59 comments/ 34282 views/ 26 favorites Know Thy Self, know Thy Enemy By: TCct Authors note: While this submission is little different than my usual offerings, some things remain constant. I believe that, even when we are the central players in a drama, we NEVER know the whole story and my writing reflects that belief. This story is no exception. I know that there are a lot of detail purists on this site that get rankled when an author bends, breaks or ignores reality when it comes to things like legal details. Well, I'm neither a legal expert nor a paid researcher/writer. This is a story. I made it up. This is NOT a how-to manual - it is a piece of fiction. Oh, and as usual there is no sex in this story. None. TCct ***** -Murder scene- June 29, 2015 There was an eerie kind of quiet despite all the noise. Scenes like this were always like that; CSI techs, uniformed cops and plain clothes detectives were busy everywhere. There were several quiet conversations, potential evidence being tagged and bagged, cameras clicking, chatter on police radios, cell phones chirping. There were EMT's waiting, nosy neighbors mulling around just outside...but despite all of that noise it always seemed like the air was too heavy for the sound to carry properly. Like a muted guitar string in a sound proof room. Detectives Michael Reyes and Gil Mumford were longtime veterans of the Dallas Police Department (DPD); Reyes and Mumford had joined Homicide 10 and 8 years ago respectively and were the lead detectives assigned to this case. They received the call at approximately 10:30 am and headed over to the address in Oak Cliff; a gentrified part of South Dallas. They took in the scene quietly for a few moments and then quickly set about their work. Reyes made his way over to the prone body on the floor and engaged the coroner in conversation while Mumford began questioning the uniforms around the room. While this area, Oak Cliff, was quickly becoming one of the new, trendy areas of Dallas for young professionals as whole neighborhoods were purchased and renovated there was still a lot of the inner city problems lingering and gunshots were not uncommon still. Not uncommon but nerve-wracking for the young white professionals trying to claim this part of the city. And so after a single gunshot was fired that morning a nervous young CPA dialed 9-1-1. The body was discovered slumped back in a desk chair - a single gunshot wound to the head - a small entry hole through the right temple and a massive exit wound slightly below and forward of the left ear. A 9mm semi-automatic lay on the ground next to the body. There was no sign of forced entry or of a suicide note. The dead man was identified by his driver's license and confirmed by his address and interviews with neighbors. Daniel Alexander Pratt, deceased. Time of death approximately 8:30am June 29, 2015. It seemed like a simple case of suicide. -Suicide or murder?- July 3, 2015 Gil Mumford had a gut feeling on this one and he and Reyes both respected and trusted that feeling. Most Homicide detectives will rely on their instincts to help them solve a case. Instinct, intensive training and years of experience - but above all they'll always ask themselves; "what is my gut telling me here?" Mumford kept turning over the scene in his mind. There was something wrong but as yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He had delayed speaking with Mike about it hoping he could get a better handle on his uneasiness. They had processed the case as a suicide but increasingly Gil felt they were short changing this guy Pratt and decided it was time to bring Mike on board and see if their two perspectives could bring his thoughts and concerns into focus. "This just doesn't feel like a suicide, Mike." "Okay, what are you thinking? There was no forced entry, no prints except Pratt's, no one saw anyone enter or leave the house." "Right, but there was also no suicide note and the place was clean - too clean. The CSI tech said the gun appeared to have been wiped clean and there was only one set of prints and..." "Whoa, slow down, Gil. You and I both know the absence of a note doesn't mean a damned thing. Sure the place was weirdly clean but again that doesn't mean anything." "But what about the beating he took back in..." "Yes, we know he took a brutal beating in 2009 that left him scarred for life but I think that could easily explain depression and suicide, Gil." "Yeah, but we also know that not everyone who is depressed is suicidal. I'm telling you something smells bad, Mike." "Alright, Gil. You look into this beating he took and I'll keep looking into Pratt. But Gil, we can't afford too much investment in this." July 5, 2015 "So, James Harold Scott was released on parole in May 2013 after serving approximately 3 years of a 6 year sentence for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury to Pratt." "Okay, so he's out, we know he beat the shit out of Pratt..." "Let's be honest here, Mike - he fucked him up good. A broken nose, perforated eardrum, a crushed testicle, two broken ribs and a punctured lung. Pratt had to have three surgeries, lost a testicle, a