by BobA. Troutt
*****
The Fall of Autumn
The River’s Edge
It was a cool morning with a bite of autumn in the air. A slow and steady drizzle of rain was falling; it created a fine mist in the air. It was 1961 in the town of Hollow Creek, Tennessee in Warren County. The leaves on the trees were colorful and had just begun to fall. The sky was a clear blue with only a few fluffy clouds. The smell of burning leaves sent an aroma of fall into the air. The bite of the chilling wind indicated winter was not far away.
At a little donut and coffee shop in town, Gail Hesson sat at a table next to the window talking to a man. The aroma of fresh coffee filled the shop. As they talked, she occasionally looked out the window at the cars and people that passed by. After a few minutes of talking with the man, she handed him a brown paper bag and then she stood up, shook his hand and left. The man stayed and finished his cup of coffee before he got up and left. He stood outside the coffee shop for a few minutes and looked around before he turned up the collar on his jacket and slowly zipped it up. As the chilly misty rain continued to fall, he walked away and disappeared down the street.
Gail and her husband, Brian, had lived in Hollow Creek for about ten years. Hollow Creek was located on the banks of the Tennessee River between the two forks that separated the river. Part of the river was on the west side of town and the other part of the river was on the east side. Gail and Brian were not originally from Hollow Creek. Brian was from Arkansas and Gail was from Missouri. They met one summer at Land Between the Lakes when they were both on a weekend getaway. It was love at first sight. They started dating and married three months later. They didn’t have any children because Brian was unable to father children. About a year after they were married, Brian got a job offer in Hollow Creek to work in the district attorney’s office. Soon after, they moved to Hollow Creek and Gail got a job selling real estate.
About a month after Gail was at the coffee shop, Brian was there talking to the very same man. Their meeting only lasted a few minutes. After Brian left, the man ordered another cup of coffee and some more donuts. As he sat there sipping on his coffee, he watched out the window as the cars and people passed by. Once he finished his coffee and donuts, he got up and left. But this time, he didn’t walk. He got into his car and drove off.
About two and a half weeks later, three young boys were playing along the banks of the river skipping stones across the water. As they walked along the river’s edge, they saw up ahead of them a man bent over a body. As they got a little closer, the man saw them and took off running into the woods. When the boys got closer, they realized it was a woman’s body. They were scared half to death and immediately took off running to go tell their parents. Their parents called the police and told them they would meet them at the location of the body. When the police arrived, the boys and their parents were there waiting for them. The body was lying face down. Part of the body was lying on the river’s edge and part of it was lying in the shallow water. It appeared she had been murdered. It looked like she had been strangled and her neck appeared to be broken. Detective Taylor Beasley and Detective Joe Sloan were the detectives on the scene; they had been working together for five years. Detective Sloan took the boys and their parents a little ways from the scene; they had seen enough and the detectives didn’t want any possible evidence to be contaminated. Detective Beasley surveyed the scene looking for evidence. He had the police to comb the riverbank and the nearby woods to look for clues. The boys told Detective Sloan they saw a man bent over the woman’s body but when he saw them he ran into the woods. They give him a description of the man the best they could and they told him he looked like he was homeless. One of the boy’s parents thought it may have been the woman he had seen on several occasions jogging along the riverbank. But, he wasn’t for sure because he couldn’t see her face. The detective thanked the boys and their parents for the information. He also thanked them for their cooperation and told them they were free to go home. Detective Sloan went back to the scene and told Detective Beasley what the boys and their parents told him. They both speculated she had been killed up the river along the jogging trail, was thrown into the river and her body floated downstream and washed upon the shore.
