to go down on a possession charge.”
”Possession? Possession of what?”
”A firearm, of course.”
”For real?”
”It's already done. Ask your lawyer. One Hector Santiago-Ramirez, I believe? He must have done a h.e.l.l of a job getting the DA to let you plead down to a possession charge instead of what you deserved, an ex-con carrying around a loaded handgun, like you were.”
He leaned in closer to me. ”Understand, you've still still got two felony convictions. Robbery, age seventeen; criminal possession of a weapon, age thirty-three.” got two felony convictions. Robbery, age seventeen; criminal possession of a weapon, age thirty-three.”
I took off my gla.s.ses. I wanted him to see what I was doing. He didn't flinch. And he had to know he was swearing on his life.
”Then I've got something else for you,” I told him.
”What?”
”I did the jewelry job. You already know that, and you already know I'm not rolling on anyone else who was in on it. Only, now I'll give you the planner. Solly. Him I'll give up in a heartbeat. I'll tell the truth: Solly and the jeweler, they put the plan together. Solly told told me that. me that.
”I couldn't understand why he'd tell a guy at my end that kind of stuff. But now I get it. He was pulling me closer, so it'd be easier to have me hit. And that was his plan all along.”