tooth and the hearing in his left ear." "Yeah, so he had a lot of surgery and months and months of painful physical therapy; just about enough to make anyone depressed. Just because Scott is out doesn't mean he murdered Pratt." "You're right, Mike but Pratt was terrified of Scott. I have been through the initial arrest report, trial transcripts as well as Scott's prison and parole files. There's a lot of smoke there." "Okay, draw me a picture - convince me. Gil. " "It seems, Pratt began an affair with Scott's missus and Scott didn't take to kindly to that. He beat him real bad and did a three year stint in B2. Here, here's his file; have a look at this. He made no secret of his intentions." Gil handed him a file and Mike flipped it open randomly. *** Parole Hearing Transcript - April 01, 2010 Type: An Institutional Parole Officer (IPO) of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles interview James Harold Scott - TDCJ Number: 3259416 Location: The Louis C. Powledge Unit (B2) Texas Department of Corrections GF: This is George Flute. I am an Institutional Parole Officer, or IPO, of the Texas Board of Pardons. Today is Wednesday, the first of April 2010. The purpose of this interview is to prepare a parole case summary for the review board convening on October 1st, 2010 for inmate James Harold Scott. I am conducting this interview today at the Louis C. Powledge Unit, or B2 and recording with the use of a digital recorder. Prior to this interview I reviewed the inmate's file. Mr. Scott, for the record would you state your full name and TDCJ number, please. JS: James Harold Scott TDCJ number 3259416 GF: Thank you. Now... JS: My pleasure. GF (unintelligible) Uh, Mr. Scott according to your file, in October of 2009 you were convicted of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury to one Daniel Pratt and sentenced to, um... JS: 6 years. And yes, I beat the bark off that Pratt. GF: Okay, we'll come back to that. I want to clear up some procedural stuff first. You were sentenced to 6 years and have been incarcerated now for approximately 6 months. JS: Really, has it been that long already? Time flies... GF: Yes, well, uh...oh yes, in the state of Texas you are entitled to an annual parole review. This interview is to prepare for your first review. If you are denied parole, preparations for subsequent annual reviews will begin 4 months prior to the review date hearing. Do you understand? JS: Perfectly. GF. Great. Now, according to your file you are currently housed in G1, or general population, you have no work assignment currently and no behavioral summaries. Do you agree? JS: Yes, yes and yes. GF: I also note that you had no prior criminal convictions before this, correct? JS: I was convicted of a vehicle inspection infraction in 2003 but otherwise, I have been a good boy. GF: Okay. What we're trying to accomplish today is to review your institutional record, uh your behavior since coming here; summaries, work assignments, self-improvement etc. as well as review your reaction to the crime you committed and your state of mind during the commission of the crime. That way I can summarize for the board review the elements that they'll be taking into consideration when evaluating whether to grant parole or not. They'll look at the nature of the crime, as well as your contrition, potential for recidivism and how releasing you may impact your victim or victims and society in general. To be more specific: the seriousness of the offense, Letters of support and/or protest, Sentence length compared to the amount of time served, your criminal history and any subsequent prison incarcerations, juvenile history and your Institutional adjustment - uh, participation in specialized programs. Do you have any questions before we begin? JS: Yeah, what's the memory capacity of that recorder? GF: Pardon me? JS: The memory capacity. You asked if I had any questions. I'm curious about the capacity of your recorder. GF: Uh, I'm not certain...10 gigabytes I think...do you have any questions relevant to today's proceeding or your scheduled board review? JS: Nope. Thanks. GF: Okay. Let's review your conviction. Your file indicates that on June 29, 2009 you assaulted a Mr. Daniel Pratt causing significant and permanent bodily injury to Mr. Pratt and you were arrested without incident four days later. Mr. Pratt was hospitalized and has required three surgeries as a direct result of your assault. Could you tell me about this incident and what precipitated it? JS: Sure. I was at my company summer BBQ, nursing a beer and speaking with one of my colleagues when I saw my wife's car pull up. As I excused myself and started making my way t toward her car, my wife Kate stepped out of the passenger side. I saw her smiling at the driver as I glanced over to see who was getting out of that side. I caught a glimpse of his smug face as I headed toward them - I was a seriously pissed off husband. As I neared the car, my wife noticed me and smiled shyly and started to say hello, I ignored her and walked around the back of the car just as Dan was standing inside the open door leaning on the roof of the car saying