Small Town Secrets
II
All it takes is a few key word searches before pages of articles on the death of Jaimie Lynn Marcus load onto my screen. I click the first one, a local news report posted the day her body was discovered. I read the report thoroughly, but don't find the details I'm looking for.
I continue reading through the pages of articles, printing off a few pages from each one. I jump when the bell sounds, signaling the end of lunch. I quickly clear the browser history, grab the printed articles and shove my notebook into my backpack before heading to my next class, English.
I introduce myself to Ms. Burns, an old lady who looked as though she should be long retired by now. I take a seat in the back of the class and pull out my notebook. I ignore the lecture and begin reading the articles I had printed, scribbling notes down as I read.
Jaimie went missing a little over a year ago, when she was just seventeen. It started as a missing persons search that last about a month before the police stopped searching. Her body was found buried in the woods about two months later. Her body had been decomposed and it took an autopsy to find out the cause of death. - she was stabbed over 20 times. The autopsy showed she was killed over a month after her disappearance. There was no evidence of the crime until the anniversary of her death. The knife was found, covered in dry blood, in the woods behind their house. Both finger prints from Dave and Kade were on the knife.
Dave, their father, is a semi-truck driver who is often gone for long periods of time. He was dismissed after his boss confirmed Dave was making a delivery to Boise, Idaho. It was a trip that took about a week to get there and back, making it impossible for him to be there at her time of death.
Kade, whose legal name is John Kadence Marcus, was the only other suspect. His only alibi was his grandmother, who he stayed with while his father was away. She was an unreliable suspect as she took medication to sleep through the night, and Kade could've left when she was sleeping. Kade was arrested the day they discovered the knife. He was in jail for only a month.
Mr. Gilling, the school's principal, enters the classroom and stands at the front of the classroom, his hands rest over his lap, clasping each other. His face is nervous. "I have some news to bring to you." He says. "John Marcus, or better known as Kade, has maintained his innocence, and he is being released from jail on lack of evidence in the case against him." Jaws drop all around the classroom. "He will be allowed to return to school." Mr. Gilling shifts uncomfortably under the stares of the shocked students.
"Why are they letting him out?" A student asks from the front row.
Mr. Gilling lets out a large sigh. "There is not enough evidence against him, there is no case. They could only hold him in court for 30 days pending further investigation. He served those thirty days, and no other evidence has surfaced. They have to let him go, and he is free to continue with school."
"What are you going to do for the safety of the students?" Ms. Burns pipes in.
"There's not a whole lot we can do. They no longer have a court date, and he isn't legally seen as a threat to the students."
A few students holler their disagreements and Mr. Gilling sends the students home, asking that all teaches stay for a meeting. I guess it's to further discuss safety concerns, but who am I to argue with an early end to the day.
I continue reading through the pages of articles, printing off a few pages from each one. I jump when the bell sounds, signaling the end of lunch. I quickly clear the browser history, grab the printed articles and shove my notebook into my backpack before heading to my next class, English.
I introduce myself to Ms. Burns, an old lady who looked as though she should be long retired by now. I take a seat in the back of the class and pull out my notebook. I ignore the lecture and begin reading the articles I had printed, scribbling notes down as I read.
Jaimie went missing a little over a year ago, when she was just seventeen. It started as a missing persons search that last about a month before the police stopped searching. Her body was found buried in the woods about two months later. Her body had been decomposed and it took an autopsy to find out the cause of death. - she was stabbed over 20 times. The autopsy showed she was killed over a month after her disappearance. There was no evidence of the crime until the anniversary of her death. The knife was found, covered in dry blood, in the woods behind their house. Both finger prints from Dave and Kade were on the knife.
Dave, their father, is a semi-truck driver who is often gone for long periods of time. He was dismissed after his boss confirmed Dave was making a delivery to Boise, Idaho. It was a trip that took about a week to get there and back, making it impossible for him to be there at her time of death.
Kade, whose legal name is John Kadence Marcus, was the only other suspect. His only alibi was his grandmother, who he stayed with while his father was away. She was an unreliable suspect as she took medication to sleep through the night, and Kade could've left when she was sleeping. Kade was arrested the day they discovered the knife. He was in jail for only a month.
Mr. Gilling, the school's principal, enters the classroom and stands at the front of the classroom, his hands rest over his lap, clasping each other. His face is nervous. "I have some news to bring to you." He says. "John Marcus, or better known as Kade, has maintained his innocence, and he is being released from jail on lack of evidence in the case against him." Jaws drop all around the classroom. "He will be allowed to return to school." Mr. Gilling shifts uncomfortably under the stares of the shocked students.
"Why are they letting him out?" A student asks from the front row.
Mr. Gilling lets out a large sigh. "There is not enough evidence against him, there is no case. They could only hold him in court for 30 days pending further investigation. He served those thirty days, and no other evidence has surfaced. They have to let him go, and he is free to continue with school."
"What are you going to do for the safety of the students?" Ms. Burns pipes in.
"There's not a whole lot we can do. They no longer have a court date, and he isn't legally seen as a threat to the students."
A few students holler their disagreements and Mr. Gilling sends the students home, asking that all teaches stay for a meeting. I guess it's to further discuss safety concerns, but who am I to argue with an early end to the day.