A Courtroom Massacre

by Mark Porto

Croydon pulls out another cigarette and lights it, as he was puffing, he reclines in his chair staring into the ceiling while puffing rings of smoke in the air, thinking about his next strategy.

  Ethan shouts, “Ron, are you listening? Your political life is at stake!”

  However, he sits up to flicker part of another burnt out cigarette on the ashtray. He assures him to not to worry about it, as they’re speaking, he will think of something.

  Johnny became one of Stella Montcalm’s biggest supporters, he persuades Doreen to accompany him to the rallies. Many of the participants were casually dressed while Stella made her speeches. She discusses the dishonesty of Senator Croydon and his associates, vowing to maintain an honest office if she wins in September.

  On the second Tuesday in that month, the primary was held; despite larger than usual turnout, Senator Croydon won with 61% of the vote with exit polls showing that he would get about 70%, some precincts claimed more votes for the senator than were cast.

  Johnny frowned upon learning of the election results, but has learned throughout his life that people who make sense usually don’t get elected.

  Johnny receives a call from Ms. Valentine telling him she received correspondence from Mr. Padgett offering to settle the lawsuit out of court.

  He is wondering why he is pursuing this, “After all, I had a right to shoot Roy Dennison.” He is aware the family would want to resolve this matter. “Why do they to do it?”

  She recognizes his point, but advises him to look at the opportunity, because if he lost, he would be paying a large judgment for the rest of his life. “As your lawyer, I have to advise about every possibility this case can take.”

  “I understand fully, but a settlement is out of the question. First, it would be a perception of guilt. Second, I want to know who instigated this lawsuit, I wonder if this anything to do with anyone in local politics?”

  She tells him the plaintiff’s married brother brought the action , “Evidently, he feels his family has suffered as a result of your actions.”

  “I wonder if he’s looking for a quick buck or something else.”

  “I can’t answer your question.”

  “Don’t worry, it’s more rhetorical.”

  “So, the answer is no.”

  Johnny says the family didn’t strike him as being rich. “Why don’t you petition the court to have this claim made frivolous?”

  She sighs. “In legal matters, unfortunately, things aren’t black and white. We’ve got to address the suit. However, I will submit a brief outlining any objections. “

  “Oh, before I forget, by the way, what’s been going on concerning the matter of the foreclosure on my father’s business?”

  Ms. Valentine explains when she contacted Mr. Jasper and the bank’s legal counsel by phone and letter, “They didn’t respond for a while until I threatened to report them to the state Banking Department.” She insinuates the bank officials have something to hide. Then, she contacted a former law school classmate who works there, telling her of the situation, “She wrote them a letter telling the officials to either cite a justifiable reason for the foreclosure or rescind it.”

  When Johnny asks how they responded, she told him they sent a letter back stating the bank officials needed to consult their lawyers. She continues saying they promised to respond in ten days, but it already has been that long with no response.

  Afterwards, Johnny thought a lot about his girlfriend. She, too, has been thinking about him. While they would spend a lot of time together, he would also find out more about what was going on in the legal case.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Doreen calls Johnny later that day, in an effort to cheer him up. Although he smiles and chuckles at times, there was a gnawing pit feeling in his stomach. She talks about spending a weekend to Montauk. Johnny sits up holding the arm of the chair. “That’s on the tip of Long Island, what’s there?”

  Doreen sits at her desk taking out a travel brochure. She recites the many attractions, trying not to sound boring. Her soft voice touches Johnny’s ears. “Here’s what I figure, you and I have been having a hard time and I think we need a break, I hope you’ll come.”

  “When do you want to go?”

  She says she has the upcoming weekend free.

  That Friday afternoon, Ms. Valentine gives Doreen the afternoon off. At the same time, Sal and Anita tell their son if he didn’t agree to go, they would prod him out the door.

  Johnny walks out with his bags; he drives to Doreen’s house. When he arrives, Johnny speaks to Mr. Norman for a few minutes about various subjects.

