There was a writing challenge - write a story in which the main character is a villain.
DEAD MAN OUT
How are you today, District Attorney Parker? Are you happy in your work? Are you feeling secure about re-election? How’s your family?
Do you remember me? Do you remember any of the people you worked so hard to get placed on Death Row? Does it matter to you that you put innocent men here to get the needle?
I bet I’m not the only one, not that anyone listens or cares. We’re all guilty here. guilty of being pawns in the game of re-election, of being tough on crime. Hey, sacrifices have to be made, right?
Alik-Jay finished what passed for morning prayers and looked at the calendar. It was Day 718. By Death Row standards, his wait had barely started.
From what he could hear, it was early; maybe six am. Breakfast would be another hour.
He began to exercise. They rated him low-risk for suicide, high-risk for violence against inmates and staff. If that was how they thought, Alik-Jay had no reason to prove them wrong. They had called him a hard man in the barrio; he’d be a hard man wherever he was.
An hour after breakfast there were sounds outside the cell.
“Inmate Hidell, stand clear of the door.”
Alik-Jay moved to the far side of the cell, facing the door as it slid back. Two guards were looking at him; a third was behind them.
“Turn around.”
Another search maybe, just another petty exercise of authority.
There was the rattle of chains, and cuffs were being placed around his wrists. So, no search.
“Turn around, start walking.”
No ankle chains. That was odd.
With one guard following and one gripping each elbow, he was led to the block exit. Alik-Jay glanced at the guards at his side, and saw only blank indifference, as was normal. But when they passed through the door out of Death Row, the guard watching them looked at Alik-Jay with open contempt.
“I don’t remember banging his wife,” Alik-Jay said.
There was a laugh from behind him, a short derisive bark.
He ruled out a commutation. Governor Buchanan would never do that for a convicted cop killer, a convicted double cop killer at that. Did they expect him to inform? They knew better. A visitor? He would have been told first.
There were three people behind the table, just as there had been the day he arrived at Polunsky Unit, but only one that Alik-Jay knew; Warden Talbot, whose face was a cold mask revealing nothing.
The other two were a well-dressed middle-aged man, balding and hard-featured, and a blonde woman maybe either side of forty who brought back memories of the cougars he used to meet in the singles bars; those had been good times…
“Good morning, Warden.”
Talbot simply nodded. “This is Deputy District Attorney Walter Briggs, and Ms Susan Lomax, for Governor Buchanan. Ms Lomax?”
She looked down at a piece of paper in front of her, and then at Alik-Jay, and spoke. “On the advice of the Department of Justice, the verdict of the court in the case of Hidell versus the State of Texas has been set aside. Governor Buchanan has therefore directed that Alik-Jay Hidell be released from lawful custody forthwith.” Her voice was quiet, measured, and almost sad.
Alik-Jay stared at her, the words seeming to echo forever, before he swung his eyes to Briggs as the man spoke. Briggs’ face was flushed and a vein was pulsing on his forehead.
“The decision has been taken… that there are no grounds for a retrial.”
Alik-Jay fought for the right words, but all he could say was, “What did DA Parker have to say?”
Briggs slammed a fist on the table. “What I’m going to say, Hidell. You should never get out unless it’s in a body bag! Goddamn Feds working to free you, with your record – felony assault, extortion, rape – thug and pimp and cop-killer!”
As Briggs drew breath, Alik-Jay said, “I’m an innocent man, sir, as far as the State of Texas is concerned. Now, Warden, are you going to do what Susan here told you to do?”
He allowed himself a smirk as Briggs fought down his temper.
Talbot said, “Get out of my prison, Hidell.”
Two hours later he stood by the outer gate, under a blue summer sky, looking cautiously at the road beyond, where two patrol cars were parked, and the four officers were standing, not even trying to look casual.
“Mr Hidell, it seems they didn’t get the memo.”
A man approached from the car park; tall, thin, in a smart dark suit despite the heat. Short dark hair was streaked with grey and his eyes were hidden by wrap-around shades.
“Anthony Barnard, FBI.” He held up his ID. “I thought you needed a way to avoid the good officers of the THP. They don’t care for what the State of Texas says about your innocence; in their eyes, you killed Officers Baker and Delmont and they’ll administer their justice.”
Alik-Jay looked Barnard up and down. Definitely looked like a Fed; and Briggs had spoken out about the Feds…
“Thanks for the warning, Agent Barnard… but why would you help me? What happened ain’t a Federal thing.”
Barnard smiled. “Talk on the move.”
Beckoning Alik-Jay to follow, Barnard set off for a standard issue dark Crown Vic parked not far from the gate. Alik-Jay followed, and noticed that the officers by their cars were watching with an hostility that carried clear across the car park.
“Just put your bag in the back, and don’t say a word until we’re clear.”
Outside the gate, one officer beckoned Barnard to stop.
“License and registration, sir,” the cop said, leaning in at the driver’s side. Another was standing near the passenger door, hand poised over his holster.
Alik-Jay sat still, hands steepled under his chin, and looked straight ahead. He wouldn’t give them an excuse…
The officer thrust Barnard’s wallet back without a word and stepped away.
“I heard Deputy DA Briggs didn’t take the decision well,” Barnard said as Polunsky Unit faded behind them.
Alik-Jay shrugged. “I wasn’t paying attention to him. That Susan Lomax is a MILF. Anyhoo – you were going to tell me…”
“Fact is, Hidell, it was – should have been - a Federal case,” Barnard said brusquely. “All the talk was about two officers murdered in the line of duty, and the other two poor innocents were inconvenient witnesses. What no-one knew was that one of the victims was a Federal informant. Baker and Delmont were camouflage, just there to give a false motive. The last one was what they said, an inconvenient witness. And wouldn’t you know it, there just happens to be someone in the area who’s from out-of-state with a record for violence and a reputation for acts against penal code 920 that would disgust every decent citizen who watches Law and Order SVU. Gift from Heaven for DA Parker.”
Alik-Jay said nothing.
“And Parker made a slam-dunk, closed the case and got re-elected. Everyone wins… but not you, and not the Bureau. And no-one puts one over the Bureau. So we got you out.”
“No way,” Alik-Jay snapped. “You want something.”
Barnard grinned. “You’re not going to believe me when I tell you it was about justice, so I won’t try to convince you. That’s OK by me. The cops by the gate will have called their buddies in Dallas to watch the bus stations – you didn’t see that ticket on the dash? Officer Holcombe sure did when he was asking for my license. I saw him see it, and then try to make out he didn’t. And while they’re eye-balling the Greyhounds, too bad. There’s someone at the airport hotel with tickets for Los Angeles.”
Alik-Jay asked, “Who?”
“Darsi. She’s a sweet girl. Some would say too good for you. But she’s a determined little fighter. She’s there now, and she’s your way out. Be nice to her.”
Alik-Jay stared at the road ahead, grinning at the memories of Darsi; a mixture of joy and lust.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Barnard was no longer grinning. “Because you’re a bad man, Hidell. A lot of those stories are true. But they weren’t the reason you were at Polunsky. I just hope I haven’t let you go loose to hurt some unfortunate girl somewhere.”
Alik-Jay said softly, “You’re not going to believe me when I tell you that two years can change a man. One day I’ll show you.”
