Mean Woman Blues

at Central Lockup myself. She was there.”
    “Maybe they transferred her this morning. What did she tell you when she called?”
    “She said CDC Section J— oh, wait. JPSO, she said first. Could that mean Jefferson Parish?”
    “It might.”
    “But she was stopped in Orleans. Why would they take her to Jefferson?”
    “Simple. That’s where she wrote the bad checks.”
    There it was again. Instant conviction. It was one thing coming from a jailer and quite another from Terri’s lawyer. “I guess,” he said, “there’s really no such thing as the presumption of innocence.”
    “What?”
    “You just convicted her.”
    There was an edge to Tiffie’s voice. “You’re going to find, Isaac, that most people who get arrested are guilty.”
    Well. He really needed
that.
“Look, do you think you can find out where she is?”
    “Let me try.”
    She called back in ten minutes. “She’s not in Jefferson Parish, but she’s not in Orleans either. I just talked to the clerk of court. He remembers you.”
    “Well, where does that get us?”
    “I don’t know. I just don’t know. Let me try calling a few people.”
    Isaac fidgeted while she did, unable to do anything worthwhile, way too keyed up for a catnap, not hungry and not thirsty. He supposed that normal people watched television at times like this, but he absolutely couldn’t abide the medium. He went in the bathroom and washed his hands a few times.
    After forty-five minutes, the phone rang. Tiffie said, “I’ve found her, or at least I know where she’s supposed to be. They did transfer her to Jefferson. But over there they’re still saying they have no record of her. They must not have processed her yet.”
    “What do we do now?”
    “I’m going to lunch. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”
    Isaac was nearly mad with anxiety. He wondered if he should call her parents and decided definitely not. He sat down and meditated, something he should have thought of a long time ago. He used to do it several times a day, but he was kind of out of practice.
    Afterward, he felt calm enough to go to the kitchen and make a tuna fish sandwich, though he was usually a strict vegetarian. Today, he needed something solid. He was slicing green onions when Terri called.
    “Hi. I’m in Gretna. On the west bank of the river. Jefferson Parish.”
    “So I hear. Well, I was in court this morning even if you weren’t. You should have seen me in my power jacket.”
    “Isaac, what’s happening?” Her voice was full of fear.
    “Well, the good news is, you’ve got a tough cookie of a lawyer.”
    “Great.”
    “The bad is, she’s named Tiffie.”
    She didn’t laugh. “Oh, very funny.”
    “I swear. She’s Pamela’s sister-in-law. She’s very good.” He felt a twinge, realizing he didn’t yet know how good she was. “Anyway, she’s very conscientious.”
    “Well, then, why am I still in here?” She sounded as if she were losing it.
    “To tell you the truth, you were lost in the system for a few hours. We’ll get you out soon. I promise.”
    By one o’clock, Tiffie had caught up with him. She called to say that Terri was indeed in Jefferson Parish Lockup and a judge would set bond at five o’clock.
    Isaac had a question, but he didn’t really know how to ask it “I’m wondering, ah—”
    Tiffie closed in on his indecision. “Look. Isaac. That’s it. That’s the whole story. There’s no way to get her out till then.”
    “I wasn’t… I was just…”
    Her voice was supremely tired. “Isaac, there’s nothing more I can do.”
    He had no idea why she’d so suddenly gone off on him, but he really needed an answer to his question. His urgency gave him sudden clarity of speech. “Look,” he said, “would you just hear me out?”
    Tiffie backed off. “All right.”
    “Can you go to court with her?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Of all things he expected to hear, that was the last. Maybe this woman wasn’t a good lawyer. Evidently, she had a poor comprehension of English. He tried again, “When she goes to court at five, can you be there?”
    “She’s not going to court.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “They’ll just do it on the phone.”
    “I never heard of that.”
    “I guess that’s the way they do it over there.”
    Okay then. Nothing more to be done. He could grab a much-needed nap and then go get her. Ah, but how was he going to do that on his scooter? He really needed Terri’s car. He hoped she’d