Slip out the Back ~ PG ~ Original Fiction
Title: Slip out the Back
Author:
artimis_potter
Rating: PG
Warnings: N/A
Genre: Mystery
Word Count: 2,161
A/N: This was a Creative Writing assignment. ORIGINAL FICTION.
Seth looked upon the body of the unknown boy before him and wondered what this kid, who was obviously upper-middle class, was doing in the slums. Then again, that was Seth’s job. He was new to this, as he had just graduated law school at Harvard, and his first case was as a prosecutor in a homicide trial. The usual prosecutor was out of town working on a high profile case, so the city of Mallory had called Jackson Law Firm, the most respected in Mallory. His father-in-law, Carlisle Jackson, had sent him with a threat to fire him if he ruined the reputation of the firm, son-in-law or not.
Sighing, Seth returned to the present. The forensic team was already here along with their supervisor, Stephanie Harmon. This was her first case as head of the “Graveyard” shift, as it was lovingly named. She, too, had a lot of pressure on her shoulders. At least I’m not alone in that boat, Seth thought as he walked towards her.
“Hello, I’m Seth Edwards of Jackson Law Firm,” he greeted.
“Stephanie Harmon, Mallory Crime Lab,” she replied.
“What do you have for me?” Seth asked in a business-like tone.
“A dead body, three suspects, some evidence linking said suspects to the crime, and no ID on the John Doe. We think the TOD is around forty-eight hours ago. Fun way to start, huh?” she said, teasingly at the end.
“Yeah, but at least we have a start. I’m going to go talk to the suspects. You have my number, right?” She nodded, “If you find anything, call me.”
“Alright. Have fun,” she called after him. He waved the statement away nonchalantly. As he approached the detective, he caught his first sight of the three suspects. His expression soured as he realized that they weren’t adults as he had thought. In fact, they couldn’t be any older than sixteen. Gang related, obviously, Seth thought, darkly. They probably got territorial with the John Doe. The detective looked up as he approached.
“Seth Edwards-“ Seth started, but he got cut off.
“Detective Joseph Michaels, Homicide. I know who you are, Jackson’s son-in-law. Welcome to crime in Mallory,” he said.
“Who do we have?” Seth asked, getting down to business.
“The boys are Harry and Ben; the girl calls herself Marley. Harry and Ben are sixteen, while Marley is fifteen. All three say they were nowhere near here when the murder took place, but that’s what they all say,” Joseph informed Seth.
“What do they say their alibi is?” Seth asked.
“They say two days ago Harry was sick so Ben went looking for help while Marley stayed to take care of Harry. They say they have witnesses.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Melanie Jacobson. They say that Ben found her at a wedding reception a few blocks from here and she came back with Ben. We’re contacting her now.”
“Good,” Seth muttered, “I’m going to go talk to the suspects.”
Seth walked over to where the three teens were standing. All three looked warily at him as he approached. Seth introduced himself once more, this time to the suspects that stood before him.
“I’m Ben,” the black-haired boy on the right stated. “This is my brother, Harry, and our friend, Marley.” The kids nodded as their names were said.
“I have some questions to ask you about the situation. You can stop anytime by requesting your own lawyer, which will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand?” They nodded. “What do you know about the victim?”
“Nothing, we were on our way home when Marley pointed out a dark shape down that alley. It was lying on the ground and wasn’t moving. So we went down the alley and when we saw it was that kid, we instantly went over to Barknov’s Bakery across the street,” Ben said.
“We were all frantic. It was to the point that Mr. Barknov couldn’t understand what we were talking about,” Harry said softly.
“I was the one who was able to finally make him understand that there was a kid in the alley and that we thought he was dead. He grabbed his phone and called the cops. When they showed up we were told to stay here, and here we are,” Marley finished.
“So you didn’t touch the body at all?” Seth asked.
“No, we just saw it, and ran to the bakery,” Harry said.
“Where were you two days ago? According to the coroner, the time of death was about ten,” Seth asked.
“Harry was sick with the flu. Marley and I took care of him that whole day. At nine, I left to get some help since his fever had sky-rocketed. I was back by ten with a woman named Melanie Jacobson. She stayed until ten-thirty, maybe eleven. After that we stayed home,” Ben informed him.