The next day, the detectives verified the woman’s identity; it was Gail Hesson. They tried to contact her husband, Brian, but they couldn’t locate him and he hadn’t shown up for work in the D.A.’s office; and, he wasn’t at home. It seemed as if he had vanished off the face of the earth. They also had the police looking for a homeless man that fit the description the boys had given them. Unfortunately, with the vague description the boys gave, they didn’t have much luck finding him. The word of Gail’s murder spread quickly on the street and so did information about the suspected killer being a homeless man. The police pleaded with the public and asked if anyone had any information about the killing or the two men’s whereabouts to contact them immediately. The police got a search warrant to check Brian’s and Gail’s home but they didn’t come up with any clues to help them solve the case. The detectives worked diligently on the case and with no leads, they began to wonder if there was a connection between the two men and even thought they may have skipped town together. From the description the boys gave, a sketch artist did a composite sketch and an APB was put out across the state for Brian and the homeless man. Detectives Beasley and Sloan continued to work day and night to solve the case; they didn’t want it to become a cold case. They did find out Brian and Gail had recently taken out large insurance policies six months ago. The death of either of them would leave the other well off. They had also talked to some of their close friends and one of their closest friends told them they had drifted apart over the years and had fallen out of love because each of them had brief affairs which deteriorated their marriage and caused it to fall apart. Days passed and the detectives had no substantial leads and the two men of interest were nowhere to be found. They believed the two men were the key to solving the case but they had no motive and no eyewitnesses.
One day, as they sat in the office discussing the case, there came a knock at the door; it was the captain and he didn’t look too happy.
“Come on in, captain,” Detective Beasley said. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I hate to tell you this but Detective Sloan is being transferred to the vice squad. He put in for the vice squad about six months ago and he has been granted a transfer. Detective Sloan you start on the vice squad tomorrow.”
“Thanks, captain. Working on the vice squad is something I have always wanted to do,” Sloan replied.
“Will I be getting a new partner?” Beasley asked.
“Yes, you will,” the captain responded. “His name is Detective Larry Manning. He has worked as an undercover officer for the past ten years for the Jackson police department. Actually, he is waiting outside. Hold on just a minute,” he said as he went and opened the door. “Come on in, Detective Manning, and join us. Detective Beasley, this is your new partner.”
“Nice to meet you, Detective Manning,” Beasley said as he reached out to shake Manning’s hand.
“Same here,” Manning replied as they shook hands.
“All right, men, Joe and I are going to get out of here,” the captain stated.
“Congratulations, Joe, on your new job,” Beasley said. “I’ll keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Taylor. I appreciate that. Good luck with the case,” Sloan replied.
“Hopefully the two of you,” said the captain, “can put your heads together and get the case closed pretty soon.”
“Yeah, I hope so,” replied Detective Beasley. “That’s my goal.”
The captain and Detective Sloan left detectives Beasley and Manning in the office. Detective Beasley filled Detective Manning in on the case. Detective Beasley made a fresh pot of coffee and the two detectives went over the evidence as they sipped coffee. They did their best to fin
d something that would help them solve the case but they couldn’t. After looking over the notes and evidence, they both thought it was a murder suicide. About two weeks after Detective Manning became his partner, they got their first real break in the case. Detective Beasley received a phone call from the owner of a pawn shop on the corner of South Westland and East Winchester Street. He told him that a man who fit the description of the homeless man they were looking for had come to the pawn shop to sell some jewelry. Detectives Beasley and Manning immediately stopped what they were doing and went to the pawn shop. When they arrived, the owner showed them what had been pawned. It was a wedding ring set, a watch with the initials G.H. engraved on the back and a bracelet with the words To Gail, Love Brian inscribed on the inside. After looking at the jewelry, they were sure the jewelry belonged to Gail Hesson.
“Did this man sign a pawn ticket?” Detective Beasley questioned.
“Yes, he did,” the owner answered as he pulled the pawn ticket.
The ticket was signed by a Walter Smalling. Neither of the detectives recognized the name.
“Has he ever pawned anything before this?” Detective Manning asked.
“Yes, several times,” the owner replied.
“I appreciate you giving me a call,” Detective Beasley stated. “If he comes in again, please give me a call as soon as possible.”
“I will, detective.”
