Killing The Blood Cleaner (3 page)

The Control Room officer pressed a button on the control panel to talk with the Main Control Room of the prison. “We need two officers to escort Kirk and Brannon to medical,” he requested.

“We can send you one. Have Tibbs go with him. We are short officers today,” a commanding voice boomed back over the speaker.

“Shit, they are short officers, everyday. Somebody’s going to get hurt with guys like Kirk and Booger,” the Control Room officer said to Tibbs, making sure the communications button was off.

“Well, at least they are both throwing up sick. Booger is not much of a problem for me. I was friends with his older brother, Jackson, when he was a kid. We played football together at Lester High. Jackson was Captain of the team the year my old girlfriend Cindy Jessup was Homecoming Queen. Their Momma’s boyfriend shot Jackson and hit Booger on the head with a wrench which caused him to act funny. But it didn’t take but a few years before Booger grew up a little and got him back. That’s how Booger got here in the first place,” Tibbs responded.

“I remember Cindy Jessup, she was a piece. Did Booger kill the Mama’s boyfriend?” the officer asked.

“Killed him good. Gouged his eyes out with his bare hands and then snapped his neck. He won’t be picking on anybody anymore,” Tibbs replied. “Booger’s in M building cause with that knock in the head you can’t tell when he is going to lose his temper. Two inmates and an officer here found that out when they pestered him a little. As for Cindy she didn’t see much future with me working for the prison,” Tibbs continued.

“Doesn’t she work in law enforcement herself, over for the Sheriff in Ossabaw?” the officer asked.

“Yeah, but somehow, I think she makes a lot more money than the average police,” Tibbs replied.

The Control Room officer looked at one of the monitors and saw the requested escort officer at the front gate. He pressed the button to unlock the front gate and then separately, the sally ports to let him in the building. Tibbs opened the door to the Control Room and stepped out to meet him. Officer Sims remained in the Control Room.

“Shall we pick up our dance partners?” Tibbs said to the officer. The other officer nodded his agreement and handed Tibbs a pair of handcuffs and a heavy metal belly chain, keeping a set of each for himself. They walked down the cellblock hall and stopped at Booger Brannon’s cell.

“Hands through the slot, Booger, so we can cuff you up,” Tibbs instructed. In a few seconds a pair of huge brown hands appeared through the slit. Tibbs snapped on the stainless steel reinforced cuffs which then disappeared back into the cell. Tibbs signaled the Control Room officer and soon there was the familiar click of the electric lock on the inmate’s cell door. Tibbs pulled back the heavy door while the second officer stood back several paces with his hand on his night stick. “Okay Booger, let’s get on your belly chain so you will be presentable the nurses,” he continued. The inmate stepped out of the cell and Tibbs circled his stomach with the belly chain and clicked it into place. “Sit down on the bench while we get Kirk,” he ordered.

The officers moved on to Kirk’s cell. “Okay Kirk, you know the program. Give us your hands so we can cuff up,” Tibbs ordered. The officers waited a few seconds but there was no response. “Kirk did you not hear me? I said cuff up!” he continued.

“You fuckers, Leave me alone. I will be okay,” was the response from inside the cell. The officers looked at each other and shook their heads. Tibbs signaled to the Control Room officer to unlock the door to Kirk’s cell. Again, in a few seconds the click of the electric lock was heard and Tibbs pulled the cell door open. The second officer stood behind him with nightstick in hand.

“Kirk you’re going to medical. I hope we won’t have any extra injuries for them to look at other than the puking,” Tibbs said in a voice of authority with his left hand touching his night stick. Kirk rolled over on his mattress and presented his hands in the air to Tibbs. Tibbs entered the cell and quickly snapped on the cuffs. “All right, get out here so we can do the belly chain,” he continued. In a few seconds Kirk had rolled off of the mattress and stood outside the cell, with his handcuffed hands in front of him. Tibbs quickly snapped on the belly chain while the other officer watched carefully, night stick in hand.

The officers did a quick pat down search of each inmate. Tibbs pulled the transistor radio from Kirk’s back pocket along with its attached ear piece. “You planning on rocking out up in medical?” Tibbs asked, looking at the device.

“That radio won’t hurt anybody. If I got to sit in medical half the day maybe I can catch a ballgame,” Kirk responded.

