Inferno

"Sir, where is your wife?" Dick asked.

"Don't know; she said she didn't want to see it, you know? So a friend of hers came and got her," Kenneth said and put the crate down; Pebbles was beginning to tire his arm.

"Sir, put your hands behind your back please," Dick said.

----

"Real fucking smart," Jadia complained as she and Jelissa trudged down Highway 19 toward their house. "Could have just waited until after we ate; he would have come got us."

"He wasn't coming back to get us," Jelissa sneered. "We'd have been stuck 'til Mom came and got us."

"How much further we got to go?" Jadia asked.

"Look around, Jadia," Jelissa said, indicating their surroundings. "This look anywhere near our house?"

"I'm going back," Jadia decided.

Jelissa wanted to return to her grand mother's house as well, but her pride wouldn't let her.

----

"Almost like he's happy to be here," Orville noted as they looked in at Kenneth Kay.

"Uh huh, you figured out what to do about his fucking cat?" Dick asked.

"Uh huh and here she is," Orville smiled as his sister came into the station.

"Hey, Barney Fife," Willie (Wilhelmina) Jackson smiled as she handed her brother two small tablets. "I would have thought that a big time policeman like our would know where to get Phenobarbital."

"I do; call my little sister," Orville smiled. "Thanks, Sis."

"Uh huh, now where's that cute Eric Greene?" Willie asked, looking around.

"Night off," Dick smiled. "But I'll be sure to tell him you were looking for him."

"Better; my dog goes into seizures because I gave you his medication, least you could do is order that fine ass boy to take me out," Willie smiled.

She turned to leave the station.

"And I ain't talking no McDonald's neither; better be like Manny's or Touch of Sicily's, you hear?" she called out as she left the small building.

"Think we ought to tell her that Eric's gay?" Dick asked Orville.

"He is?" Orville asked eyes wide.

"No, but he's scared to death of that girl," Dick smiled. "Now, Barney Fife, how you going to get that stuff down that cat's throat?"

"Watch and learn," Orville said smugly.

He took the two tablets and crushed them with the butt of his service revolver. Then he took three small containers of coffee creamer and emptied the contents onto a small plate. The crushed up tablets were then scraped into the plate.

"Uh huh," Dick smirked as Orville carried his concoction to the small closet they'd stashed the crate.

"Uh huh," Dick smirked as Orville came back, clutching his bloody hand to his chest.

"Got any better ideas?" Orville snapped.

"Uh huh, Lafayette Animal Control's on its way," Dick said.

Which is why he's the sheriff, and you ain't," Officer Mike Stevens said as he dabbed some antiseptic onto Orville's bleeding hand.

----

"Go get your granddaughter," Bernice ordered Melvin as Jadia sat at the table, eating the reheated stew.

"Braves are up by one, it's the top of the eight," Melvin argued.

"Go, I guarantee you, nothing will happen in the ten minutes you'll be gone," Bernice said.

"I'll watch it for you and tell you what happened," Jacy offered.

"Uh huh, tell you what, woman, YOU go get her," Melvin said, already putting his shoes on.

"Melvin, you know I hate driving at night," Bernice smiled as her husband dutifully got ready to do her bidding.

"Uh huh, on three, one two three," Melvin said.

"Go Braves!" Jacy and Melvin cheered as Melvin opened the door.

"Y'all are so silly," Bernice smiled.

Melvin spotted Jelissa, sitting on the side of Highway 19, hunkered down. He smiled tightly; she hadn't even managed to make it two miles before giving up.

He did a tight U-Turn then pulled up and stopped in front of her. He lowered the passenger window.

"Get in," he ordered.

Jelissa didn't say a word, just lumbered to her feet and got into the car.

Melvin smiled in mild perverse satisfaction as Jelissa wiped her tear streaked face, trying to keep him from noticing.

"Grandma's heating up the stew for you," Melvin said quietly as he pulled up in front of the house.

"Thank you," Jelissa whispered.

----

Cecil was not amused as Jennifer's Master Card and Visa were both declined. Grumbling, he fished out three crumpled twenty dollar bills and slapped the bills onto the small platter the waiter held out.

"Uh, the bill is fifty nine dollars and nineteen cents," the waiter quietly said.

"Yeah?" Cecil spat. "That's three twenties, ain't it?"

"Ah, yes sir, very good sir," the waiter said tightly and walked away.

"They expect a tip," Jennifer hissed.

"They can EXPECT shit; don't mean I got to give it to them, does it?" Cecil spat.

"Well, I was going to suggest we take this to the Hilton and Towers, but for some reason my cards are..." Jennifer said and smiled to herself as the waiter dumped Cecil's change on the table in front of him.

"Thanks," Cecil sneered at the man.

