To Serve and Protect

By: BJ Williams
(© 2013-2014 by the author)
Edited by: Gerry Young

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 9

Jonas was booked and placed into a solitary holding cell to await his arraignment the next day. He had been cleaned up and an orange prison suit to wear as he was led into the courtroom shackled.

“I’ll now hear the case of, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts verses Jonah Clarence Cambridge,” Judge Constance Mulberry said from her bench.

The attorney who represented Jonas stood before her as did the DA. They each made their petition for bail, with the attorney asking that Jonas be granted it, while the DA asked that it be refused seeing how he was a flight risk as well as a serial killer. Bail was denied and Jonas slumped back against his chair and turned, to see Thom’s eyes glaring at him with a smug smirk on his face.

Two weeks later, Jonas’ trial began, but the courtroom was void of a jury as Jonas’ lawyer and the DA came before the judge with a plea and the state’s response to it. Jonas’ cuts and bruises were healed and he’d been given a suit to wear. He sat quietly as his lawyer portrayed him as mentally incompetent and not aware of his actions to the judge in his opening statement, giving as proof an affidavit from a local psychiatrist.

The DA, armed with several affidavits from well known and respected psychiatrists from both Springfield and Boston, presented them to the judge. Jonas was portrayed as a cunning, cold-blooded killer that not only knew what he was doing, but took pleasure in killing his victims.

The judge adjourned the court for an hour while she reviewed all the documents and Jonas was returned to a holding cell to await her decision.

“What are my chances for an insanity plea,” Jonas asked his state appointed lawyer.

“Truthfully, not good, but not impossible,” he said. “If she denies an insanity plea, then I don’t know what we’ll do. I will ask for a few weeks to put together our case, but then, she can refuse me that also.”

“Then let me ask you this, if I do go to trial without it being as incompetent, what am I looking at?”

“Well, the DA will either ask for the death penalty, which, if you are convicted, will be life without parole. Or he’ll simply ask that you be given life without parole, and in either event, you will be spending the rest of your life in prison.”

“Isn’t there a special prison for cops that went bad,” he asked, desperate to avoid Walpole.

He had been held at Walpole after his arraignment and even though he had been in solitary confinement, he was taunted repeatedly that eventually he would be theirs, meaning the general population and was as good as dead.

“There are, but not for the crimes that you are being accused of. I will be honest with you, Jonas, you are looking at Walpole.”

Jonas looked away from him and at the police guard that stood quietly at the door, guarding him. The guard had a satisfying grin on his face, which told Jonas his future was grim.

“The DA has offered you a plea bargain, life without parole and I think you should consider it. Because if he goes for the death penalty, and you are convicted, even though it will be commuted to life without parole, you can still be put to death, should the state ever re-enact the death penalty.”

“I’m dead no matter how I look at it,” Jonas groaned over his shoulder, while looking out the barred window.

“I can ask that the judge request that you not be placed into the general population, but that will keep you in solitary confinement for the duration of your life.”

“I know that this is none of my business, but, I know the prison system,” the guard interjected. “If someone in the general population wants you dead, they will find a way to get to you and…” he added, again his face wore that satisfying grin.

“I prefer that you keep your comments to yourself,” the attorney added and turned back to Jonas. “Like I said, there are options, as few as they are, but I still recommend that you take the plea bargain that is on the table.”

“I need time to think… go and let me think,” he demanded as he turned back to his attorney.

The attorney gathered up his things and along with the guard, exited the room, which left Jonas alone with the demons that were attacking his mind. Jonas paced around the room and every so often, glanced up at the clock, knowing that his fate was minutes away.

He glanced up at the sprinkler pipes that ran along the ceiling. He pulled the table over until it was beneath a pipe that he suspected was well anchored to the ceiling and able to bare his weight. He wrote out a brief note, before he placed his chair on the table, climbed up onto it and pulled his necktie off. He secured it around his neck and the pipe, kicked the chair away. He kicked and writhed as his body struggled for air. It took him but scant minutes before he stopped struggling and dangled quietly from the pipe.

