- Working at KSC
- NASA Old Headquarters building on KSC destroyed.
- Flintknapping points
- On going writing projects
- Vampires of Kennedy Space Center and the O&C
- Demons of Kennedy Space Center
- Demons of Kennedy Space Center, corpus callosotomy
- Ghosts of Kennedy Space Center, End of Spiders
- Dreams of Kennedy Space Center, lovers and pyramids.
- Witches of Kennedy Space Center
- Cave Bears of Kennedy Space Center
- Aliens of Kennedy Space Center, uninvited guests
- Remembering Kennedy Space Center
Lake 33 Killing Relic
Chapter 14
Agent Murphy
Another First draft of the radiation story. I have placed the stories on line without editing (YET) including typos and poorly thought out ideas. The chapter can be changed 20 times or deleted as needed.
Chapter 14
The security guard at the courthouse entrance said, "Hold up."
"Did you have a medical procedure like a nuclear medicine study or something similar?"
"No," I said. You asked that last time I was at the courthouse. Your equipment is out of calibration or something because I was just released from Prison, and there are no procedures.
"All right, the numbers are small. Have you had an x-ray, maybe?"
"Yeah, yes, I had an x-ray," I lied.
“I have to report this, no big deal, normal process and everyone gets these tests nowadays,” said the guard. He made an entry into a log, nodded and waved me through, “Okay, go forth and conquer.”
Murphy's office door was partially closed, and voices came from the inside. I took a seat in the hallway in an uncomfortable chair.
I could hear the asshole Murphy as the volumes rose and fell in various stages of agitation; it wasn't a pleasant conversation.
"You failed your drug test," said Murphy. "Recommending you go back to prison."
I imagined glee in his voice. The jerk liked to torture people.
A woman protested.
"I can't go back to jail. I have only just had my children returned to my custody. If I go back to Prison, they will send my kids to foster care. Maybe give me a second chance? Please give me a second chance. That was a one-time screw-up. I learned my lesson, Murphy. Please."
Murphy was a bastard.
"It's not my fault you people can't keep that shit out of your nose or veins or pills or whatever you're doing. I'm doing my job to keep you safe. You do your part to stay clean."
I was feeling the vial of urine in my pocket and trying to imagine the same threat from Murphy.
I might kill the bastard, although it was my fault. He didn't make me smoke that joint.
The woman was wailing, near hysteria.
"I can't go back to Prison. Give me a second chance, lord help me. I promise to stay clean."
"What do you want me to do?" said Murphy.
"Please, Murphy," said the woman, I fucked up. I thought, no more, no more shit."
Murphy let her cry for about a minute. The bastard was enjoying every second.
"Look, I don't want to send you back to Prison, right? Prison is a horrible place, and I certainly don't want you to lose your kids again."
Murphy paused as if considering his options.
"Maybe, maybe we can work something out," said Murphy.
"Anything give me a second chance; I can do more community service at the sharing center and try to get a better job. Please don't let them take my children away."
"I hear terrible things about foster care and abuse; you have daughters, right?" said Murphy. I saw the pictures, they are pretty. They might be targets in a foster home."
"Oh, I will not fuck up again, I promise," said the woman.
Murphy's voice dropped, and I strained to hear his words, "If you do me a favor, I can do you a favor in return. Meet me at a park tonight. Do me a couple of favors, and I'll make sure this report never sees the light of day.
The woman caught on to what the parole agent was asking.
"Bastard. You're a goddamn bastard," said the woman.
I heard the sound of Murphy's feet thumping on his desk.
"How badly do you want to protect your children from foster care? We can make the drug test disappear like it never happened."
"Finally, the woman said, "All right, for my kids."
"For the children. Let's see where you live. The trailer park out by Dardenne Prarie? Nearby is O'Day Park. Do you know it? That is the park created by the pipeline rupture? I have helped other people from the trailer park and met them at O'Day. There is an out-of-the-way parking spot by the children's play area."
"Yes, I have taken my children to play at the O'Day park." said the woman.
"Meet me at the park at 6 o'clock tonight. The park is still open and park near the children's parking area. There is a bathroom right there? Meet me there, and I'll make the report go away and keep your children.
This is a bargain that makes everybody happy. I'd hate to see the kids lose their mom again, you know."
"I'll be there."
She sounded defeated. A Hispanic woman stepped out of the parole office red-eyed. I was familiar with her body posture: typical prison posture of hunched shoulders, crushed down by society's unfairness.
She did not say a word and walked towards the elevators.
If it weren't for her children, she would be a candidate for a suicide watch, I thought.
I knocked on the door to Murphy's office.
"Enter."
The door creaked as I stepped into the office, the throne of his little kingdom.
His feet were still on his desk. He was wearing nice, barely worn ostrich skin cowboy boots, an urban cowboy.
Murphy was in an untypical pleasant mood.
"I just cannot believe it. Wonders upon wonders, you're not late," said Murphy.
I could tell that was his version of a joke, and I forced a smile, which made me feel dirty.
Was my fake smile different from the woman agreeing to meet him in O'Day Park? We were both trying to stay out of Prison.
"I have already filled out your log; you are staying clean, employed, and showed up on time. I am satisfied you are becoming a productive member of society. There will be no drug test this time because I am leaving early today. We will take the urine sample on your next visit."
Murphy peered at me, "You okay with that? Something wrong with you today?"
"I'm good. I'm good, just glad I can get back to my job and not lose so much of my personal time," I said.
"See you next time," said Murphy.
"Yes," I said and closed the office door, still gripping the vial of urine for my test.
As I walked down the courthouse hallway, I considered the woman's failed drug test. There was no way in hell Murphy would make the rendezvous a single event. Once she caved into his threats, he will milk that power over her until the next test, maybe forever or until she does get out a bottle of pills.
O'Day Park at 6 pm, near the playground bathroom? The oak forest grew close to that location.
Return to Chapters 1 & 2 (for table of contents)
Return HOME from Agent Murphy of Lake 33 Killing Relic
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