The Lies That Confine, John Reeves [best new books to read txt] 📗

I have always been one of those people who never give the lord credit when things are going good, so in the same ways I don't pray when things go wrong. The perception of wrong is another beast all together. Growing up in a household with strict parents I knew right from wrong. Right usually meant a pat on the head, as wrong usually landed that hand across my face.

"Johnny! You're not going to grow up like them neighbor hood punks."

I guess in many was I knew he wanted the best for me, follow his path to Vanderbilt. I never liked school enough to go any further upon graduating high school. I know it broke the ole man's heart for me not to have gone to school anywhere. At twenty he kicked me out of his house. I was happy to get out but, it turned out he didn't want me out so bad after all. He was over at my apartment daily, as if it were an extension of my old room at home. It wasn't a smooth transition for him at all.

"You know Johnny, it's never to late to go back to school."

It seemed as if he liked reminding me of that every week. Almost as much as he told me my girlfriends were little whores. I really don't believe my dad understood women in any kind of way. He objected to me getting married to my high school sweetheart Talia. Dad was so against it he wouldn't even come to the wedding. My mother showed up and, Roger Harris a lifelong friend stood in as best man. Talia's mother was stunningly beautiful. I kept thinking if the looking at a woman's mother theory was true, Talia would always be attractive.

"Johnny...With a newborn baby on the way, you might be able to do some night classes."

I wasn't going to night classes or day classes. He just never seemed to understand. In his family everyone went to college but, I didn't want to go. He died when I turned twenty one and, I always wondered after his death, if I ever made him proud. No matter what I did it never seemed to be good enough for him.

"Get your head out of the clouds, I bet someone made straight A's on their report card."

We still lived in the apartment when my daughter Cassie was born. We were trying to save up the money to move into a nice little house in the new subdivision Pine Hill Creek. My dad would have said it's living beyond your means but, he lived in the same split level house for thirty seven years. He was a very cynical old man, set in his own ways.

Talia was late coming home one night after work, I sat there with Cassie waiting for her. Pacing the floor and, looking at the clock realizing the guard at my post was going to be pissed. It was going to be my third day in one week of being late.
The State Trooper pulled my wife over on Hudson Road. They knew they could always get a speeder on that road, being long and straight it lured you into excessive speed. The trooper stood beside her car when another speeder who'd also been drinking hit them. Killing the trooper on contact, critically injuring Talia. She survived three surgeries before dying four days later.

There I was left with a daughter to raise, and a mother who needed extra care. She had been planing on moving in with our family after dad passed away. She put it off until she fell in the shower breaking her hip. I made the most of it, with help from family and friends.
I arrived home one night as my cousin Michelle was leaving Chris arrived at my house. Something was on his mind, I'd known him since middle school and, there was this way of silence that always gave him away.

"What's on your mind Chris?" I broke the ice.

"Johnny, remember we always said, if we ever came into some money...We'd help each other out?" The Brooklyn accent stayed with him for years after leaving.

"Sure I do, and if I ever hit the lotto you'll be the first guy I call." He laughed a bit.

"I'm giving you that call today, well tonight." He said as he pulled out an envelope.

"Here take this." I grabbed the white envelope stuffed with cash. Even if it were all one dollar bills there was more the a thousand.

I opened the envelope exposing ten thousand dollars. Many thoughts ran through my mind, none more than the struggles of raising my daughter in poverty.

"Chris... I can't accept this."

"Yes you can, it's in your hands right now. Johnny, nobody has had it tougher than you. You're raising a precious baby girl all by yourself and, she'll be starting school real soon too."

"Are you sure you can afford to do this?" I asked him upon deciding to keep it.

"As long as we've known each other, I can't afford not to."

"Thanks Chris, really this is the best thing someone has ever done for me."

"Don't worry about it, it's the least I could do for a longtime friend like you. I'm going to Steve's to have a few beers if you can get a sitter for the baby."

"No man, I really can't do it. I have been away from Cassie too much lately."

