Know Thy Self, know Thy Enemy

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