Apples and Serpents in Paradise

Bad Dream

Teuila saw the man in the cell dressed in cut off shorts. Barecheasted. He was covered with sweat. Smelled of body odor. "Mike, can you understand me."

"Bad dream, is what it was. Just a bad dream." Mike was shaking. He'd thrown up on the floor of his cell. "Miss Teuila. It was a bad dream."

"Mike, why did you kill Tula?" Teuila felt like it was a bad dream. Tula was dead.

"NO!! Just a bad dream. All of it." Mike began to rock back and forth.

"Tell us about the dream." Nash said. "Mike, tell us what dream you are talking about."

Teuila hadn't noticed that Nash had come into the cell block with her. She might have stopped him otherwise. She wanted him to have only the information she wanted to share with him.

"You know. I killed Tula. I dreamed I killed Tula, only I'm so sick I don't know it wasn't a dream. Maybe it was real." Mike didn't look at them. He just stared at the floor. Teuila wondered if he really knew they were there.

Teuila walked out of the cell block. "It's obvious he is delirious. We can't hold him accountable for his actions. Let's see if Doctor Bao can't tell us more in the morning. Keep an eye on Mike and let Doctor Bao know if the condition get's any worse."

John nodded. "He was looking for something in the house. I'll ask Tim to go take a look."

"Good idea, Tim will be coming on shift at six, if I remember right. That's just a couple hours from now. I'm going back to bed, to get few more hour's sleep." Teuila went out the door.

"He's on drugs." Nash said when they were out the door. "I didn't want to say it in front of John, but he was most likely looking for money. You know what that means."

"I want Doctor Bao to confirm it." Teuila replied. "When he does, that is when I'll be sure and I will take actions. We can't have drugs on this island."

"That was 'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine' by Jimmie Rodgers." Sefina's voice came over the radio, with it's touch of untamed sexuality. Teuila listened as the voice over the radio sobered. "I have some bad news today. Mike Moa is in prison today suspected of killing his wife Tula Moa. Tula was stabbed five times by an unknown assailant, it is suspected that Mike was the perpetrator. Mike was found delirious and taken into custody. Doctor Bao has confirmed that Mike was suffering from heroin withdrawal when he supposedly attacked his wife."

"I'm sure the entire island will be praying that this all works out in the end. If you know anything about someone who may have sold Mike the heroin please contact us at the radio station or the police station. Remember, the person who sells drugs to someone who commits a crime is considered guilty of that crime as well. So, if you know something, help us put this criminal in jail."

Sefina went on to play 'In The Mood'. What the radio station didn't know, yet was that Mike had hung himself during the morning using his own cell bed sheets. John blamed himself. Shawn Needham blamed him as well. Until Teuila found out that Shawn had relieved John before the suicide. John knew that Mike was alive before he left, because he had checked on the man just before Needham had arrived. Tim would come on shift fifteen minutes later.

Teuila didn't bother to place any blame. No one had suspected that Mike might commit suicide. Doctor Bao didn't have a chance to do a examination while he was alive, so Teuila insisted on a autopsy. Needham objected. He said it wasn't necessary. It also took some persuasion to get Eddie and Tony to let Doctor Bao use some of their equipment to test the blood for drugs.

"It was a positive result." Doctor Bao had called from the old medical clinic that the two scientists from the United States government occupied. "Heroin."

Teuila called both Nash and Charlie after she got off the phone to Doctor Bao. Charlie had taken no time to broadcast the results. Nash would go into more detail. Teuila liked how Charlie had written the story so that some doubt was given as to whether Mike had actually been guilty. Teuila had insisted on keeping Mike's death as quite as possible.

"Why?" Was the question the men who knew of the death had asked her. Her answer was: "If who ever sold the drugs believe that Mike is still alive, they may turn themselves in before he testifies who sold him the drug."

People who sold drugs or alcohol on the island were considered responsible for any crimes a intoxicated person might commit. They were often considered an accessory to the crime; if not actually guilty of it. That would mean that the person who sold the drugs was as liable to have their head cut off as Mike was for committing the murder. If not more so, because Mike was under the influence or withdrawing as the case was, he might not be punished, but the drug dealer would certainly be.