something to Kate. I quickly made my way toward him and when he saw me he turned to me and opened his mouth to say something... He never got the chance. I brought my beer bottle down on the bridge of his nose - hard - and as it shattered and blood began spraying everywhere my wife Kate started screaming. As he was going down I grabbed his hair with my right hand and the car door with the left and slammed the door into his head. You know, slamming his head between the door and the frame of the car. After I let him sag to the ground groaning I kicked him in the nuts...hard, two or three times, I think...maybe more. I leaned down into to him so only he could hear me. I said, "I know your game, Dan and it won't fly. For the moment she is still a married woman and so there's a price to be paid. Take this as the payment you have to make when you mess with a married woman. And Dan, believe me when I tell you that if I spend even an hour in jail for this, the beating you'll receive when I get out will make this seem like a picnic. Do you understand?" He nodded painfully as blood pooled in his ear. "Good." I said "now pick your sorry ass up and start walking home, asshole!" Kate rushed around the car - I think to check on Dan. I asked her what she thought she was doing and she replied, "Jesus, Jim you could have killed him. What's gotten in to you? Dan, are you okay?" I told her sharply that Dan was fine and had decided to take a walk on his own. Then I grabbed her arm and forcefully walked her back to the passenger side and snarled at her. "Get in the fucking car you cunt!" She seemed a little frightened. I opened the door and pushed her hard into the passenger seat and told her not to fucking move from that seat. I closed the door and walked back over to the other side of the car. I grabbed the still prone and moaning Dan by his hair and dragged him away from the car, I think I hit him a few more times...yes, I'm certain I did. Oh, and I may have kicked his ribs a few times as well. That parts a little fuzzy. Anyway, I grabbed Kate's car keys from the ground and turned around to see my friend John standing grinning at me. I asked John if he would mind taking the slut for a spin and he agreed. (laughing) He didn't take her for that kind of a spin! We decided he should take her to her Mother's house and meet me later at Joes' Tavern. I asked him to make her understand that for her own safety it would be best if she stayed at her Mother's. We enjoyed a couple of beers and some chicken wings I think. They have an impressive collection of craft beers there. You should try the Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower - it really is great. Anyway, uh, though now that I think on it I don't think I had the Lawnmower that day; I'm pretty sure it was the Weed Wacker. Anyway, try them both they're really quite good. So, I drank some very fine craft beers, ate a few wings and then I went home and went to bed. Four days later several DPD officers showed up at my office and arrested me. GF: Uh, thank you. You don't sound like you regret the incident at all Mr. Scott. JS: Well, no. He was fucking my wife and rubbing my nose in it so no, I don't regret beating Pratt. I do regret that I seemed to have seriously misjudged my wife. I regret that Dan didn't take my warning more seriously, perhaps I should have beat him a little longer...and harder. GF: I'm sorry, what warning? JS: I just told you that I warned him that if I even spent an hour in jail that I would beat him even more severely. He doesn't seem to have believed me. He even testified against me in court...like he WANTED me to go to prison. Weird right? GF: And will you? If you were granted parole would you assault Mr. Pratt again? JS: Of course I would. I promised after all and one must keep one's promises. GF: Mr. Scott that statement will not be viewed favorably by the review board. JS: I expect not. But that hardly surprises me, the justice system isn't really concerned with actual justice. If they were, Dan Pratt and my wife would be the ones being interviewed for parole hearings, not me. Why shouldn't I get satisfaction from my faithless wife and her pathetic lover? She lied and broke a contract she had with me. He knew she was married and pursued her anyway. All those politicians talking about our moral compass and family values is so much bullshit. If they really believed that, our legal system would be setup to protect the sanctity of marriage but that isn't what happens is it? A husband or wife can lie and cheat, expose their spouse to disease and humiliation, spend our money and time on their lovers and we're expected to just take that. Some asshole can insert themselves into someone else's marriage and family and that's just fine with our legal system. Where's the protection of family values? How are we ensuring our moral compass is true? We're not. I will not apologize for my actions but I am seriously upset that my government forced me to take them. GF: So, uh, just for clarity. If you are released you plan to do physical harm to Mr. Pratt? JS: Yes. I try not to make promises that I don't intend to keep. How can I show him