Twenty-five minutes later, when the guard came in to escort him to the courtroom, he found Jonas hanging. He climbed up on the table, felt for a pulse, there was none, so he walked away to obtain help. The guard, along with several other guards, entered the room with Jonas’ attorney as well as the judge, the coroner, and the DA. Two guards climbed on to the table and cut the tie that held Jonas to the pipe and lowered him to the floor. The coroner, who had been in the courtroom because he had been subpoenaed to testify for the state, knelt beside the body of Jonas, looked up and shook his head.

“He left behind a letter, addressed to a Thomas Sullivan,” one guard said as he picked up the letter from the floor.

“He is one of the detectives who worked this case,” the DA pointed out.

The judge took the letter and opened it.

Dear Thom,

I know that you will be finding pleasure in my death, and for that I cannot blame you. I won’t make excuses for the terrible things that I did, except to say that I did them out of jealousy. You never knew this, but I was in love with you. Oh I tried to engage you in a romance, but you were so smitten with Travis Butler and never gave me the time of day. I won’t say that I'm sorry for killing him, or the others, because I’m not sorry. Had you only returned my love after Travis’ death, those others might have been spared. Anyway, I am taking my life because I fear prison, or rather what will happen to me once I go there.

I love you, Thomas Sullivan, and always will,

Jonas

“This is a very private letter and it should be given to this detective, because of things that should not be made public,” the judge said. “I will say this: he did admit to killing the boys as well as Detective Butler. I’ll allow that much of the letter to be made public, and hopefully give the victim’s families some closure.”

She placed the letter into her pocket and asked the DA to please have Thom come to her chamber.

Everyone left but the original guard and the coroner, who was awaiting his team to arrive to remove the body.

‘May you rot in hell for what you did to my Jamie,’ the guard thought, while wearing that same, satisfying grin.

“That is Detective Sullivan, your honor,” the DA pointed to where Thom was seated in the courtroom.

“Please have him come to my chamber,” she whispered and as she walked away, the DA, walked over to Thom.

“What’s up, Bill?” Thom asked.

“The judge would like to see you in her chambers, about something regarding Jonas Cambridge,” he whispered to Thom. “You haven’t heard yet, but he just committed suicide in the room that he was being detained in.”

“WHAT! Are you serious, he’s dead,” a shocked Thom asked.

“He hung himself with his own necktie, how befitting,” he explained.

“Damn … damn! I would never have thought that of him.”

“Neither did I, but you need to go, now, she is waiting for you in her chamber.”  He led Thom back to the private office that she was waiting in.

“Do come in and have a seat,” she said once Thom arrived. “I take it that you've heard of Mr. Cambridge’s death.”  Thom nodded.  “Well, it seems that he left behind a letter … for you,” she reached across her desk and offered the letter to Thom.

“I don’t understand, your honor; why me?” he asked.

“Read it, and then you’ll see, why you,” she explained and Thom opened the letter and began to read.

He remained quiet, his face, placid, as he read and reread the letter, before he looked up at her.

“I never knew … I had no idea that he felt this way about me,” he said, but in his mind he also knew that the judge might suspect that he and Travis may have had an affair. “I don’t know what to say, your honor, honestly, I’m speechless.”

“You and I are the only two that have read this letter. I did however; repeat what Mr. Cambridge wrote, confessing to the killings. But I did not let on his reasons why. Your secret is safe with me, Detective Sullivan, and I am going to destroy this letter once all legalities concerning this case are closed.”

“Thank you, your honor, I appreciate that very much. I never divulged my sexuality to the general public, but I…”

“Thomas,” she interrupted as she brought their conversation down to a personal level. “You do not need to explain anything to me, and as for your sexuality, that is your private business and not the court's. I have a son who is gay and lives in New York, so I do understand how you feel.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Thom said and stood when she did, also, and came around to stand before him.

