Delta Dawn

I try not to be too predictable. When you have a job like mine, it's best not to have a pattern. But I do manage to stop in at the Drug Store most days for coffee and to catch up on what is going on. Joyce always knows all the gossip in town. Joyce has been running the lunch counter here for 30 years. Try the tuna salad sandwich with a cup of tomato soup for lunch. The milk shakes are good too.

As soon as I sit down at my usual table by the front window, Joyce places a coffee cup in front of me, and fills it from the pot in her hand.

"Good morning Sheriff. Isn't it a lovely day?"

"Yes, Joyce. I think it's going to be another beautiful day. But the farmers are going to need some rain pretty soon."

I see Jack walk through the door and head my way. The Chief of Police and I usually meet for coffee here every morning, and keep each other up to date on things going on in Rosedale and Bolivar County. We don't have the type of crime problems you would see in Memphis or Jackson, but we have our own homegrown lowlifes to contend with. We try to keep up with the marijuana fields and meth labs. Usually they are harmless, but we're always on the lookout for organized crime coming into our county.

We were on our second cup when I saw Judge Robinson and his daughter, Dawn, across the street. She is wearing a knee length floral print dress that was probably in style twenty years ago. Joyce told me once that Dawn had bought that dress in Memphis twenty years ago when she was shopping for her honeymoon.

On her left shoulder is a large silk rose, a faded red. She has a large shoulder bag and a small suitcase in her hand. It looks like it was new twenty years ago.

The Judge makes sure she is seated on her bench before he leaves her there and goes into the courthouse to begin his day. No one ever sits on this bench but Dawn, and no one ever approaches her while she is there. We do have a few vagrants and homeless men that hangout around the courthouse square, but no one ever bothers Dawn while she is sitting on her park bench. She feeds peanuts or pecans to the squirrels, and looks around as if she is expecting someone.

Jack finishes his cup, and signals to Joyce for a refill.

"What is the story about the Judge's daughter? Everyone just says she is the crazy lady and leaves her alone."

"That's right," I said as Joyce refilled my cup. "Sometimes, I forget that you've only lived here 10 years. Dawn's story goes back 15 years ago."

"Dawn was born and raised here in Rosedale. Her momma was a beautiful woman, from New Orleans. The Judge met her when he was going to law school at Tulane. He was totally devoted to that woman and would do anything for her. When Dawn was born, the Judge was totally devoted to the child as well."

"Dawn was six years old when her momma disappeared. The story was that she had a lover, and she was going to take Dawn and run away with her lover. Then one night, she disappeared. No one ever knew what happened to her and her lover. There were rumors that the Judge arranged for their bodies to be dumped in the swamps down by the River. Those swamps are full of alligators and snapping turtles. A body would never be found there."

"Here's a tip for you. Don't go fishing with somebody who carries cinder blocks and chain in the bottom of the boat, even if they say that's the anchor."

"Dawn grew up to be the prettiest girl in the county. Someone once said she was as pretty as a new dawn coming up over the delta. Ever since, she has been called Delta Dawn."

"She had everything she ever wanted. She was the head cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. She had no shortage of boys wanting to take her out. The fact that her daddy was the District Attorney, and then the Judge, made sure that those boys were always perfect gentlemen."

"But the only boy that ever caught her eye was Bobby Jackson, Pete Jackson's boy."

Pete Jackson came home from the Navy in 1946. Pete had been a sailor on an LST in the Pacific since 1943, and had seen his share of action. His ship landed soldiers and marines and their equipment in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Okinawa. His ship managed to evade the kamikaze attacks.

Beau Regarde Plantation had been in Pete's family since 1867 when Belle Antonia de Regarde married Hiram Jackson. Belle was the last heir of Juan Felipe de Regarde after his two sons were killed in the Civil War, one at Vicksburg and the other at Shiloh. The family holdings extended over a thousand acres of rich Mississippi River delta, producing cotton, soy beans, and corn.

After thirty years, Pete's parents, John and Norma, retired and turned over operation of the farm to Pete and his bride Jean. John and Norma moved to Tampa, and Pete and Jean lived in the big house on the plantation. The big antebellum house was rebuilt in 1895 after the fire, and was surrounded by magnificent landscaped grounds, shaded by 100 year old mossy oaks and cypress trees, perfumed by the fragrant magnolias.

"Bobby was two years ahead of Dawn in school, and went to Tulane Law School after graduation. Six years later, having passed the bar exam, Bobby came back to Rosedale to practice law. The Judge arranged for Bobby to get on the staff of the District Attorney, and Bobby proposed to Dawn."