"Oh, my pleasure sir," the waiter smiled as Cecil made a show of counting out the change and leaving the penny for the waiter.

"So what you saying?" Cecil asked as they waited for the valet to bring his car around.

"I guess I'm saying, I know I promised you a little pussy but uh..." Jennifer said.

"Back seat works," Cecil said and yanked open her door for her.

----

"Tell Animal Control that's my daughter's cat; her name is Jacy and here's the phone number where they can reach her," Kenneth said as Orville, hand swathed in bandages, made the rounds of the cells.

"What?" Orville said, disbelieving.

"The cat belongs to my..." Kenneth repeated.

"You fucking knew that an hour ago and didn't say shit?" Orville asked, voice growing in volume.

"Wasn't a problem an hour ago," Kenneth shrugged.

"I'll call her," Orville snapped and stomped away.

"I told you, I really think he's having fun back there," Dick smiled as Orville grumbled under his breath.

"Uh huh, any sign of his wife?" Orville asked.

"Nope; says he doesn't know the name of the friend of hers, other than 'Cecil,'" Dick shrugged.

"Watch, bet we find out he not only knows the mother fucker's full name, but his phone number, address, his momma's phone number and address, and what size shoes the mother fucker wears," Orville snapped.

"How's the hand?" Dick smiled.

----

The back seat did work, for Cecil's enjoyment, but not for Jennifer's. She knew she was nothing but a hole for Cecil to use for his own pleasure, and normally that was good enough for her. When he was using her on a comfortable bed, with a functioning shower nearby.

"Aw yeah," Cecil sighed and pumped his seed into her nearly dry pussy. "Fuck yeah; aw that's some killer poon."

She tried to sit up and Cecil shoved her back again.

"Where the fuck you going?" he spat.

"We fucked, you came, take me home," she snapped back.

"Bitch, sixty bucks and you just want to fuck?" Cecil spat. "Aw no, them lips better wrap themselves around this mother fucker real quick like."

"You know I don't..." Jennifer hissed, outraged.

"You do now, bitch," Cecil said and backhanded her.

----

"Overtime?" Bernice groaned. "Haven't we suffered enough? "Now they're going to make us watch even more of this?"

"On three," Melvin said to Jacy. "One two three."

"Go Braves!" Jacy and Melvin cheered.

Jadia and Jelissa snuggled down on the sleeper sofa in the living room; far enough away from the den to not be disturbed by the baseball game, but close enough to hear Jacy and Melvin's cheers.

"How come Jacy gets her own room here?" Jadia asked Jelissa. "And we got to sleep on this sucky couch?"

"Because she's the FAVORITE," Jelissa sneered. "Fucking little ass kiss."

I hate her," Jadia said.

"I hate HIM," Jelissa countered.

"Well, I hate him too," Jadia agreed.

"Hope Mom beats the shit out of him, fucking numb nuts," Jelissa said forcefully.

"Yeah, you hear when she called him that?" Jadia laughed.

----

Jennifer got out of the car and stared in disbelief at the charred and smoldering remains of her home.

"What the fuck happened?" she asked, not really expecting a response.

"Close the door, huh?" Cecil ordered.

"What?" Jennifer asked, looking at him incredulously.

"Close the door; I'm late," Cecil ordered.

"You, you're just going to leave me here?" Jennifer asked.

"What? What the fuck you want me to do, huh? Take you home with me?" Cecil sneered. "Yeah, I can see my Baby momma be all up on under that shit."

"Mrs. Kay?" Officer Becky Zima asked.

"Aw, look at this shit, hey, officer, you going to move that car, hear?" Cecil ordered; Becky's cruiser was blocking his exit.

"You, let's see some ID," Becky ordered him. "Now, are you Mrs. Jennifer Kay?"

"Officer, what happened to my home?" Jennifer asked.

"Please answer the question," Becky snapped. "Are you Jennifer Kay?"

"Yes, yes I am," Jennifer agreed. "Now, hat happened to my home?"

"Jennifer Kay, put your hands behind your back. Jennifer Kay you have the right to remain silent..." Becky began the ritual.

Jennifer was in a daze as she was booked, fingerprinted, searched (she did awaken enough to call Becky Zima a 'dyke') and then put into a cell with three prostitutes that chattered and laughed with each other in Spanish.

"Arraignment's is tomorrow morning," Becky again patiently explained to the livid Jennifer Kay. "At that time your bail will be set. Until then, why don't you try to get some sleep, huh?"

"Why don't you kiss my ass, fucking rug munching dyke?" Jennifer hissed back.

In the morning, Jennifer was assigned Donald Pellichet as a Pro Bono representative. Donald held an impassive face as she protested her innocence and glared hatefully as Donald explained that her husband had implicated her in their arson for profit scheme.