how to be a better man if I fail to keep my promise to him? Please tell him for me that I won't let him down; I gave him my word and I want him to know that he can count on that. *** "Mike, it goes on like that for several more pages. And this is just the first review; he had two more before just like it they paroled him. I still have a hard time believing they let him out!" "So he did about half his sentence and the whole time he promised to lookup Pratt and lay another beating on him?" "Yes." "Should we get an eye on him?" "We haven't got enough for that yet and since Pratt's dead that threat of physical violence isn't something we can take upstairs for support but we should probably bring him in for a talk. I did put several electronic flags on him though since the money has never turned up either." "The money?" "Look at the Victim Impact Statement from the wife...uh, just after that review." "Hmmm. And...?" "And he's a fucking Boy Scout! His parole officer is scared of him but can't say why; thinks he's a sociopath but he checks in right when he's supposed to, has a decent job, pisses clean and has completed his community service." "When is he clear of the State?" "In another 3 months. My guess is he'll have Texas is his rearview mirror in exactly 94 days!" "You still think he's our guy?" "More than ever!" "So, let's go have a talk with him AND his ex-wife." July 5th "I'm afraid all of the time. What he did to Dan - what I now know he's capable of scares the hell out of me." "Has he ever threatened you with violence, Mrs. Scott?" "Not directly, no. His friend John drove me to my Mother's after Jim beat Dan nearly to death and made it clear to me that I might expect the same treatment if I tried to contact Jim or return to our house. I stayed with my Mother until Jim was arrested and I felt it was safe for me to go home to get some of my things." "We read your first victim impact statement, Mrs. Scott..." "Please, call me Kate, detective." "Uh thanks Kate as I said we read your V.I.S. and were curious about the money and belongings that were missing. Can you tell us about that?" "He took all of our money, stripped our house bare and I have never seen a dime since. I am in the middle of a civil suit now trying to recoup some of the money but I have little hope I'll ever see it again." Kate Scott thought back over three years as she related her tale to the two detectives. "I sat in my idling car in the driveway of the home I had shared with Jim. We had been married for 14 years at that point and until the last few months they had been happy years. I thought I knew what I faced when I entered the house and was almost sorry. It had been my doing, I knew that. I had accepted that and the consequences I thought I would likely face because of my decisions. I had been certain that Jim would heal, that we would heal. He needed time and space and I was prepared to give him both...to a point. Maybe some prison time would help him, us. I had needed Dan, wanted Dan and Jim would just have to accept it. I was surprised by his dislike of Dan and resented him for trying to get in the way of our friendship and later affair." "Had you stopped loving your husband, Mrs...uh Kate?" Had she? She supposed she loved him in her own way. She loved that he loved her, loved that he made great money and really loved that he couldn't have kids. God, she hated kids! He was an adequate lover. Not overly experienced when they first met (he was a little too shy) but she quickly helped him with that. He was handsome, fit, intelligent and honest. He had a great job and while his introversion and his shyness cramped her style more often than not she also used it to her advantage. He was often hit-on by women but was too shy to act on it so she knew he was faithful and it meant she was always his focal point, his main point of social interaction. She was the center of attention...always. And that is what she wanted most. That is what made Jim her ideal husband. "No, detective. I felt the same about him as I always had." The two detectives looked askance at one another. What a peculiar response. "Anyway, sorry to interrupt. Please continue." Kate sighed Know Thy Self, know Thy Enemy "I turned off the ignition, gathered my phone and purse and got out of the car. As I walked up the path toward the front door I noticed I was hanging my head a little and feeling apprehensive. I stopped walking, silently chastised myself as a weak child and determined to raise my head and I strode purposefully into the house. After all, Jim was in jail awaiting trial...I had nothing to fear here. I was unprepared for the sight before me. As I stood in the foyer I quickly scanned the portions of the house I could see from where I was standing. The roll top desk that had sat in the foyer was gone. The walls were bare and the living room to the left was also bare of all furniture and decoration. Only the depressions in the carpet and my memories indicated there had ever been anything there at all. My heels clicked across the tile floor echoing loudly as I toured the house with a gaping mouth finding the same scene in every room. Everything, including