On the way out the door, the detectives thanked him again. With little else to go on, the detectives agreed they should stakeout the pawn shop to see if the homeless man returned. They knew he could possibly be a tremendous help in solving the case. Detective Manning staked out the pawn shop while Detective Beasley worked the streets to see if he could find out exactly who the homeless man was. Most of the people he talked with was uncooperative and wouldn’t give him any information. Finally, after a couple of days, he spoke to someone who thought the man he was inquiring about went by the street name of Gooch; he didn’t know his real name. But, it put Beasley one step closer to finding him. Meanwhile, Detective Manning was sitting in a car parked across the street from the pawn shop. He was sipping a cup of coffee when he glanced up and noticed a man matching the homeless man’s description walking toward the pawn shop. He took a closer look and it was definitely him. He eased out of the car and had almost caught up with him when the man turned around, saw him and took off running. Manning took off after him but lost him in the crowd. Manning radioed Beasley and told him what had happened. Beasley told him to continue to watch the pawn shop in case he came back. A few hours later, Detective Beasley got an anonymous tip. He was told that Gooch hung out a lot at an old abandoned tobacco warehouse on the riverfront north of town. With not much else to go on, he decided to check it out. It didn’t take him long to arrive at the warehouse. When he pulled up, his gut instinct told him to call Manning for backup. As he slowly got out of his car, he eased his way inside the warehouse with his gun drawn. Cautiously, he searched the building for Gooch. He made his way about the building but didn’t see any sign of him. He decided to hide out in one of the tobacco stick stalls and wait to see if he showed up. As soon as he entered the stall, he was startled when he saw a man’s dead body. He was backing away from the body when he heard something. He quickly turned around to see what it was and there stood Gooch.
“Gooch, hold it!” Detective Beasley yelled before he fired a warning shot into the air and yelled for him to stop again.
Gooch had immediately stopped in his tracks when he heard the gunshot.
“Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees,” Detective Beasley demanded.
“Don’t shoot,” Gooch cried out.
Detective Manning had just walked inside the warehouse when the shot was fired. He drew his gun and ran toward the direction of the gunshot. He rounded the corner and saw Gooch on his knees with his hands behind his back.
“Are you okay, partner?” he asked Beasley.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Beasley replied as he cuffed Gooch and helped him to his feet.
Beasley called in and requested for the coroner to be sent to the scene and an officer to transport Gooch to the station. When the police car arrive, Detective Manning took Gooch and put him in the back of the police car. Detectives Beasley and Manning combed the crime scene for clues as they waited for the coroner to arrive. They both speculated the victim was Brian Hesson but, at the time, they weren’t for sure because the body had begun to decompose and there was no identification on the body. The man appeared to have been dead for weeks and had one gunshot wound to the head. The coroner finally arrived and removed the body.
It only took a couple of days for the coroner to positively identify the body. It was Brian Hesson. He had been killed about a week after his wife Gail was killed.
When the detectives got back to the station, they brought Gooch into the interrogation room for questioning. Detective Beasley started questioning Gooch about Gail Hesson. He was reluctant at first but he eventually opened up and started answering the questions.
“Did you dump Gail’s body on the river’s edge?” Beasley asked.
“No, I didn’t,” he responded. “I took a shortcut through the woods to get to the river. When I came out of the woods, I found her body lying at the edge of the river; she was already dead.”
“Go on,” instructed Beasley.
“I noticed she had on a lot of jewelry and I needed money. I looked around and I didn’t see anyone so I took it. I didn’t think it would matter,” he stated. “She was already dead and she wouldn’t need it anymore.”
“Go on,” Beasley said.
“As I bent down to get the jewelry, I heard someone talking. When I looked up, I saw the three boys coming down the river toward me so I quickly yanked the jewelry off of her and took off running through the woods.”
“Then what?” he asked.
“Well, I laid low for a while because I heard on the street the police was looking to question a homeless man for the murder. I knew they were talking about me. But, I swear to you,” he said, “all I did was take the jewelry. That’s all. I know it was wrong but I needed some quick money,” he explained. “I swear to you I didn’t kill her.”
“Why did you run?” Manning questioned.
“I was afraid,” he replied. “I knew no one would believe me and it would have been pinned on me. I didn’t want to go to jail for something I didn’t do.”
“What about Brian Hesson?” Beasley asked.
“Who is Brian Hesson?”
“Gail’s husband. The dead man found in the warehouse,” replied Beasley.
Gooch didn’t respond. He just dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his head.
“Well,” Beasley said.
