April 30, 2024 • 31 mins
The out of town builders return to the truck stop to finish what they started. Janet and Tommy are filled with regret as the truck stop operations get flipped upside down.
Written and hosted by Lindsay Byron - goodtimesbadgirls.com
Music and sound design by Guy Kelly - guykelly.com
CAST:
Prosecutor - Ben Bowlin
Officer Turner - Ramsey Yount
SOURCES:
The opening courtroom exchange is from the December 6 1977 direct examination of US State Trooper Raymond Paul Turner Jr by US Prosecuting Attorney Robert Amidon.
This and all courtroom scenes come from The United States VS Joseph Whitehead, Landon Wayne Holley, and Aubrey Henderson trial trial trial. These transcripts are located in the National Archives in Philadelphia.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Please, in your old words to the ladies and gentlemen
at the court, describe what occurred.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
On that date.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
A young woman walked up to me and asked if
I would like to date her. I said that all depends,
would you like to day me? And she smiled and
she said she.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Would Let me interrupt you again, now for a minute.
What does a word date mean to you? It means
certain things to me. But what was meant by the
word date?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Well, I think a date would mean to me whate
would mean to most people, like you would ask a
girl out on a date. But I think in this case,
she just wanted to make sure, wanted to know if
I wanted to take her into the back room.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
All right, please continue.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
We entered a very small room. It had a bed
against a wall which had a leopard skin type bed
spread on it. There was a small table against the wall.
As you walked into the room, there was a pan
of water and soap and a washcloth lying on the table.
She then told me to take my clothes off and
she would return it in a minute. I took my
(01:33):
jacket off and hung it on a nail on the door,
and in approximately three to four minutes, she returned and
asked me why I had not take my clothes off.
I informed her that the room was small and hot,
and that I was a little nervous as I had
not been out with such a good looking woman and
quite a while. She then told me to take my
clothes off. I began to take my shirt off very slowly.
(01:57):
She took her brawl off and hung it on a
nail on the other side of room, and insisted that
I hurry as time was running short. She picked up
a pan of water and the soap and the washcloth
and walked over to where I was at and I
asked her what is she going to do, and she said,
I'm going to wash you off because I can't take
(02:17):
any chances on getting any bugs. At this time. I
reached in my boot and took a small revolver out
and put it in my rear pants pocket.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
There's a couple of them builders from South Hill at
the door. Janet called out to Doorman Roy as she
peered through the blinds. Connie Is dealt with them already,
let him in behind the locked door. Tommy worked in
the office. He'd been doing that a lot lately, locking
(02:59):
doors he'd promised he'd be more open with her, more transparent,
another promise broken. Like many women before her and many
to follow, She'd convinced herself that a marriage would heal
the cracks, would make Tommy feel solid, whole, present, like
(03:22):
he did in the early days. The early days, they
weren't so far back, now, were they?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
A year?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Two? Years? Three? Howe had so much changed in this
short time. She said yes to his flirtations, yes to
his propositions, yes to many customers, yes to working the desk,
yes to being his wife. And yet the moment Tommy
(03:51):
had secured every yes Janet could provide, he looked away,
stared to law. Some of these other girls kept too
many doors locked, kept too many secrets, got too mad,
was too quick with punishment. Tommy had swagger. He could
(04:18):
convince a woman of almost anything. He could convince a
woman even that she deserved the hand that was not
a fist, but stung like hell. Nonetheless, Janet peered through
the blinds again, Tommy, there's a van parked across the street.
(04:44):
Do you know who that might be? The closed office door, however,
shut her voice out entirely. Tommy continued on scribbling, in
his ledger undisturbed. Two customers entered the twenty nine, and
(05:08):
Roy checked them against their descriptions in the log book,
one middle aged, bald headed Madden Coveralls, one younger man
in dirty jeans and a blue work shirt. Back again,
I see, Roy said to them, and then he called
over his shoulder, Hey, Connie, your buddy's from South Hill
(05:31):
are here. Connie sashetted into the lobby. Ain't either of
y'all my boyfriend from last time, she told the two builders,
looking them up and down. But I bet one of
y'all would like to be my boyfriend this time. The
(05:54):
builders smiled nudged one another like middle schoolboys nose deep
in a dirty mag. Well, that all depends. Baby, would
you like to be my girlfriend? And do you got
to gather me too? Interjected Coveralls. Yes to both questions.
