Where Mercy Is Shown, Mercy Is Given - Duane Dog Chapman [73]
“Do you think I’ll see my pet parrot that died last year?” the boy asked.
“He’ll be right there, waiting with God.”
“This has been a good talk, Dog. Thank you.”
I fought back my tears when we said our good-byes, because I knew my little friend wasn’t going to make it. A few weeks later, I received a call from his mother saying he had passed away. She told me he started to cough a bit when he asked his father for my feather. His mother went on to tell me he laid it on his chest and smiled the biggest smile she had seen since he got sick. His parents heard him take his last breath, and then he was gone.
“Dog, do you mind if I ask you what you and my son talked about the day you met?”
I told her everything.
“You know, I believe he saw his bird there, Dog,” she told me. In my mind, I had no doubt that he had.
I was sorry for her loss but felt lucky to have met this young man before he died. I’m the guy that has always said “All aboard!” because I know life is truly a journey and a path we all walk along. In the criminal world, I’m sometimes the last guy a fugitive sees a free man. As a lover of God, sometimes I am the last man a young boy sees before he closes his eyes for good. Whatever hat I’m wearing, I wear it proud.
CHAPTER 14
Lucy Pemoni
People rarely like to admit they’ve made a mistake, especially people in positions of power who can change people’s lives with the snap of a finger. In 1997, I reluctantly surrendered my bond license in Hawaii for two years after reaching a settlement with Amwest, my former insurance company. They quickly revoked my appointment and essentially put me out of the bond business and on the street overnight.
This was the result of a terrible and frustrating series of events that began when Richard Heath, an insurance agent from Amwest, came to audit my books because his company suspected there were some unlawful dealings happening in my Honolulu office. After a couple of days of poring over my books, Heath was convinced that I wasn’t the one responsible for any unreported bonds to the insurance company. It was clear they were being written by two former employees who were using my powers and then pocketing excess fees. Once Heath was certain it wasn’t me, he sat me down as if he was the Godfather and made me an offer I had no choice but to accept. I knew he had the ability to rescind my powers by canceling my appointment. If he did that, I’d be out of the business. A few days later, Heath called me to a meeting. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, he said my two former employees were willing to testify against me, saying I was the one stealing the insurance money. He knew they were lying because I had already proven my innocence. Still, it didn’t matter because I was a convicted felon—an essential point Heath kept reminding me of over and over. If my case went to court, Heath told me, a jury would probably take me down forever. At the very least, I was looking at doing more time in jail.
As I listened to Heath talk, I began to wonder who would bail me out. None of the local bondsmen, that was for sure. They all hated me because I had swooped into town and changed the way everyone had to do business. I also began worrying about my children and what would happen to them. I couldn’t bear the thought of any of my kids ending up in foster care. Heath said he wouldn’t press charges if I agreed to get out of the bond business for a minimum of two years. After I reluctantly took the deal, life as I knew it was over. Suddenly, I had no job, no income, and no savings. With no phones ringing, it all stopped.
Rumors began spreading like a California wildfire. I heard people saying I had embezzled millions of dollars and even tried to kill a man, both of which were utterly absurd. There were whispers wherever I went.
One of the conditions of my deal with Heath was that I surrender