Academy Murders: The Connection

Purple ink dripped. The calligrapher behind the pen put all of her soul into crafting the letter. Yawquisha knew that Kim had access to email but these missives meant so much. The curl of her “P’s” and the arch of her “A’s” meant something to her friend.

Kim went down to the front desk but she didn’t wear a disguise or anything like that. She simply passed by the newspapers and magazines with her image plastered on them.

“You have a package, Miss Jergensen,” said Witherby Bly. He was in his sixties and had skin the color of flaxseed. He didn’t make a big deal about the sensational case that surrounded Kim. He just asked for her signature.

Back in her hotel room, Kim slid off the purple twine from the smooth papery, cardboard box. She had a notion of who it was from with the way that it unfolded like a Chinese food plate.

Inside, she found four pages of immaculate penmanship. A smile curled around her face. She looked at the writing, yes, then she read:

“You have an excellent lawyer. She is fully committed to your freedom. But not just that. She selfishly wants money. But not just that—She wants to win because of the power of justice. She cares for you as an individual, not some big name known for her past exploits.”

“She is indebted to your liberty. Once you handed over the reins, you established yourself as someone who knows that you’re in good hands. All Brenda has to do now is make those arguments about how Susan desperately wanted to be associated with a case that blew up like yours.”

“In the event that you have too much grief, remember that your innocence is the goal to be reached. Making that jury know your guiltlessness is the achievement that both of you must render. I know the legal team is digging into records and pushing to have your record go up against Susan’s.”

“You have a spotless record. You know this. You have the power to discover the ability to show to the world your impressive mind. That is what they hate the most. A detective, a Marine with a brain. You discovered a way to express yourself without saying a word. When you sat down in that seat, I knew they were going to try to roast you. You were steely in your resolve and displayed utter confidence and poise.”

“Together, your legal squad should be able to capture the minds of the juries. Since the heart holds know intellectual or emotional capacity, I emphasize the mind because that is the root. The brain is matter and the mind is spirit. It’s been said before but I must bold, underline, and italicize it here. As human beings we are in a unique position to be the ones who can rationalize our way to greatness. When I say rationalize, I don’t mean evade reality with excuses. I mean to use reason to find the truth. We have the might to do that. Especially you. You use clues and investigate and ask questions to get to the bottom of the case. That’s not a gift in the sense of the mystical. It’s a gift in the sense that you honed skills to demonstrate your prowess in the field of law enforcement.”

“I admire your bravery. And this is not the hollow bromide attributed to cops. This is an absolute. It’s a maxim. It illustrates and spells out the reality of the days of your glory. They’re ahead of you. You’re too focused on the basis of what is real that you don’t have time to look at others. You have built up a strong tower of integrity that has no flaws.”

“The connection between the various detrators to your life is not something that should bother you. You have years of work ahead of you. You have your ‘him,’ all you have to do is hold onto the treasure of having someone to love romantically. And you know me. I’ll forever be your friend—strictly Aristotelean, of course! I hope you at least grinned at that.”