(06:22):
Connie answered with a smile and gesture to the bar,
where the new girl kitten sets silent alongside Buckeye and Tanita.
Of the three kittens seemed the only one clear headed.
(06:42):
Connie approached the bar. Buck Guy and Tanita rested their
heads in their hands. Kitten stared at her lap, rotating
a ring around her finger. Hmmm, why don't you come
(07:03):
sit with us? Kitten? Kitten stood from the barstool, smoothed
her silk slip, and joined the party. Later, when she
would tearfully demand from Connie why she had chosen her
out of the three for this accursed gig, Connie would
(07:23):
plead the others were too fucked up. I had no choice.
Not here for Sodi pop this time, Connie prodded the men. Now,
as the party of four settled in at the booth,
Not this time, Connie placed a cigarette between her lips
(07:49):
and leaned forward over the table, her cleavage on display.
Anybody got a light. Both men fulled matches from their
pockets in unison. Everyone at the table laughed. They were
(08:11):
hesitant last time they were here, Connie told Kitten, But
I think they're pretty eager now. She flashed a wide
smile at the two builders. Now, would y'all like to
have a little bit of fun? Well, that's what we
(08:33):
came for. Okay, who wants who? Then? Well, I'd like you,
Blue Shirt, answered Connie. Smiled, then turned to the other man,
(08:54):
and is my friend fine for you? She asked, Coveralls,
gesturing to Kitten, who disappointed her entirely by gazing still
at her lap, rotating that ring. Some hustle on this
broad kitten had bought herself this ring when she'd become
(09:16):
a mother. She'd wait forever if she waited for her
man to buy herring, to do her any kindness at all,
She wondered now where he was and where he had
taken their child. Well, I reckon, she's all right, Coveralls replied.
(09:39):
In that case, head on outside and meet us at
the back door. Well, last time I was here, I
think you just took my buddy down that hallway. Things
have changed since last time. The boss man thought it
was too easy to get to the goods, said we
(10:02):
needed an extra level of protection. Got it? So the
back door, the back door. We'll meet you there. Shuffling
through the dusty parking lot, kicking up rocks with their
(10:23):
steel toed work boots, Blue shirt asked Coveralls, you ready
for this? I am? Are you? I've been ready? They knocked.
(10:47):
Who is it? Connie cooed from behind the door. Your
friends from South Hill, of course, just got to double check.
From inside the buildings sounded the grown of metal against metal,
(11:10):
a lock turning. Finally, after minutes that felt like hours
to the two fellas, whose hearts pounded with anticipation. The
door opened, Come on in, Connie smiled. Kitten hung behind
(11:35):
as meek as her name suggested. Once inside, Connie laboriously
lowered a steel bolt back across the door. Miss way,
that's too heavy for you, Blue shirt offered. No, no, no, no, no,
(11:56):
I ain't no one from the outside got a place
a fanger on this lock. Trying to keep out the
riff raff. Trying to keep in the riff raff, Blue
Shirt laughed, then looked to his friend, who was already
(12:17):
wrapping his arms around kitten. Follow us, Connie said, and
the women dispersed down the hallway, leading the men each
into their own tiny spaces. A single bed, a rickety
side table, a nail on the wall to hang your pants,
(12:40):
a nail for your shirt, a cracked porcelain wash basin
decorated with a fading print of roses. In Connie's room,
there was a notebook scrawled with a record of all
the places she'd worked, all the bosses she'd worked on
her the phone numbers and aliases of old allies should
(13:02):
she want to change her location. A girl like Connie
stayed on the move. A room and an establishment like
this one didn't provide for personalization, a photo of your mama,
your favorite novel on the bedside, soft sheets to ease
the weariness of a long day. No, this room was
(13:22):
away station, not a home, a place to calculate the
worth of your time and your body, and hope that
the hungry bastard before you didn't have a taste for negotiation.
Do not negotiate. Connie had worn Kitten earlier as she
(13:43):
educated her on the ways of the twenty nine and
if a customer causes you a single problem, just hit
the red button next to the door. Somebody up front
will help you. Once in the room, Kittens sat on
(14:04):
the bed Coveralls stood before her. It's twenty five for
a straight, thirty for a half and a half, and
thirty five for French, she said, never looking him in
the face. Them some exorbitant prices, ain't they. I don't
(14:29):
think so. How about that happened? Half for twenty five?
Can't do that, mister, fine, Let's just make it straight.
