A Courtroom Massacre

by Mark Porto

  A few days later, Eli, Billy and Jim visit Johnny. A glow that hadn’t been seen for a long while was there. They tried hard not to express sadness seeing Johnny lying in bed, with the inability to walk. The four friends talk mostly about sports and what’s going on with them around town.

  Johnny leaves the hospital on May 25; he spends his days sitting in a wheelchair reading the information Ralph gave him. When he isn’t reading, he looks out the window; whenever he saw couples walking down the street, rocking feverishly in the chair.

  Anita is numb watching her son sustain a prolonged maudlin state. She decides to enter his room after washing some clothes, “Johnny, why don’t you go outside for a while, the air, I guarantee will do you some good.” His face is rigid as she puts away the clothes saying he didn’t want to right away. She told him it had been more than a week since he came. She wanted him to go out. She put down the wicker basket, “Johnny Bellow, you understand something right now, I can’t possibly know the pain you’ve been feeling for nearly the past four years, but son, I care about you.” She pauses to avoid crying. “If it is in my power, I will not allow this to destroy you.” She stands in front of him, “You have the ability to change your life’s circumstances and only you can make yourself happy.”

  He didn’t understand what his mother said right away what she was talking about, but after further prodding by his mother, Johnny wheels himself out the door and onto the diner. Some people turn to stare, a few immature people snicker and were scolded by one man. The sound of loud music makes him wince. He purchases a newspaper, before entering, the waitress, who knew him from when he was in high school, face fell when she saw him, “Long time no see, may I ask what happened?”

  Johnny smiles to briefly explain his circumstances.

  She places her hand on his shoulder, but he retreats, then she asks him why he recoiled, he tells her it was a reflex. She asks him his order. He orders a light lunch and coffee.

  Johnny sat in an area where he wouldn’t inconvenience other patrons; his eyes were riveted to the headline: FOUR SUSPECTS APPREHENED IN YONKERS ATTACK. He gasps, and then whispers, “So, they’ve captured the people who tried to waste me.” He speaks to himself; his eyes were fixed upon the article. It states all four suspects weren’t any stranger to law enforcement and the courts.

  While Johnny is eating, Manny, Chang, Kim, Anastazio came into the place and said hello to him, He looks and smiles, “What brings you guys here?”

  Manny remarks they were passing through and knew how he got into the wheelchair. “I heard they captured those guys, I ought to know, because I knew them, when I first landed prison. They used to tell me stories of their escapades, let me say this, they’re mean dudes.”

  Johnny twirls his finger around, taking another drink of coffee; he remarks he knows what going to happen. “Either the prosecutor and/or police are going to screw up resulting them being on their merry way.”

  They agree with him, but don’t know if there’s much that can be done. Johnny remembers while lying on the ground wounded, he saw the back of the license plate, despite the speed, STATE OF NEW YORK, “I believe Senator Croydon had something to do with it.”

  “Why would he involve himself in a mugging?”

  Johnny smirks, “He wasn’t, and there wasn’t a mugging, guys. I’ve got a plan that will stop this insanity!” He whispers it in their ears. Anastanzio thinks the idea is crazy. “Has anyone have a better idea?”

  After much deliberation, outside the establishment, they decide it was the only way to vindicate them; but Manny warned it would be dangerous.

  Later, the men visit Jack at the local gun shop, he was cleaning rifles and shotguns when they walked in. Jack turns around walking towards Johnny noticing him in the wheelchairs. He asked him what happened and Johnny told him the story. He hands him a list of what he needed as Jack read it.

  “Jack, you’ve lost weight, I’m glad to hear it.”

  Jack blushes, which was something he didn’t ordinarily do. “Well, I went to the doctor a while ago and he told me to lose weight.” He shows his profile, pinching his slacks, “I lost thirty pounds; it took a few months, though.”

  “That’s great, I wish you good health. You’ll find the list with the request quite reasonable.”