“All right. It can be a long day up there,” Tibbs said returning the radio to Kirk’s hip pocket. “Okay, now that everyone is cooperating we can go upstairs,” Tibbs continued. The inmates walked toward the cellblock door followed by the two officers. Officer Tibbs again signaled the Control Room officer for the door to be unlocked. The group then passed through the sally port and the front gate of M building.

They went through three more gates with Tibbs each time requesting movement and unlocking by using his radio as they approached each gate. The final gate had an airport style metal detector which was manned by two officers. This gate led to the Administrative Building which housed the Warden’s office, the Medical Unit and other offices. Tibbs walked the two inmates through the metal detector which buzzed loudly because of their handcuffs and belly chains. “Give them a pat down. We aren’t going to take all this metal off,” he said confidently. One of the officers began a pat down search of inmate Brannon beginning with his shoes, moving up the inside of his thighs, across his back and over the front of his chest and under his arms.

The officer began the same process with Kirk starting with his shoes. The officer hesitated when he got to Kirk’s shirt and saw the small amount of crusted eggs and dried blood. He touched Kirk briefly under his arms and ordered him to turn around. He continued the search inside his thighs and touched his shoulders briefly. The officer noticed the bulge in Kirk’s hip pocket and pulled out the transistor radio and examined it. Tibbs nodded at the officer and the radio was returned to Kirk’s hip pocket. “Good to go,” he stated to officer Tibbs.

“Let’s go see the doctor,” Tibbs responded and the four men moved on toward the infirmary. Kirk smiled as he moved his shoulders slightly and felt the plastic knife securely in place.

THREE

Dr. Bridge was not expecting a busy day in the Medical Unit. Sick call had been light that week with less than thirty inmates a day being seen. On a busy week there could be as many as seventy five a day. As Dr. Bridge arrived, the two nurses were already busy with the morning routine. The first nurse, Hattie Bishop, an older black woman with many years of experience at the prison, was checking the supplies on the emergency Crash Cart. The second nurse, Tacy Crandall, was seated at a metal desk and reviewing sick call requests. Tacy was a twenty six year-old local who had once been Miss Lester and a runner-up as Queen of the Ohoopee Onion Festival. Her blonde hair tossed as she looked up and smiled at Dr. Bridge.

“Tibbs brought up Kirk and Brannon. He says they have been sick overnight,” she said as she gestured to the two inmates who were in the Medical Unit Holding Cell, quietly seated on plastic chairs behind white metal bars and a white metal door with the standard electric lock. Their handcuffs had been removed for their examination, but they still wore the metal belly chains which could be used to quickly bring them under control if necessary. The Holding Cell was designed to hold up to ten inmates and it was brightly lit so the activity of those inside could easily be observed by those outside and by a security camera which was aimed at the bars of its gate. Nearby, and seated at another metal desk, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper, was officer Tibbs. Once the inmates had been deposited in the Holding Cell the accompanying transfer officer had left and returned to his other duties.

“Hattie, you finish up replenishing the Crash Cart and Tacy and I will start taking a look at Mr. Brannon,” Dr. Bridge instructed. Nurse Hattie nodded and looked at her checklist for the Crash Cart. She noted that the small oxygen tank had expired and that a few other supplies were needed. Taking the oxygen tank, she walked over to the door of the Supply Room and placed her palm on the security plate near the door and in a few seconds the door to the Supply Room popped open. She used the oxygen tank as a doorstop to hold the door open and entered the room. In a few minutes she returned with a fresh oxygen tank and supplies for the Crash Cart. She returned to the cart and began replacement, noting each item on the checklist attached to the cart. In her concentration on her tasks she forgot about the oxygen tank holding the Supply Room door open.

Nurse Tacy pressed her code into the keypad of one of the four examination rooms. The door unlocked with the familiar metal click. Inside each examination room was a gray metal examination table which was covered with shiny, black padded vinyl. Each table had an additional paper covering which was changed after each examination. There was also a metal chair, a sink and two wastebaskets. One wastebasket was made of stainless steel and contained an orange plastic liner and warnings that it contained biological waste. Each examination room contained a security camera discreetly mounted near the ceiling above the door. Except for emergencies, it could only be activated by pressing a switch near the sink or by the Central Control Room on the direct order of the Warden or Deputy Warden for security. The door to the examination room was solid metal, painted white with the exception of a one foot square glass window.

