Free ROLL CALL ~ A Prison List (True Prison Story) by Glenn Langohr

anyway.”
    I realized everyone would have gotten word of the incident and the injury report from inmates who went to medical who listened and asked questions. Screwball continued the explanation.
    “I had to listen and watch that scumbag get comfortable in his lie so I split and went back to my cell to figure out how to take my investigation to the next level. Since I had insinuated to whitey that Italy told someone else, possibly in receiving I left that open. I wanted Whitey to stew that I was going to get the 411 from him anyway and I ran with that further. I knew I had a homeboy that just pulled up in four block. I found out he was here and in four block from people coming and going to medical so I wrote him a kite to get some intelligence and let whitey wonder about it. The next day I went by whitey’s cell and dropped a cellophane wrapped kite under his door. When he picked it up and asked what it was I told him it was his last chance. His last chance to elaborate on what else Italy told him because I was about to find out anyway. He had that same hesitant look like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar with his eyes fishing around for a way out. He finally stammered, ‘How am I supposed to get this kite to four block?’”
    I laughed at how deep screwball’s investigation went. He continued.
    “I was sick of his playing stupid, biding for time style. I told him you’re out there sweeping up the walkway in front of the program office and all you have to do is pass that kite to someone in four block whose coming or going from medical. It’s not a puzzle holmes. If you can’t handle the job well enough to pull our line together on this yard in a time of crisis then give the lieutenant my name for your job. Whitey just looked at me like a dumb ass so I spelled it out for him. I told him, If Italy passed the word to you that Fresno is starting an on-site war with us and you don’t do anything with that information our whole race is in jeopardy and in the blind. Don’t you think it looks like that’s what’s happening with that older white man that just got rushed in two block?”
    Screwball went on to tell me that he was testing whitey to see if he tried to read that kite he was sending to his homeboy in four block. It had been wrapped a peculiar way in cellophane and then had a string wrapped around it a certain amount of times. If broken into improperly the recipient would know. Even if whitey dared to break into it the kite was in a code he wouldn’t know. I assumed screwball had learned these interrogation and investigation techniques at Pelican Bay and Corcoran state prisons.
    Screwball went on to tell me that he had another kite for his youngster as a secondary kite that was going to get sent through a different conduit if whitey failed in delivering his. He also came back at whitey with another tactic. He told whitey the next time he went by his cell that he’d gotten Italy’s wife’s address and would be in touch with him personally soon. I could appreciate Screwball’s problem solving skills. His brain power and the tenacity he had was a powerful combination. Whitey must have felt like the walls were closing in on him and squeezing towards the truth. I asked him if whitey delivered the kite for him to his youngster in four block.
    Screwball motioned to the prison guard who had let him out of his cell that he needed five more minutes and answered. “He did. I’ll give him that much. He never threw in his hand. My youngster shot me a return kite twelve hours later. I love this youngster like he’s my own brother. His name is David and I know his Mom. She’s a prostitute. David used to run in hotels in Ventura and beat up her johns because they were known to beat her up. The kid is all heart. Anyway, he shot me a kite and ran down everything in detail. He entered four block and got the same cell Italy had been in. His upstairs vent neighbor was a southern California Chicano who along with