Then he pulled from his wallet a twenty and a ten.
She set the money carefully on the bedside table undress.
(14:58):
She told him, picking up the wash basin and heading
for the door. Two doors down, a similar scene played out. Well,
let's just do it straight, Blue Shirt decided after Connie
listed the options, Pulling from his wallet a twenty dollars bill,
(15:21):
he placed it in her hand. Fine by me, but
you're gonna wish you got the half and half. She
picked up a wash basin from the bedside table, porcelain
rimmed with gold. Take your clothes off, she told him,
(15:43):
and disappeared into the hallway. In the bathroom, under the
grim light of a single flickering bulb, the two women
took turns filling up their bowls with warm water. The
best of luck, Connie said to Kitten. But kitten didn't
need luck. Kitten needed strength, patience, endurance, a numbing of
(16:09):
the heart. This was not fun for her. It was, however,
fun for Connie. Connie returned to her room, first, wash
basin in hand. You're not naked. Well, I'm a little nervous.
(16:35):
Come here, she said, and set the sudsy basin on
the bedside table. What's that for? This is the Peter
Pany Square. Don't you know nothing? I can't risk catching
no bugs. I gotta wash you off. You're so beautiful,
(16:59):
he said, unbuttoning his blue shirt. I haven't been with
a beautiful woman in a long time. Thanks, Now, hurry up,
it's just well, this room is awful, hot miss, and
I really am kind of nervous. Hurry up, and I've
(17:25):
never done this kind of thing. That clock starts taking
the moment we get back here, buddy, Blue Collar unbuckled
his belt, dropped his pants around his thighs. Connie dipped
a rag into the base and took his body into
(17:47):
her hands. So what does the twenty get me? Blue collar,
asked Connie as she twisted his member upside down. Finishing
the inspection, she stood before him, untied her top, breasts
(18:07):
bouncing free, then stepped out of her pants as well,
Fully nude. She opened her arms wide and told him
this you get this, blue shirt grinned. Just let me
get out of these boots. He pulled off his left boot,
(18:32):
then reached his hand inside, feeling around for something. What
are you doing? I told you, hurry up? Wristed deep
into his boot, he continued to dig around. What are
(18:52):
you doing? Two doors down? Kitten placed the wash basin
on the bedside table. Come on, over, she told Coveralls,
who stood before her in his underwear. Everything okay, she asked, sure,
(19:18):
but you're still in your boxers. Always something with these
skittish men, Kitten thought they desired depravities untold, yet fear
taking their panties off in front of a girl. She
(19:38):
mustered her patience and smiled up at him sweetly. Make
it easy for them, she'd learned long ago. Make it
easy for them, and maybe, just maybe they'll make it
easy for you. He gazed into her eyes and moved
his hand to his underwear. It's okay, she encouraged him.
(20:03):
I'm going to make this easy for you. Reassured, he
took hold of his fly flipped it open to reveal
a shining brass badge pinned inside. No kitting, cried out.
(20:27):
She fell backwards onto the mattress, exploding into bitter sobs.
My name is Officer Moses, Virginia State Police. Coveralls announced,
and you are under arrest. Why me, she cried to
(20:51):
the ceiling, to the sky, to God. She had so
much to lose, maybe more than anyone else. Would never
ever get custody of her daughter now, hell, she might
not even get visitation. The only thing she would be
getting whenever she got out of jail would be an
(21:12):
ass beating life, a brutal, unforgiving struggle. Her gaze alighted
upon the red switch next to the door. She leapt
from the bed and sprung toward it. Now a ah,
exclaimed officer Coveralls. With one deft swoop of his arm,
(21:34):
he clotheslined her back onto the mattress. Two doors down.
Blue Shirt fished from his boot a small revolver and
a badge. He slid the revolver into the pocket of
his jeans, just in case, and flashed the badge at Connie.
(21:55):
Officer Turner, State Police, you are under arrest for prostitute,
Connie laughed. This is the first time I've ever been arrested.
You'll have to tell me what to do. The first
thing to do is get you closed back on. The
(22:16):
truck stopped. Erupted into a cacophony of banging, fists on doors,
fists on windows, doors, slamming, men, yelling, hitting, screaming, Connie
laughing from up front. Janet commanded secure the back door.
