Part 2

PMDSX

Perry began to read the novel when his vision became hazy, and found himself engrossed in the book. It was situated in a small town in southern Georgia in the mid-fifties. One fateful day, found a young gentleman in the wrong place at the wrong time. He made a stop in the small community of Marshville County. He worked with his father, David Stone, who was a successful attorney and his mother stayed at home. Max followed in his father's footsteps and was in the process of opening his own law practice; however, he was still undecided whether he should move out of the state or stay to join his father's firm.

A bank robbery, which he was unaware of, was in progress, and since he was unaware of the dealings that were planned, he was an innocent. He pulled over to a filling station to fill up his gas tank in his Buick. As he exited the car, he heard commotion in the federal bank building down the street and heard gun fire. A woman's blood curdling scream could be heard and more yelling came from inside. The three men's faces were covered except for their eyes, and the shouting continued from the lobby of the building.

"Get down! They have guns!" A young lady screamed at the crowd and was taken hostage by one of the thugs. His strong arm wrapped around her waist and he held her still with his other hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"This is a hold up! Anyone move, and it'll be the last time you do! Get that vault open now!" The thug shouted at the frightened customers, who held up their hands while the two other thugs waved their shotguns and pistols at them.

"Where can I find the manager? Lady, don't play games with me! Go and get him now!" The leader's voice was gruff and tough as nails and he pointed the gun in her face and demanded the vault to be opened.

"Here I am! Leave her alone! She doesn't have the combination I do. You're not going to get away with this." The manager called out. The robber shoved the gun into the manager's back and forced him to open the vault. The robber pointed his gun in the direction of the vault.

The other two robbers kept their guns trained on the customers and removed the bank's money from the front registers. The cashiers' emptied their drawers and placed the money in bags. The witnesses did their best to get a description, but they were so frightened that they only caught a few glimpses of the thug's eye's. The leader of the gang finally got the vault open, took the money, and belted the manager with his gun for good measure and he fell to the floor. The three robbers quickly made their gateway out the front door, but a clerk pulled the alarm bell, and the leader of the gang took a young woman as their hostage. The leader had steely gray eyes and gruff voice took the lady outside with him as a shield when suddenly Max made the biggest mistake of his life and interrupted their escape.

"Hey! What's going on? Leave her alone!" Max called out to the thugs who used the woman as a hostage.

"Who the hell is this!?" The younger thug called out to the boss before he turned with the gun pointed to the young woman's head, and Max raised his hands to show he was unarmed.

"I don't know, but we're getting out of here! Where did you park the car? How many times have I told you that we need the car by the curb instead of a half mile away! You never listen do you!" The boss angrily shouted to one of his cohorts.

"Leave her alone, and take me! She doesn't have anything to do with this, and what man harms an unarmed woman?" Max pleaded for the woman's safety. She was scared to death as his eyes reassured her that everything would be okay.

"Fine, she can go. You're coming with us. Come on!" The boss pushed the young lady away from him and took Max roughly by the arm and led him away from the building quickly before they got into the waiting car. Max now a hostage heard sirens from the police car in pursuit of their vehicle. The sirens wailed down the street as the police radioed to the lead patrol car that the suspects were armed and dangerous. The bandit's car sped down the road with gravel and dirt flying underneath the tires of their car with the police cars in hot pursuit.

"We can't let them catch us. We'll be put away for life if we get caught! We just got out a month ago from prison. If we get caught, we're done for. You hear me, boss! I thought you had this all planned out from the beginning. We are right back where we started." The middle man said before he steered the car onto another desolate part of the county road as he tried to lose the cops hot on their trail.

"Keep driving, and they won't catch us!" the younger man yelled as he revealed his weapon, and pointed it out the side window to return gunfire at the pursuing police vehicle. Max finally got the hint that these bandits just got out of jail and probably was released on good terms with the judge. He knew they were hardened criminals and ducked for cover when the police returned fire at their vehicle. The younger assailant looked for another gun in the car and proceeded to hand it to Max, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Can you fire a gun? I bet you don't even own one. Do you?" The boss looked over his shoulder and sneered at Max.

"Yes, I can. I wasn't involved in your hold up, and now you are including me as an accessory to the fact." Max told them seriously. This was a big mistake when he went up against the main boss as the other two men cowered from his response to their leader.

