When a Department of Justice employee asked me if I wanted any freebies, I told him I wasn’t sure. “What do you have?” He directed me to an assortment of text books, computer manuals, and other interesting trinkets. After looking it over, I asked, “How come you’re giving them away?” He left me with the impression that the prisoners under his supervision no longer needed them.
I scooped up an armful of books, including “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” It was shrink-wrapped and included a rectangular box. Interestingly enough, that little box contained a “Talking Stick,” which if you were to ask me would make a perfect shank. A few of my coworkers agreed.
But I’m not here to judge a United States Federal program or a Department of Justice employee. Instead, let me bring up “Six Little Things” Issue #18. This past spring they published my prose “Getting Out from Under a Rock.” If you’re unfamiliar with it, let me just say it’s about how one cellmate gains his freedom by wearing a wire and getting his bunkie to talk. Pure fiction. Right?
Timothy O’Reilly might not think so. He bragged to his cellmate how he shot Norman Stephens, a Total Armored Services guard at a Dearborn Federal Credit Union, for $204,000. What he didn’t know is that his bunkie, Barron Nix-Bey, was cooperating with the FBI and had a listening device in his portable radio.
Now Prisoner O’Reilly may be facing the death penalty for killing a Federal employee. Sounds like he may have fallen on his own “Talking Stick.” As for Nix-Bey, I’m sure he cut a deal.
In case you're wondering ... yes, this took place where I work.
10 comments:
As the saying goes: Two people can keep a secret if one of them is dead.
As long as they nailed the bastard for the shooting I don't care how they did it.
Federal charge brings the death penalty to a state without one. I wonder if they will try him in Ohio because so many people here still are anti death penalty? 1837 was when MI dropped it. Personally hope the guy rides the needle but we have no federal facility equipped for it.
There's the Milan Federal Prison; I'm sure they'd be willing to accommodate. Also, the Feds are looking at Standish to handle their oveflow.
If he gets the death penalty, I wonder how many anti capital punishment folks will protest.
I'm with Charles.
But, I do wonder how often these deals go down?
BTW, I reviewed "Adopted Behaviors" on Goodreads. This is what I said:
I don't have a bookshelf for Tomlinson's type of work. I'd consider it to be general literary fiction, but there is also some memoir in this collection. This is a 52 page booklet carrying the subheading of "Flash Memoir, Short Stories, & Flash Fiction."
I don't actually read a lot of literary fiction so I'm not the specific target audience for this work. I enjoyed this collection, however. Tomlinson draws vivid portraits of his characters and puts them into brutal but realistic settings. The characters certainly have the feel of realism about them, which means there aren't any clear cut heroes in Tomlinson's stories, nor many clear cut villains. Tomlinson himself has been a teacher in the prison system in Michigan for many years and the events and experiences he describes in his tales have the unmistakable ring of authenticity.
Enjoyed the read. Won't see me in that protest. Enjoyed CG's comments on "Adopted Behaviors." Keep the stories coming JR. They are the real deal. Someone else can white wash Aunt Polly's fence. You keep writing. Huck
That is freaky, JR. Be careful out there. But I'm sure you've already thought of that. Your post just made me think of something else, too. I feel for your wife. I'd be worried out of my mind if my husband worked where you do.
Real stories are the ones that punch me in the gut the hardest. I think they're better than anything we can ever make up. I agree with the good words about "Adopted Behaviors." It is an awesome read. Very powerful work.
Ah! Jeffery Archer had a similar story to tell, about a robber confessing to having hidden his diamonds someplace to a cell mate, who was a police spy. But the plot worked something like they had planned it such a way that as soon as he got his freedom, the robber would come after him, who had already bargained with the police for his own freedom!
Talking stick, when said quickly, reminds me of some of the people I used to work with. As I read the story I can see a small pudgey federal employee giving away a stash of items he doesn't want to deal with himself. I can not help but ponder if there were any A.C.T. test booklets included in the stash. "The things we are supposed to keep secure", he said sarcastically to himself. The big question is...who would have been blamed if said talking stick had been sharpened to a fine point and inserted through an unsuspecting individual's dermal layers?
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