“I was living in the abandoned warehouse and one evening when I came in, I found the body. The man was already dead,” he stated. “I didn’t see nothing or hear nothing.”
“Are you sure?” questioned Manning.
“I told you. He was already dead when I found him. No, I didn’t see or hear nothing and I didn’t kill him either.”
“So, you’re saying,” replied Manning, “that you found two dead bodies and you have no idea how either of them died.”
“That’s right,” he stated. “I don’t know nothing.”
Frustrated, the two detectives left the room.
“What do you think?” asked Manning.
“I don’t really know,” Beasley replied. “But, I don’t believe he killed them. What do you think?”
“I don’t think he killed them but I do believe he knows more than he’s telling,” said Manning.
“Yeah, I think so, too,” replied Beasley.
They went back to the interrogation room and questioned Gooch some more. They were sure he knew more than he was telling and they were determined to find out what it was but they couldn’t get him to break. All he kept telling them was he wanted a lawyer. Aft
er a couple of hours, they finally gave up and took him back to his cell.
“I’m sure he didn’t kill them,” stated Beasley. “But, I know he’s hiding something.”
“If he is,” replied Detective Manning, “he’s probably afraid to tell us.”
“Afraid or not, I still believe he saw or heard something and we have to find a way to get him to tell us what he knows.”
Early the next morning, Detective Beasley arrived at the station. He hadn’t been in his office a good two minutes when one of the jailers came in and told him Gooch wanted to talk to him and the D.A.; he wanted to make a plea deal. Detective Beasley contacted the D.A. and he agreed to meet with Gooch about a plea deal. Beasley and the D.A. met with Gooch in the interrogation room. Detective Manning wasn’t there because he had called in and said he would be late.
“So, Gooch, you want to make a deal,” said the D.A.
“Yes, sir,” Gooch nervously replied.
“What kind of deal?” asked the D.A.
“I’ll tell you everything I know if you give me probation,” he said, “for stealing the jewelry.”
“How do we know what you tell us will help us?” questioned the D.A.
“Oh, it will,” replied Gooch. “I know who killed Brian and Gail Hesson.”
“Why didn’t you tell us yesterday” spoke up Beasley. “What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know. I was afraid. I guess…”
“Tell us what you know,” interrupted the D.A., “and I’ll try to work out a deal with you.”
“The night Brian was killed, I was there in the warehouse when I heard two men talking. I snuck close enough to them so I could watch and listen but further enough away so they wouldn’t see me. The killer had Brian meet him at the warehouse to finish paying him for the murder of his wife. From the way I understand, Gail and Brian had hired the same man. Gail hired him to kill Brian and Brian hired him to kill Gail. I know it sounds unbelievable but it’s true. When Brian gave him the rest of the money, he shot and killed him.”
“Who was the killer?” asked the D.A. “What’s his name?”
“I didn’t recognize him at first but later on I realized who he was.”
“Who is he?” asked Beasley.
“It’s…it is Detective Manning,” stuttered Gooch.
“What!” cried out the D.A. “Are you positive?”
“Do you know what you’re implying?” questioned Beasley.
Before Gooch could say anything else, they were interrupted when Detective Manning walked into the interrogation room. Everything got quiet.
“What’s going on?” Manning asked.
“Gooch wants to make a plea deal and he requested to speak with the D.A.”
“What is he asking for?” questioned Manning.
“He wants probation for his theft charge,” answered the D.A.
“Did he tell you anything else?” asked Manning.
“No, not much,” replied Beasley.
Gooch’s meeting with Beasley and the D.A. came to an abrupt end and Gooch was sent back to his cell. The D.A. told Detective Beasley he would speak with him later. Beasley and Manning went back to the office but they didn’t talk much; Beasley didn’t know what to say to Manning so he just sat in silence. However, he noticed Manning seemed to be worried and agitated. Manning finally left and told Beasley he’d be back later. Beasley was on his way to get a snack when he saw Detective Sloan in the hallway.
“Hey, Joe. It’s good to see you again,” greeted Beasley.
“You, too,” replied Joe.
“How’s it been going with the vice squad?” inquired Beasley.
“Oh, it’s work,” he replied. “It keeps me very busy. There are a lot more things going on than I thought. How’s the Hesson case coming along?”