“Yes, I heard that you had a witness. You won’t mind going with Detective Michaels, do you? He needs to take your fingerprints and DNA, and ask you more questions. Is that alright with you three?” Seth said.
They looked at each other and silently made a decision. “Alright, we’ll go. We have nothing to hide,” Ben told him.
Seth watched as the teens got in the squad car and were taken to the Mallory Police Station. Seth sighed before heading over to the bakery to talk to the owner.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Seth’s forehead rested against his palm as his fingers rubbed his headache away. His wife would be waiting for him, but he was still in his office. The case wasn’t adding up. He had evidence against the three kids, but their statements added up with everyone else’s statements. It didn’t make sense. His eyes scanned the dark wood paneled room as if it had the answers he needed. He almost jumped out of his skin when the phone rang. He fumbled with the phone as he picked it up.
“Hello, Seth Edwards speaking.”
“Seth? It’s Stephanie Harmon. We have good news and even better news. Good news is we’ve got the tests back on the switchblade. The blood is the victim’s and the fingerprints are a match to one of your suspects,” Stephanie said.
“Excellent! What’s the better news?” Seth asked, mood lifting.
“We’ve had a witness come forward. He says he saw everything.”
“Is he at the station?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right down. Thanks, Stephanie.”
“No problem.”
Mood considerably lightened, Seth hung up the phone before calling his wife to inform her that he would be later than he thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I swea’, dat’s wha’ happen’. Man, it was da scariest ting I eva saw,” the new witness said. His name was Bulldog, and he was a gang member from nearby the area. He had been brought in on an unrelated charge, but had told the detective that he had information on the case of the murdered John Doe, who had been identified as a boy named Taylor Marks.
Stephanie had told him that he was eighteen and worked at the small Italian restaurant on the south side, or safe side, of town. He was also a straight A senior at the local high school. His mother told Stephanie that he had recently lost his best friend, Ben Kyle. She had no idea what he might have been doing in that side of town.
Seth leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself as the pieces came together. They were guilty, he knew it. The evidence all lead to the three teenage suspects. This was it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Steph! Stephanie, wait!” Stephanie turned to see her fellow caseworker hurrying toward her.
“Jacob? What’s wrong?” Stephanie asked. Detective Jacob Michaels fell into step with her as they walked down the hallway of the crime lab.
“We found something in the new witness’s home.”
“How and why did you get a warrant for that?” Stephanie’s confused eyes looked at him.
He shook his head, “No warrant. He let us in, saying he had nothing to hide. Obviously he did. There were blood stained clothes in his room and a knife that I believe matches the one used. I think we have the wrong kids,” the detective said.
“I need to call Seth. Meanwhile, take the clothes and knife to DNA. Tell them to run it against the victim’s blood. Thanks, Jacob. Excuse me while I call Seth and the defense,” Stephanie hurried off with a small wave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“What?! You’ve got to be kidding me! You just told me a few days ago that the blood on the twin’s switchblade was a match to the vic’s! The fingerprints on that key were the other twin’s, and the locket found at the scene was the girl’s. How could it not be them?!” Seth raged, disbelief on his face.
“But their story checks out-,” Stephanie started wearily.
“By who?”
“The baker, Dorv Barknov, the doctor, Melanie Jacobson, and the doctor’s uncle, Jacob Maxwell,” Stephanie said.
“When did the baker become a witness?”
“When he remembered seeing Ben, Dr. Jacobson, and Mr. Maxwell heading to the teens’ home. He also remembered the vic walking by his window minutes after they went by. Unless Dr. Jacobson and Mr. Maxwell helped, it’s unlikely,” Stephanie said. Seth closed his mouth and let Stephanie finish what she had started to explain to begin with.
“We think they were framed. As it turns out, Bulldog hates the three of them. He’s made it no secret that he wanted them gone. Ben told us that his switchblade had disappeared months ago. Bulldog’s own friends said that a few months ago he came upon a switchblade exactly like it. The locket had been stolen a few weeks ago according to Marley, and the key was Harry’s until he misplaced it. It’s a key to their home. Bulldog’s friends said that they saw him with both those items. They were innocent victims of burglary and being framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Taylor Marks just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and he got caught up in a man’s hatred for some teenagers,” Stephanie said, “and the worst thing is the fact that Bulldog was Taylor Marks’ older brother.”
