Chapter 19 - Page 280 - Louisiana Law

   Rhasha rushed to Jim, who was sitting in a chair. When she saw he was unharmed, she began to cry openly. The officer left to guard Jim ran to apprehend Rhasha. He ran into a fist that knocked him out cold. Rhasha reached behind Jim and pulled his handcuffs apart.

   Jim rose and they hugged each other tight. Miniature stars popped all around their heads as Jim and Rhasha kissed passionately. Rhasha held up her pinkie finger, then Jim held up his. They locked their pinkie fingers together and kissed again.

   No one dared to come into the room.

   Jim turned toward the door and put his left arm around Rhasha's waist. She slid her right arm around his waist, and they walked together to the open door. Outside the room, twenty-two officers waited with their guns aimed at Jim and Rhasha.

   "God's not going to let you hurt us," Jim said. "You might as well put your guns away."

   No one complied with Jim's suggestion. Every officer in the department wanted a reason to shoot. As Jim and Rhasha walked over to the desk where the police report was, all the officers followed them with their guns still trained on their backs.

   Two folders lay open on top of the desk, with a form lying at an angle on top of each folder. Jim's fingerprints and mug shots were paper-clipped to the top of one form and Rhasha's fingerprints and mug shots were paper-clipped to the top of the other form.

   The arresting officer and his assistants had regained consciousness and staggered into the central receiving area. The officer from Jim's interrogation room arrived at the same time. The arresting officer saw all the guns pointed at Jim and Rhasha and yelled, "Shoot them! Can't you see they're escaping?"

   All the officers looked down their gun barrels. The prisoners stood motionless. No one fired. They didn't want to be accused of murder.

   "Never mind," the arresting officer growled, "I'll do it myself." Hatred for Jim and Rhasha made him irrational-he didn't care if he was arrested for murder. He pulled his gun out of its holster and pointed it at Jim's head. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger. Jim closed his eyes and began praying out loud, asking God to spare Rhasha's life. The sergeant had a sinister smile on his face-a smile of triumph.