A Hole In One, Paul Weininger [top novels to read txt] 📗

of court charge if it can be proven that she knew in advance about this witness.”

“Thank you, Your Honor,” said Stanford.

Jules Jacobson was called into the courtroom, sworn in by the clerk and directed where he was to sit in the witness chair.

“Mr. Jacobson, why did you come to court today?” asked Stanford.

“Well, I’ve been away on a skiing trip for a number of weeks and when I returned, my wife, Carol, told me about this case. I also read about it in the Sedona Times Herald, which often quoted some of the witnesses’ testimony. I realized that my suspicions about my wife possibly having an affair with the Rabbi were correct, and that the rumor that he wanted to kill me so that he could end up with her might be accurate, too. However, as much as I despise the Rabbi for having had the affair, I can forgive my wife, Carol, because of my deep love for her, but I can’t deny hating this so-called man of God for his behavior. I wanted to prove to the court that the Rabbi did not murder me to get my wife for himself, as all the rumors were saying.”

“Thank you very much, Mr. Jacobson, for coming to court to clear that matter up for the jury,” said D.A. Stanford.

The judge promptly announced, “I have decided to overrule the defense’s objection after hearing this unexpected testimony. This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, has now taken a new twist, and you must continue to pay close attention to further testimony to be presented by both sides.”

The D.A. recalled Straub to the stand.

“Alright, Mr. Straub, please take the witness chair; the prosecution has a few more questions for you,” directed Judge Garnett.

Straub sat down realizing that he can no longer keep up the charade.

The D.A. held up a piece of paper, saying, “I have a cancelled check here for one week’s work you performed for your boss Mr. Rung. It indicates that you were paid $11 per hour, equal to $440 for the week, netting you after taxes about $390 a week or $20,280 a year. With all due respect, this left you dirt poor. The prosecution will place the check into evidence as exhibit P-5.”

“Let the record reflect that the people entered P-5 into evidence,” noted the judge.

“How did you reach a decision to replace the Rabbi of the Sedona synagogue when your initial intention was to allegedly get bar mitzvahed?”

“I had seen a picture in the Sedona Times Herald of the Rabbi, who looked exactly like me and was probably making a lot of money from his salary and donations by his hundreds of congregants. So, I figured why can’t I do the same and get off welfare and a minimum wage and stop digging for uneaten food in dumpsters? I could just as easily become a Rabbi with millions in my pockets,” said Straub.

“Please go on.”

“Well, I investigated this Rabbi’s background on the Internet at the library and went to one of those sites where you can find out anything about anybody. We had the same birthday, and he had been adopted just after birth, like I was. In other words I found out that he was my identical twin brother. Our biological mother was seventeen when she gave birth to us and we were separated right after.”

“After my adoptive parents were killed in a car accident, I became a ward of the state and placed in numerous foster homes. Once I realized we were twins, I tried to call him on the phone, but he never believed me. He accused me of running a scam and always hung up on me.”

“Objection, this was a leading and compound question. The witness has been using a narrative response, rather than directly answering the question.”

“Overruled. He’s your client. The D.A.’s direction to ‘please go on’ is not a leading question nor is it a compound question. The D.A. is simply giving your defendant the opportunity to explain the things he neglected to say when he originally pretended to be the Rabbi. You also need to remember, Mr. Jaxson, that your defendant gave up his Fifth Amendment rights.”

“So, when you first read about your twin brother being a successful Rabbi,” the D.A. continued, “did you try and take enough lessons from another Rabbi to become one yourself?”

“Yes, I reached out to Rabbi Isaac in Scottsdale and asked him to teach me enough to become bar mitzvahed.”

“Isn’t the truth, Mr. Straub, that you lied to Rabbi Isaac and really wanted to take Hebrew lessons to be able to fake your way as Rabbi Bloom and take over his Sedona synagogue?”

“No, I wanted to learn enough so that if, and when, I was finally able to get in touch with my brother, he would believe in our relationship and maybe be willing to let me handle a few services myself so that I could learn to be a Rabbi too.”

The D.A. pressed on. “Why were you at Rabbi Bloom’s house on the day he was killed?”

“Because I wanted to make sure that he could see me and not hang up on me like before, saying that I was just a scam artist. All I wanted to do was to convince him that we were twins. Family, you understand. Apart from him, I didn’t have any family. I figured that once he saw me, he would believe me.

“As you got to his home, what happened when the Rabbi opened the door?”

“He didn’t. When I got there, the door was open, and his dead body lay next to it.”

“How did you know he was dead?” she asked.

“It wasn’t difficult. He had a hole in his forehead, wasn’t breathing and there was blood all over. I could tell from the hole that he had been shot and I figured he was probably robbed too,” responded Straub.

“Did you call 911?”

“No, I panicked. I thought if the police arrived right away, and saw the body lying on the