Seth’s head snapped up, “He’s what?”
“Bulldog’s little brother was Taylor, or he was until he was disowned. Apparently, after he was arrested for possession of an illegal substance, his parents washed their hands of him. All except his brother, Taylor. So, Bulldog used that to his advantage. He called his brother to meet him across from the bakery. There he led his brother to the alleyway and stabbed him three times. He then planted the switchblade, the locket, and the key before leaving his brother to bleed to death. Ben, Harry and Marley are innocent.”
Seth’s head had found its favorite spot on his palm in frustration, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then get some release papers on the teens and get Bulldog into custody.”
She nodded mutely, “Seth?”
“What?”
“Tabula Rasa,” she smiled as she headed out the door.
Clean slate, indeed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The trial of Bulldog, or Jason Marks, lasted two weeks. The case against him was so convincing that the jury only deliberated for two hours. Ben, Harry and Marley gladly testified against him as did his own mother, Dorv Barknov, and some of Bulldog’s own friends. Seth’s case flowed perfectly and the defense even gave up. As the jury filed back into the room, all stood. The sunlight streamed through the tall, ornate windows that rose on the west wall. The light wood of the jury box shone as the sunlight glinted off the stain. The nine jurors all took their seats, and the room followed. Seth glanced back at the three teens he had wrongly accused and he looked at the mother who had lost one child to another. This was it; this was the end. One juror stood.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you made your decision?” the judge inquired.
“We have your honor,” the juror replied. Seth’s fingers crossed under the table.
“What have you decided?”
“We find Jason Marks guilty of one count of murder in the first degree.”
Seth let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Relief flooded him. He barely heard the judge say that sentencing would be in one week. He stood and gathered his things.
“Mr. Edwards?”
Seth turned; it was the mother of Jason and Taylor Marks.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for bringing justice to my little boy. Even though it was my first-born who was just found guilty, I’m glad that Taylor found justice. Thank you, again,” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. She walked off silently without waiting for a reply.
“You’re welcome,” Seth said softly. His eyes wandered to the doors of the courtroom where three teens stood. All three silently nodded at him, before slipping out the door without anyone but a stand-in prosecutor noticing.
Author:
artimis_potter
Rating: PG
Warnings: N/A
Genre: Mystery
Word Count: 2,161
A/N: This was a Creative Writing assignment. ORIGINAL FICTION.
Seth looked upon the body of the unknown boy before him and wondered what this kid, who was obviously upper-middle class, was doing in the slums. Then again, that was Seth’s job. He was new to this, as he had just graduated law school at Harvard, and his first case was as a prosecutor in a homicide trial. The usual prosecutor was out of town working on a high profile case, so the city of Mallory had called Jackson Law Firm, the most respected in Mallory. His father-in-law, Carlisle Jackson, had sent him with a threat to fire him if he ruined the reputation of the firm, son-in-law or not.
Sighing, Seth returned to the present. The forensic team was already here along with their supervisor, Stephanie Harmon. This was her first case as head of the “Graveyard” shift, as it was lovingly named. She, too, had a lot of pressure on her shoulders. At least I’m not alone in that boat, Seth thought as he walked towards her.
“Hello, I’m Seth Edwards of Jackson Law Firm,” he greeted.
“Stephanie Harmon, Mallory Crime Lab,” she replied.
“What do you have for me?” Seth asked in a business-like tone.
“A dead body, three suspects, some evidence linking said suspects to the crime, and no ID on the John Doe. We think the TOD is around forty-eight hours ago. Fun way to start, huh?” she said, teasingly at the end.
“Yeah, but at least we have a start. I’m going to go talk to the suspects. You have my number, right?” She nodded, “If you find anything, call me.”
“Alright. Have fun,” she called after him. He waved the statement away nonchalantly. As he approached the detective, he caught his first sight of the three suspects. His expression soured as he realized that they weren’t adults as he had thought. In fact, they couldn’t be any older than sixteen. Gang related, obviously, Seth thought, darkly. They probably got territorial with the John Doe. The detective looked up as he approached.
“Seth Edwards-“ Seth started, but he got cut off.
“Detective Joseph Michaels, Homicide. I know who you are, Jackson’s son-in-law. Welcome to crime in Mallory,” he said.
“Who do we have?” Seth asked, getting down to business.