----

"Really?" Kenneth asked Sophia Coutre, his own Pro Bono defender. "You mean, that's illegal? But I was just doing what my wife told me to do. See, she wears the pants in the family; you can ask anyone, they'll tell you, Jennifer's in charge."

"You son of a bitch!" Jennifer screamed at Kenneth as they finally saw one another inside the St. Elizabeth Parish Courthouse.

Kenneth smirked at Jennifer as both Donald and a Bailiff forcibly restrained her.

"You mother fucker; I am going to kill you!" Jennifer screamed at him as he was led into the courtroom to face Judge Jack Melancon.

"Quit being so good," Kenneth whispered to Sophia Coutre as the lawyer actively demanded that her client be released with no bail.

"What?" she asked stunned.

"I said, 'quit being so good,' let me sit where I am," Kenneth said and she finally looked at the Assistant District Attorney.

Adam was all too quick to agree that Kenneth could continue to be a guest of the state and Kenneth was moved to DeGarde's jail to await trial...

"Okay, now, Mister Kay, what's really going on?" Sophia asked. "And, yes, this is being recorded.

"The system sucks," Kenneth said calmly. "My wife goes out, fucking around and I'm supposed to just sit there and take it. I ask for a divorce, she gets the house, the car, the kids, and I get the bills. She barely worked ever, but I got to bust my ass to give her every fucking thing and just too God damned bad, huh? And now, now she wants to say it's all my idea to burn our house down, so I can sit and rot behind bars while she and her n*gger lover or lovers; fuck, I don't know how many she's got, they can all just go to the Bahamas on my dime? No, Mrs. Coutre, leave me behind bars. If I ain't working, she ain't getting a penny of my money now is she?"

"Yeah, system does suck," Sophia agreed. "My first husband fucked everything that walked, didn't matter to him if they was a guy or a girl while I'm busting my ass to put him and myself through law school. Soon as he gets his degree, he's telling me he's finally found the one true love of his life and I'm still paying all the bills he ran up when we were married."

"Sucks," Kenneth agreed.

"Yep, but there is a silver lining in all of that," Sophia smiled. "Met my husband thanks to that ass hole running out on me. And his 'one true love?' Turned out to be HIV Positive."

"Ouch," Kenneth smiled.

"Okay, Mr. Kay, we'll see you in a couple of months, I guess," Sophia shrugged and got to her feet.

Chapter 3

Donald Pellichet was more than happy to release Jennifer Kay as a client; she insisted that he was not giving her precedence over his other clients.

"Fucking right I ain't; they're paying, bitch," he muttered after yet another shrill confrontation.

Dick Davis smiled in understanding as Donald walked out of the police station.

"Don't know who she's going to contact, but it's not me," Donald warned Dick.

Jesse Johnson marched in, listened to Jennifer's explanation, was sure he'd get some of her blonde pussy and tight ass, and took the information from her regarding her secret account.

"Fuck, there's at least forty thousand in it by now," she said. "Just get me the fuck out of here."

Jesse entered the information on his laptop, cleared the User ID field and tried it again.

"Mrs. Kay, don't know how to tell you this but..." Jesse said after a long moment.

"Let me see that," Jennifer barked, jammed her fingers on his keyboard and screamed in rage when she realized that the account was no longer there.

"That little son of a bitch," she growled.

"And, of course, since the house is in both of your names..." Jesse went on.

"What house?" Jennifer screamed. "God damned mother fucker burned it to the ground!"

"What I am getting at, Mrs. Kay, is you've retained me as your attorney, but not as a Pro Bono attorney; Mr. Pellichet was your court appointed attorney," Jesse said. "My services are three hundred and fifty an hour; you do intend to pay me, do you not?"

"Great, just fucking great," Jennifer sighed. "Get that lazy ass mother fucker back in here."

"Been a pleasure," Jesse lied and left the room.

"Come on, Princess," Becky intoned, taking Jennifer back to her cell.

----

"Going to make you mine, hear me, punk?" Jamal Westinghouse sneered as Kenneth sat on his bunk, reading 'Brave New World' for the hundredth time.

"No thanks," Kenneth said calmly. "But, have a nice day."

"Fucking talking to you," Jamal yelled, yanking the book out of Kenneth's hands.

Kenneth's first punch slammed Jamal's larynx into his esophagus, cutting off his ability to breathe. His second punch was directly into Jamal's testicles. Then Kenneth calmly stomped on Jamal's head until Jamal's body quit twitching.

"Any of you other n*ggers think you going to be sticking your dicks where they don't belong?" Kenneth asked as he picked up his book.

"Aw, hey man, you ain't got to be coming at us like that, huh?" one of the other men complained. "Huh? Call me an n*gger, huh? Shit, I ain't done shit to you, right?"

"Right, and ain't done shit FOR me neither, huh? Where the fuck were you when Homey here told me I was his new bitch? Or when he put his hands on my shit, huh?" Kenneth asked.