  Jack puts on his glasses, stands reading the list, scratching his chin. “Yeah, Johnny, I don’t think these items will be problem, but it’ll take a few days.” He smirks patting him on the shoulder.

  Johnny turns his wheelchair around asking him how much it will cost; Jack gives him a rough estimate. Johnny takes out his checkbook to give him a deposit.

  Jack assures him he can get it while he was looking through his rolodex and filing cabinet, finds a card with a list of contacts that can help with the request. Johnny thanks him for the help. Jack stares at him, scratched his head for the moment wondering what he’s going to do with this equipment. His normally gruff face turns humble. “I normally don’t ask any questions, but still...”

  Johnny only tells him he’s going to take out the garbage, “That’s all you need to know.”

  Jack told him since he was a friend; there wasn’t a need for an explanation.

  A week later, the four suspects and their attorneys enter the Tappan County Courthouse Criminal Division in Black Meadows. However, at the entrance, participants and the spectators alike had to pass a metal detector, that accompanied by a conveyor, in order to gain admittance.

  Armed sheriffs’ deputies were present to supervise the lobby to ensure the victim doesn’t confront any of the defendants. These actions were taken, because there have been threats against public officials, staff members and attorneys who worked in the building.

  Johnny arrives with Manny wheeling him to the courthouse around nine o’clock in the morning, they notice the deputies as well as the marshal at the back door. He tells Manny to take him back to the van, which he does. There, he instructs Anastanzio to enter through with a walkie-talkie to let him know if the defendants were released or imprisoned. Johnny reviews a map of the outside of the Courthouse with Manny.

  The arraignment didn’t commence until after 11:00, the prosecutor, assistant district attorney Rogers tells the court these four men shot Mr. Bellow in an attempt to rob both he and his parents. “Your honor, these men have lengthy criminal records and we the people request that bail be denied.”

  Thomas Menckenson, one of the defense attorneys, suddenly protested. “Your honor, the grand jury failed to return an indictment for attempted armed robbery and second-degree attempted murder, because the wallets were dropped at the crime scene and the gun, I contend went off by accident, we request a release on their own recognizance!” He stands away from the podium holding some papers taken from his briefcase.

  Judge Lexington looks to the assistant prosecutor to ask him about the failure to indict.

  Rogers explains he was out of town and the case had to be temporarily reassigned to another prosecutor to handle the proceedings. When he stands before another podium, saying since no money was taken, that was probably the reason an indictment wasn’t sought. “However, since it is reasonable to assume an attempt was made, I sought an indictment for second-degree attempted murder, but, somehow my assertion failed to sway the jury.”

  The judge’s teeth grit talking off his glasses, “I don’t understand, didn’t anyone collect the suspects’ fingerprints on the wallets?”

  Rogers explains further the police submit a report, but his replacement evidently forgot to be present it for the jury. The judge yells how something that important could be forgotten. Rogers remarks, “Your honor, the problem I had was trying to get witnesses of the shooting to come forward. I became too preoccupied with the part of the investigation while explaining this to my replacement, but for some reason, he forgot about the other charges.” The judge could only shake his head.

  Menckenson steps forward, “Your honor; and my clients’ civil and constitutional rights have been viola
ted with these events!” He says lightly tapping on the podium.

  The judge’s eyebrows descend as his mouth crinkles while his nose was twitching. “Mr. Menckenson, we have to settle the evidence first, “He leans to Mr. Rogers. “Have you got any credible witnesses to the shooting?” He starts hemming and hawing, but the judge repeated the question.

  Rogers states, “Your honor, it’s this way, we had three witnesses, one mysteriously moved away, another left town under similar circumstances and we’ve got only one left who’s willing to testify.” The judge asked the location of this witness: Rogers explains the witness listed his place of domicile as a spaceship.

  Judge Lexington puts his hand on his forehead to utter an inaudible snicker. “This is unbelievable, Mr. Menckenson, have you anything to say before I render a decision?”