“The boys are Harry and Ben; the girl calls herself Marley. Harry and Ben are sixteen, while Marley is fifteen. All three say they were nowhere near here when the murder took place, but that’s what they all say,” Joseph informed Seth.
“What do they say their alibi is?” Seth asked.
“They say two days ago Harry was sick so Ben went looking for help while Marley stayed to take care of Harry. They say they have witnesses.”
“Who?”
“Dr. Melanie Jacobson. They say that Ben found her at a wedding reception a few blocks from here and she came back with Ben. We’re contacting her now.”
“Good,” Seth muttered, “I’m going to go talk to the suspects.”
Seth walked over to where the three teens were standing. All three looked warily at him as he approached. Seth introduced himself once more, this time to the suspects that stood before him.
“I’m Ben,” the black-haired boy on the right stated. “This is my brother, Harry, and our friend, Marley.” The kids nodded as their names were said.
“I have some questions to ask you about the situation. You can stop anytime by requesting your own lawyer, which will be appointed to you by the state. Do you understand?” They nodded. “What do you know about the victim?”
“Nothing, we were on our way home when Marley pointed out a dark shape down that alley. It was lying on the ground and wasn’t moving. So we went down the alley and when we saw it was that kid, we instantly went over to Barknov’s Bakery across the street,” Ben said.
“We were all frantic. It was to the point that Mr. Barknov couldn’t understand what we were talking about,” Harry said softly.
“I was the one who was able to finally make him understand that there was a kid in the alley and that we thought he was dead. He grabbed his phone and called the cops. When they showed up we were told to stay here, and here we are,” Marley finished.
“So you didn’t touch the body at all?” Seth asked.
“No, we just saw it, and ran to the bakery,” Harry said.
“Where were you two days ago? According to the coroner, the time of death was about ten,” Seth asked.
“Harry was sick with the flu. Marley and I took care of him that whole day. At nine, I left to get some help since his fever had sky-rocketed. I was back by ten with a woman named Melanie Jacobson. She stayed until ten-thirty, maybe eleven. After that we stayed home,” Ben informed him.
“Yes, I heard that you had a witness. You won’t mind going with Detective Michaels, do you? He needs to take your fingerprints and DNA, and ask you more questions. Is that alright with you three?” Seth said.
They looked at each other and silently made a decision. “Alright, we’ll go. We have nothing to hide,” Ben told him.
Seth watched as the teens got in the squad car and were taken to the Mallory Police Station. Seth sighed before heading over to the bakery to talk to the owner.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Seth’s forehead rested against his palm as his fingers rubbed his headache away. His wife would be waiting for him, but he was still in his office. The case wasn’t adding up. He had evidence against the three kids, but their statements added up with everyone else’s statements. It didn’t make sense. His eyes scanned the dark wood paneled room as if it had the answers he needed. He almost jumped out of his skin when the phone rang. He fumbled with the phone as he picked it up.
“Hello, Seth Edwards speaking.”
“Seth? It’s Stephanie Harmon. We have good news and even better news. Good news is we’ve got the tests back on the switchblade. The blood is the victim’s and the fingerprints are a match to one of your suspects,” Stephanie said.
“Excellent! What’s the better news?” Seth asked, mood lifting.
“We’ve had a witness come forward. He says he saw everything.”
“Is he at the station?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right down. Thanks, Stephanie.”
“No problem.”
Mood considerably lightened, Seth hung up the phone before calling his wife to inform her that he would be later than he thought.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I swea’, dat’s wha’ happen’. Man, it was da scariest ting I eva saw,” the new witness said. His name was Bulldog, and he was a gang member from nearby the area. He had been brought in on an unrelated charge, but had told the detective that he had information on the case of the murdered John Doe, who had been identified as a boy named Taylor Marks.
Stephanie had told him that he was eighteen and worked at the small Italian restaurant on the south side, or safe side, of town. He was also a straight A senior at the local high school. His mother told Stephanie that he had recently lost his best friend, Ben Kyle. She had no idea what he might have been doing in that side of town.
Seth leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself as the pieces came together. They were guilty, he knew it. The evidence all lead to the three teenage suspects. This was it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Steph! Stephanie, wait!” Stephanie turned to see her fellow caseworker hurrying toward her.