the appliances, was gone. Even the double wall oven, counter-mounted stove and light fixtures were all gone. The light fixtures for Christ's sake! I peered out the kitchen window to the back yard. The patio furniture, garden shed and yard art was all gone. Even the bird feeder and bath had disappeared. I then rushed to the master bedroom. It too had been stripped of all furniture and décor. My closet was empty. Jim's closet was empty. There weren't even any wire hangers. Everything was gone. I whirled around and headed to my study where I kept my most treasured possessions. All were gone. I began to weep as the implications of this flooded my thoughts. How could I replace my degrees, my childhood photos, and post graduate thesis? My jewelry! The bedroom suite we had paid $15,000 for - all of the high end furniture and appliances - my extensive collection of designer clothes, purses and shoes! Oh God the shoes! I was becoming sick! What the hell was I going to do? My ears began to ring slightly and I felt a sickening warmth envelope my neck radiating up around my face and ears. My toiletries alone would cost thousands to replace. I pulled out my smartphone, swiped it and dialed 9-1-1. Constable Wood arrived about 20 minutes later to find me distraught and seated on a window sill quietly sobbing. He had a difficult time understanding me but I managed between sobs to relate to him that that I had just returned from a stay at my Mother's to discover the house had been stripped bare. As he surveyed the house while I continued my piteous sobbing he noted he had never seen a more thorough job. He had to stifle a smile and commented on it to me. "Damn they even took all of the light switch and AC s plates!" he said quietly. "Ma'am, do you live here alone?" He had noted an absence of rings on my left hand. "No, of course not officer. I live here with my husband." "And where is your husband now Mrs...uh?" "Scott, Kate Scott." My sobbing was beginning to wane. "He's in jail. He was arrested a couple of days ago for assault." The constable nodded while pulling out his notepad began wandering the barren house. I followed the constable maintaining a running monologue of the missing items and my resulting heartbreak. As the constable made notes he wondered aloud how long it would take to strip bare a house like this. There weren't even any picture hangers or nails, window coverings or vent covers left. He noted, smiling that at least they left the doors and door knobs! Then he spotted it; an envelope. Just a letter sized, white envelope sitting on the toilet seat of the half bath adjacent to the kitchen. He noted the toilet paper and dispenser, towel rod and mirror were gone as he read the writing on the outside of the envelope - it simply said "Fuck you!" "I believe this is for you, Mrs. Scott!" As I read the 'Fuck you!' with a look of horror I turned the envelope over. It wasn't sealed and there was nothing on the back of the envelope. I opened it and drew out a single sheet of paper. It was not hand written and it was not signed. It read: You have taken from me. My love, my trust, my self-respect. My money, my youth and my naivety. Years of my life that I wish I could have back were stolen by you. I know that you will not miss me, at least not in the way that you should; the way that most wives would, so I took what I thought you might miss. Everything else. Fuck you! "So what happened, Mrs. Scott? Did you ever find out, get your stuff back?" "I can only guess at this point Detective Mumford. My guess is that Jim stripped the house bare and either gave away or threw everything away. Nothing has ever been recovered." "And what about the money? I also noted in your Victim Impact Statement that there was several hundred thousand dollars gone as well. Has any of that ever turned up?" "No, and it's worse than that. Jim drained our savings and checking accounts, cashed out his retirement accounts and took the maximum allowable cash advances on every single one of our joint credit cards. He also refinanced the house to the tune of $375,000. My lawyer estimates that he got away with about 1.2 million in all." "And it never turned up? He never admitted it? That seems incredible. Has he ever answered direct questions about what happened to it?" "He claims to have no memory of the money, that he was so distraught about my affair and his beating of Dan that he has no memory at all for about a 2 week period after the beating." "Well he sure sounds like a first-class dick, Mrs. Scott. I can see why you cheated on him. Why didn't you just divorce him first and avoid this whole mess? I mean you must have had some idea he would react the way he did." "That is the saddest part in all of this detective Reyes. Jim was a great guy up to that point. I cheated on him because I thought I could, that I deserved it, not because he was a dick. I never saw any of this coming." -What does Jim have to say?