Behind The Lies by Mark Beckner (top ebook reader .TXT) 📕

Wendy was killed,” Walker says while scooting his chair closer to Brad. Baker sits off to the side at a 90-degree angle.

“Like I’ve told you, Aaron is lying. I did not go with him that night. My only involvement was in helping him get Wendy to agree to meet him. I could never hurt Wendy.”

Both Baker and Walker notice Brad has lost his confidence in his statements. He has trouble making eye contact, often looking down at the table while he talks.

“Well Brad,” says Walker, “we found your gloves in the back of Aaron’s car.”

“Those aren’t my gloves. They must be Aaron’s.”

“Have you ever worn those gloves?”

“No.”

“How do you explain your DNA being on the inside of those gloves?”

Brad stares at the table in front of him. “I don’t know.”

“Brad,” Walker continues, “The DNA proves beyond a doubt that you wore those gloves. Aaron’s DNA was not on those gloves. And that scratch of yours? That was caused from Wendy fighting for her life. I know that because your DNA was found under fingernails of her right hand, Brad,”

“It can’t be,” Brad says quietly. He feels like his body is shivering, like when one is cold. His throat and mouth are dry, and his stomach feels upset.

“Here, I want you to look at this.” Walker opens his laptop computer, pulls up a video, and slides the laptop in front of Brad. “Watch this Brad.”

Brad looks up at the screen and watches the security footage from Johnson’s Café.

“You see that Brad? That’s you in the video wearing black gloves at the same time you and your mom said you were home. Now, look at this, you are returning and no longer wearing gloves”

Brad remains silent.

“Not only have you lied about everything Brad, so has your mother. She has been covering for you and we will probably have to charge her as an accessory after the fact.”

“Alright,” Brad says in a defeated voice. He looks up with tears in his eyes. “My mom had nothing to do with this. I snuck out my bedroom window that night. She thought I was home the whole time.”

“Okay Brad, now tell us what happened to Wendy.”

At this point, Brad knows the gig is up. Between sobs, he explains how he had helped with the texts to win Wendy over, thinking she would be pleased when she found out it was him behind the texting. He admits going with Aaron Thursday night to meet Wendy and that Aaron had stayed in the car. Once Wendy rejected his advances, something in him triggered a response he cannot explain. He lost his temper and the next thing he knew; he had strangled Wendy. He left Aaron’s ring at the scene to remove suspicion from himself, and threw Wendy’s shoe, her scarf, and his gloves in the backseat of Aaron’s car. He never had any intention of hurting Wendy.

Wednesday, November 18th

It is 10:30 am and Mrs. Livingston is back in the hospital at her son’s bedside. The doctors have removed Aaron from the ventilator and his vitals have stabilized. Doctors tell her Aaron has shown marked improvement. If his vitals are still stable, they will begin to wake him from his coma in 30 minutes.

At 3:00 pm, Aaron has been fully awake for several hours. Early indications are Aaron may have avoided long-term damage. Damage to his larynx still makes it difficult for Aaron to speak, but doctors expect that to come back soon. Doctors speculate Aaron was found within seconds of his heart-stopping and resuscitation efforts by medical personnel saved his life.

At 3:30 pm, Detectives Walker and Baker arrive at the hospital to see Mrs. Livingston and her son. They explain how the investigation transpired and they now know Aaron did not kill Wendy. They tell Aaron and Mrs. Livingston that Brad McGivens has been arrested and charged with 1st Degree Murder.

“Aaron,” says Walker, “the DA is going to drop all charges against you today. When they release you from the hospital, you will be able to go home with your mom. We are deeply sorry you had to go through this.”

Aaron gives a slight smile and nods, indicating he understands and is grateful for their work in clearing his name.

Fourteen Months Later, January 24th

This past August, Brad McGivens and his attorney reached a plea bargain agreement on a reduced charge of Second Degree Murder. The DA believed the jury might find it believable Brad only wanted to date Wendy prior to meeting with her and his killing of her was a reaction to his anger, not premeditated. Brad accepted the plea to avoid a trial and possible conviction for First Degree Murder. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison, with the possibility for parole after 24 years.

Detectives Walker and Baker have continued to stay in contact with Aaron, who is now in his senior year, throughout the last 14 months. However, it is Walker who has interacted with Aaron the most, even becoming something of a mentor and father figure to him.

Aaron is now doing well in school. His grades are still good, and he is doing much better socially. He is not sure why, but after all the details became public, the kids at school seemed to be more interested in him. This helped increase Aaron’s confidence in social situations. Also, the six months of therapeutic counseling helped Aaron recover from the trauma. He even has a girlfriend now. He also knows part of his recovery is due to the attention and friendship of Detective Don Walker.

Aaron gets out of school at 3:30 and heads to Johnson’s Café where he is meeting Walker for their weekly chat over sodas, or sometimes even a burger and fries. Kind of like a check-in on how things are going.

“So, Aaron, have you decided yet what you are going to do after you graduate?” asks Walker.

“I’m going to apply to Michigan State. They have a good criminal justice program there and I’d like to major in criminal forensic