we could eat and have a car to drive.” He asked her why she’d had to hide it from him. That he could have used that money. “Because you would have taken it. The very food from our mouths to feed this insane idea you have that scamming people is the only way to make it. Well, it’s not. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had a bill collector come by the house to shut off something? Weekly. It was always about you, Louis. About the next big scam. The one that was going to make you rich. Would it have ever been enough, had you followed through on any of them?”
“There are people like me all over the world, making money at some of the things I was trying. I just don’t understand why you felt you had to have all the money you made. You didn’t treat me well, Bonny. I hope you understand that. I’m ashamed to call you my partner in life for not giving me money when I needed it.” She stood up. “Where are you going? I don’t have a pot to piss in here. You’ll have to give it to me now, or I’ll be living on the streets. You don’t want that, do you? I’m your husband.”
“You were my husband, Louis. I filed for divorce and was granted it when the judge heard what sort of person you are. As for you living on the streets? I want you to think about what would have happened to me and your daughter had I not gotten my ass out there and gotten a job. Would it have been all right for us to have been in the same predicament?” He told her it wasn’t the same. “Of course you’d say that, wouldn’t you? It’s all about you.”
When she left him there, he decided to go and get her. She had to have some money on her. Enough for him to fund an idea he had in his head. Before he could get to the door, a well dressed man and three officers came into the room with him. He was told to sit and to shut up for the second time today.
“Now see here. I don’t know what’s going on here, but my wife and I need to finish our conversation. She’s trying to take the money that my mom left me.” The man in the suit introduced himself as Federal Agent Mick Banks. “So? I don’t care who you are. I have things to do.”
“I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to do that, Mr. James. You’re under arrest.” He was read his rights then told what he was being taken in for. The list was longer than he thought it should be. When cuffs were put on him, the agent spoke again. “You’re going to be taken to the jail for the next several days, then you will be moved back to Nevada where you’re going to be facing charges. Do you have any questions?”
“I have plenty. What’s the bail going to be? You’ll have to go find my wife. She’s taken all my money. Whatever it is, you tell her she has to pay it. I don’t want to go to prison anywhere.” The cops laughed, and he tried to think what they might have thought was so funny. As he was being dragged to the elevator, he saw his sister, Mary. “They’re arresting me, Mary. You have to do something. I don’t want to go to prison. Bonny took all my money. You need to see if—”
“What the hell do you expect me to do for you, Louis? In the event you didn’t notice, I’m being arrested too. My own husband called the cops on me. My own fucking husband did this.” She struggled with the police for a moment before she turned back to him. “Yeah, I had some money too, but it’s going to Paddy. For his hardship of being married to me. I’m going to show him what hardship is as soon as I’m out of here.”
He was shoved into an elevator before he could talk to his sister any more. Once the doors opened, he was taken to another room and told to behave. Like he was five years old or something. Mary was brought in a few minutes later, but whenever he started to talk to her, he was told to keep his mouth shut. What was wrong with people