- "Mr. Scott? James Scott?" He stared curiously at the two men standing at his front door. "Yup, but everyone calls me Jim. What can I do you for?" "I'm Detective Mumford and this is my partner Detective Reyes. Would you mind if we asked you a few questions?" "Well, you already have. Are there more?" "Excuse me?" "Well, first you asked me if I was Mr. Scott, then you asked if I was James Scott and then you asked if you could ask me a few questions. That was a few questions." Reyes dropped his head with an almost imperceptible smile while Gil Mumford sighed and continued. "Mr. Scott, uh Jim, we don't want to play games. We're investigating the death of Daniel Pratt and wanted to speak with you about it." He blinked at the two detectives as they gazed expectantly back at him for a few moments. "Mr. Scott?" "What? You made statement. You didn't ask a question that required a response. You're not very good at this are you Detective Mumford?" "Mr. Scott may we ask you a few questions regarding the death of Dan Pratt?" "Okay, what do you want to know?" "May we come in?" "Sure. Come on in. Would you like a donut or something?" "Thanks, no. Let's just sit down and then could you please describe your relationship with Mr. Pratt?" "Sure. Let me think how best to put this." Jim stared down at a fixed point somewhere on his table as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, detective, inside of each of us there are two halves constantly battling for supremacy. One half, good, responsible, loyal and law abiding; the other half, not so much. In most cases, the good half wins out...most of the time. Life is just easier that way. But, we all do things from time to time that seem out of character, that's our baser selves winning temporary custody of our lives. Or more accurately our actions." "Please Mr. Scott, can you just stick to the question. What was your relationship with Dan Pratt?" "Sure, sure. That's where I'm headed. Now where was I? Oh, right so most of us are good most of the time but for some of us it doesn't take much to tip the scales to give priority to our lesser side, our bad side and in those cases we suppress our good selves in favor of our bad selves. Some will return after a while, some not so much. We all have that tipping point and we need to understand what it is, what will cause our shift from good to bad. I found mine, and once I embraced my baser self it helped return balance to my life; justice, equity, revenge...call it what you will, once that was achieved I could go back to my former nice guy self. Dan Pratt was my tipping point. And that Detectives Mumford and Reyes, was my relationship with Dan Pratt." "Isn't it true, Mr. Scott that Dan Pratt was having an affair with your wife? Wouldn't you say that more accurately describes your relationship?" "Hmm, I'd have to say no. That he was fucking my wife describes THEIR relationship. That I found out about it and what it did to me and what I then did to him, describes my relationship with Dan Pratt, as I have already described." "Tell us about the discovering your wife's affair." "Well, I had told Kate on several occasions that I didn't like this Dan asshole. That I didn't want her spending any more time with him, but she steadfastly refused to end the friendship. She started lying to me about her whereabouts and when caught in a blatant lie and confronted she snidely commented that if I hadn't expressed an unreasonable dislike for Dan she wouldn't have to lie to me about having lunch or dinner with him. They had been working together for about a year and became more friendly about 2 months before I beat him - that I am aware of at any rate. That's when things started to change. Kate started cancelling plans with me in favor of spending time with Dan. I complained and she told me to grow up. She started spending significant amounts of our weekend time doing things with Dan (after she had left me with a to-do list of course). I put my foot down and told her enough was enough, that the friendship had to end, it was getting in the way of our marriage. Kate didn't see it that way and simply refused. That's when the lying started and I knew our marriage was over. I had already been to a lawyer and was in the process of lining up our divorce when I had my first confrontation with Kate's new asshole boyfriend. I think about a week before I beat the shit out of him. I had lived in the house for a long time - after I graduated from college I bought the house with an inheritance left to me by an uncle who died when I was in my teens. The house was in a great neighborhood and was certainly large enough to raise a family so Kate moved right in after we married. We had become very good friends with most of our neighbors and on this one evening we had invited them all over for a dinner party. I was happily minding the grill and nursing a beer when I noticed Dan and Kate laughing together in the kitchen. I was furious. I closed the grill and made my way to the kitchen. When I opened the back door and entered the kitchen their conversation stopped immediately. "Well, hello there Jimmie, thanks for inviting me" laughed Dan. "That's James to you asshole and I didn't invite you - you are not welcome here. I suggest you put your drink down and leave right now!" "Jim!" screeched Kate "Don't be so rude. I invited, Dan and he's always welcome