Thursday, January 15, 2009

The Last Temptation of Coe LaTrelle

Coe is currently doing a stret ch in the regional remand center awaiting trial on charges of marijuana production and distribution. Normally he'd get to carry on with only a few restrictions, but on previous occasions they had a hard time fin ding him. Cops can be real spoilsports when it comes to hide and seek. Coe is a large, bearded , bl ue-eyed, career scofflaw. If he had focused his good-natured energy on legal activities he'd be a beacon of something or other. This time, he buried a steel container on his rural acreage, procured with ill-gottens from previous crops, and set up a hydroponic grow show. State-of-the-art facility, power bypassing the meter, back up generator, flow through ventillation...bumper crops. Access was gained through the false bottom of a concrete water cistern and a precast tunnel. Foolproof operation, except for the fool running it.

Coe was proud of his work and couldn't resist showing it off just to impress the locals a little. I mean, whats the use of building such a fine operation if you couldn't share it with your friends. So bit by bit word spread as more of his associates got a glimpse of the inner workings. There was another complication. Coe was a pretty good shade-tree mechanic who loved (you know whats coming) old cars and the idea of restoration. He was mostly a theorist but he accumulated a collection of junk through his money laundering program. If you were in need of cash and had a interesting wreck you could push, pull or drag to his place, more'n likely you could come away with some cash. He became known as the "Pawnbroker". He got caught this last time because an undercover cop with a little leve rage on one of Coe's buddies showed up with an irresistible fifty-eight Edsel and a keen interest in Coe's production facility. A little flattery and when all was said and cuffed, Coe was in remand, again.

This is my pre-study its three feet wide at least and just an idea.


2 comments:

Cara said...

Hey- I like it! You make the newer junk look as good as the old stuff.

As for Coe...like the good book says "Pride goeth before a fall".

Psssst...any idea where the "evidence" ended up?

Ron Morrison said...

Thanks, Cara, it went up in smoke, I believe...