"Shit, figured you had it, know what I'm saying?" the man muttered.

"What the fuck?" Captain Charles Villeaux bellowed as he saw Jamal Westinghouse's dead body lying on the floor.

"Slipped and fell, I think," Kenneth shrugged.

"Aw, just fucking great," Charles complained.

----

Jennifer happened to be coming out of the courtroom, with five other females in the Bender Police custody when a heavily shackled Kenneth Kay was led into the courtroom.

"What's he doing back here?" Jennifer asked Becky Zima. "They're not letting him go, are they?"

"Not sure; I heard he stomped another prisoner to death," Becky shrugged.

Jennifer looked over her shoulder as the three armed police officers led Kenneth into the courtroom.

"Him? You're fucking kidding me; he's a total pussy!" Jennifer laughed. "No, no, y'all got to be thinking of someone else!"

----

"Oh, no ma'am!" Bernice said. "There is no way in hell I'm letting you go to Northside!"

"Why not?" Jadia asked, swallowing a huge mouthful of the chicken salad sandwich. "Me and Jelissa went there."

"Uh huh and look at how well y'all turned out," Melvin said, earning himself a slap in the back of the head from Bernice.

"No ma'am, come on, we're going to St. Thomas; that's a fine school," Bernice said firmly.

"Ha ha, you're going to have to wear them dorky uniforms!" Jelissa sneered.

"Not a thing wrong with those uniforms," Bernice said.

"But Grandma, we can't afford that school!" Jacy complained.

"Don't worry about that; you just leave that up to me," Bernice said.

"Um, when you think Mom's coming to get us?" Jelissa asked. "I mean, they got to know she didn't have nothing to do with burning the house down, right?"

"Oh, and I'm sure your father will be getting out soon, too," Bernice reminded the girl that there was another parent to consider.

"Well, it's been what? Almost like a month, right?" Jadia asked, finishing her sandwich.

"Yep, been a month now," Melvin agreed. "A whole month. Four long weeks of 'I'm bored,' and 'there's nothing to do' and when's my Mommy coming,' and..."

"Hush, you, but Grandpa's right," Bernice said.

"What?" Jadia asked, looking up at her grandmother.

"You and Jelissa are out of school now; I know, I went to the graduations," Bernice said.

"Yep, they now reward mediocrity," Melvin said, earning himself another slap to the back of his head.

"So, do you think it is possible that either one of you could show some initiative? Actually go and get a job somewhere?" Bernice finished.

"A what?" Jelissa asked.

"Job, you know what people get up and get dressed and go to every day, so they can earn money, you might have heard about those," Melvin said. "It was in all the papers, hell, I even heard some people on TV talking about jobs."

"You're kidding, right?" Jelissa sneered.

"No, I am not kidding," Bernice said. "I've asked you to help around the house; I am not running a hotel here, with free food and clothing and stuff, but neither of you can be bothered to lift a finger."

"What about her?" Jadia shrilled, pointing to Jacy. "Huh?"

"What about her?" Bernice asked, putting her hand on Jacy's shoulder. "Who was that helped Grandpa cut the brass yesterday, huh?"

"And helped me change the oil on the car day before that," Melvin chimed in.

"And got most of the oil on herself," Jelissa countered.

"Doesn't matter; at least she was trying, at least she was pitching in, at least she was doing her part," Melvin said.

"So, you two have oh, what do you think is fair, Melvin? One week? Two? Two weeks to find yourselves a job, an actual 'we'll pay you money to work here' job, or give Grandma Moore a call and see if y'all can stay with her," Bernice said.

"What? You're kidding!" Jadia and Jelissa screeched.

"Nope; afraid not," Bernice said. "Now, anyone want another sandwich?"

"I'll take one," Melvin offered.

"No, Sweetheart, you're not a growing teenager," Bernice kissed him on the top of his balding head.

"Can I have another, please?" Jacy asked, holding up her plate.

"Sure Sweetie Pie," Bernice smiled.

"'Can I have another, please?'" Jelissa mocked Jacy.

"Oh, no, everyone be very careful; there's a vicious animal on the loose," Melvin cautioned as he felt Pebbles rub against his leg.

"Grandpa, she is not!" Jacy laughed as Pebbles rubbed against her bare leg.

"Now, one of you can get on the computer and start putting your resume together while the other one looks through the classifieds to see what they can find; after an hour, y'all switch," Bernice offered, putting the newspaper down on the table.

Jelissa and Jadia looked at each other, stricken.

----

The day of the trial of The State of Louisiana versus Kay and Kay was a bitterly cold day and Kenneth was grateful for the coat his mother had bought for him. Sophia and Donald wisely put themselves in between Kenneth and Jennifer.