December 31, 2010

It was the social event of the season. Jack Jenkins was going to get married right after midnight. It was clear that he and Sally were meant for each other. As they danced the evening away and toasted in the New Year. But Jack wasn’t looking his usual happy go lucky self. He looked like he might have the flu. More than one person asked him are you okay? At 12:15 a.m., as the guests were seated to await the Bridal Entrance, a commotion occurred in one of the anterooms. “Dr. Reynolds can you come into the sitting room, its Jack?”, said a friend. Dr. Reynolds sprinted into the sitting room. Jack was unconscious on the floor, his face ashen. The doctor felt for a pulse and there was none. “Call 911 and I need the defribrillator machine.” A waiter ran down to the golf locker room and procured the machine which was kept for golfers who wanted to get in one last round of golf, and ran it up to the sitting room. The doctor applied the paddles. Nothing happened. He upped the amps, nothing happened. He tried again he got a faint pulse. At that point the ambulance arrived and Jack was taken in critical condition to the hospital.

Detective Black returned to the hospital, “is he able to talk, yet?” “Yes, but only briefly”, the doctor answered.

“Good evening Mr. Beaudine, I’m Detective Black, I’m sorry about the handcuffs on your bed, but well, you tried to kill a man.” The detective then proceeded to read him his Miranda warning. “I want a lawyer”, Beaudine answered. “As I understand it you have the funds to hire one, since your victim gave you $200,000.” “So, you have your mouthpiece available tomorrow so that I can interview you”. “I’m not gonna answer any questions”, Beaudine responded. “Smart man”, the detective replied. “That will make it real easy to get your butt to jail for 25 to life. You have a nice day, now.”

December 15, 2010

No charges were brought against Jack Jenkins. Beau Beaudine was convicted of attempted murder after a long and rancorous trial. He was sentenced to 25 years to life. Sally got a divorce from Beau and of course custody of the children. Jack, Jr. received an interesting note in the mail. “You are hereby invited to the wedding of Jack Jenkins, Sr. and Sally Beaudine on January 1, 2011 at 12:30 a.m. at the Montgomery Golf and Country Club.”

“Okay, I need to hear your side of the story”, the Detective started. “I know this much,

you fired once at the victim and he fired at you, all the witnesses confirmed this. What I want to know from you is why did you shoot first?” Jack Jenkins didn’t squirm or even blink. “I didn’t shoot first, he shot at me from across the street and missed, I returned fire and hit him in the gut on the first shot. I have a carry permit, since Junior started trying to kill me.” The detective smiled, “that pretty much confirms things that I know, but don’t leave town. Now I just need to know what this is all about. Are you part feline? I swear you have nine lives.”

The Detective then went to the hospital, “is he able to speak yet?” “No” the doctor said, “come back tomorrow”.

March 3, 2010.

“How do you plead?” the judge asked Jack, Jr. “Guilty, your honor”. The judge then asked all the required questions before accepting the plea which Junior answered each one the proper way. “I am going to accept your plea and accept the recommendation of the state that you be sentenced to 20 years. You played a very dangerous game and had one or more of your intended victims died, you would have been facing the needle. So, I remand you to the State Department of Corrections for assignment.” That night Jack, Jr. got off the bus at the minimum security work camp. As he drove up, Jack, Jr. asked the corrections officer why he was going to a work camp instead of a minimum security prison. “Because, we own your ass, boy, for the next 20 years and your daddy was a hero to the Governor. The bargain was kept to the letter as I understand it. Go whine to your lawyer”. Junior gingerly approached the barracks and was immediately surrounded by tough looking men with the look of wolves seeing fresh game. “We got us a newbie here, Trustee” one of them remarked. Junior’s first night in prison was not a fun night to say the least.

Detective Black came to the hospital to pick up the bullet and deliver it to the crime lab. He spoke with the surgeon and got the details on the entry point of the bullet and where it was found. Next, he dropped off the bullet at the ballistics lab. “I want a rush to see if it matches the gun we seized at the scene. And did you get the other bullet?” “Yessir, we’ll rush on that and no we didn’t find the other bullet yet, but my lab folks are still out there lookin”, said the lab tech. The detective then went and spoke to Wil McGentry who was one of the witnesses to find out what happened. “Well Detective, Mr. Jenkins was walking into the apartment to pick up his lady friend, when I heard a gunshot from my right, so you know I dove to the ground and then I heard another gunshot and he was down. Not very courageous of me, huh?” “Don’t kick yourself to hard son, I’m pretty sure my first reaction would have been the same. Live first, then see what you can do and this time there was nothing to do because he was dead after the second shot was fired.”

After talking to Wil, the Detective then went to interview Sally before he interviewed the suspect in custody. “Did you see anything ma’am”, the detective asked? “No sir, I was on the other side of the house getting finished up because, as usual, I was running late. I just heard two shots and called 911 looked out and then run out the house and there he was on the ground and blood all over the place. It was a horrible sight to see. The shots were back to back, like bam and then two ticks and bam again. I was frightened.”

After Detective Black got back to the police station and went back to the crime lab. “We found the other bullet, it burrowed into the ground, but it matches the other gun, and the bullet pulled from the victim matches the gun of the man in holding”, the lab director told the detective. “Thanks”, and with that information, Black turned to go interview the suspect.