"The wedding was the social event of the year. It was outside, in the park at Beau Regarde. Bobby and Dawn said their vows under a 100 year old rose arbor, and the reception looked like a scene from Gone with the Wind."

"Bobby and Dawn moved into the big house across the street from the Judge. She had a housekeeper and a gardener, so Dawn didn't ever have to dirty her lovely hands with any housework. She spent her time with her girlfriends she had grown up with. These were the socially acceptable young women of Rosedale, married to the socially acceptable young men. And Dawn learned that some of her friends had socially unacceptable lovers to occupy their afternoons."

"Every Spring, Jean and Dawn would sponsor the Spring Gala at Beau Regarde Plantation. A large tent would be set up on the grounds with a dance floor and band stand. The festivities would start in the afternoon, and proceed on through the night. This was a combination of Mardi Gras and a debutante ball. It was also the unofficial kickoff of the Judge's reelection campaign, as he would make sure to work the crowd and shake everyone's hand."

"I was still a deputy then, but I remember when James Francisco moved to town. He was a tall, dark haired smooth talker. He had a job at the bank as an investment broker. He could sell ice to Eskimos, and he had an eye for the ladies. He wore expensive suits and drove a new foreign car."

"At the Spring Gala, he was seen dancing with Dawn Jackson quite a bit. At one point they stepped out on the veranda for some fresh air. It seems the air was not all that was fresh. Jimmy was seen to have his hand on Dawn's ass, and some say they saw them sharing a passionate kiss."

"As a member of the Judge's security detail, I was asked to run a background check on Mr. Francisco. It seems our Jimbo was not everything he said he was. He was not an investment banker from Memphis. He did not have a college degree from Northwestern University. Even the car was a lease."

"Jimmy 'the Horse' Francisco was from Chicago, from where he had to leave in a hurry. There were various police agencies interested in his whereabouts that would like to talk to him. He seemed to specialize in sweet talking old ladies to give him all their money, and then he would disappear."

"Well, it seems his last mark was Tooty Napolino, who just happened to be Vinnie 'the Shark' Napolino's Aunt Tooty. That's why our boy decided he needed a change of scenery, disappeared into rural Mississippi."

"In his job at the bank, Jimbo was getting to know how many wealthy, property owning widows there were in Bolivar County. He set his eyes on Jean Jackson, owner of Beau Regarde Plantation, who also had a beautiful daughter-in-law, Dawn Jackson. He started making plans to get into the confidence of Jean Jackson and get into the pants of Dawn Jackson."

"What he didn't know was Jean Patrick did not own Beau Regarde. Bobby had set up a corporation before his father died. Jean owned stock, and sat on the board of directors, but received a stipend every year. She could not sell or transfer ownership of her stock. She had the right to live in the big house at Beau Regarde the rest of her life, but she could not sell it or get a mortgage on it."

"Bobby Jackson was the District Attorney for Bolivar County, and he was certainly no dummy. He knew Jimbo's background, and the Sheriff's department was keeping close watch on him. There had been at least one, maybe more, times where Jimbo had been invited to Beau Regarde for tea to discuss investing Miss Jean's savings. Dawn was also at these tea parties since Miss Jean didn't feel comfortable meeting with a man on her own."

"Jimbo convinced Miss Jean to give him $250,000 to invest for her. He also made an appointment to visit Dawn in her home later that day as well. He told her he had an investment opportunity in which she would be especially interested."

"Bobby Jackson was coming from an appointment with Dr. Madison that afternoon. Bobby had been having migraine headaches for some time, and Dr. Madison had been trying to determine the reason. Last week, Bobby had gone to Jackson for more extensive tests. Today, Dr. Madison gave him the bad news. He had a tumor the size of a walnut deep in his brain. It was inoperable, and would eventually grow in size and be terminal. Bobby could expect that he had less than a year to live, and the headaches and pain would just get worse."

"Bobby sat on the bench in front of the courthouse, trying to come to grips with what Dr. Madison had just told him. He was going to have to tell Dawn, but he wasn't sure how he could. Dawn was his whole life, and he was more concerned for how this would affect her than he was for his own mortality. Finally, he started walking the three blocks from the courthouse to the big white house on Scott Street."