Secure the back door, but it was too late. The
(22:45):
officer formerly known as Blue Collar, had already led Connie
back to that heavy door. He lifted the steel bar
from the doorway, and, like furious bees swarming from a nest,
a gang of cops poured into the truck stop. This
(23:08):
is a ray. A leader among the police shouted, and
then dozens of them dispersed through the truck stop, bustling
through hallways. At last, broken from his focus by the
melee outside his door, Tommy leapt from his desk, looking
around wildly for a place to toss. The handful of
(23:32):
pills divided up before him. He swept them into his
fist and ran into the hallway, speeding toward the bathroom,
where the single bulb flickered on undisturbed. One of the
great ironies of life is how the world continues as
it falls apart. A fly buzzes as you die. A
(23:57):
light bulb blinks passes Roy. As he sped towards the toilet,
he hollered out, Call the Hillcrest, they're busting us, Roy
said to Aubrey, and hung up the phone. Aubrey ran
to his window surveyed his own parking lot, A van
(24:18):
with a driver set outside. Next, Roy dialed the fifty eighth.
You've reached the fifty eight truckstop, Virginia State Police speaking everyone.
It was happening to everyone, after all they had given
(24:41):
that man. Put down the phone. Sergeant Bradley instructed Roy,
and put your hands behind your back. Next, the officer
found Janet crouched behind the bar. Why would a smart,
(25:04):
pretty woman like you get mixed up in this? Because
I'm a smart pretty woman. Officer Turner emerged from the
bathroom with Tommy in handcuffs as well. It's my fault,
(25:33):
It's my fault, Janet thought. In her mind, spun the
terrifying scene from weeks prior, Joe jumping on the bed,
breaking it, falling to the floor, Joe owning her Janet
(25:53):
unable to be owned, unable to play nicea to take
the hit, unable to pretend in that critical moment, Janet saying,
fuck you, It's my fault. Tommy thought he'd said no too.
(26:21):
He'd chosen to keep Janet to himself when Whitehead wanted her.
He had told Whitehead he couldn't pay what he was asking.
Some nerve he knew the danger in non compliance. I'll
get us out of this, Tommy promised Janet. In his mind,
(26:45):
spun all the things he'd put this woman through. He
hadn't meant to lose his temper. He hadn't meant to
take out his wordes on her. She was there, open, available,
an easy target. He remembered the first time he.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Saw her in that diner, the afternoon sun dancing in
her hair, the glow of the sunset painting her face
in gold.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
The way she popped that gum, The way she said yes,
over and over yes, until he had run her ass
into the ground.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
He was sorry. He wished his heart hadn't gotten hard.
He was sorry. He wished it wasn't too late. I
will get his out of this, he promised, though lately
his promises had been wearing thin. We'll see about that,
(27:52):
said Sergeant Bradley. As the lobby filled with handcuffed women
and their handcuffed customers, the police threw open drawers, flinging
their contents. Every witch away found a lot of book.
One called out from the office. The officer formerly known
(28:18):
as Coveralls, strutted out a large blue book under his arm.
In that book the chronicle of every man who'd ever
been through this place, and in that book also the
chronicle of every bribe ever paid, as well the officer
(28:44):
looked at Tommy and smiled. Looks like a whole lot
of your friends are about to get fucked, and not
in the way they're used to. Thanks for listening. My
(29:04):
name is Lindsybyron, but most people know me as lux ATL.
Learn more about my work tits Out, Globe Trotting and
mansions worldwide at Good Times, Badgirls dot Com. Follow me
on the Gram and TikTok at lux Underscore Atl, on
(29:25):
YouTube at Luxatl, and on substot where I blog weekly
at Tumultuous True Stories by Lindsaybyron. If you'd like to
hear more about my own experience slang in companionship across
the South, read my memoir Too Pretty to Be Good
by Lindsay Byron. Find it on Amazon, Barnesandnoble dot com,
(29:47):
and anywhere books are sold online. Hey, if you'd like
to continue to listen to me tell stories, check out
my first podcast, strip Cast True Stories from a Stripper
with the PhD. Listen on Spotify and iTunes. Follow this
podcast on the Gram at Hookergate Underscore podcast. Theme music
(30:10):
and sound design by my long term partner in artistic crime,
guy Kelly You the Illist GK. Check out his work
at Guy Kelly dot com. While this podcast is based
upon real events, certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic effect.