  “Your honor, I protest that without sufficient evidence, I want the case against my clients to be dismissed.” All the other attorneys concurred.

  The judge mulls the decision briefly as he looks at the clock, “Since, it’s close to noon, I’ll dismiss the charges. We’ll take a recess until 1:30.” He pounds the gavel.

  Anastanzio rushes from the courtroom to tell Johnny through the walkie-talkie about the defendants being released. Johnny thanks him telling Manny where to put the weapons.

  About ten minutes later, the four thugs who attacked Johnny exit from the back door, in order to avoid the reporters, who were in the lobby snapping and filming pictures of them as the attorneys talk briefly with reporters.

  The four thugs and Johnny meet, they approach him with smirks and grins. The triggerman called Troy says hovering over him, “The next time, we’ll not only get you, but your entire family and that mutt! So, you’d better stop trying to change what goes on around her and consider your gunshot wounds as a warning!”

  The other suspects say, “We got away with it!” As another remarks, “Look at the cripple!” They stuck out their tongues with their heads jutted backward laughing as they congregated by the door waiting for “their people.”

  Johnny simply wheels away until he gets behind a tall bush which was between the back door and the van. His automatic rifle has a telescopic lens; he points it at Troy’s head and fires. Troy falls to the ground dead. Johnny continues to open fire until all four thugs are killed. He, then, with Manny’s assistance gets into the van as Anastanzio drives quickly away. They took off the license plates until they found a secluded rest area about a few tenths of a mile away to reinstall the plates.

  The commotion outside the courthouse was that of pandemonium, pictures were taken of the dead thugs amid their shocked legal counsel along with several sheriffs’ deputies exiting to investigate the incident. However, the van was long gone, a couple of witnesses said when questioned, they “hit the dirt”.

  After the rest stop, Johnny reviewed the information Ralph gave him thanking Manny and Anastazio for their help. “I couldn’t have done this.” Manny remarks he couldn’t do without getting caught everyone laughs. “Where are Kim and Chang?”

  Manny explains they’re at the cabin as lookouts, “They’re there to make sure the police don’t follow or find us, they have a police radio.”

  “That’s good, the last thing we need is a lecture from a self-righteous lawyer or judge who had never been tested in his life.”

  The trio drives to Manny’s cabin, which is about a hundred miles away; they’re careful to drive the legal limit.

  When they arrived, Manny helps Johnny to get out of the van; he further assists him in getting the five or six boxes out of it as well. Manny asks him what they should do with the automatic rifle; Johnny says to hide it, with the spare ammunition, in the shed.

  The van is hidden in a bush behind the shed.

  Upon entering the cabin, all the shades are pulled down with only the necessary lights are used, to avert detection.

  Johnny’s current and further actions are going to give the crooked politicians of Black Meadows their just deserts; however, he may have won a pyrrhic victory.

  CHAPTER TEN

  When the trio reaches the cabin, Johnny calls his parents telling them not to worry, but he kept the conversation down to a minute to avoid tracking. During this time, he took the papers, folders and envelopes to assort them near his portable typewriter. He was organizing the papers he got from Menden, Elmer and the mystery man he met in solitary. Johnny had to determine which papers would go to the attorney general.

  Chang asks him what all those papers were doing there.

  Johnny explains there was a shooting of those four thugs outside the courtroom, “With these papers, you’re going to see another one.” He sorts the papers as Manny bent down to look at some of them, he laughs asking where he’s sending the papers. He gets some blank paper using the typewriter to compose a letter. “The person I’m writing to is the only one who can be trusted in Albany.” The brisk sounds of the paper being inserted into the typewriter temporarily made the last few words of the sentence inaudible. Johnny sits by it for several hours while his comrades and cousin, Jerry, eat dinner.

  Manny hollers, “Come on, man, have some of this soup!”