in my home! Apologize to Dan and behave yourself!" "See, Jimmie, it seems I am welcome here after all. Why don't you run along and look after that grill while I spend some time with Kate?" I turned to my wife and very calmly said, "Kate, if that piece of shit isn't out of MY house in the next 20 seconds then he'll be leaving by ambulance and you'll be right behind him with a car packed full of your shit." "Jim what an awful thing to say, this is absurd, Dan is my friend and..." "Kate you have 10 seconds left! GET HIM THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE! NOW!" I turned and opened the door to the back yard and whistled loudly for everyone's attention. "I'm sorry everyone, I am going to have to ask you all to leave now. Maybe we'll reschedule this but it seems Kate has invited her boyfriend to the party and right now she seems to think he's more important than I am. Or any of you for that matter. Things are probably going to be getting pretty ugly and I am just not feeling very sociable at the moment." I ignored the gasps, open mouths, buzzing and obvious discomfort and turned to see an ashen Kate staring daggers at me. "Did asshole decide to leave then?" I asked "You fucking bastard!" Kate howled at me as she launched a glass at me head. "Fucking cheating cunt!" I hurled right back along with the spatula I had been holding. I just missed the bitch. The next week was cold and I continued planning my exit. We didn't talk much, she never apologized nor did I. Towards the end of the week she seemed to be calming down while I was still seething. I wasn't planning to have it all out with her. What was the point? I wasn't putting up with this shit anymore but felt I needed a couple of weeks to get things in order to protect myself against any aggressive lawyer Kate might hire once I had her served. The house was mine before we married but I wanted to be certain of my rights. I knew I'd have to split our assets with her but I wanted to keep the split even and I wanted the house free and clear. We made about the same amount of money and had about the same saved in retirement accounts, we didn't have any kids so no custody or child support issues to be worked out. The checking, savings and investments could be split 50/50, I'd keep the house and she could have Dan. Unfortunately, for me the activities on the day of my company BBQ forced my hand a little early. I hadn't told Kate about the BBQ. I didn't want her there but it seems, I later found out, that Dan needed to rub my nose in things - he was pissed about the party at our house and felt I needed a little more humility. He felt he'd be able to safely embarrass me in public and flaunting his affair with Kate in front of my colleagues would just be a nice bonus. Sucks for him he was so wrong about his safety. Of course you know what happened when they showed up. Anyway, as I drove to the bank after I left the BBQ I called my lawyer and asked if he could have Kate served at work the next day - we had planned on 3 days from then. He said that he could. When I got to the bank, I closed the checking and savings accounts and then headed to Joe's to pick-up John. Then I'd have to rush home to cancel our credit cards before she found our savings closed and ran up the limits." "So where's the money now?" "Are you investigating that for her civil case?" "No, I was just curious." "Well, I'm sorry to say that I lost it, or misplaced it. I don't know what became of the money." "You remortgaged the house and cleaned out all of the accounts...you walked away with over a million and you just...lost it?" "I know right? Hard to believe and I wish I could remember that all more clearly. Oh, well easy come easy go - just like sluts right detective?" "That was a neat trick cleaning out the house, Mr. Scott. Whatever happened to the contents and how on God's green earth did you get all of that done in under four days?" "I have lots and lots of friends detective. Didn't you say you wanted to talk about Dan Pratt detective?" "Right, so, uh, where were you the morning of June 29, 2015 Mr. Scott?" "Do you want to know where I was the whole morning?" "That would be helpful." "Okay, let's see. From 12:01 am till about 6:00 am I was asleep in my bed here, second room on the right down that hall. From 6:01 am to about 6:08 am I was in my bathroom, across the hall from my bedroom the aforementioned second room on the right and then in my kitchen where we're seated now...of course I wasn't seated I was making coffee over there. At 6:08 am - uh, these times are approximate you understand - I returned to my bathroom directly across from my bedroom which as we have established is the second door on the right down that hallway. I stayed in the bathroom for about 10 minutes showering and shaving and then I returned to my bedroom, the second door..." "Mr. Scott!" "Hmm, I thought you might appreciate a little detail. Okay. I dressed, had some coffee and a light breakfast. Then I read the newspaper for a while, caught up on some bills and household chores until lunch time." "You never left your apartment?" "Nope, well just for the minute it took to retrieve