(30:30):
I cannot know for certain what exactly was said behind
closed doors, so I combine my research and imagination to
dramatize scenes described most often under oath in chord and
occasionally secondhand via journalistic or personal accounts. Find citations in
this show notes. The pitch for this podcast won the
(30:53):
twenty twenty one Next Great Podcast competition hosted by Tongle
and iHeartRadio, which is why I'm here. We are now
producing this joint my gratitude for the opportunity. Hooker Gate
is a production of iHeartMedia. Everyone it was happening this
(31:14):
fucking squeaky chair
Please, in your old words to the ladies and gentlemen
at the court, describe what occurred.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
On that date.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
A young woman walked up to me and asked if
I would like to date her. I said that all depends,
would you like to day me? And she smiled and
she said she.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Would Let me interrupt you again, now for a minute.
What does a word date mean to you? It means
certain things to me. But what was meant by the
word date?
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Well, I think a date would mean to me whate
would mean to most people, like you would ask a
girl out on a date. But I think in this case,
she just wanted to make sure, wanted to know if
I wanted to take her into the back room.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
All right, please continue.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
We entered a very small room. It had a bed
against a wall which had a leopard skin type bed
spread on it. There was a small table against the wall.
As you walked into the room, there was a pan
of water and soap and a washcloth lying on the table.
She then told me to take my clothes off and
she would return it in a minute. I took my
(01:33):
jacket off and hung it on a nail on the door,
and in approximately three to four minutes, she returned and
asked me why I had not take my clothes off.
I informed her that the room was small and hot,
and that I was a little nervous as I had
not been out with such a good looking woman and
quite a while. She then told me to take my
clothes off. I began to take my shirt off very slowly.
(01:57):
She took her brawl off and hung it on a
nail on the other side of room, and insisted that
I hurry as time was running short. She picked up
a pan of water and the soap and the washcloth
and walked over to where I was at and I
asked her what is she going to do, and she said,
I'm going to wash you off because I can't take
(02:17):
any chances on getting any bugs. At this time. I
reached in my boot and took a small revolver out
and put it in my rear pants pocket.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
There's a couple of them builders from South Hill at
the door. Janet called out to Doorman Roy as she
peered through the blinds. Connie Is dealt with them already,
let him in behind the locked door. Tommy worked in
the office. He'd been doing that a lot lately, locking
(02:59):
doors he'd promised he'd be more open with her, more transparent,
another promise broken. Like many women before her and many
to follow, She'd convinced herself that a marriage would heal
the cracks, would make Tommy feel solid, whole, present, like
(03:22):
he did in the early days. The early days, they
weren't so far back, now, were they?
Speaker 4 (03:28):
A year?
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Two? Years? Three? Howe had so much changed in this
short time. She said yes to his flirtations, yes to
his propositions, yes to many customers, yes to working the desk,
yes to being his wife. And yet the moment Tommy
(03:51):
had secured every yes Janet could provide, he looked away,
stared to law. Some of these other girls kept too
many doors locked, kept too many secrets, got too mad,
was too quick with punishment. Tommy had swagger. He could
(04:18):
convince a woman of almost anything. He could convince a
woman even that she deserved the hand that was not
a fist, but stung like hell. Nonetheless, Janet peered through
the blinds again, Tommy, there's a van parked across the street.
(04:44):
Do you know who that might be? The closed office door, however,
shut her voice out entirely. Tommy continued on scribbling, in
his ledger undisturbed. Two customers entered the twenty nine, and
(05:08):
Roy checked them against their descriptions in the log book,
one middle aged, bald headed Madden Coveralls, one younger man
in dirty jeans and a blue work shirt. Back again,
I see, Roy said to them, and then he called
over his shoulder, Hey, Connie, your buddy's from South Hill
(05:31):
are here. Connie sashetted into the lobby. Ain't either of
y'all my boyfriend from last time, she told the two builders,
looking them up and down. But I bet one of
y'all would like to be my boyfriend this time. The
(05:54):
builders smiled nudged one another like middle schoolboys nose deep
in a dirty mag. Well, that all depends. Baby, would
you like to be my girlfriend? And do you got
to gather me too? Interjected Coveralls. Yes to both questions.
(06:22):
Connie answered with a smile and gesture to the bar,
where the new girl kitten sets silent alongside Buckeye and Tanita.
Of the three kittens seemed the only one clear headed.