“I do, however, want you to understand that what this deranged man did, was in no way, shape, or form, your fault.  Am I clear about this?” she asked and he nodded. “Good, now you are free to leave, and thank you for being the man that you are. I will sleep better knowing that men like you are protecting us citizens of Springfield,” she said in closing, and surprised Thom, when she kissed his cheek and hugged him.

“Thank you ma’am, I always strive to do my best,” Thom smiled and left.

*        *        *

It had been four months since Andy had been attacked and Thom and Aaron’s relationship had blossomed. They had moved in together at Aaron’s house, which was larger than Thom’s. Thom had refused to sell his house, because it had been in his family for generations, after trying to give to Andy, who refused to accept it as a gift, he sold it to him for a dollar, which made everything legal and saved Andy money, on gift taxes.

Over the weeks since he had been released, he had often thought of Michael, he wondered if he was still hustling and more so, if Michael had ever thought about him. As angry as he had been with Michael’s arrogant attitude, he still felt something for him and had hoped that Michael had felt something for him.

“What’s wrong, Andy, you have looked depressed all day,” Thom told him at the dinner table on his last week home.

Andy would be returning to work and once again, he would partner up with Judy, who was also returning to work from her broken ankle, which took weeks of physical therapy to recover.

“I guess,” Andy agreed, looking from Thom, to Aaron and then back to Thom.

“Oh, Michael again, huh,” he said.

“Yeah, Michael,” Andy said and looked surprised to see that Aaron had a guilty grin on his face. “What’s so funny, Aaron?” he asked.

“Nothing really,” Aaron said and caught that quick look that Thom gave him, which silently said, keep your mouth shut. “I’m just happy that you're back to normal, is all,” he lied.

“Yeah … back to normal, but still very much alone,” Andy grumbled as he pushed around the food on his plate.

“Oh, yeah, before I forget, I picked up the new uniforms you ordered. I hung them in your locker,” Thom told him.

Andy had lost weight during his period of recovery, and had to order a smaller size pants and shirts. His body was rock hard with muscle and not an ounce of fat.

“Thanks,” he grumbled again. “It’ll feel strange not seeing you at work,” he added.

“You’ll be fine with Judy, who, I found out is also returning, and you’ll still be her partner. But after all the drama surrounding the murders, as well as your recovery, I felt, or rather Aaron and I felt, that a vacation would be nice.”

“So where are you two going?”

“Key West, I have a home there, which is very secluded and will let us both unwind in complete privacy,” Aaron said as he reached out and placed his hand over Thom’s.

“Sort of like a honeymoon, but without the wedding,” Andy said with a slight smile.

“You might say that, although, I wish we could get married. Who knows, maybe someday this country will legalize gay marriages,” Thom said and gave Aaron a kiss.

“Alright already, get a room,” Andy mused, watching as the two men kissed and pawed each other. “I’m leaving, guys. I want to stop by Mom’s before I go to work.”

“We’ll say goodbye because our flight leaves tonight and we won’t see you later,” Thom said as they all rose from the table and walked to the front door.

Thom embraced Andy and gave him a warm kiss to his lips, passed him over to Aaron, who did the same.

“Stay safe and give my best to Judy,” Thom said.

“We’ll bring you back something nice,” Aaron added as Thom opened the door for Andy.

“Yeah, thanks, make it a really hot guy,” Andy mused and left.

*        *        *

Andy felt strange as he walked into the precinct for the first time since his attack. His fellow officers warmly greeted him and Craig was there to personally welcome him back. As he walked into the locker room, he paused at his locker, his eyes focused on what had been Jonas’ locker.

He turned his attention back to his own locker, opened it and pulled out a new uniform. He began to undress and was down to his briefs when he felt a hard slap on his ass.

“What the..” he turned around to see a smiling Michael standing there. “What are you doing in here, this is for police officers and not hustlers,” he quickly said, although, in his heart he was happy to see him.

“Guess what, stud puppy; I am now officially a cop. I just finished my time as a rookie,” he explained, as he moved forward, Andy moved back, and Michael placed his hands on the wall, pinning Andy’s body against his locker. “And do you want another surprise, you and I are now partners,” he confessed quietly.

