In Innocence And Guilt

by Arthur Davis

About the Author: Arthur Davis is a management consultant and has been quoted in The New York Times, Crain’s New York Business, interviewed on New York TV News Channel 1 and advised United States Senator John McCain and New York State Senator Roy Goodman on boxing reform. Over sixty stories have been published including “Conversation in Black" which was nominated for the 2015 Pushcart Prize and Storylandia, a quarterly single author anthology, came out in February 2016.

Excerpt

“Matthew Laurey, did you murder Carlos Rivera Barcella at two-thirty this afternoon?”

Laurey knew there could only be one answer. His horoscope for the week had said he was going to be tested. It went on to warn that he was about to pass through a difficult period. And this was only Tuesday.

“No.”

Captain Brian Cavanaugh, Chief of Detectives at the second largest station in Chicago, dismissed the response and proceeded to inquire about Laurey’s age, address, date of birth, occupation, and if he’d ever been arrested for a crime.

“Have you been read your rights?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand them?” Two decades after Miranda was enshrined in law following the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court decision, Cavanaugh remained offended that he had to warn criminals of their rights. He felt it gave them an unfair advantage.

“I do.”

He paused thoughtfully, then removed a pistol from a large glassine envelope and pushed it across the table. “Do you recognize this gun?”

Matthew knew there was no other revolver like it. The balance of the .380 was uneven, but not unwieldy. Its six-inch barrel was scarred with a maze of unidentifiable scratches behind the front sight. The chipped plastic stock cut into Laurey’s soft, untested hand. But, it made him feel important, and a person not to be taken lightly.

“I do.”

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