The Contractor - Part 2b - by nova

They wouldn't shut up about football.  "Hey Johnson." So that was the black agents name, "I need tomorrow off. I got to run my kid to  the dentist."

"Fine. Submit it and I'll sign off on it when I come in. And Smith..."

"Yeah boss."

"Don't forget. Stealing time is the same as stealing money."

Smith didn't say anything in reply. I waited for the laughter. None came. Well, at least it was a break in the conversation and I used it. "Where are we going?"
Johnson answered over his shoulder, "Field Office on 4th Street.  You'll get booked there and sat back until another Agent talks to you."

"Except I didn't do anything!"  I was trying to be cool but my voice betrayed me.  It didn't go unnoticed. He added, "Jones, tell him what he's looking at while I call in."

"Lets see. Possession with intent to distribute, a firearm, semiautomatic, that I bet isn't registered in your name."

"That's not mine! Look, there was this hot blond and..."

"Shut up." Jones told me. We don't care. Your lawyer won't care and the Judge won't care. You do know about the mandatory sentencing guidelines? Right?"

I shook my head. My stomach sunk. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like this. I was right. "Your looking at 78 months incarceration minimum."  I swallowed and said quietly, "I didn't do this officer."

"It's Agent. Shut up."

I wondered, "Weren't they supposed to read me my rights?" I did have rights except I didn't really want to hear them. Since they hadn't yet maybe I was not under arrest and this could all be straightened out. They went back to talking about football and I watched the people on the street. That world already seemed far away. While I did that I tried to figure out what 78 months was in years.  As best as I could figure out it was six years. If I had my phone I could use the calculator but they had taken that.  Whatever it was in years it was too many.  Then the evil part of my brain started sending images of what I could expect in DC Jail, a jail well known for its squalor and angry black men with large penises that...  "Holy shit. What the hell have I gotten into here? My fear level kicked up a notch.