“The hell I am, Captain Thompson already has me assigned to Judy…”

“Sorry, but she is out for another week. If you don’t believe me, go ask the old man yourself?”

He backed away and moved over to his locker, which had originally been, Jonas’. Andy quickly dressed, his mind raced like a runaway train as he tried to ascertain how Michael could have become a cop.

“Remember him,” Michael called over to Andy as he shook his cock at him. “He misses that sweet, hot ass of yours,” he said with a smug grin.

“Really… all that I remember about you, is that you are arrogant and self-serving, and my ass, wants nothing to do with you,” he said and slammed his locker door closed. “Later … much later,” he said and walked away.

‘You pined away for him?’ He thought as he walked out of the locker room. ‘He’s as arrogant now as he was the day that I met him. But a cop … this has to be some kind of prank.’

“May I speak with you, sir,” he asked as he knocked on Craig’s door.

“Yeah, yeah, come right in and have a seat,” Craig said as he motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. “Now, what can I do for you?”

“I was under the impression that I was to finish out my time as a rookie with Judy…”

Craig held up his hand to interrupt him. “Her doctor refuses to release her until next week, so I reassigned you to Michael Brady, who has successfully completed his time as a rookie and is now an active member of the force. Is there a problem with that?” he asked.

“But … but he was … how? … I’d rather another person to partner with,” he finally stammered out.

“There are no other officers to put you with until next week, when Officer Parker returns. So in the mean time, make the best of it with Officer Brady. Now if you’ll excuse me, we have roll call to get to,” he rose and ushered Andy out.

Andy stood there silently thinking and never heard as someone approached him.

“See, stud muffin? I told you that we were partners,” Michael whispered from behind him and against his ear. “Just think of all the fun we can have on our lunch breaks, your ass, my dick, what better team can it be,” he arrogantly suggested.

“You fucking wish, and it’s Andy and not stud puppy or whatever other fucking nickname you can think up … got it?” he reprimanded him and stormed away.

“Yep … you want me, but you just don’t know it yet,” Michael called after him, and shrugged his shoulders at the few officers who had given him a strange look. “Partners, I am talking about partners here,” he amended and followed Andy into the room.

*        *        *

“I have looking forward to this trip for weeks,” Aaron said, as he and Thom took their seats in first class. “I love you, Thom; I love you so much,” he whispered as he leaned against Thom’s side.

“I love you more, babe, and I, too, have been looking forward to being with you.

“I wanted to ask you earlier, but I got sidetracked with the last minute packing, how come you never told Andy the truth about Judy, and more so, about Michael? You know how badly he’s been pining away over him.”

“Yes, he’s been pining away over Michael Brady, but once he sees him, he’ll remember what an ass Michael was to him. I figured it was better to let the chips fall where they will and kept it to myself.”

“Do you really think that he’ll still be upset with him?”

“Oh yeah, because, for one, I know how arrogant and cocky, Michael can be, but I also know Andy, he hates that kind of man.”

“Maybe Michael is arrogant and cocky, but from what I learnt in my psychology classes, arrogance and cockiness, are a mask for greater issues, which he is hiding.”

“Maybe so, but they won’t last one night together in the confines of a cruiser. Besides, I don’t want to think about them, I’d rather think about us and that great vacation we have planned,” he said as he glanced around before he placed a kiss on Aaron’s lips.

“You will love my … rather, our home there. It’s on the ocean and has a private pool built into the patio area, where we can swim without worry of prying eyes, although my neighbors are quite a distance away.”

“Hmmmm,” Thom moaned as he painted a vivid picture of him and Aaron, skinny-dipping together.

“What was that for, that ‘hmmmm’,” he asked and Thom gave no answer but raised a brow that said, you’ll see.

Aaron was about to say more, but the captain interrupted them when he asked that they prepare for take off.

*        *        *

“Listen, mister, I may be stuck with you as a partner for now, but I will be with Judy, once she returns.”