“We are still working on it,” he replied. “But, I think we’re close to solving it.”
“Yeah, I heard you finally brought in the homeless man for questioning,” said Joe. “Gooch is his name, I believe.”
“Yeah,” he replied, “we did.”
“Do you think he did it?” Joe asked.
“No,” replied Beasley. “I don’t believe he did it. But, he knows who did.”
“Really. Is he talking?” questioned Joe.
“Yeah, Beasley responded.
“Well, that’s good. How do you like working with Manning?” Joe asked.
“He’s okay,” replied Beasley. “Do you know anything about him?”
“No,” replied Joe. “Why?”
“No reason,” Beasley replied.
“Is there something going on with Manning?” Joe questioned.
“Why, what do you mean by that?”
“I was just wondering,” Joe replied. “I saw him talking to Hook on the street a few days ago.”
“Are you talking about Hook the loan shark?” Beasley asked.
“Yeah,” replied Joe.
“I wonder what they were talking about,” Beasley stated.
“I don’t know,” said Joe. “But, I did see him hand Hook a large brown envelope. After he gave him the envelope, he left.”
“Hmm, I see,” Beasley replied. “Well, it was good to see you again, Joe. I’ve got to go. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Okay,” he replied. “I’ll see you around.”
Detective Beasley left and went downtown to find Hook. As he drove around looking from Hook, he thought about what Gooch and Detective Sloan had told him and tried to put the puzzle together. It took him about two hours to find Hook. He spotted him standing on a corner talking to a couple of prostitutes. He parked his car, got out and crossed the street to go over and talk with him. When the prostitutes saw him coming, they walked away and left Hook standing there.
“Hey, man, what’s going on?” Hook asked.
“I need some information,” he replied. “I don’t want to hear you can’t help me; I want some answers,” he demanded as he shoved Hook against the building.
“Hey, man, what’s the deal” cried out Hook. “What do you want, man? I haven’t done nothing.”
“I want to know what the deal is between you and Larry Manning.”
“Oh, nothing, man,” replied Hook. “We just had a little business deal is all.”
“What kind of business deal?” questioned Beasley.
“Hey, man, that’s between Larry and me. It’s none of your business.”
“Well, I’m making it my business,” Beasley said as he shoved him against the building again.
“Man, keep your hands off of me,” Hook said with frustration.
“Not until you tell me what’s going on between the two of you,” he replied. “All you have to do is tell me what the deal is between you and Larry.”
“Okay, okay, man! Back off and let me go,” replied Hook. “I’ll tell you if it’ll get you to leave me alone. He owed me some money.”
“Money for what?” he asked.
“He had a big gambling debt he owed and I loaned him the money to pay it off,” replied Hook.
“How much money?”
“Twenty-five thousand dollars, what’s the big deal,” cried out Hook. “He paid me back so we’re good now. Me and Larry are cool.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Beasley said as he walked away.
As he crossed the street and got into his car, he still couldn’t put the pieces of the puzzle together. Things just weren’t adding up.
As Beasley was driving away, Hook shot him a bird and yelled, “Thank you, too.”
On his way back to the station, Detective Beasley tossed the evidence over and over and back and forth in his mind. When he arrived at the station, he headed straight to the D.A.’s office. He told the D.A. what he had found out about Manning. The D.A. believed there was enough evidence to arrest him; they had an eyewitness and a motive. Within an hour, Manning was arrested and charged with two counts of first degree murder. A few months lat
er, Manning went to trial; Gooch and Hook testified against him. The jury found him guilty of both counts of murder and he received fifty years to life in prison. Gooch received probation for his theft charge.
*****
Beyond the Truth
A Cry in the Wind
Thistles and Thorns
Dead Limbs and Leaves
Troubled Waters
When Autumn Falls
When Time Was
Bittersweet
Sycamore Tales
Stepping Out on a Limb
Odds n Ends
Turning Point
The Fall of Night
In Times of Quitting
Still Wind, Forgotten Days
In Times of Trouble
Special Moments
Bobby A. Troutt is a southern writer who writes a variety of short stories, spiritual books and children’s books.