JUSTICE FOR WHOM? By Hugo Hanriot “You mean so much to me! I don’t feel lonely anymore when I’m with you. It helps me resign myself to these 19 years in prison for a murder I didn’t commit. It’s ironic; I remember in school reciting ‘The Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag’. I believed every word of it like it was the Bible, but now it sounds false; especially at the end of the pledge, ‘with Liberty and Justice for all’. Girl, that part of the pledge ain’t no sunshine for me. This country is a good one, but not perfect. If you get arrested, you will find there are two types of justices – one for the rich, and another for guys like me who can’t afford a good lawyer.” She looked at him with her shy eyes, as if understanding every word he said. “I know you believe me. Unfortunately the Justice Department doesn’t. They know most inmates claim innocence as I do; but I am different. My word is backed up by strong evidence. When they arrested me, my marriage was falling apart; we had split and filed for divorce. I started dating another woman – a respected one – she was a decorated army officer. She signed an affidavit that I was in her home with her at the time of the shooting of the man I was blamed for killing. Besides her, there were a dozen more witnesses willing to testify I wasn’t the killer. Do you know what helped the prosecution convict me? My record wasn’t clean; I had previously served seven years in prison for manslaughter. I never meant to hurt anyone, but I was young and stupid. We fought for a parking space in front of a building where a neighborhood party was being held and we were invited. We wrestled, pushed, and both of us fell down on the sidewalk; he never got up. That incident cost me seven years in jail, and, shortly after, I got free; this one cost me the 21-year sentence I’m serving now.” “Perry, get your dog ready for a walk out on the patio,” the prison guard ordered him, unlocking his cell. “Come on, Lucky, let’s go,” Perry stood up from his bunk holding the leash, followed by the docile greyhound. In the patio area, he joined other inmates with their pets. Perry let Lucky loose to hang out with the other dogs. They were part of a program operated by a nonprofit dog rescue organization. The gentle greyhounds didn’t have much human contact during their short racing careers. The inmate handlers provided the dogs’ human bonding and obedience training, besides conditioning them to become home pets. “Hey, Perry, did you bring your cigarettes for the race betting?” “Sure I did, man. My girl is ready to go!” “Tonight we’ve got enough dogs to hold three races; Lucky is in the first race.” Lucky and her race competitors lined up at the starting line, after their handlers deposited their cigarettes for the entry fee. The cigarettes were going to be split between the handlers of the first and second fastest dogs. Three young inmates stood at different posts, one hundred feet away from each other; each holding a string tied to a long hairy tail that had replaced the track’s artificial rabbit. At the word ‘Go!’ the handlers released their dogs. The inmate at the first post – one hundred feet away from the starting line – ran toward the second post, dragging the hairy tail on the ground. As the greyhounds closed in on him, he jumped out of their way. The man at the second post had already taken off toward the third post. The galloping greyhounds chased his tail. As this took place, the inmates in the cells with a window-view of the patio cheered loudly. Even the prison guards assigned to guard the patio seemed to enjoy the fun and laughter. It was a rare instance where the prison monotony and boredom was replaced by shared excitement. Lucky finished in the pack behind the two winning dogs. Perry petted her as if she were the winner. Lucky had been with him for eight weeks – the time the rescue organization had calculated the greyhounds should be ready for adoption. During those weeks Perry had established a good rapport with the volunteer veterinarian in charge of keeping an eye on the prison’s greyhounds. The veterinarian had become curious about the reason Perry was incarcerated; he had read the transcripts of his trial. Puzzled by the irregularities he had found, he asked a young volunteer lawyer from the dog rescue organization to look into the case. “Hi, Perry, we haven’t found a home for Lucky yet. I’m happy for you; we know how attached both of you are to each other,” the veterinarian greeted him. “But there is another reason for this visit. I told you I read about your trial. I have also taken notes on the details you filled me in on. I mentioned them to a young lawyer from our organization, and he is willing to work with you and file a petition for a retrial.” The day of the retrial, after Perry was transported to the courtroom, Lucky was taken out of the prison and returned to the dog rescue facility. The young lawyer representing Perry was aggressive; he had located the prosecutor’s sole witness against Perry. She had been guilt-ridden during those 19 years of Perry’s incarceration and was willing to recant her testimony. She was the girlfriend of the murdered man and was in an emotional crisis that facilitated the prosecutor coaching her. The young lawyer also located three of the ten witnesses to the killing that had not been allowed to testify during the trial. They testified that the victim had been shot by two men, neither of whom resembled Perry. Perry was now a free man. The dog rescue organization offered him a job in their facility. The veterinarian had made sure Lucky was going to be there. He watched the emotional reunion of Perry and his “girl”. I’ll see you next week with a new story. TO READ HUGO’S NEWS SHORT STORIES BOOKS FOR JUST $0.99: 1- Visit: amazon 2- Click on “Books” 3- Search for “Hugo Hanriot “ Americas Sweat & Soul: A Gallery of Americas Most Diversified Characters -- Including Yours! By Hugo Hanriot. Thirty-five short stories (Sep 11, 2013) -- • $0.99 Kindle Edition • Auto-delivered wirelessly ...All Aboard! Forty New Stories Based on Real Events by Hugo Hanriot (Oct 19, 2012)• $0.99 Kindle Edition •The Short Story Factory by Hugo Hanriot (Mar 9, 2012) Forty short stories -- Kindle EditionAuto-delivered wirelessly $0.00 $0.99 (read for free, Join Amazon Prime) TO SEND A COMMENT ABOUT THIS STORY VISIT facebook and search for Hugo Hanriot
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 16:10:36 +0000
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