Unauthorized Vacation: Arrogant and Drunken Cops...

Entering the restaurant, it was obvious that the two cops had already bragged about their business in Georgia and it appeared as if Spratt was being presented as their trophy.  All of the staff treated Spratt with deference when taking his order and bringing the appetizers.  The cops ordered beer and tequila but only allowed Spratt to have beer.  The cops had the waiter bring fajitas for them and a chicken quesadilla for their prisoner but all three enjoyed the Coronas as fast as they could be brought with intermittent shots of Jose Cuervo for the cops’ celebration.  As infatuated as they were with ‘Maria’, it was Miguel who was assigned to that table so the talk turned to the infamous crimes of their prisoner.

Hector asked Spratt if he thought he was an expert in credit card fraud.  Spratt replied, “No, I do not.  I KNOW that I am an expert in credit card fraud.”  Hector loudly proclaimed that he had been an investigator of fraud for many years and knew ALL of the scams.  “I have protected myself to the point that nobody could ever rip me off!”  Spratt told him, “I wouldn’t rip you off because I consider you a friend now but if I ever had access to your credit cards and had the desire to do so, no protections that you have in place could save you from me.”  All three laughed at how ridiculous it sounded for Spratt to even contemplate that he could rip off an admitted expert in fraud prevention.  Another round of drinks ensued to consummate the friendship.

As the evening was drawing to a close, the Sergeant asked Spratt why he had not attempted to escape yet.  Spratt said that he had developed a level of trust with the officers and had given his word that he wouldn’t ‘fuck around’ in the restaurant.  He advised them however that they were now on his territory and that, being born and raised in Georgia, he could run out the door at any moment and they wouldn’t be able to find him.  The Sergeant asked if Spratt could run faster than bullets and Spratt said that sometimes you don’t have to be faster; just smarter.  They all laughed and had another round.  The Sergeant paid the check with a Puerto Rico Police Amex Card and, predictably, did not leave a tip.  They returned to their room.

It was clear to Spratt that these cops were more than drunk and he tried to stay on their good side out of concern that they may act violently if he resisted any of their directives.  There were two beds in the room and they told Spratt that he would have to sleep on the floor.  They put some blankets on the floor by the window and an escape plan started developing in Spratt’s mind.