PROJECT BlueBolt - AMERICAN GULAGS: BOOK I - AMERICAN GULAGS

by Marshall Huffman

  “He didn’t say anything else?”

  “No. He just pulled a gun and shot him in the chest.”

  “Where were you at that point?”

  “I had just sat down. I jumped up when he shot Crain.”

  “And then what?”

  “I...okay, the man. He turned and started walking away. He dropped the gun and just walked away like nothing had happened. I yelled at him to stop. He kept going. I picked up the gun and told him to stop or I would shoot. He just kept going. I aimed for his leg and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. I guess he only had the one bullet in the gun. I called 911 and when I turned around again, the guy was gone.”

  “Okay, so Crain is down, you pick up the gun and tell the guy to stop but he doesn’t.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “And you pull the trigger and nothing happens?”

  “That’s right,” Judd confirms.

  “I see. Did anyone else see this take place?”

  “Not to my knowledge. I mean I really wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Why were the two of you out here?”

  “Well, we are both Senators. We have government business to talk about and sometimes it helps to get some fresh air. We both like to walk so that’s what we were doing,” Judd replied.

  “Talking not arguing?”

  “What? No. We are friends for heaven’s sakes.”

  “But from different political parties.”

  “That doesn’t make us enemies.”

  “Alright Senator Judd. Here is my card. Call me if you think of anything else. A detective will probably follow up on this sometime soon.”

  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “You may think of something else,” the police officer said and walked off.

  ****

  “Mr. Rheem. I am getting pretty fed up with the job you are doing. I put you in charge of ISS because I thought you were the most competent man for the job. Frankly, so far I am not impressed with the results. I understand that Senator Crain may still be alive.”

  “He had on a heavy coat. A suppressed .22 doesn’t have a lot of power. The coat might have slowed it down just enough.”

  “At the risk of seeming foolish, why not use a large caliber gun?”

  “We wanted to keep the noise to a minimum.”

  “So instead of ensuring that he was dead we have to now make sure he doesn’t survive, increasing our chances of failure even more.”

  “I’ve checked the hospital, the prognosis is not good,” Rheem told her.

  “Not good and dead are not the same thing Tony. Who have you assigned to the case to make sure Senator Judd is charged?”

  “I let the local police handle the initial investigation but we will step in once we are sure Senator is dead.”

  “If he dies,” she admonished.

  “He will. I’ll take care of it.”

  “Well I hope you do a better job this time. I don’t have to tell you the problems it will cause if he does live.”

  ****

  “Hold it. I need to see your identification,” the policeman said standing as the nurse approached.

  “Jill France,” she said holding out her ID.

  He looked at it and at her then back to the picture then checking it against a list of people allowed to enter the Senator’s room.

  “Your purpose?”

  “Routine readings.”

  “Alright but you need to leave the door open.”

  “I know the drill,” she said, opening the door.

  She went in and checked the monitors. She spent a considerable amount of time taking his temperature, oxygen content and various other readings. While she was doing this she slipped a syringe in his IV line and injected the contents of the hypodermic needle. Once she was done she quickly headed for the door.

  “All done,” she said closing the door and quickly heading down the hall.

  Once around the corner she raced down the stairs and out the exit. In less than a minute she was in her car and heading out of the hospital.

  Two minutes later the alarms in the Senator’s room went off and several nurses and doctors came rushing down the hall. They immediately sent for a crash cart and the code Blue went out over the system.

  The policeman was pretty much shoved aside at this point as different people rushed in the room. It was the nurse, he decided, but her name was on the list. Would he be blamed for this?

  He could hear the commotion going on in the room and then it became quiet again. Finally people started filing out of the room.

  “Is the Senator alright?” he asked hopefully.

  One of the doctors just shook his head ‘no’, while peeling off his blue rubber gloves.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “Thank you for coming in Senator Judd. Sorry about the loss of your friend Senator Crain.”

  “I still can’t believe it.”

  “Yes, well, now it is a homicide and the matter has been turned over to ISS. I’m the lead investigator on this case. I see you have your counselor with you.”

  “Yes. I thought it best since it is a homicide.”

  “I see. And you felt that was necessary for..?”

  “I can answer that,” the attorney spoke up.

  “You are?”

  “James Fillmore, PA at law.”

  “Well Mr. Fillmore. I would like to hear the Senator answer my questions unless you happened to be there when it happened. Were you there?”

  “What? No. That’s crazy.”

  “Then I want my questions to be answered by the Senator, understand?”

  “I do not. I am his attorney and I will give him proper advice.”

  “Advice is one thing. Answering for him is quite another. Now, Senator. I need to clear up a few things. First, you said you were just talking is that correct?” the investigator asked.

  “Absolutely.”

  “No argument was taking place?”

  “No. None. Why would we be arguing?”

