LISTEN

LISTEN

             “Listen, now, to what I have to say, so that you might

comprehend the reason for my concerns. It is a twisted tale that I

shall tell you. Listen carefully,” Mark instructed.

         It began with Mandy Daniels returning home from

veterinarian school. In her late twenties, Mandy had purchased the

veterinary clinic from a recently retired veterinarian who happened

to be a friend of the family. Las Olas was a small city where many

people were distantly related.

Dr. Mandy wasted no time preparing the clinic for its opening

day.

         Mandy was of the farming ilk in a distant suburb. It was distant

in a number of ways. The girls at the local high school had a

reputation of using chewing tobacco. Yes, distant it was!

         Mandy soon met Paul and it was two peas in a pod in rapid

fashion. He was big and tall while Mandy was short and petite. They

offered a refreshing contrast in size to those they passed on the

street.

         It wasn’t long before they were married. Each brought a young

child into the marriage. Things were falling into place rather nicely.

The small house that was attached to the veterinary clinic would

serve them well until they could afford something bigger and

better.

         Paul was from Rhode Island and was now stationed at the local

armed forces base. All of Paul’s family lived in Rhode Island. Mandy’s

parents lived in the same house for about thirty years. Mandy and

Paul were planning a trip to Rhode Island to meet Paul’s family in

the near future.

         Mark entered into the story via happenstance. He had stopped

to pay the last bill to the retiring veterinarian and met the new

crew.

         “I’ll make sure he gets your check,” Mandy said as Mark looked

down on her warm smile.

“My wife and I have some dogs and cats, and three children to

boot,” Mark enumerated. “Will you accept us as new clients?”

         “You bet,” Dr. Mandy exclaimed with pride. “Your first visit is

on the house. You are my first client!”

         “My first visit will be a long visit. As I said, we have a number

of cats and dogs.”

         “Then I’ll rephrase it for ya. The first round is on me!”

Dr. Mandy chuckled.

         So started a long, solid friendship between Dr. Mandy and Mark.

         During the first year, Mark met Paul and Dr. Mandy’s mother.

Mark thought that Dr. Mandy’s mother was formidable and hoped

that if he was ever in a barfight, she would be on his side! She was

missing some teeth, maybe from the chewing tobacco?

         Dr. Mandy met Mark’s family, including the dogs and cats.

Dr. Mandy gave special attention and explanations to the children

whenever present. She was an inspiration to the children.

         Mark never met Dr. Mandy’s father. It was rumored to be

scatter-brained and somewhat reclusive.

         A new life and workplace for Dr. Mandy, Paul and their kids.

         A new veterinarian for Mark’s extended family.

         The bomb dropped the night before Dr. Mandy, Paul and the

children were to fly to Rhode Island for the Thanksgiving holiday

come-together and get acquainted.

         Paul is missing!

Trip cancelled.

         The police scoured the small house and veterinary clinic and

found a computer showing a history of the use of euthanasia drugs.

On a later police visit, papers containing information of euthanasia

drugs were found blatantly displayed in the waiting room trash can!

         Something sinister this way had come.

         Then, finally . . .

         Police officers had placed a tracer on Dr. Mandy’s pickup

truck.

         On the third day Dr. Mandy’s pick-up truck was traced to a

tract of land with a pond.

         Investigators were sent out to investigate. Upon dredging the

pond, it was evident that the body had been weighted down with

cinder block bricks. The body had been stabbed numerous times.

Later, the autopsy would determine the stab wounds to be

postmortem trauma to help with releasing bodily gases.

         Dr. Mandy was concerned the amount of cinder blocks used to

hold the body down. Increasing decomposition gases might cause

the body to surface in the pond. Were the cinder blocks sufficient

to keep the body well submerged?

         Dr. Mandy had to check.

         Dr. Mandy’s pick-up truck had been tracked to the body!

         Who was the killer? And why?

         Popular opinion favored Dr. Mandy. But what motive?

         Others in the community pointed their fingers at Dr. Mandy’s

mother.

         It would be six weeks before the results of the autopsy would

be known.

