Chereads / Blood Stains on Holy Ground: The Murder of Claude Jakes / Chapter 8 - Behind Bars, Beyond Limits

Chapter 8 - Behind Bars, Beyond Limits

In the prison cell of Louisiana Kaz and Tommy, were putting on the prisoners clothes of a low-level criminal they both stood in the prison yard with the other inmates, all of whom were wearing orange jumpsuits.

They were both surprised to see their boss, Big Jim, wearing a blue jumpsuit. Blue was the colour reserved for high-ranking criminals, from the colour of his clothes it was clear that Big Jim had some pull in the prison hierarchy.

"Yo, Big Boss," Tommy said. "What's up with the blue jumpsuit?"

"Sorry, boys," Big Jim said. "I didn't mean for you guys to end up here, I fucked up just the same way as both of you, but this I can assure you both that you would get out of here soon. That's a bet"

Kaz and Tommy looked at each other, Kaz eyes showed how frightened he was this was his first experience in the person cell.

But he trusts and respects Big Jim so if Big Jim says they would get out of the prison cell soon, he had to believe him.

"How are you so sure?" Kaz asked.

"I have some friends in high places," Big Jim said. "I'll make sure everything is taken care of, I know you are scared little champ please don't be I promise everything would be sorted out soon."

Kaz and Tommy nodded, by the expression on Kaz's face you can tell how scared and unsure he was.

"You two come with me." Big Jim instructed Kaz and Tommy to follow him as they went on to a calm place in the prison yard, they found a place to sit there.

Big Jim, Kaz, and Tommy were sitting in the calm place they found in the prison yard, talking about starting a new operation which was all Big Jim's idea.

"Boys, I know this place too well," Big Jim said. "There are a few prisoners in here who are always looking for trouble. They're the ones we need to watch out for."

"What do you mean?" Kaz asked.

"I mean, they're the ones who are always snooping around, trying to find something to get someone in trouble," Big Jim said. "We need to be careful not to let them know what we're up to."

"Okay," Kaz responded, anxious to hear more of where Big Jim was driving.

"Good," Big Jim said. "Now, here's what I'm thinking. We're going to move some peels around the prison."

"Peels?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, peels," Big Jim said. "You know, white powder is going to move well around here. The prisoners here would like to have have something to sniff and relax"

"I see," Tommy said.

"So, here's the plan," Big Jim said. "I'm going to bring Kaz with me to move the peels. He's new here, so needs to be shown around how to move this and be safe. Tommy, you stay here and keep an eye on things. I will direct some buyers to you."

"Okay," Tommy replied.

"Good," Big Jim said. "Now, let's get started."

Big Jim and Kaz left their seats and they both went to the prisoners gathered who were lounging around, and Big Jim started talking to them.

"Hey, fellas," Big Jim said. "I've got some peels that I'm looking to trade."

The prisoners looked at each other, then back at Big Jim.

"What kind of peels?" one of them asked.

"Louee, Gooey, and Phennies," Big Jim said. "I've got a whole bunch of them."

The prisoners were interested.

"What do you want for them?" one of them asked.

"I'm looking for some information," Big Jim said. "I want to know who the snitches are in this prison."

The prisoners looked at each other again.

"We don't know any snitches," one of them said.

"Sure you do," Big Jim said. "I know you do. I just need to know who they are."

The prisoners were silent for a moment.

"Okay," one of them said. "There's one guy who's always asking questions. He's probably a snitch."

"What is his name?" Big Jim asked with an authoritative tone.

"I think Rolly… yeah Rolly is his name" one of the prisoners replied.

"Good my nigga," Big Jim said shook hands with the prisoner that gave him the name of the snitch. "That's all I need to know."

Then Big Jim and Kaz left the prisoners with two wraps of Louee and they both returned back to their calm seated place in the prison yard.

"Well, that went well," Big Jim said.

"Yeah, it did, Boss," Kaz responded. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

"It's all about knowing who to talk to," Big Jim said. "Now, let's get these peels moved around."

Big Jim and Kaz started moving the peels from one cell to another. They were careful not to let anyone see what they were doing.

"Kaz," Big Jim's gruff voice rumbled, "we need to watch our backs in here. You heard from those niggas that there's a rat in here, that nigga, Rolly."

Kaz nodded, his eyes narrowing. "I am keeping an eye out, boss.

With a silent understanding, they began their covert operation. They decided to use a code language to discuss their lucrative drug trade. Each term had a secret meaning known only to them.

"Bump" meant cocaine, "Big C" stood for crystal meth, and "Candy" was their code for ecstasy. They had a term for every substance they intended to sell, from "Charlie" (heroin) to "Sneeze" (methamphetamine).

Their prices were straightforward: $50 for a single wrap and a hefty $200 for a pack of drugs. As they continued their discussion, they exchanged nods and subtle hand gestures to keep their intentions hidden from prying eyes.

"Rock" meant crack cocaine, "Snow" referred to pure cocaine, and "Toot" was their secret word for inhalants. As they moved on to discuss more drugs, the coded language flowed effortlessly between them.

"Yo, my Nigga how many wraps of Rocks you want?" Big Jim asked one of the prisoners with dreadlocks, that big tattoos on his neck.

"Yay(o)" was their term for marijuana, and "Bars" signified Xanax, while "Benzos" were any other benzodiazepines. They even had codes for prescription drugs like "Tranks" for tranquilizers and "Z-bar Phennies" for a combination of Xanax and Phenobarbital.

"I want two wraps of snow and three Toots" the prisoner responded.

"Is that all?" Big Jim asked

"Yeah, my nigga." The prisoner responded.

"Here you go Gee" Big Jim placed the order of the prison in his hands and in exchange the prisoner gave Big Jim 500 bucks.

Their operation was a well-oiled machine, fueled by secrecy and deception. They knew that staying under the radar was the key to their success within the prison walls.

The mealtime buzz started ringing and it continued around them. Big Jim and Kaz had finished selling, so they went back to their cell.

"That's done," Big Jim said. "Now, we just wait till the next prison yard gathering like this, so we can make more money."