  Johnny keeps staring at the typewriter, motioning him that he wasn’t hungry, but he might eat later, he thanks them saying he’s got to get this done or he won’t be able to do anything else, Manny responds to suit himself. He continues sitting there for several more hours, staring out the window as the day turned into night; Johnny had thoughts of his parents, Doreen, their child, whether the police will find the cabin; he knew they did before for it was obvious they did a better job of fleeing the scene.

  Johnny gets up temporarily around 9:30 in the evening to eat a fair amount of soup, before returning to the typewriter. He wrote another rough draft, one that he would be satisfied in writing, he composed this letter:

  My dear Mr. Attorney General:

  It has come to my attention; you’ve been investigating some Tappan County public officials on various charges.

  I’ve been reading about the stonewalling you’ve been encountering. I also realize the press has been hard on you. I’m sorry to hear this, because I believe you are the only public official in Albany, who’s trustworthy. I believe you and I are searching for the truth.

  I know you’re busy, so I won’t beat around the bush, I’ve taken the liberty of sending you a multitude of documents, transcripts of legally recorded conversations as well as financial records of the many of the judges and other public officials.

  There is also included other documentation about Thomas Croydon, the prison warden, who incidentally is running for Sheriff, as to the abuses of some of the prison guards along with their psychiatrist, Dr. Kimball, several members of the parole board and the law firm which represents them headed by Jerry Lipshutz, the brother-in-law of State Senator Croydon, these were obtained through conversations by former associates, whose names and contact numbers are included as well.

  This information should help you win the necessary convictions.

  Very truly yours,

  Johnny Bellow

  Johnny looks at the letter several times, each time; he has a glow in his face making the necessary corrections until he was satisfied with what he wrote.

  Manny had been asleep in one of the bedrooms, he sees the light on in the main room and walks over to Johnny as he was revising the letter. He comments, “Are you still working? Don’t you sleep?” Johnny shows him the letter, when Manny sees the signature, remarking, “Are you crazy to sign your own name? Do you realize they could catch you – and us?”

  “Of course, I’ve thought of it, I got a couple of envelopes from the post office in Knickerbocker. All we have to do is wait here for a couple of days until it’s nearly closing time at the Londonderry post office, Jerry can mail the information, since I’ve given him the instructions numerous times. But, we must depart in separate directions.”

  Manny laughs, scratching his chin, “What, you don’t want to see us anymo
re?”

  Johnny gives him a melodramatic smile, “No, quite the contrary, you guys helped me a lot – I’m grateful, however, to protect everyone, we must depart.”

  “Man, you’ve got to get some rest.” Manny tells Johnny looking over his shoulder, Johnny asks what time is was, “It’s about midnight.”

  Johnny decides to sleep there before turning out the light.

  A day later, Johnny wore a disguise before he made copies of the papers at a local stationary store, which cost him $100; he used money he withdrew from the bank, days before what happened at the courthouse. Later, he had Jerry mail the information; it took him about ten minutes. When they congregated outside, Johnny thanks Manny, Kim, Chang and Anastanzio for all their help; they enter a rental car to drive to the bus station. Johnny drives Jerry back to Black Meadows.

  When Johnny arrives home, his mother asks him with her arms akimbo where he has been for the last five days. He explains what happened and he has to leave town and fast. “I have to leave town as soon as possible.”

  Anita walks up to him to place her hands on the arms of the chair, they were erect as her temper erupts, “What the hell are you telling me? I heard the men who shot you were killed by an unknown assailant and might have had helped, did you have anything to do with it?” She looks down. “Please, Johnny, I won’t tell anyone.”

  Johnny looks at his mother; he puts his hand on her arm thinking, Ma, for yours and my sake, please don’t ask me anymore. “Ma, did anyone call?”

  She tells him Ms. Valentine has been trying to contact him for the last couple of days.

  There was sweat pouring down his face, he felt an extraordinary amount of energy. He tells his mother, he’ll talk to her as he wheels himself to the phone to call her. When she answered, Johnny tells her he had been busy for the past several days.