"We have an educated man in the car, boys. What shall we do with him? We need to lose our load, and it might be good for us to lose that extra baggage. How about it, boys? He doesn't know our names, and he hasn't seen our faces. All in favor? Let's loose the chump. Maybe we can get a head of the coppers. You know they already radioed ahead what type of vehicle we're driving, and how many of us are in the car." The leader of the gang contemplated his decision while he waited on a vote from his cohorts.

"Let's ditch him." The other two unanimously voted without a second thought. The younger man opened the door and a force to be reckoned with, Max wasn't going out without a fight, and both men tumbled out of the car onto the roadway. The loss of one gang member wasn't enough to deter the other two criminals to go back and retrieve him. The leader reached back and slammed the car door leaving behind two people because he knew the cops would be busy questioning them if they got caught. It would just give them time to make their escape into the next county and possibly the state line.

"What you do that for? You better run now or we're both going to be caught and when we do, I'm sure the judge will have our heads for this. He might not know you, but he defiantly knows me since I just got out of prison camp." The younger man said before he ran off into the nearby wooded area. Max didn't run because he wasn't guilty of anything in the first place and he didn't know the judge in this county. The judge in Marshville was very blunt and would sentence a person to five years for petty crimes. In the meantime, the police arrived and pulled their guns on Max and he held up his hands to surrender.

"Put your hands up! Place them on your head and turn around! Do it!" The senior officer called out to Max, who was calm and collected. Max obeyed the officers as the one pulled his arm behind his back and cuffed him. When Max turned, he was forced up against the patrol car.

"I had nothing to do with this, Officer." Max pleaded for his innocence, but the officer put his billy club into his ribcage to silence him.

"Lou, that isn't necessary! He isn't resisting arrest. Lay off." The younger officer approached them, and he stopped his assault on Max. Max fell hard to the ground and curled up in pain after the object was removed from the senior officer's hand.

"Marv, he's a wanted criminal. What's this? Your stashing cash into your shirt pocket? The judge will make sure he is put away for life. I'm going to read him his rights. I radioed into headquarters that we have one suspect, but the other three got away. Maybe they will catch them before they reach the state line." The officer's helped Max to his feet and placed him in the patrol car.

The young thug witnessed the capture of Max and ducked below a thicket. The officer's spanned out to see if there were any clues left behind and found large bills on the ground and took that as evidence. They might be able to lift a finger print off it when they sent it to the lab to be analyzed. If Max wasn't guilty now, he would be considered an accessory to robbing a federal building, and that thought worried him as he sat in the back of the patrol car. He had one phone call, and he would make the most of it once he was back in town. His father would drop everything for his son, and he knew it.

"Okay, let's get this mug back to town and book him in the county jail." Lou told his partner as he grinned at his criminal sitting in the back of his car.

"That money isn't mine, Officer! I don't need to steal money from the bank! Don't I get a phone call, Officer?" Max asked him.

"Yes, you do. Who are you going to call to get you out of this mess? Your rich uncle?" Lou chuckled and started the patrol car.

"No, my father is an attorney in Woodland County. He will see me out of this mess. He is a very well-known attorney. His name is David Stone, and you have made the mistake of falsely arresting his son, Max Stone."

"Well, what do we have here. A good boy gone wrong, or were you in the wrong place at that wrong time." Lou countered him and gave him a cynical laugh that made his partner uneasy.

The ride back to county jail was making Max nervous by the minute. Since he was wrongfully accused of a crime, he had to make that important phone call to his father which he was going to do. It took almost an hour to get back to town and once the officer's arrived, the townsfolk buzzed toward the patrol car. The officer's tried their best to fend them off and led the Max up the steps of the county jail.

He moved reluctantly as he had no choice or get beat again with the billy club from the officer. They entered the main jail and passed the officials that looked at their assailant when a young lady caught his eye. She was young, curly haired brunette with hazel eyes. Also, she was drop dead gorgeous and had long lean legs which didn't go unnoticed by Max. She was Kerri Pike, the warden's daughter who worked in the office as a typist.