(06:42):
Connie approached the bar. Buck Guy and Tanita rested their
heads in their hands. Kitten stared at her lap, rotating
a ring around her finger. Hmmm, why don't you come
(07:03):
sit with us? Kitten? Kitten stood from the barstool, smoothed
her silk slip, and joined the party. Later, when she
would tearfully demand from Connie why she had chosen her
out of the three for this accursed gig, Connie would
(07:23):
plead the others were too fucked up. I had no choice.
Not here for Sodi pop this time, Connie prodded the men. Now,
as the party of four settled in at the booth,
Not this time, Connie placed a cigarette between her lips
(07:49):
and leaned forward over the table, her cleavage on display.
Anybody got a light. Both men fulled matches from their
pockets in unison. Everyone at the table laughed. They were
(08:11):
hesitant last time they were here, Connie told Kitten, But
I think they're pretty eager now. She flashed a wide
smile at the two builders. Now, would y'all like to
have a little bit of fun? Well, that's what we
(08:33):
came for. Okay, who wants who? Then? Well, I'd like you,
Blue Shirt, answered Connie. Smiled, then turned to the other man,
(08:54):
and is my friend fine for you? She asked, Coveralls,
gesturing to Kitten, who disappointed her entirely by gazing still
at her lap, rotating that ring. Some hustle on this
broad kitten had bought herself this ring when she'd become
(09:16):
a mother. She'd wait forever if she waited for her
man to buy herring, to do her any kindness at all,
She wondered now where he was and where he had
taken their child. Well, I reckon, she's all right, Coveralls replied.
(09:39):
In that case, head on outside and meet us at
the back door. Well, last time I was here, I
think you just took my buddy down that hallway. Things
have changed since last time. The boss man thought it
was too easy to get to the goods, said we
(10:02):
needed an extra level of protection. Got it? So the
back door, the back door. We'll meet you there. Shuffling
through the dusty parking lot, kicking up rocks with their
(10:23):
steel toed work boots, Blue shirt asked Coveralls, you ready
for this? I am? Are you? I've been ready? They knocked.
(10:47):
Who is it? Connie cooed from behind the door. Your
friends from South Hill, of course, just got to double check.
From inside the buildings sounded the grown of metal against metal,
(11:10):
a lock turning. Finally, after minutes that felt like hours
to the two fellas, whose hearts pounded with anticipation. The
door opened, Come on in, Connie smiled. Kitten hung behind
(11:35):
as meek as her name suggested. Once inside, Connie laboriously
lowered a steel bolt back across the door. Miss way,
that's too heavy for you, Blue shirt offered. No, no, no, no, no,
(11:56):
I ain't no one from the outside got a place
a fanger on this lock. Trying to keep out the
riff raff. Trying to keep in the riff raff, Blue
Shirt laughed, then looked to his friend, who was already
(12:17):
wrapping his arms around kitten. Follow us, Connie said, and
the women dispersed down the hallway, leading the men each
into their own tiny spaces. A single bed, a rickety
side table, a nail on the wall to hang your pants,
(12:40):
a nail for your shirt, a cracked porcelain wash basin
decorated with a fading print of roses. In Connie's room,
there was a notebook scrawled with a record of all
the places she'd worked, all the bosses she'd worked on
her the phone numbers and aliases of old allies should
(13:02):
she want to change her location. A girl like Connie
stayed on the move. A room and an establishment like
this one didn't provide for personalization, a photo of your mama,
your favorite novel on the bedside, soft sheets to ease
the weariness of a long day. No, this room was
(13:22):
away station, not a home, a place to calculate the
worth of your time and your body, and hope that
the hungry bastard before you didn't have a taste for negotiation.
Do not negotiate. Connie had worn Kitten earlier as she
(13:43):
educated her on the ways of the twenty nine and
if a customer causes you a single problem, just hit
the red button next to the door. Somebody up front
will help you. Once in the room, Kittens sat on
(14:04):
the bed Coveralls stood before her. It's twenty five for
a straight, thirty for a half and a half, and
thirty five for French, she said, never looking him in
the face. Them some exorbitant prices, ain't they. I don't
(14:29):
think so. How about that happened? Half for twenty five?
Can't do that, mister, fine, Let's just make it straight.
Then he pulled from his wallet a twenty and a ten.
She set the money carefully on the bedside table undress.