“Jacob? What’s wrong?” Stephanie asked. Detective Jacob Michaels fell into step with her as they walked down the hallway of the crime lab.
“We found something in the new witness’s home.”
“How and why did you get a warrant for that?” Stephanie’s confused eyes looked at him.
He shook his head, “No warrant. He let us in, saying he had nothing to hide. Obviously he did. There were blood stained clothes in his room and a knife that I believe matches the one used. I think we have the wrong kids,” the detective said.
“I need to call Seth. Meanwhile, take the clothes and knife to DNA. Tell them to run it against the victim’s blood. Thanks, Jacob. Excuse me while I call Seth and the defense,” Stephanie hurried off with a small wave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“What?! You’ve got to be kidding me! You just told me a few days ago that the blood on the twin’s switchblade was a match to the vic’s! The fingerprints on that key were the other twin’s, and the locket found at the scene was the girl’s. How could it not be them?!” Seth raged, disbelief on his face.
“But their story checks out-,” Stephanie started wearily.
“By who?”
“The baker, Dorv Barknov, the doctor, Melanie Jacobson, and the doctor’s uncle, Jacob Maxwell,” Stephanie said.
“When did the baker become a witness?”
“When he remembered seeing Ben, Dr. Jacobson, and Mr. Maxwell heading to the teens’ home. He also remembered the vic walking by his window minutes after they went by. Unless Dr. Jacobson and Mr. Maxwell helped, it’s unlikely,” Stephanie said. Seth closed his mouth and let Stephanie finish what she had started to explain to begin with.
“We think they were framed. As it turns out, Bulldog hates the three of them. He’s made it no secret that he wanted them gone. Ben told us that his switchblade had disappeared months ago. Bulldog’s own friends said that a few months ago he came upon a switchblade exactly like it. The locket had been stolen a few weeks ago according to Marley, and the key was Harry’s until he misplaced it. It’s a key to their home. Bulldog’s friends said that they saw him with both those items. They were innocent victims of burglary and being framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Taylor Marks just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and he got caught up in a man’s hatred for some teenagers,” Stephanie said, “and the worst thing is the fact that Bulldog was Taylor Marks’ older brother.”
Seth’s head snapped up, “He’s what?”
“Bulldog’s little brother was Taylor, or he was until he was disowned. Apparently, after he was arrested for possession of an illegal substance, his parents washed their hands of him. All except his brother, Taylor. So, Bulldog used that to his advantage. He called his brother to meet him across from the bakery. There he led his brother to the alleyway and stabbed him three times. He then planted the switchblade, the locket, and the key before leaving his brother to bleed to death. Ben, Harry and Marley are innocent.”
Seth’s head had found its favorite spot on his palm in frustration, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then get some release papers on the teens and get Bulldog into custody.”
She nodded mutely, “Seth?”
“What?”
“Tabula Rasa,” she smiled as she headed out the door.
Clean slate, indeed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The trial of Bulldog, or Jason Marks, lasted two weeks. The case against him was so convincing that the jury only deliberated for two hours. Ben, Harry and Marley gladly testified against him as did his own mother, Dorv Barknov, and some of Bulldog’s own friends. Seth’s case flowed perfectly and the defense even gave up. As the jury filed back into the room, all stood. The sunlight streamed through the tall, ornate windows that rose on the west wall. The light wood of the jury box shone as the sunlight glinted off the stain. The nine jurors all took their seats, and the room followed. Seth glanced back at the three teens he had wrongly accused and he looked at the mother who had lost one child to another. This was it; this was the end. One juror stood.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you made your decision?” the judge inquired.
“We have your honor,” the juror replied. Seth’s fingers crossed under the table.
“What have you decided?”
“We find Jason Marks guilty of one count of murder in the first degree.”
Seth let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Relief flooded him. He barely heard the judge say that sentencing would be in one week. He stood and gathered his things.
“Mr. Edwards?”
Seth turned; it was the mother of Jason and Taylor Marks.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for bringing justice to my little boy. Even though it was my first-born who was just found guilty, I’m glad that Taylor found justice. Thank you, again,” she said, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. She walked off silently without waiting for a reply.
“You’re welcome,” Seth said softly. His eyes wandered to the doors of the courtroom where three teens stood. All three silently nodded at him, before slipping out the door without anyone but a stand-in prosecutor noticing.