Kerri had ended her previous relationship and wasn't looking for a man when Max came into the building, and she noticed him too. He was a filthy mess and good looking although his clothing was rumpled, and his dark hair ruffled. She shook her head at him as he was another would-be criminal and went about her task. Max looked at her with his piercing blue eyes that stared straight through her soul, and frightened her. She's seen a lot of men come in through the jail; wanted men, felons, and hardened criminals. But for this man to walk into the building and make her heart skip a beat that was something she never felt before. Max couldn't help himself and gazed at her lovely features. The senior officer caught him looking at the warden's daughter and pulled him roughly to the side and shoved his face to the concrete wall.

"Listen, here. You get one phone call and that's it. Make the most of it, and you better leave the warden's daughter alone. You hear me?" Lou roughly turned Max around and uncuffed his wrists with his key.

"Warden's daughter, huh. She's very lovely, and I couldn't help myself, Sir. One phone call right so I'm calling my father, and you're going to be hearing from him soon. I promise you that, Officer." Max walked toward the phone on the desk and dialed his father's number before he looked around to catch another glimpse of the beautiful brunette but she was out of his vision.

"Father, I need your help. I'm in a mess. I was caught as an accessory to a robbery by accident." Max informed his father on the other end of the line.

"Where are you, son?" His father concerned that his son was in serious trouble.

"Marshville, across the state line. Please get me out of here. I will explain everything when you get here."

"I promise I will be there as soon as I can. I will make arrangements to cancel my appointments this afternoon and get this straightened out." Mr. Stone was furious that his son was wrongly accused and would do everything to defend him.

Max hung up the phone and faced the officers with a smug grin on his face and replied, "Well, my father will be on his way soon."

"Well, he is not here. You're getting the special treatment in the jail cell just like everyone else. Move your ass and get going." Lou showed him the way and pointed his billy club in the direction he needed to go.

Max was getting thirsty since the building only had rotating fans and no air conditioners to combat the heat. His clothes stuck to his skin, and sweat beaded up on his forehead and no one had passed his holding cell for nearly twenty minutes. His throat was getting dry, and he unbuttoned his top two buttons on his shirt and rolled up his sleeves exposing his forearms. He paced back and forth in the cell like a nervous, caged animal, and finally he couldn't take it anymore. He held his ribcage where he was jabbed with the billy club earlier because the aching started to take effect on him.

"Anyone out there to lend a guy some water? At least give me some damn water since my throat is parched!" Max called out to anyone who would listen to him before he saw movement from the far corner. It was the guard that brought him a tin cup filled with cold water. Max eagerly drank it and wanted another.

"You're not getting another cup of water. You only get one until they move you out to maximum security. We're just waiting on orders, and then we'll be rid of you." The burly man said and took the cup from Max's hand. Max wanted another cup of water and demanded that he be treated fairly and called out to the officer as he retreated back to his chair.

"Jed, why don't you give him another cup of water? It's only fair since he is a human being. Don't treat him like an animal." Kerri insisted.

"Ms. Kerri, I know how you are feeling sorry for these would be criminals, and he could be a murderer for all we know. I'm not taking any chances with him, and you better keep your distance. You hear me? I don't want anything to happen to you as I swore to protect you when your father asked me too while he was out of town. I will not let your father down, Ms. Kerri." Jed told her in a firm manner before he looked at Max, who heard every word.

"Well, I know my father wouldn't want anyone to go without water or nourishment so I'm going to refill his cup, and you're not stopping me. You hear me, Jed?" Kerri told him in determined voice and took the cup from the guard's hand to refill it with cold water. She filled the cup to the brim and carefully walked back to Max's cell. He was laying down flat on his back on the cot with his hands behind his head in deep thought.

"Here you go. Help yourself to as much water as you want. Don't mind Jed. He's just overly protective of me." Kerri said stirring Max out of his thoughts to see a stunning woman standing outside his cell. He immediately got to his feet and forgot his pain in his ribs for a short minute before he winced when he took the cup from her hand between the bars.

"Thanks a lot. I hope I didn't get you into trouble with another helping of water." Max grasped the tin cup and brushed her fingers with his. She recoiled her hand nervously as she was not supposed to interact with criminals nor speak to them, and the guard had his eyes on her.

"Your name is Max Stone. You're not from around here, are you?" Kerri whispered so that the guard couldn't hear them.