  “Well the thing is we have two different witnesses that say you two were in a very animated and heated discussion. In fact a quote from one of the witnesses is ‘one of the men was right in the other’s face and said he would knock his block off it he didn’t change his stance on immigration reform’.”

  “That’s a lie. We never had that conversation. I mean we didn’t see eye to eye on the matter, everyone knows that, but that was never even discussed that day.”

  “So they just made that up?”

  “My client cannot answer for what someone else may have said or not said,” Fillmore interjected.

  “The other witness said you were standing over the Senator while he sat on the bench and were shouting at him.”

  “That is simply not true. I did check for a pulse after he got shot and I may have shouted for help but that’s all.”

  “Now here is another thing. They said while you were standing there they heard a loud ‘pop’, like a small caliber gun going off.”

  “No. No. It didn’t make any noise. When he first pointed it at the Senator it had a long thing on the end. A silencer or something long like that.”

  “And when you picked it up, it wasn’t on the gun?”

  “No. He must have taken it off.”

  “So you tell him to stop and he just keeps on walking. Slowly, you said.”

  “Yes. He didn’t run or anything. I didn’t understand it. I still don’t.”

  “Neither do I Senator. I don’t understand why you said you pulled the trigger twice but our lab found the gun fully loaded and all the rounds fully functional.”

  “That’s not possible. I pulled the trigger. I was aiming at his leg. I just wanted to stop him.”

  “I believe my client is done answering questions,” Fillmore said starting to get up.

  “No. His is not done. So far I have the murder weapon, I have opportunity, and I have motive. No, Senator Judd is not d
one answering questions by a long shot.”

  The questions continued for the next forty-five minutes, many of them asked over and over. At the end Senator Judd looked like he had been ten rounds with a heavy weight boxer. His tie was askew, his shirt soaked under the arms and one of his buttons had come undone.

  Every time the attorney started to give advice the investigator pretty much shut him down.

  “Well Senator, I have to tell you. There are a lot of gaping holes in your story. No matter how I look at it, you keep coming up as the logical suspect.”

  “But I didn’t do it. Someone has to have seen that man. He couldn’t just appear like that out of nowhere,” Judd insisted.

  “No. Nor could he have just vanished like you said either. So if he didn’t appear and he didn’t just vanish, who is left to pull the trigger?”

  “My client said he didn’t so it. Inspector, the law is quite clear. Unless you intend to charge my client we are walking out of here,” the attorney said, standing once again.

  “I want him to write out his statement. Put down your version of exactly what happened and wait here. I want to talk to my superior,” the inspector said.

  “Make it quick or we are walking,” Fillmore replied.

  The inspector walked out of the room and down the hall to the viewing room.

  “You did a good job. We have everything on tape. We have him writing now. I feel good about the whole thing. We can edit what we need and release it to the media. Go ahead and charge him,” the Attorney General said.

  “What about bail?”

  “What about it?” Attorney General Falkner asked.

  “We should allow bail so it doesn’t look like we are trying to railroad him.

  “I agree, but I’ll make it at least a few million and forfeiture of his passport,” Falkner replied.

  “Okay, that’s good.”

  “Go ahead and charge him,” his boss told the investigator.

  He walked back down to the room and walked up to the Senator.

  “Senator, I am advising you of your rights. You are being charged with the murder of Senator Crain. You have the right to remain...”

  “What? That’s outrageous,” his attorney shouted, jumping up again.

  “No. This isn’t right,” Senator Judd said, “You can’t do this.”

  “Silence. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford one, the courts will appoint one to represent you. Do you understand your rights?”

  “I don’t understand any of this,” he said.

  “Do you understand your rights Senator?”

  “Yes, but I did not kill Senator Crain. Why would I do such a thing? I’m being framed,” he said as the investigator put the handcuffs on him.

  “Don’t say another word. I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Fillmore said.

  ****

  CVTV – Breaking news

  In a stunning announcement, the ISS has charged Senator Judd of Mississippi with the murder of Senator Crain from Ohio. It has caught everyone off guard on Capitol Hill. Senators on both sides of the isle have expressed their shock and dismay at this news. Many have openly doubted the charges saying that the two were friends off of Capitol Hill and while they often butted heads on legislation, it was never personal.

  Senator Bertrum from Arizona has been quoted as saying,

  “This is an outrage. Senator Judd is no more capable of killing someone than I am. I think a huge mistake has been made and the ISS is going to have to make an apology to the Senator once all the facts are in.”

  A spokesperson for the ISS said that they had recovered the murder weapon at the crime scene and the only finger prints on the gun and magazine belonged to the Senator. They also said that two witnesses had stated that the two men were in a heated argument over immigration and at one point Senator Judd was seen standing over Senator Crain.

  Investigator Spiro Konstanz said, “The Senator’s story has more holes in it that a sieve. When you add up the fingerprints with the eye witnesses and the argument taking place you have all the elements for a murder, opportunity, motive and means. It is as simple as that.”