“Whatever you say, sweet cheeks,” Andy cringed and abruptly turned to Michael.

“If you cannot remember my name, then don’t use those ridiculous nicknames. I am Andy, not sweet cheeks or stud whatever; it's Andy, so use it.”

Michael held up his hands in surrender and laughed, which irritated Andy all the more.

The first part of the night went with Andy fighting off Michael’s hands and Michael constantly trying to get into Andy’s pants.

“I thought we would go to King Phillips’ stockade and have lunch,” Michael told him as he turned their car onto Longhill Street, and headed up towards the park. “We can park and maybe take a walk,” he said, not suggested.

“Did you pack a lunch or something, because I’m really hungry and had planned on going to Murphy’s Diner for lunch,” Andy argued.

“Oh yeah, I packed you a great lunch, and you’ll love eating what I have for you,” Michael said and Andy simply shrugged his shoulders as he looked out the window.

“Really, what is it,” Andy suspiciously asked as he turned back to Michael.

“Relax, you’ll see once we get there,” he mused.

At the top of Longhill Street, he continued on straight ahead, and followed the road that would take them to Longmeadow, an expensive suburb that bordered Springfield.

Andy knew this part of Forest Park, because it was notorious for its gay activity in the waning light before dark. Even when dark, cars drove around the loop in the park, as the driver sought to hook up with other men.

Andy wondered if Michael had ever hustled here, because it was popular during the daylight hours with many of the young hustlers that worked Taylor Street at night. Curiosity had gotten the best of him and he turned to Michael.

“You ever ply your trade here,” he asked.

“Ply my trade, like I was a blacksmith or something? Yeah, I worked this park many a day and night, why? Are you interested in sampling some of my trade?”

“No, I was just wondering if you ever did, is all.”

It was a warm night for October, and the moon was full with a million stars in the sky. Michael parked the cruiser in a little alcove that cut into a group of bushes, got out, and urged Andy to do the same. He opened the trunk, pulled out a large canvas backpack and without glancing at Andy, began to walk to an area that gays had dubbed the island, because the area was completely surrounded by blacktop. It was small and thickly covered with bushes that hid whoever might be within. But once you stepped through the bushes, you found several open places where you could enjoy the company of the man with you without fear of being seen.

“Why are we going in there to eat, why not stay in the car,” Andy asked when he stopped at the edge of the island and refused to go further.

Michael came over to him, grabbed his hand and pulled him, without speaking, into the bushes. They had gone about ten feet into the bushes when it suddenly opened to a grassy spot, void of trees and bushes. Andy looked up and the moon’s light illuminated the area in a golden glow.

He slowly turned as he kept his eyes looking up as he took in all the stars that he could not see when in the city.

“I can’t believe all the stars that you can see here,” he said aloud, more to himself than to Michael. “Look Michael, there’s the Big Dipper,” he said as he pointed to the constellation.

When he got no response from Michael, he turned, and froze when he saw Michael.

“What are you…? Are you crazy,” he stammered as he gazed at a naked Michael.

All this time that he had been looking at the stars, Andy had assumed that Michael was preparing their lunch.

“I told you that you would like the lunch that I packed for us,” he grinned from the blanket that he had spread out upon the ground.

“You … you are supposed to be my lunch?” Andy argued. “I am so out of here,” he yelled and turned, he walked away as fast as he could. “I have had it with you, Michael Brady,” he said as he tried to find where they had entered from. “I have done nothing but fight off your unwanted advances and this is the last straw. You can stay here for all I care, because I am going back to the precinct and reporting you,” he added. “Where the fuck did we come in from,” he yelled in frustration, and startled when Michael came up to him.

Michael wrapped Andy in a vice like grip and pulled him close to his body. When Andy went to protest, Michael stormed his mouth with his own and kissed him. Andy shoved against Michael’s chiseled chest, but all it did was cause Michael to hold him tighter.

Michael’s tongue invaded Andy’s mouth like the north had done to the south, fully and taking full control. Andy tried to break free, but his efforts only managed to tighten Michael’s hold. Then, Michael’s mouth warmed his, teased his and flooded his senses with remembrance of a night long ago.