"Yes, do you know my father? David Stone, he is a lawyer in Woodland County and a very prominent one at that. I'm his son, Max." He cautiously looked back to see the guard on his way to retrieve Kerri since she took too long for his liking.

"Sorry I don't, but it looks like trouble is coming our way." She whispered under her breath.

"Ms. Kerri, are we having problems back there?" Jed asked in a serious tone that caused her to look over her shoulder at him.

"No, I'm fine. I'm going to finish my paperwork, Jed," Kerri smiled at him. She returned to the front of the office. Max caught a glimpse of her as she walked down the corridor with a sway of her hips, and he wanted to know more about her. He loved to watch her move and would personally tell her once they had a chance to talk without a prying eye. He made a promise to himself. He couldn't keep his eyes off her when she rounded the corner. He could smell her faint floral perfume as it lingered in the hallway even after she disappeared.

Dusk was approaching and the young thug stopped running. He dropped bills from his pants pockets and didn't think anyone had followed him. A young detective who was fresh out of the academy took on the hunt for the would-be robbery suspects that just happened in Marshville County. John Mills was his name, and he was tall, fair haired, and piercing blue-gray eyes. He knew the area very well and could track better than most in the police department, but the blood hounds did give him a run for his money. He heard about the bank heist when the call came across his radio and decided to investigate. The police did their investigations as he observed them and scanned the area.

"Hello, Detective Mills. I see you have already heard about this hold up." The young officer told him as he flipped his note pad and pocketed it into his front shirt.

"Yes, I heard it over the radio and decided to stop by and see if I could lend a hand. I saw that you caught one of the would-be thugs from what the alert issued. There are three more out there somewhere, right?" Detective Mills said.

"Yes, there were four thugs. One is down in county lockup right now. His name is Max Stone, but we aren't sure on the other thug's since they had their faces well-covered. We thought they might be the three men were released from prison a few weeks ago. One is still on the run and on foot in the nearby wooded area just off the highway. The other two are in the vehicle, and they are armed and dangerous." The sergeant said when he joined them and looked at the lobby while the investigators gathered more evidence.

"I'm going to investigate where they caught the first thug. I know the other one is still in the area. He couldn't be too far away maybe a few miles, but I'll find him or at least get some clues to his whereabouts." Det. Mills told him and lit his cigarette as he walked out of the bank building. He got the directions where they first captured the first thug and got into his car and left.

Meanwhile back in the county jail, Max still hadn't seen his father yet. He wondered what was taking him so long and with baited breath, he spotted movement again near the front entrance and heard the front door open and shut. He also heard a conversation between two men, and he recognized his father's voice.

"What's the charge, Officer?" Mr. Stone asked the senior officer that belted his son earlier.

"Armed robbery of a national bank, Sir. The other three thugs he was with took off, and they are on the run as we speak. He was the weak link and we caught him." He sneered at Max's father.

"I assure you, Officer that my son had nothing to do with this incident. I'm going to get to the bottom of this right now. Where is my son? May I have a word with him? Has his bail been set?" Mr. Stone asked the officer.

"Bail hasn't been set yet. The judge is out of town today, and he isn't expected to be back for two days. I'm afraid your son is going to go to maximum security for those two days until the judge comes back into town. Meanwhile, we can't hold your son here in county lockup. We need to have our county jail open." The officer responded without a hint of compassion.

"Let me see my son before he is moved because I need to speak with him. I will be representing him in his court trial when the judge sets his bail and date of hearing."

"Well, Mr. Stone I see your son wasn't lying about his father being an attorney. Come right this way, he's down the hall and to the left." Lou escorted him back down the hall corridor.

The telephone rang on the desk, and Kerri answered it on the third ring. Her father informed her that he would be arriving tomorrow early morning and asked if everything was going smoothly. She informed him it was a usual day of booking a thug and getting all the information they could on the robbery heist. As the three suspects were still at large. Kerri's father always worried for her safety and had a guard on her at all times. Since the last time he went away, she was almost in harm's way when a prisoner was moved to maximum security. He wasn't taking any chances because Kerri loved working alongside her father. Danger was all around her and he didn't want that for her. He tried talking to her and even her mother tried to convince her but she was headstrong and determined to show she could work in a man's world and she did just that.