  In the meantime, Mrs. Norman winces while watching her daughter pack, “Why do you like him? You know about his past, doesn’t it bother you, he was in jail. We don’t even know his parents, what are you thinking?”

  Doreen sighs heavily reminding her she was going with him to Montauk. “I don’t want to hear another word about it. She retorts, “It didn’t seem to bother you when Troy Grayson got into trouble, so what the hell is your problem?”

  Mrs. Norman sits down opening a bottle of aspirin complaining of a sick headache. “You’ve really developed a fresh mouth ever since you started going out with him?”

  Doreen’s arms are akimbo staring at her neurotic mother. “You never answered me about Troy, he’d get into trouble and you would always dismiss it, because of your friendship with that busybody, Mrs. Grayson. She was more interested in gossip than in her own son.”

  Mrs. Norman stands up, “I made friends with those people so you and your sisters would move up in the world. You’re going out with someone who doesn’t have a job.”

  “Mother, stop right there, Johnny works in his parents’ business. True, he doesn’t make much money, but he’s kind and responsible. Troy, on the other hand, was into drugs. Not only didn’t he care for me, he only wanted sex. Your problem is you’re a social climber. Frankly, you don’t how me and my sisters’ feel, let’s put it this way, this is all about you, not us.” She immediately storms out of the house.

  Mrs. Norman has to lie down staying there all weekend.

  The couple arrives in Montauk at 5:30 in the afternoon, after four hours of driving. They stayed at a small Inn, a couple of miles from the town and rent separate rooms. The couple also called their parents to let them know they arrived safely.

  After resting for a couple of hours, Johnny and Doreen walk out, arm and arm to a strong breeze, which sway their hair while entering a restaurant.

  The couple discusses where they were going to visit, while eating seafood with a chef’s salad with a nonalcoholic drink. Johnny picks at his food while staring out the window to gaze a multitude of looks at the Atlantic Ocean.

  Doreen puts her hand on his shoulder wondering what was wrong. Johnny breaths a heavy sighs, touching her hand. “Honey, I’ve got a lot on my mind; I guess it is because I’m tired. After we eat, would you mind if we went back to the Inn?”

  Her lips straighten while she agrees, though mentally she is disappointed as they finish their meals.

  The next day, the sun shines amid a deep blue sky along with a warm breeze. Johnny gets up and walks to Doreen’s room around 7:30 in the morning. She comes out dressed in an old shirt and jeans, while holding her cap with a smile. “How do I look?”

  His mouth flew open, “Doreen, I don’t know what to say, I just thought we were going sightseeing. Oh, I forget, you like to go fishing.”

  “We are I’m glad you remembered, after breakfast, I want to go fishing at one of the docks near the piers.”

  Johnny is dressed in a shirt and jeans as he asks her if he was overdressed.

  Doreen laughs telling him what he was wearing was old, but cute.

  After eating breakfast, the couple venture to a dock near the tip of one of the piers. Doreen places a worm on a hook casting it into the water. She looks at the sea as Johnny looks at her face and the rest of her body.

  He looks at her to say she seems to know about this area ver
y well. “Have you ever been here before?”

  She is so focused on the line, when Johnny reiterates, she hears him while holding the line. Doreen explains many years ago, her parents took her and her sister to Sag Harbor and they would ride the ferry to New Haven, Connecticut to visit her aunt. “While my aunt and I didn’t get along to well – my uncle and I did, he would take me to a dock. We would fish for the rest of the afternoon. Once in a while, we’d catch a few fishes and eat them for dinner.”

  “How long did you and your uncle go fishing?”

  Doreen looks up; the sunlight silhouetting her profile, she remarks it was for seven or eight years.

  “Why did the serenity end?”

  She exhibits a nervous chuckle, “I went off to college.” However, her smile quickly turns to a frown as her head descends. Johnny puts his hand on hers while tears start to fall from her opaque eyes. “There was something else.” He listens for her explanation. “My parents and my aunt had a fallout over a piece of land near Groton, because they had to buy it for their retirement.”