         The autopsy revealed that Paul had been inebriated and his

blood also contained large amounts of euthanasia drugs!

         Dr. Mandy’s mother was shocked and cried off and on as she

continued to help with keeping the clinic open and running.

         Dr. Mandy arrived at Mark’s house for the mass vaccinations of

cats and dogs on Friday. Just a few days later, on Monday, loomed

the first day of the jury trial.

         “Mark, I miss him so much,” Dr. Mandy managed to say with

tears.

         Mark didn’t know how to respond.

         “Dr. Mandy, I don’t think you had anything to do with this,”

Mark stated.

         “I stand trial for murder on Monday,” Dr. Mandy said with

devastation in her manner.

         “Dr. Mandy, you aren’t physically capable of the crime,” Mark

implored.

         “I was helping to cover up for my mother for his death,”

Dr. Mandy said flatly. “I had to help her. She’s my mother. She hated

Paul. She was afraid that we might move to Rhode Island. So . . .”

         Mark’s mind went sailing.

         The Court asked for her plea.

         “No contest, Your Honor,” Dr. Mandy meekly replied.

         The sentence was twenty-five years, with the possibility of

parole for good behavior.

         During the years of incarceration, Mark kept in touch with Dr.

Mandy through letters. Phone calls were not allowed.

         Dr. Mandy was a model prisoner and routinely taught health

classes to the prison community.

         There were occasions that Dr. Mandy was brought back to the

local jail for hearings over contact with her children. Dr. Mandy’s

parents had officially adopted the children and would not allow any

contact whatsoever between Dr. Mandy and the children.

         On such occasions, Mark would attend the evening visitation

for a conversation with Dr. Mandy.

         So also did Bob, an older man from Mark’s neighborhood.

         Bob and Mark became casual friends due to their loyalties to

Dr. Mandy. They were the only two visitors that Dr. Mandy would

ever hope to see on the child-contact visits to the Las Olas Jail.

         It was the sixth visit to the Las Olas Jail facility for a hearing

concerning child contact.

         For some unknown reason, there was a considerable delay for

the visitation.

         Bob was not there. Mark waited alone.

         Earlier that day, Mark served as a character witness for over a

hour. While on the witness stand, Dr. Mandy’s mother sat in the

front row and constantly glared at him.

         Bob was not there. Mark was the only character witness.

         Finally, the door opened, and the court officer summoned

Mark to enter.

         “Hi Mark!” Dr. Mandy blurted out as the door swung open.

         “Good to see you!” Mark responded with a big smile. “How did

it go in the courtroom? Was I of any help? Your mother just glared

at me the whole time, and I sure sat up there for a longtime.”

         “Sure do want to thank you, Mark,” Dr. Mandy said

despondently. “It was over issues of the amount of communication

and holding back of such. It was a failure. At least I tried.”

         “Where’s Bob? I didn’t . . .”

         “Bob passed away three weeks ago,” Dr. Mandy interrupted. “I

only just found out myself. It was a heart attack as he was watching

the game shows on television.”

         Mark just stood and looked at her. He felt so alone. He realized

it was a blow to her.

         “They will give us a little extra time and its only us in this big,

long room,” she said to him with a sense of urgency. She would

begin her elucidation without delay.

         “You and Bob have stuck by me through thick and thin. We

have laughed together, and we have cried together. Five years ago, I

entrusted Bob with the absolute truth. Now he’s gone. Someone

must know what really happened to Paul and who are the guilty

parties should I pass away. No one will know that you are aware of

the truth, but that may have been why my mother constantly glared

at you in the courtroom.

         Mark was trying very hard to control his panic.

         “Listen . . .” Dr. Mandy began.

         Mark was about to be entrusted with something very

important.

         Mark’s emotions would play with his mind on a rainy day with

the details of what he knew for many more years to come.

         Dr. Mandy had passed away just four months ago with

complications of lung cancer. She had never smoked or used

chewing tobacco. Now that she was deceased, I don’t think that she

would mind if I told you the secret details of the truth.

         “Listen . . .” Mark began.