Over the phone, Kerri explained to her father that a man was booked on robbery charges. It was his first offense and she pleaded with her father to not let him go to maximum security but instead go to work detail. Her father thought it over a few minutes and made up his mind that she must have a soft spot for this fellow. He warned her over the years not to get to close to the criminals that came through the building because he didn't want to see her hurt. After much debate over the phone, he reluctantly agreed to inform the senior guards that Max Stone would be housed in another section of the prison to start work detail the following morning. Kerri thanked her father, and he hoped he did the right thing by agreeing with her. What he didn't know about the would-be criminal would change his daughter's life forever.

"Max, it looks like I can't post your bail until the judge gets back in town. That's two whole days you are going to be in maximum security. I know you didn't do this, and your mother is going to be worried sick over this. I'll have to explain to her what kind of mess your in."

"I know, Dad. I've never lied to you and Mom. I know I must be punished, but for a crime I never committed. Now I know how your clients feel when you take their cases." Max gave a hopeful smile when he looked past his father's shoulder as he saw Kerri appear again from the front office talking to a guard.

"Well, it looks like you're going to be transported to prison camp and not maximum-security. I think the young lady talked to that guard. I'm going to find out for sure." His father listened to their conversation, and what was said about changing their minds on where they were taking his son. He left his son and walked down the corridor to meet up with the guard and the young lady, and he already liked her demeanor. She came across as a bright young lady and gorgeous. Mr. Stone approached Kerri while she conversated with the guard about transporting Max within a few minutes.

"Excuse me. What are the plans for my son?" He held his hat in his hand and rubbed his finger over the brim nervously.

"The warden instructed the guards that Max Stone be sent to prison camp. He will be held there for only two days until his bail is set. He suggested that he would do work detail instead of sitting in prison as he is a first-time offender." Kerri spoke up while the guard looked coldly towards his father, but there was nothing his father could do about it.

"Okay, I'll be making arrangements to stay in town until the judge returns when I will be posting my son's bail, and get this investigation under way to clear him." Mr. Stone promised them and bid goodbye to his son. "I'll be seeing you in two days, Max, and be on your best behavior." He warned him, donned his fedora, and tipped it at Kerri before he left the building.

Max knew his fate of work detail in the prison camp would be an eye-opening experience, but nothing he would be prepared for since it would be hard labor. He was up for it and would prove his innocence to his father and mother. Kerri walked down the hall towards him to inform him of what was expected before the guard was at his jail cell door.

"I spoke with my father and convinced him to give you some slack. You must behave, or you will go to the maximum security." Kerri lowered her eyes to his mouth and down his open shirt where he was sweating profusely. Max listened to her voice and found himself gazing at her.

"Thank you. At least, I don't have to look at the concrete walls for two days. Work detail is going to be fun, right? I can't wait." He sarcastically told her with a sly grin and looked at her figure before he leaned up against the bars.

The guard took his key and opened the cell door while Max waited on the guard to cuff him. He turned his back facing away from Kerri, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him because she could sense he was not guilty. Max finally faced her again with his hands behind his back, and the officer firmly gripped his elbow to guide him out the front door.

"Jed, wait a minute! I've got something I want the prisoner to have. He's going to be in the heat tomorrow, and I think he'd really appreciate this." Kerri took off her white handkerchief and put it in his shirt pocket. Max half-heartedly smiled at her, and she went back to the desk to file her paperwork. Max could smell her perfume from the cloth. He knew she did it for a reason, and he couldn't stop thinking about her even after he left the building.

"The warden's daughter getting all soft on you doesn't mean that you're going to be getting off easy. She's a good woman, and I don't want to see her harmed nor does my other colleagues. Keep your distance. You hear me boy! Because if you touch her or harm her in anyway, you'll be spending your lonely nights in the 'hole', and I do mean that Mr. Max Stone. Have I made myself clear?" Lou told him blatantly as they walked towards the building where Max would be staying for the next two days.

"I hear you loud and clear. Doesn't mean that I can't look at her." Max made a smart remark and looked ahead not worried about the consequences of getting clubbed again.

"No, you can look at her all you want. There is no harm in looking. You've been warned though." Lou tightened his grip on his elbow and forced him up the stairs to the building with little resistance from Max.