Busted.

Fent and Jerry were very pleased to see Sonnie but were taken aback by his recent significant weight loss and his run-in with the law. After talking of old times shared with Sonnie and his wife Althea and over the protestation of the monkey they convinced Sonnie to turn himself in to the law and to take the monkey with him. The monkey had been hitting on Jerry. It found her to be a hot ticket.

The cops sent a team to the Judkins residence and placed Sonnie and the monkey in custody. The culprits spent the night in the slammer. The next day Jack went to the station to bail the hoodlums out of jail. After Jack pleaded for their release, the cops agreed to let Sonnie and the monkey go. However, as condition of their release, they could not stay together. The monkey was turned over to Ashley to serve out his probation and Sonnie was released in Jack's custody.

The episode with the cops had diminished the monkey's spirit none but he did not get off scot-free. He was remanded to Ashley's custody to be kept in her room under house arrest. When last seen, the monkey was sitting on a pillow at the head of Ashley's bed telling her Ken doll that he had beautiful blue eyes and asking him if he liked fire-red Camaros. It is likely that Ashley (and Ken) will have their hands full keeping him in line.

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Dead asleep.

Sonnie was a little more subdued by the whole thing. Also, his thoughts turned to the trip up the mountain. He would have liked to toss and turn but without the monkey's aid his movements were limited. So he lay quietly thinking of the trip.

The assent would take place the next morning. Sonnie knew Jack was uncertain over the decision not to involve his sisters. The right or wrong of it was unclear. The one attempt at making the arrangements seemed to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps too little too late. Like it or lump it the die was cast. The procession would go as planned. No sisters would attend, just most of the grandsons and a few special friends.

Sleep did come later.

Continued—»