"He was surprised to see the Jaguar XJ parked in his driveway. There was only one car in town like that. He climbed the front steps, stepped on the veranda, and opened the front door. He walked slowly past the parlor and formal dining room to the staircase. He slowly climbed the stairs, walked down the hall to the master bedroom. Somehow, inside, he knew what he would see."

"Dawn was wearing only a pair of lacy, yellow bikini style panties. Her dress and her bra were discarded on the floor behind her. Her creamy white breasts were on display, with her pink puffy nipples at full attention. She was on her knees in front of James Francisco, who was clad only in a tee shirt, with his trousers and boxers around his ankles. His fully erect cock was in her hand, but the slick coating of her saliva was ample evidence of where it had been."

"All Dawn could say was, 'Oh my God.' She starred at Bobby with her big green eyes as big as saucers. Jimbo just smirked at Bobby. This wasn't the first time he had been caught by a husband, but he had always managed to get out of these situations before."

"Bobby stood there for just a minute, taking in the scene before him. Five minutes ago he was worried how Dawn would react to his news. Now, he didn't care."

"It didn't occur to Jimbo that the District Attorney would carry a gun. Bobby reached behind him and pulled from a holster on his belt a chrome plated .38 caliber snub nosed pistol, commonly referred to as a Saturday Night Special."

"Your policemen had confiscated the weapon from Jerome Green when he was arrested for being a pimp and a drug dealer. He wasn't in the county jail 24 hours before we found him in the showers with his throat cut."

"After a few death threats from convicted felons, the Judge suggested that Bobby should carry some protection. Bobby didn't want Dawn to worry, so he kept it concealed from her, and she never knew he carried it."

"Now it was Jimbo's turn for his eyes to get as big as saucers as he starred down the barrel of the pistol pointed right at him. To Jimbo, it seemed like an eternity, but maybe it was two minutes before Bobby made up his mind. He turned the gun around, told Dawn 'Goodbye', and pulled the trigger. Dawn fainted and Jimbo pissed himself."

"Bobby was lying on the floor. Dawn woke up and started screaming. Emmy, the housekeeper, walked into the room, took one look and vomited on the floor. James Francisco decided this would be a good time to leave town."

"Jimbo packed a few things in his Jaguar, and took off. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he had Miss Jean's money and he was headed for New Orleans. Maybe from there he could go to Atlanta or Houston. He couldn't go to Miami or Las Vegas since the Chicago mob would be looking for him. He was almost to the county line when he saw a line of flashing lights in front of him. And there was another police car coming up fast behind him."

"Emmy had called the Judge. The Judge called the Sheriff."

"There is an old mule barn on the back side of Beau Regarde Plantation that hasn't been used in 70 years, since the mules were replaced with tractors. There is a lot of Johnson grass around it that is never mowed, and the kudzu covers the barn. The kudzu is probably all that keeps the old barn from falling down. Behind the barn, covered up in grass and weeds is a 15 year old Jaguar XJ, British Racing Green. It has at least twenty bullet holes in it, looks like Bonnie and Clyde."

"Dawn was screaming and totally incoherent. An ambulance took Dawn to a hospital in Jackson. After a week, she was transferred to a private hospital in Memphis. She stayed there for six months."

"Almost the whole county was at Bobby Jackson's funeral. He was buried in the family cemetery on Beau Regarde, near his father and grandparents. Miss Jean got her money back."

I signaled to Joyce for another refill on my coffee. This had better be my last one. I think I've had enough coffee. These really are small cups.

"So what happened to Jimbo, after resisting arrest and trying to run a roadblock?" Jack asked as Joyce was filling his cup too.

"Well, you know that oxbow lake over by the River? The one that the state line actually runs through, so you never really know which state you are in? The Sheriff kept a fishing boat down there, and he and the Judge would go down there sometimes to catch some catfish. There are some monster cats down there. There are some big gators in there too. There is one twelve footer they call Cherokee Charlie, a big bull gator."

"The Judge, the Sheriff, and a deputy took Jimbo fishing that night. I can personally promise you no one will ever see James Francisco again."

I finished my coffee, stood up and adjusted my gun belt, picked up my hat. Joyce never charged cops for drinking coffee, but I left a $5 tip on the table. I shook hands with Jack and said "Well, it's been good talking with you. I'll see you tomorrow." I walked out to get into my cruiser, which happened to be a Chevy Tahoe.

As I was pulling out, I looked over toward the courthouse again. Dawn was still sitting there, feeding the squirrels. Occasionally she would look to her right and to her left. Some say she is waiting for her lover, others say she is waiting for her husband. We will never know I guess.

The End