Her eyes watered instantly, and Theo’s first thought was that he hated to see Daisy cry. She said, “Oh, Theo, you can’t do this. Please.”
“I’m doing it, Mrs. Lambert, okay? And I’m not going to argue. Woody is my close friend and he needs our help. Now, how much?”
She wiped her eyes, thought for a second. “I talked to his father, my ex, and he said he would try and borrow some money, but I’m not counting on it. He never comes through. I’ve got three hundred dollars in the bank, and I’m trying to get more out of my husband. It’s tough, Theo. Times are tough for some people.”
Especially Woody and Tony, he thought. “Okay, great, so we have seven hundred bucks that we can count on. That’s a start. I’ll get to work.”
“I’ll pay you back, Theo, I promise.”
“I’m not worried about that right now. Have you talked to a bail bondsman?”
“No, I was going to call later this afternoon.”
“I have one in mind.”
“Thanks. I have to get back to work.”
Theo had noticed the offices before. There were several of them on the side streets near the jail, all shady little places with cheap rents and temporary looks. They advertised with large signs, as if the guys behind bars could simply look out a window, jot down a phone number, make a call, and get out. The bail bond business seemed to attract those with backgrounds in police work and private investigations, and was not highly regulated, nor highly regarded. Theo had looked it over online and had decided he would rather not do business with any of the five companies he’d found in Strattenburg.
But, there was no other choice. Judging from the online ads, and from the looks of the office, AAA Bail Bonds seemed like the best of the bunch. He parked his bike near its front door and took a deep breath. He reminded himself that he was just a kid and most adults were not rude or insulting to kids. He also reminded himself that he had just barged into the PD’s office without an appointment and stuck his nose into another lawyer’s business, and he had just invaded a hair salon where he had never felt so unwelcome. This could not be as bad.
When Theo opened the door he was immediately hit with a wave of disgusting cigarette smoke. The battered reception desk was vacant. He could hear voices in the rear. Someone yelled, “Be there in a minute.”
Theo waited by the door, ready to bolt if necessary. A man appeared, a thick tough-looking dude in a shirt with short sleeves that revealed biceps as round as softballs. The shirt was sort of a light orange color, which would have been fine but for the bright green tie knotted thickly at his neck. Blue jeans, pointed-toe cowboy boots, gun on the hip. He was scowling and seemed ticked off at the disturbance, but when he saw Theo he broke into a wide smile and said, “Well, what brings you here?”
“I’m Theodore Boone. My parents are Marcella and Woods Boone, both lawyers. You might know them.”
“I think so. They don’t do much on the criminal side, right?”
“That’s right.”
“So why are you here? Have a seat,” he said, pointing to some plastic chairs. Theo didn’t want to stay long but sat down out of courtesy. “Name’s Sparky,” he said.
No last name. Sparky seemed to be a fitting name for the place.
“Yes, sir, well, my friend’s in jail and I’m trying to arrange his bail.”
“How old is he?”
“Thirteen. Woody Lambert. He’s with his brother Tony.”
Sparky sat behind the desk and picked up some papers. He scanned a couple of them and said, “Oh, here it is. Armed robbery. Ten grand each. You need for me to write the bond?”
“Sure, but the family has very little money.”
“Gee, I’ve never heard that before. Where’s the family? Why are you here?”
“The mom’s working; the father is away. I’m here as a friend. Is it true that you charge ten percent for the bail bond?”
“That’s the ticket, son. A thousand bucks each and I can get ’em out in no time flat. Assuming I’m convinced they’re good boys with no intentions of running away.”
“Why is it ten percent? Seems like it should be less when dealing with kids who aren’t really capable of running away.”
“Oh, you think so? What do you know about the bail bond business?”
“Not much.”
“That’s what I figured. Look, kid, I’ve been doing this for twenty years, and I can promise you that every criminal is capable of running away. They do it all the time and it’s my job to go find them, grab them, bring them back here, and haul them in front of the judge. This is a risky business.”
Theo could not comprehend Woody being referred to as a “criminal.” He took a deep breath, uncertain about what to say next. “Is it possible to write the bond for less than ten percent?”
Sparky grunted his disapproval and waved a hand at the windows. “Not here, but feel free to go next door or across the street. But it’s a waste of time. Nobody can get your friend out quicker than me. I guarantee it.”
Theo hesitated and tried to look as pitiful as possible. Sparky glared at him as if they were wasting their time. Theo asked, “So, if I bring you two thousand dollars in cash, how long will it take to get them out?”
“About an hour.” Sparky stood as if he suddenly had better things to do. “Now beat it, kid.”
“Thanks,” Theo said and walked to the door.
Chapter 11
At the jail, Officer Randolph examined the note from Mrs. Gladwell and told Theo to follow him. They went to a small windowless room that was barely wide enough for a narrow table and two folding chairs. Theo took a seat and unpacked his textbooks. He waited nervously, jumping at every sound in the hallway. Finally, Woody walked in and Officer Randolph closed the door behind him. It locked loudly.
Woody’s left eye was swollen shut and he had a fresh cut on his forehead. He sat across from Theo and said, “You gotta get me out of here, Theo.”
“What happened? You look awful.”
“Got in a fight. Last night they put this guy Jock in our cell and he was serious trouble.”
“What happened, Woody?”
Woody placed his hands on the table. Both were shaking. His right eye watered, and it was obvious he was a wreck. He began. “Jock is a jerk, a real bully, and a tough guy. Tony and I tried to stay away from him but the cell is not big enough. About an hour ago, when they finally brought us lunch, Jock said he wanted half of my sandwich. I said no, and I guess that was the wrong thing to say. He grabbed for the sandwich, dumped my tray, and that started it all. He was just begging for a fight. He punched me in the face, Tony jumped on his back, and Jock basically beat the crap out of us. Before the guards could get there he had us both on the floor and was kicking away. You should see Tony’s face. Everybody was yelling, and when the guards grabbed Jock he yelled about how we jumped him and started it all. Two against one ain’t fair and stuff like that. They took him away to another cell and the guards cussed us for starting the fight, said we’d have to spend more time in jail for fighting.”
Theo was stunned. He asked, “Is Tony okay?”
“I think so. An EMT looked at him, said nothing was broken, put some ice on his face. Jock is one mean dude. You gotta help us, Theo. We’re in jail for doing nothing and this place is awful.”
“I’m trying, okay? I just met with your mom and then with a bail bondsman. I also met with your lawyer, who is not that nice of a guy.”
“We didn’t like him at all. He started off by telling us how busy he is, how he’s got fifty cases right now, all in Youth Court, and so he can’t spend much time with us. We told him what happened and got the impression he didn’t believe us. We need another lawyer, Theo.”