  “What stopped them from buying the property?”

  There was silence as the seagulls sway across the harbor with the light of the blue sky descending with the sunlight; she rubs her temples for a few minutes. “They didn’t buy it, because they couldn’t afford it. The argument with my aunt stems from them competing with my parents in buying the property. There were hard feelings that have continued to this day.”

  “If they had a place, why did your aunt and uncle want the property?”

  Doreen explains the land was adjacent to her aunt and uncle’s retirement place. “It’s obvious they didn’t want to have my parents living next door to them.”

  Johnny notices a tear dripping from her right eye. He takes her into his arms expressing it didn’t matter to him if her parents had the money or not, holding her face to face. “I promise you, someday, I’ll buy you a vacation lot – just for the two of us.”

  Drying her tears, she asks him how he was going to it. He didn’t know, but would find the resources. Doreen tilts her head smiling, it won’t happen, but his heart is in the right place. He’s so caring.

  As the couple get up, they wipe the dirt and soot off their jeans with a brush.

  When they left the pier, Johnny and Doreen visit Hither State Park to take a walk. After a few minutes, she decides to visit an exhibit while he expresses an interest in going to Montauk Point. She wonders why he has a sudden interest in visiting the lighthouse.

  Johnny says ever since they arrived here, the sea air reminded him of his days in the Navy. They agree to meet at the courtyard afterward.

  He enters the lighthouse looking virtually around when he encounters a worker who has bold eyes, high cheekbones with a slim build and big feet asking what he could do for him.

  The man displays a deep, foghorn style voice, “Are you Johnny Bellow from Black Meadows?”

  Johnny looks at the solid face with a firm aplomb, “Yes, sir, why do you want to know?”

  The man says he needed to talk to him in private stating it was very important. When Johnny went to a room to talk to him, the man gives him a dossier. Johnny opens to scan the material wondering why he would give this information to a stranger.

  The men sit on a couple of wooden chairs ahead of a small desk, the man extended his hand, “My name is John Elwood, Mr. Bellow, and I once lived in Black Meadows.”

  Johnny crosses his legs, placing his hand under the chin as Mr. Elwood begins talking,

  “Do you remember the gang you killed three years ago?”

  When Johnny nods he does; Mr. Elwood explains his son was friends with one of the gang members. He asserts his son Lawrence is a good kid who never got into trouble, that is, until he met one of them. Mr. Elwood says the trouble started when he and his friend meet a girl. “Larry and she, for some reason, got into an argument and he left, but the friend didn’t. Larry thought he would, because he said he would.”

  Johnny interrupts, “Excuse me, your son got blame for doing something to the girl.”

  Mr. Elwood’s lowering eyebrows and facial muscles with ever shrinking eyes, while he shakes his finger, saying the guess was only partially correct, “What happened were two incidents: The first being with the girl, there was a second incident in school.” He continues without breaking down trying hard not to cry. “After my son left school, he went back to get his new coat as the weather was windy and colder. Larry discovered his friend threatening to tell his teacher he cut the legs of the teacher’s chair and placed the seat on the top, so no one would notice until the teacher came in, fell down, with the result got seriously injured.”

  Johnny asks if Larry saw his friend cut up the chair. “If he did, why didn’t he say anything to the authorities?”

  Elwood moves back telling him Larry, when he walked in, saw his friend cut the legs of the chair. “I know this because when he told me about it, I suggested he not say anything. His friend had a reputation for retaliation.”

  Johnny wonders though, why was he intimidated from going to the authorities when Larry’s friend attacked the young lady.

  Mr. Elwood lowers his head, “Well, my son is an outgoing lad it important to him to have a lot of friends, sometimes he wasn’t always the best judge of character. So, he wasn’t comfortable about losing them. He was at an age where he cared about what his friends thought.”

  Johnny turns right, “I understand your concerns, but how did the authorities react when your son tells them his story about what happened in that school room.”

