Read Online The Big Ugly by Jake Hinkson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jake Hinkson
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little green park that sloped down to the water. I kicked off my shoes, sat down on the grass and thought things over.
The logical place to look for Alexis was among our fellow ex-inmates at Eastgate. They were a rough bunch, but I knew one I could trust.
Sholonda Effervescence Jackson was a career criminal, and the broads at Eastgate called her Effervescence, or Big F, or Jack. No one called her Sholonda. She was about thirty-five years old, and she'd spent five of those years at Eastgate. Although Jack was a cool operator, a serious thief who took her time, did the planning, and stayed clean in between jobs, we all have to work with somebody, and she'd knocked over a bank with a couple of partners. After the job was done and everyone was in the clear, one of her partners got pinched for breaking and entering and attempted rape. It only took him about five minutes to flip and give up his whole crew for the bank job. Without anything else to tie her to the heist, Jack dodged the robbery conviction, but they nabbed her for conspiracy to commit.
She'd been my prisoner for three and a half years and then my block-mate for nine months. We'd always gotten along pretty well. I'd treated her fairly when I was a CO, and when I was an inmate, even though Eastgate divided up along racial lines, we'd done each other favors on the yard. When I heard that some pissed off white broad was planning to attack her in her bed one night, I tipped her off. Jack was waiting when she got jumped and she beat her attacker senseless with a piece of wood she'd snapped off a rake handle from the garden. I don't actually think the white chick intended to kill her, but Jack said I'd saved her life.
She'd gotten out of Eastgate before me, and I wasn't sure if she'd stayed in town, but I did know how to find out where she was. It was a risk, but I decided to take it, anyway.
As I watched a young father chase his two little girls around the park, I dug out my cell phone and called Eastgate.
An automated operator gave me a list of options. I pressed 1 for a directory. When the number for Thaxter came up I punched it in.
A crusty voice said, "Tony Thaxter."
"Thax, it's Ellie Bennett."
"Ellie … Hi. How are you?"
"I'm okay. How about you?"
"Oh, you know. This place is like a prison."
Just to butter him up, I gave him an appreciative laugh.
"How are you?" he asked again.
"I'm doing pretty well. Working for my brother. Right now, I'm downtown at Riverside Park just watching the river go by."
"Well, that sounds nice. I'm glad to hear everything is well with you …" He drifted into a silence that invited me to come to the point.
"Yeah, listen, Tony. I need to ask a favor."
"I'll do it if I can," he said. They knew the
if I can
was a buffer against any possible illegal shenanigans.
"I was wondering if you could give me Effervescence Jackson's address. I owe her some money, and I want to pay it back."
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. Tony Thaxter had one of those fleshy, worried faces that always looked ready to get bad news. I could practically see him running his fingers through his cigarette-yellowed hair.
"I don't know, Ellie."
"Ah c'mon, Thax. I just need to pay her back. She did me a favor inside, and I want to I pay my debt."
"This … We're not talking drugs here, are we?"
"No. Of course not."
"And we're not talking reprisals or anything? Some beef between you two."
"Tony …"
"I'm just," his voice lowered, although I was sure he was alone in his office, "I'm just saying, I could get fired if it was a deal like that."
"It's nothing at all like any of that," I said. "Jack and I are friendly. No bad blood at all. And it's not drugs or anything like that. I've never touched drugs, and I'm pretty sure Jack doesn't have anything to do with them either."
"But she's a criminal, Ellie. You know what I mean. You did time, but Effervescence Jackson is a straight up criminal. Not the kind of person you should—I'm not your
The logical place to look for Alexis was among our fellow ex-inmates at Eastgate. They were a rough bunch, but I knew one I could trust.
Sholonda Effervescence Jackson was a career criminal, and the broads at Eastgate called her Effervescence, or Big F, or Jack. No one called her Sholonda. She was about thirty-five years old, and she'd spent five of those years at Eastgate. Although Jack was a cool operator, a serious thief who took her time, did the planning, and stayed clean in between jobs, we all have to work with somebody, and she'd knocked over a bank with a couple of partners. After the job was done and everyone was in the clear, one of her partners got pinched for breaking and entering and attempted rape. It only took him about five minutes to flip and give up his whole crew for the bank job. Without anything else to tie her to the heist, Jack dodged the robbery conviction, but they nabbed her for conspiracy to commit.
She'd been my prisoner for three and a half years and then my block-mate for nine months. We'd always gotten along pretty well. I'd treated her fairly when I was a CO, and when I was an inmate, even though Eastgate divided up along racial lines, we'd done each other favors on the yard. When I heard that some pissed off white broad was planning to attack her in her bed one night, I tipped her off. Jack was waiting when she got jumped and she beat her attacker senseless with a piece of wood she'd snapped off a rake handle from the garden. I don't actually think the white chick intended to kill her, but Jack said I'd saved her life.
She'd gotten out of Eastgate before me, and I wasn't sure if she'd stayed in town, but I did know how to find out where she was. It was a risk, but I decided to take it, anyway.
As I watched a young father chase his two little girls around the park, I dug out my cell phone and called Eastgate.
An automated operator gave me a list of options. I pressed 1 for a directory. When the number for Thaxter came up I punched it in.
A crusty voice said, "Tony Thaxter."
"Thax, it's Ellie Bennett."
"Ellie … Hi. How are you?"
"I'm okay. How about you?"
"Oh, you know. This place is like a prison."
Just to butter him up, I gave him an appreciative laugh.
"How are you?" he asked again.
"I'm doing pretty well. Working for my brother. Right now, I'm downtown at Riverside Park just watching the river go by."
"Well, that sounds nice. I'm glad to hear everything is well with you …" He drifted into a silence that invited me to come to the point.
"Yeah, listen, Tony. I need to ask a favor."
"I'll do it if I can," he said. They knew the
if I can
was a buffer against any possible illegal shenanigans.
"I was wondering if you could give me Effervescence Jackson's address. I owe her some money, and I want to pay it back."
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. Tony Thaxter had one of those fleshy, worried faces that always looked ready to get bad news. I could practically see him running his fingers through his cigarette-yellowed hair.
"I don't know, Ellie."
"Ah c'mon, Thax. I just need to pay her back. She did me a favor inside, and I want to I pay my debt."
"This … We're not talking drugs here, are we?"
"No. Of course not."
"And we're not talking reprisals or anything? Some beef between you two."
"Tony …"
"I'm just," his voice lowered, although I was sure he was alone in his office, "I'm just saying, I could get fired if it was a deal like that."
"It's nothing at all like any of that," I said. "Jack and I are friendly. No bad blood at all. And it's not drugs or anything like that. I've never touched drugs, and I'm pretty sure Jack doesn't have anything to do with them either."
"But she's a criminal, Ellie. You know what I mean. You did time, but Effervescence Jackson is a straight up criminal. Not the kind of person you should—I'm not your
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