the newspaper at the front door." "Can you provide any proof that you were here that entire morning, Mr. Scott?" "Ah, more to the point Detective Mumford; can YOU prove that I was not here?" Mumford was getting frustrated and angry. Reyes knew this was headed nowhere. Scott had sent 3 years in prison; he wasn't going to roll over and he certainly wasn't going to make anything easy for two cops. He thought he'd better step in before Gil's frustration turned to anger. "Mr. Scott, were you sending letters to Dan Pratt over the past 5 years or so?" Jim smiled at the change of interrogator and line of questioning. "No, not letters. I was sending him my progress reports. You know the parole hearing interview transcripts that sort of thing. " "Why?" "He seemed so interested in my going to prison that I thought he'd be interested in my progress." "Did you threaten him?" "No, not as such. I did make him a promise though." "Yes, we saw that in your file. What's the difference?" "Point-of-view, detective. Perspective and perhaps clarity. I may threaten to do something and never act on it and that's okay but if you promise to do something... well, you had better keep your promises. See the difference?" "Mr. Scott, did you kill Daniel Pratt." "No, detective but I sure wished I had." -Wrap-up- -Detectives- "It's over, Gil. We can't prove a damn thing. We've been told to wrap it up and close the case." "Fuck! You and I both know Scott had something to do with it, Mike!" "Maybe...maybe Pratt's fear of Scott and his promise pushed him over the edge. Maybe Scott murdered him, maybe he goaded him. We don't know and we can't prove shit. We have no choice Gil. We've got to close this as a suicide. He's clear in 3 weeks anyway, Gil. He'll be long gone in a month. Just let it go." "Come on, Mike let's just..." "No, Gil. Cone on let's face facts. Pratt seduced a married woman got cocky and got caught. The husband beat him up and I for one don't blame him. Hell, what man who has been cheated on hasn't thought about that? No Pratt got what he deserved in the beating but he was a piece of shit and the beating scared him. Scott had him figured out. I think he knew damn well that if he kept reminding him of the beating and his promise to deliver another, worse beating in the future that it would eat at Pratt. Consume him. And that's exactly what I think happened. Pratt was an arrogant worthless fuck with no backbone. The only thing Scott is guilty of is recognizing that and using Pratt's own nature against him. He killed himself because he was a coward. End of story." "I suppose your right, Mike but we can't let people take the law in their own hands." "Your right Gil but the laws Scott broke he has repaid the State of Texas for, in full. The rest? Well, Scott would have been better served to just move on. He didn't but he didn't break any laws either. Prison sure made him slicker and he sure as hell had a lot of time to plan. Maybe if Pratt had taken his advice and let the beating drop he'd still be alive. Who knows? All I know for sure is no one here won." -Kate- Kate ambled up the stairs to the second floor apartment she shared with her cat. She was tired after a long hard week. Know Thy Self, know Thy Enemy Her affair with Dan and Jim's subsequent actions had left her in very poor financial shape. She didn't have a lot of spare money or time these days and seemed tired all of the time. She was a little less frightened these days. As near as anyone could figure out Jim had left Texas nearly a year ago and she had begun to feel like that chapter of her life was coming to a close. Finally! She was just going through her mail when she noticed a postcard. She was curious. She didn't remember anyone she knew as travelling at the moment. Kate looked at the front of the postcard. It was from Majuro, in the Marshall Islands. On the front it showed a beautiful beach scene at sunset, or sunrise, how the fuck should she know? Also on the front super imposed over the beach scene were the words "Wish you were...". She turned it over and gasped. In Jim's handwriting was a single word angrily penned. "DEAD" -Jim- Jim, the money and household items were never seen again. Jim had left Texas shortly after his commitment to the State was satisfied and fled to the Marshall Islands. He was a changed man and not for the better. Maybe a broken man was a better way to describe it. His wife's affair and betrayal had started the transformation and Dan's taunting and Jim's violent reaction had deepened that change. Prison had sealed it. Prison is not the kind of place a man is likely to heal. More than likely, he'll come out more damaged than when he entered. Jim Scott was no exception. A once happy, loyal, non-violent, hard-working citizen was transformed into a hate-filled, vengeful man capable of extreme violence and incapable of empathy or forgiveness. He had never fulfilled his promise to Dan Pratt in that he never did beat him again. He never had to - it turned out that another beating was unnecessary and Jim didn't mind one little bit - the asshole was dead. Now about his ex-wife...well there was still work to be done there.