  Elwood places his finger upward while taking a deep breath. “When he told me he saw his friend attack the girl, the police threatened to put him in jail for falsely reporting an incident!”

  Johnny inquires if Larry knew Cain Lipshutz or any of his cohorts. “That could explain why the police reacted that way.”

  Elwood laughs hard commenting he was good at this. “Yes, he was involved with him. I was concerned since we are a working class family and the Lipshutz’s are the upper crust of Black Meadows society.”

  “Is Cain Lipshutz the reason your son was made a scapegoat for his acts?”

  Elwood tells Johnny that Odell Muir, a prosecutor, suggests to his family if his son pleaded guilty, he would be given a light sentence. “I told my son not to do it, but he did. I was concerned since he was sixteen that’s old enough to go to adult jail.”

  Johnny persists in asking him who convinced his son to plead guilty to such a crime.

  Elwood breathes a heavy sigh, “Outside of Muir, believe it or not, it was my employer.”

  Johnny’s face falls as he sees Elwood’s frown while sitting back on the chair. Elwood starts to cry. He asks him who his employer was.

  After a brief silence, Elwood mentioned he worked in the local auto parts factory.

  Johnny comments, “Well, I’ll be damned.” He places his hand on his temple, thinking. Oh, my God, I used to work there! “Mr. Elwood, I remember you; you used to be in quality control. Why would our employer be involved? Or was the manager in Industrial Relations involved with Muir, because there was a relation there?”

  Elwood smiles upon hearing Johnny remember him. “Yeah, I remember seeing you around the assembly line; answering your question, it was Cecil Myron who insisted Larry plead guilty to the charge.”

  Johnny’s eyes rolled around. “Oh yes, I remember him, the nicest thing I can say about that mouse was he was also a weasel.” He folds his arms while scanning the information finding out he was the one who convinced Menden, into accepting plea bargains. “It seems Menden has his unethical tentacles everywhere. If I may call you John, why didn’t you take this information to an attorney outside the area or even the news media?”

  John Elwood wanted Johnny to call him “Elmer”, his nickname. He leans forward to explain he took the information to Virgil Carras, the editor of the Tappan County Solicitor. He smiles placing his hands behind his head as he sits back. His response was it w
ouldn’t be helpful to print an article with such information.

  “What about the newspapers in Knickerbocker or in New York?”

  Elmer wipes the sweats off his face and chin, “When my son went to jail, I started asking a lot of questions. In my doing research in any library I had access, there were times when it drove my wife crazy.” He has to laugh to break the enormous tension.

  Johnny says he surmises when Myron found out about his activities, he was “laid off” from his job. “I had a hard time getting a job in the town.”

  Elmer says he was exactly right. “My friend, there was one exception, I wasn’t laid off, I was fired. They told me I had fifteen minutes to clean out my desk. During that time, there was a security guard present.”

  “What was the reason for your dismissal?”

  Elmer explains when he walked into Myron’s office, he didn’t look him directly in the eye. He began doodling with a pencil on a piece of paper, telling him the accusations against some of the people in town weren’t being helpful.

  Johnny motions with his hand while gathering his next thought “Wait a minute; each time you brought these inconsistencies to life, it was view as not helpful?” When Elmer nods, Johnny brings forth some information from the file, one place he shows Senator Croydon and his sister’s husband, Jerry, were never charged any legal fees. “In addition, they were never sued by Cain Lipshutz’s victims.” He puts down the file. “Doesn’t that strike you as suspicious?”

  Elmer shrugs his shoulders not knowing what to say.

  “You don’t understand, whenever Cain was in trouble, he was never punished, because the charges were always dropped and many of these charges are pretty damn serious.”

  “I agree it’s been a while since I read some of the information and almost forgot it.”

  “How long ago was your son put in jail?”

  He looks briefly up at the ceiling, “It was about six years ago, he was released just before Christmas, that year, it was on good behavior.”

  Johnny shakes his head, “How long have you worked at the lighthouse? You sound like you’re very happy in your vocation.”