Andy’s anger soon turned to desire, as he lifted his arms and surrounded Michael’s neck, with his fingers entwining through his lush, dark hair. Michael took full advantage of the surrender and lowered Andy down to the blanket while their mouths remained joined.

When the broke apart, both men were gasping and their hearts were beating hard and rapid. Michael lay atop Andy, and he gazed down into the eyes that had captivated him from the first time that he had seen him.

“I’m sorry that I deceived you, Andy, but I have wanted this for months, with you,” Michael whispered against Andy’s mouth.

“Why, why are you all tender now, and when we are done, you’ll go back to that same arrogant bastard that you are,” Andy asked and Michael shrugged his shoulders.

Always the reputation to uphold, Andy thought.

“Come on Michael, tell me if you ever want to get me to undress,” Andy teased, and he hoped that it would draw out what Michael may be hiding.

“It’s ok, come on, I’ll get dressed and take you over to Murphy’s for something to eat.”

Michael quickly stood and bent to retrieve his pants, and had one leg in when Andy came up behind him.

“Please Michael, don’t hide from me, not if you ever want to make something of us,” he whispered as he leaned against Michael’s back, with his arms wrapped around his waist.

“Make something of us, are you delirious or what?” he said and quickly turned to face Andy. “Munchkin, you are cute and all, but you are just a fuck for me,” he coldly said.

Andy, headless of the warning about hitting him, that Michael had given him months before, raised his hand quickly and slapped him hard across the face and backed away. Michael raised his right arm up and across to his left and was about to return it, but across Andy’s face. Instead, he let it drop to his side and turned away.

“I’ll meet you back at the cruiser, it’s that way,” he pointed without turning to where the path led that would take Andy from where he stood and out to the road.

Andy left without a word and stood waiting beside the car for Michael. He arrived, opened the car and once they were both inside, drove away. The rest of the night went without either of them speaking, and when they had called it a night, again they remained silent as they walked to their lockers.

Andy had never seen him so silent, and at their lockers, Michael pulled out his street clothes and closed the door. “Listen, about tonight, I’m sorry and I’ll ask the old man to put you with someone else, “he said and turned to walk away.

Andy was surprised to see that his handprint was still faintly showing on Michael’s cheek.

“Don’t, don’t go off like this … please,” he asked as he grabbed him by the arm.

Michael looked down at Andy’s hand and then up to his eyes, those eyes, and sighed.

“I’ll meet you outside in the parking lot, I need to call a cab to take me home,” he said.

“I’ll take you home, but just wait here for me to get dressed … please?” he asked and reluctantly, Michael nodded and took a seat on the bench.

Come hell or high water, Michael Brady, I am going to find out what you are hiding behind that ‘Mister Tough Guy’ mask.

Michael sat there and watched as Andy quickly undressed. He took in his hard, round ass, strong muscled legs and arms and when Andy turned to face him, his chest and abdomen was as hard and defined as the rest of his body.

But Andy wanted more, much more than Michael was willing to give him, not because he did not want to, but because he was afraid to. He had lost everyone in his life, everyone whom he had ever loved. They had either died of natural causes, or overdosed because they had turned to drugs, like his mother had done to cover up the abuse from Michael’s father.

You don’t even know that you’re a fucking god, Andy.

He was upset, because no one had ever denied him or his advances, and yet, now someone had and he did not know how to handle it.

“I’m ready,” Andy said as he startled Michael back to the present.

“Huh … oh, right; let’s go,” Michael said and as they walked, Andy could sense that a storm was brewing, deep within Michael.

“Don’t think that because I’m quiet that you have won some battle against me, cupcake, because come tomorrow, Michael Brady in all his radiant glory will be back and with a vengeance,” he promised.

“Yeah, ok,” Andy replied as if he did not believe it, but inside, he knew that Michael would never again let himself be so exposed.

To be continued...

Posted: 01/24/14