  Even with the statement from the ISS, most Capitol Hill members believe there is another explanation. Several said this smelled of a setup but were not willing to say who could be responsible for such a thing.

  A bail hearing will be held tomorrow at noon. It is known that the Attorney General himself will be at the hearing but at this point it is only speculation as to whether they will ask for no bail since it is a murder case.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CVTV NEWS – Bail was set at five million dollars for Senator Judd today. The Attorney General consented to releasing the Senator as long as he paid the required bail and surrendered his passport.

  The Senator’s Attorney, James Fillmore expressed outrage at the charges and called them a travesty.

  “Everyone who knows Senator Judd is aware that he simply would not, nor could he, commit such a crime. He has worked tirelessly for justice and to be charged with this is just ludicrous. Senator Crain was a lifelong friend of his and there was no real animosity between the men.”

  When asked about the witnesses and the prints Fillmore just replied that all of that would have to wait for the trial. He was aware of the so called evidence but what he saw was troubling and nothing more than a house of cards.

  The Attorney General on the other hand seemed quite sure of the facts and stated that he had complete faith in the evidence.

  “When you look at it objectively it is quite clear that we have recovered the murder weapon. The Senator’s fingerprints are on the gun and magazine. Witnesses saw them having a heated dispute and it was done at a time when no one was around except the Senator. Seems pretty clear cut to me,” Attorney General William Falkner replied.

  ****

  “Mr. Lin, can you explain for the jury what you mean by gunshot residue?” Falkner asked.

  “Anytime a gun is discharged a certain amount of the base elements that propel the bullet are released and blow back and adhere to the shooter’s hand and clothes.”

  “And what are those elements?”

  “The three primary elements are lead, barium, and antimony. Others may be present depending on the manufacture’s particular mix of propellant.”

  “And when examining Senator Judd’s clothes did you find any of these residues?”

  “Yes, along with aluminum, sulfur, tin, and calcium.”

  “And did that match what you also found on the victim’s clothing?”

  “It did. We ran an EDX which is an energy dispersing pattern check to determine how far away the shooter was standing from the victim.”

  “Objection. The EDX test is only good if the machine has been calibrated accurately.”

  “Your honor,” Falkner said, “Mr. Fillmore has a copy of the calibration that was used just prior to running the sample. It is part of the standard operating procedure used every time the SIM program is run.”

  “It still leaves room for faulty calibration if the operator makes a mistake.”

  “So does driving your car,” the Judge said, “Go ahead Mr. Falkner.”

  “Thank you your Honor. So when you conducted the EDX test to determine how far away the shooter was standing what did you conclude?”

  The victim was between twenty-five to thirty-six inches away.”

  “Thank you, no further questions. Your witness,” Falkner said sitting back down.

  Fillmore walked up to the stand and leaned on the banister.

  “Sir, are you telling the court that your lab people never make a mistake when doing the calibrations on this machine?”

  “What I am telling you is that we calibrated the machine just before we ran the test. We do it twice in a murder case just to make sure. The readings were exactly the same both times it was calibrated.”

  “Yes, but the mistake could have been made twice.
Isn’t that correct?”

  “It would be almost impossible for that to happen.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because two different people do the calibrating.”

  Fillmore stepped back like the banister was suddenly hot.

  “I see. No further questions,” he said and quickly sat down.

  ****

  The trial lasted three weeks and was a media frenzy. It was the lead story every morning and night. Every television station had brought in so called ‘experts’ to talk about how the trial was going. It if wasn’t so serious it would have been comical to listen to the authorities telling people what the prosecution and defense was doing wrong.

  The jury only deliberated for six hours before returning a verdict. The courtroom was packed to capacity.

  “Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?” the judge asked.

  “We have your honor.”

  “Bailiff would you collect the verdict.”

  He took the folded paper from the jury foreman and handed it to the judge. He opened it and read the verdict. Nothing showed on his face. He handed it back to the bailiff.

  The bailiff turned and faced the courtroom.

  “We the jury in case 10-2332 the District of Columbia vs. Senator Anthony Judd hereby find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree.”

  Judd collapsed in his chair as the courtroom broke into pandemonium. It took the judge threatening to remove everyone to get it back in order.

  “I will now poll the jurors,” the judge said.

  He went from person to person and all twelve acknowledged that they had voted guilty.

  ****

  As would be expected, the news reporters swarmed the attorneys as soon as they stepped outside. The views of the trial were what you would expect. One hundred and eighty apart with the prosecution touting the work of the ISS and that justice had been served today.

  Fillmore was calling it the biggest witch hunt in history. It was a gross miscarriage of justice and they would immediately file an appeal.

  “Anyone who has ever dealt with Senator Judd knows what a kind and compassionate man he is. He could never kill anyone,” Fillmore told the press.

  Attorney General Falkner told reporters that is was proof that our justice system was working as it should. He pointed out that despite Judd’s lofty position he was still brought to justice.