"I understand Johnny, family first. Would it be alright if I left my car here?"

"Sure, just leave the keys so I can move it if I need to." I felt obligated in a way, since he'd just gave me ten grand. Then I couldn't get down to the bar with him.

"Where did you get that old car?" I asked him.

"I traded the mini van for it a week ago."

Moments later a cab pulled up in the parking lot. Chris walked out again telling me if I wanted to come have a drink he'd be there until closing time. I went in thinking about the money. I held my little girl in my arms telling her how lucky we were. Not that she understood what I was saying, still I needed to tell someone. I had waited so long for something to go my way. I ordered a pizza for Cassie and myself to eat, that was something I knew she'd like. when the delivery man showed up with the pizza, I paid him with a one hundred dollar bill. He couldn't come up with all the change, so I let him have a twenty dollar tip for a forty dollar purchase.

The next morning as I woke up to the sound of cartoons from the night before. I got out of bed grabbed the money to make sure it wasn't a dream. I woke my little princess up so we could take the money to the bank. It was better than having it inside my apartment where things could happen to it. As We walked outside I quickly noticed the police standing around the car Chris had left in the parking lot. My hand probably gripped tightly around Cassie's small hand as we walked toward them.

"Are you Johnny?" The officer approaching me asked.

"Yes, I'm Johnny." The feeling in my stomach can't be easily explained. The fact that the officer knew my name sent off a ton of red flags. He moved in grabbing Cassie and, throwing me against the car Chris left the night before.

"You are under arrest, anything you say can and will be used in the court of law. You have the right to attorney, if you can't afford one, the court will appoint you one."

"I don't understand...What is going on here?" I asked as he was putting me in the back of the police car.

Upon being booked in the county jail, I tried to put the pieces together. I knew it had something to do with the money that Chris had given me. I was worried about Cassie but, figured in a little while I'd be released after the mix up was resolved. Upon talking with my court appointed lawyer I realized the situation was far worse than a simple mix up. I was being held on a first degree murder charge.

I explained how I got the ten thousand dollars. He explained to me that a search warrant issued for my apartment turned up the alleged murder weapon. It was being tested in ballistics as we spoke. As well as the car being tested for DNA evidence.

"Like I said Mr. Williams, Chris gave me the money."

"Chris was found dead last night, he was shot by the same gun they're testing right now." Williams informed me.

"The handgun is for home protection. I have only fired it like three times." I explained to him.

"Listen Johnny, they have a money trail that shows over five hundred thousand dollars being deposited into your account. Authorized by two dead men."

"I don't have that kind of money!"

"A warrant for you account shows otherwise."

That might have been when I realized something far beyond my understanding took place. Chris had given me that money then left ending up dead. The other man Jerry I didn't even know, when my attorney showed me the photo I said that too. The public defender was trying to build a case for my innocents but, the truth I told he himself didn't believe. The truth was suppose to set one free, however in my case it wasn't proving to be true.

"Harold Peterson is the prosecutor taking your case and, he is cut throat too. We have to do better than Chris just giving you ten thousand dollars."

"I was home with my daughter all night." I tried to explain to my lawyer.

"Let me talk this over with my partner and, then we'll figure this whole thing out. If the ballistic tests prove it wasn't your gun, you'll be in good shape."

I felt somewhat better after talking to Mr. Williams. Also I knew my handgun had been in the bedroom and, hadn't been fired in a very long time. I couldn't figure out what had actually happened but, I was being charged for whatever had went down. As a teenager I had some petty crimes on my record, but never had I spent the night in jail. There I was locked up with the kid who shot the another kid execution style in the parking lot of the Burger King. The news had been all over the story for weeks. He laid on his bunk never speaking to me. I believe the guy was afraid to engage in conversation with me. Young locked up in jail with much older criminals. He had no idea I was innocent, for all he knew I was a murderer too.

The days grew long as I could only sit and think about Cassie. She was with my cousin and mother so I knew she was in good hands