(14:58):
She told him, picking up the wash basin and heading
for the door. Two doors down, a similar scene played out. Well,
let's just do it straight, Blue Shirt decided after Connie
listed the options, Pulling from his wallet a twenty dollars bill,
(15:21):
he placed it in her hand. Fine by me, but
you're gonna wish you got the half and half. She
picked up a wash basin from the bedside table, porcelain
rimmed with gold. Take your clothes off, she told him,
(15:43):
and disappeared into the hallway. In the bathroom, under the
grim light of a single flickering bulb, the two women
took turns filling up their bowls with warm water. The
best of luck, Connie said to Kitten. But kitten didn't
need luck. Kitten needed strength, patience, endurance, a numbing of
(16:09):
the heart. This was not fun for her. It was, however,
fun for Connie. Connie returned to her room, first, wash
basin in hand. You're not naked. Well, I'm a little nervous.
(16:35):
Come here, she said, and set the sudsy basin on
the bedside table. What's that for? This is the Peter
Pany Square. Don't you know nothing? I can't risk catching
no bugs. I gotta wash you off. You're so beautiful,
(16:59):
he said, unbuttoning his blue shirt. I haven't been with
a beautiful woman in a long time. Thanks, Now, hurry up,
it's just well, this room is awful, hot miss, and
I really am kind of nervous. Hurry up, and I've
(17:25):
never done this kind of thing. That clock starts taking
the moment we get back here, buddy, Blue Collar unbuckled
his belt, dropped his pants around his thighs. Connie dipped
a rag into the base and took his body into
(17:47):
her hands. So what does the twenty get me? Blue collar,
asked Connie as she twisted his member upside down. Finishing
the inspection, she stood before him, untied her top, breasts
(18:07):
bouncing free, then stepped out of her pants as well,
Fully nude. She opened her arms wide and told him
this you get this, blue shirt grinned. Just let me
get out of these boots. He pulled off his left boot,
(18:32):
then reached his hand inside, feeling around for something. What
are you doing? I told you, hurry up? Wristed deep
into his boot, he continued to dig around. What are
(18:52):
you doing? Two doors down? Kitten placed the wash basin
on the bedside table. Come on, over, she told Coveralls,
who stood before her in his underwear. Everything okay, she asked, sure,
(19:18):
but you're still in your boxers. Always something with these
skittish men, Kitten thought they desired depravities untold, yet fear
taking their panties off in front of a girl. She
(19:38):
mustered her patience and smiled up at him sweetly. Make
it easy for them, she'd learned long ago. Make it
easy for them, and maybe, just maybe they'll make it
easy for you. He gazed into her eyes and moved
his hand to his underwear. It's okay, she encouraged him.
(20:03):
I'm going to make this easy for you. Reassured, he
took hold of his fly flipped it open to reveal
a shining brass badge pinned inside. No kitting, cried out.
(20:27):
She fell backwards onto the mattress, exploding into bitter sobs.
My name is Officer Moses, Virginia State Police. Coveralls announced,
and you are under arrest. Why me, she cried to
(20:51):
the ceiling, to the sky, to God. She had so
much to lose, maybe more than anyone else. Would never
ever get custody of her daughter now, hell, she might
not even get visitation. The only thing she would be
getting whenever she got out of jail would be an
(21:12):
ass beating life, a brutal, unforgiving struggle. Her gaze alighted
upon the red switch next to the door. She leapt
from the bed and sprung toward it. Now a ah,
exclaimed officer Coveralls. With one deft swoop of his arm,
(21:34):
he clotheslined her back onto the mattress. Two doors down.
Blue Shirt fished from his boot a small revolver and
a badge. He slid the revolver into the pocket of
his jeans, just in case, and flashed the badge at Connie.
(21:55):
Officer Turner, State Police, you are under arrest for prostitute,
Connie laughed. This is the first time I've ever been arrested.
You'll have to tell me what to do. The first
thing to do is get you closed back on. The
(22:16):
truck stopped. Erupted into a cacophony of banging, fists on doors,
fists on windows, doors, slamming, men, yelling, hitting, screaming, Connie
laughing from up front. Janet commanded secure the back door.
Secure the back door, but it was too late. The
(22:45):
officer formerly known as Blue Collar, had already led Connie
back to that heavy door. He lifted the steel bar
from the doorway, and, like furious bees swarming from a nest,
a gang of cops poured into the truck stop. This
(23:08):
is a ray. A leader among the police shouted, and
then dozens of them dispersed through the truck stop, bustling
through hallways. At last, broken from his focus by the
melee outside his door, Tommy leapt from his desk, looking
around wildly for a place to toss. The handful of
(23:32):
pills divided up before him. He swept them into his
fist and ran into the hallway, speeding toward the bathroom,
where the single bulb flickered on undisturbed. One of the
great ironies of life is how the world continues as
it falls apart. A fly buzzes as you die. A
(23:57):
light bulb blinks passes Roy. As he sped towards the toilet,
he hollered out, Call the Hillcrest, they're busting us, Roy
said to Aubrey, and hung up the phone. Aubrey ran
to his window surveyed his own parking lot, A van
(24:18):
with a driver set outside. Next, Roy dialed the fifty eighth.