Nurse Tacy looked around the room to make sure it had been properly cleaned by the inmate orderlies. She walked over to the examination table and made sure the paper was fresh and glanced over to check that the sink was clean and the wastebaskets were empty. “Tibbs, you can bring Brannon in here,” she said as she readied her blood pressure cuff and electronic thermometer.

Officer Tibbs got up from the metal desk and walked over to the key pad of the holding cell.

“Brannon you are first, so I want you up here near the door. Kirk I want you in the back of the cell while I let Brannon out,” he ordered. Brannon moved toward the front of the cell and Kirk slunk back to the rear.

“I don’t want these bitches sticking me today,” Kirk shouted.

Tibbs ignored Kirk as he tapped his code into the keypad of the holding cell. He opened the gate once he heard the metallic click of the lock and after carefully closing it he moved Brannon to the examination room. “Sit on the table and behave yourself. I will be right outside the door. And remember, these ladies are trying to help you,” he cautioned Brannon. Nurse Tacy began her examination as Tibbs closed the door. He could see her using the blood pressure cuff as he looked through the glass window. Satisfied that Brannon was calm and cooperative, Tibbs returned to his seat at the metal desk, glanced at Kirk in the holding cell and continued reading his newspaper.

In a few minutes a green light flashed on the door outside the examination room, signaling that the nurse was ready for the doctor to examine the patient. Dr. Bridge appeared from her office holding inmate Brannon’s thick medical file. Officer Tibbs watched admiringly as her heels clicked across the polished floor and she entered the examination room.

“Mr. Brannon, I see from your Sick Call Request that you have had bad diarrhea for several days. Is that right?” Dr. Bridge asked, looking at the medical records, “Tacy, are his vitals okay?” she continued.

Nurse Tacy responded first, “His vitals are all okay. I think he is a little dehydrated,” she said.

“I have had the runs for two days and a headache,” Brannon stated. “I have been a little better in the last few hours.”

“Mr. Brannon have you still been eating roaches?” Dr. Bridge asked in a soft, kindly, tone as she looked at her notes from previous encounters. “You do remember us telling you that roaches could make you sick?” she continued.

“Miss Doctor, I try to do what you and Nurse Tacy say. But sometimes the voices they tell me to eat the roaches. They say if I don’t eat them the roaches will eat me if I go to sleep,” Brannon replied, blinking his eyes.

“Mr. Brannon, you know those roaches can’t hurt you. Unless you eat them. Then they can make you sick. Are the voices telling you anything else?” Dr. Bridge asked.

“The voices say that bad men in this prison want to hurt you and Nurse Tacy. The voices fly around my head and talk to me. I try to bat them away and sometimes that works. But you need to be very careful. The voices have been flying around a lot today,” he said ominously while he stared at the floor.

“I don’t think we need any voices for us to know that,” Nurse Tacy replied in a soft voice.

“Today be different, I think,” Brannon said still looking at the floor and shaking his head.

“I’m going to get you some medicine from the Supply Room that will take care of your diarrhea. If that doesn’t work, fill out another Sick Call Request and we will do a culture to see if you need an antibiotic. I’m also going to schedule you for mental health to get you some help on the voices,” Dr. Bridge said as she made notes in the medical file.

“I will be glad to get that from the Supply Room,” Nurse Tacy replied.

“That’s okay. I want to try out my palm print on the new security door. I haven’t tried it yet since they hardened the security on the Supply Room and I gave them my palm print,” Dr. Bridge replied as she stepped outside the examination room.

An announcement began on every loudspeaker within the prison. It was especially loud in the Medical Unit which for some reason had two speakers. “It is now time for morning Count. All movement within the prison is to stop immediately until the Count clears. All designated officers will report their Count numbers to the Central Control Room immediately. You will be notified when the Count clears and movement is authorized,” an authoritative voice ordered.

The Count of the inmate population was taken every day at the prison, three times a day. The purpose of the Count was to make sure that no inmates had escaped or were hiding within the prison. Given the number of inmates, their various assignments and movement within the prison, the Count made sure that all inmates were accounted for every eight hours. In times of turmoil counts were done more often or sometimes the entire prison was locked down and all inmate movement stopped.