You've reached the fifty eight truckstop, Virginia State Police speaking everyone.
It was happening to everyone, after all they had given
(24:41):
that man. Put down the phone. Sergeant Bradley instructed Roy,
and put your hands behind your back. Next, the officer
found Janet crouched behind the bar. Why would a smart,
(25:04):
pretty woman like you get mixed up in this? Because
I'm a smart pretty woman. Officer Turner emerged from the
bathroom with Tommy in handcuffs as well. It's my fault,
(25:33):
It's my fault, Janet thought. In her mind, spun the
terrifying scene from weeks prior, Joe jumping on the bed,
breaking it, falling to the floor, Joe owning her Janet
(25:53):
unable to be owned, unable to play nicea to take
the hit, unable to pretend in that critical moment, Janet saying,
fuck you, It's my fault. Tommy thought he'd said no too.
(26:21):
He'd chosen to keep Janet to himself when Whitehead wanted her.
He had told Whitehead he couldn't pay what he was asking.
Some nerve he knew the danger in non compliance. I'll
get us out of this, Tommy promised Janet. In his mind,
(26:45):
spun all the things he'd put this woman through. He
hadn't meant to lose his temper. He hadn't meant to
take out his wordes on her. She was there, open, available,
an easy target. He remembered the first time he.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
Saw her in that diner, the afternoon sun dancing in
her hair, the glow of the sunset painting her face
in gold.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
The way she popped that gum, The way she said yes,
over and over yes, until he had run her ass
into the ground.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
He was sorry. He wished his heart hadn't gotten hard.
He was sorry. He wished it wasn't too late. I
will get his out of this, he promised, though lately
his promises had been wearing thin. We'll see about that,
(27:52):
said Sergeant Bradley. As the lobby filled with handcuffed women
and their handcuffed customers, the police threw open drawers, flinging
their contents. Every witch away found a lot of book.
One called out from the office. The officer formerly known
(28:18):
as Coveralls, strutted out a large blue book under his arm.
In that book the chronicle of every man who'd ever
been through this place, and in that book also the
chronicle of every bribe ever paid, as well the officer
(28:44):
looked at Tommy and smiled. Looks like a whole lot
of your friends are about to get fucked, and not
in the way they're used to. Thanks for listening. My
(29:04):
name is Lindsybyron, but most people know me as lux ATL.
Learn more about my work tits Out, Globe Trotting and
mansions worldwide at Good Times, Badgirls dot Com. Follow me
on the Gram and TikTok at lux Underscore Atl, on
(29:25):
YouTube at Luxatl, and on substot where I blog weekly
at Tumultuous True Stories by Lindsaybyron. If you'd like to
hear more about my own experience slang in companionship across
the South, read my memoir Too Pretty to Be Good
by Lindsay Byron. Find it on Amazon, Barnesandnoble dot com,
(29:47):
and anywhere books are sold online. Hey, if you'd like
to continue to listen to me tell stories, check out
my first podcast, strip Cast True Stories from a Stripper
with the PhD. Listen on Spotify and iTunes. Follow this
podcast on the Gram at Hookergate Underscore podcast. Theme music
(30:10):
and sound design by my long term partner in artistic crime,
guy Kelly You the Illist GK. Check out his work
at Guy Kelly dot com. While this podcast is based
upon real events, certain elements have been fictionalized for dramatic effect.
(30:30):
I cannot know for certain what exactly was said behind
closed doors, so I combine my research and imagination to
dramatize scenes described most often under oath in chord and
occasionally secondhand via journalistic or personal accounts. Find citations in
this show notes. The pitch for this podcast won the
(30:53):
twenty twenty one Next Great Podcast competition hosted by Tongle
and iHeartRadio, which is why I'm here. We are now
producing this joint my gratitude for the opportunity. Hooker Gate
is a production of iHeartMedia. Everyone it was happening this
(31:14):
fucking squeaky chair
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