Tibbs watched Dr. Bridge walk across the medical area toward the Supply Room. He then got up and walked to the examination room door. He knocked on the window and then using his code opened the door to the examination room. “Tacy, you and Mr. Brannon need to be out here while Count is going on,” he said. The nurse and inmate left the examination room and stood beside Tibbs. Nurse Tacy left the examination room door slightly ajar as she expected the Count to be over quickly.

Tibbs had his back to the Holding Cell and was about to say something to Nurse Tacy when inmate Brannon shouted, “Hear the voices! He coming,” as he pointed to the door of the Holding Cell. Tibbs turned and could see that inmate Kirk was at the gate of the Holding Cell with a white plastic knife in his left hand. In Kirk’s right hand was the transistor radio that he was manipulating around the locking mechanism to the cell door. Across the room the click of the electric lock opening the Holding Cell could be heard. Kirk then stepped outside the Holding Cell waving his plastic knife.

Tibbs unsheathed his nightstick and reached for his radio. “Code 10–31, Medical Unit, inmate armed,” Tibbs shouted into the radio as he faced Kirk. Tibbs then noticed the door to the Supply Room being held open by the oxygen tank. Tibbs looked around the room frantically for Dr. Bridge and Nurse Hattie. He shuddered as he heard movement in the back of the supply room. Nurse Tacy froze as she felt Kirk’s eyes level with hers.

“I tricked the lock. We get to fight for pussy now, Tibbs,” Kirk snarled, his eyes moving all around the medical area in a strategic fashion.

A noise distracted Tibbs from his faceoff with Kirk. He turned slightly and saw that Brannon had opened the examination room door and was pushing Nurse Tacy inside. “You stay there,” Brannon said as he closed the door behind her and heard the familiar metallic locking sound. For a second, Tibbs felt relieved as he was sure that he and Brannon could overpower Kirk. “Get back in there,” he shouted at Kirk.

At that moment there was the sound of something being dropped in the Supply Room. Kirk instantly moved several steps to the left and with one sweep of his huge hand, scraped the palm sensor to the Supply Room off the wall. Tibbs and Brannon lunged toward the Supply Room as Kirk kicked over the oxygen tank and closed the heavy metal door to the Supply Room behind him which immediately locked, just as it was designed. As the door closed, everyone in the Medical Unit could hear screams from within the Supply Room.

Tibbs grabbed the tangled wires to the security plate at the door, but with no effect. He then pulled with all his strength at the handle to the massive door which remained unmoved. Just then, three helmeted officers with shields and a rubber bullet gun entered the room. “He’s got Dr. Bridge and Hattie in there. We need to crack the door,” Tibbs screamed.

One of the officers looked at the remains of the palm plate on the floor, tugged at the door and then yelled at his radio, “We need some crowbars and sledgehammers.” The other officer ordered Brannon to lie on the floor. The prison sirens wailed and there was an announcement on the all the loudspeakers in a loud, modulated voice which sounded prerecorded and mechanical, “Entire prison is on lockdown. Only emergency movement allowed.” The message continued to repeat in a weird automatic way every minute. After the first message, the red lights to all the security cameras turned off.

Within seconds the Warden arrived with two additional officers armed with crowbars and pickaxes. It took exactly thirty-nine minutes after the door to the Supply Room closed and locked for the officers to reopen the door. Tibbs, the Warden and the four other officers stood with their shields and the rubber bullet gun ready as an officer finally pried the door loose with a crowbar.

As the door opened, they could see Kirk standing naked with his hands in the air. He was covered with blood and there were pills all over the floor. Behind him could be seen the nude, blood covered body of Dr. Bridge. The white plastic knife protruded at an angle from her bloody neck. The clothed body of Nurse Hattie lay at Kirk’s feet, her head snapped back and nearly touching the top of her back.

“I swear I didn’t do it. I want a lawyer. I have rights,” Kirk said as he laughed, his eyes glazed. Tibbs lunged at him, but was held back by the Warden.

“Tibbs, we will take it from here. There is nothing you can do,” the Warden said as he wiped his eye. Two officers stepped forward and placed Kirk in handcuffs and leg irons, and tightened his belly chain to the point that he grimaced in pain despite the medication he had consumed. Tibbs left the room and walked toward the Warden’s office.

Nurse Tacy emerged from the examining room and began to cry. “That should have been me!” she sobbed.

On the floor, his hands cuffed behind him, Booger Brannon cried as his huge body shook convulsively, “the voices laughing,” he said as he sobbed.