Post by §hannon on Aug 25, 2005 21:52:35 GMT -5
Wow. Chapter One. FINALLY. Hahah. Enjoy.
Feedback, as I always request.
Feedback, as I always request.
Chapter One
There was absolute silence in the courtroom, as a jury member walked over to the judge and handed him the ever so crucial piece of paper.
“We have a verdict. Will you please stand,” announced Judge Harrington.
Jackson slowly slid his wooden chair out from under the table that he and his lawyer, George Darwin were seated at so that he could stand. Everyone else part of the case stood as well. The sound of the wood scraping against the floor sent a shiver to Jackson’s spine. This was it. He had spent the past year under surveillance by police all coming up to this day; the day of whether or not he would be charged for assisting an attempted murder of Charles Keefe. Jackson had begun to grow even rougher around the edges. His once piercing, blue eyes had grown weary and dusty and his throat, even a year later, was throbbing in pain from the pen that had been used to puncture his windpipe.
Thanks, Lisa.
Jackson just closed his eyes and tried to drown out his surroundings. He waited for the word, ‘guilty’, or even better, the words ‘not guilty’ to escape from the judge’s lips. That’s all that mattered to him right now. Even though he was trying not to focus on the situation, with his vision now black from the closing of his eyelids, all he could think about was Lisa. Things happened so quickly a year ago when they first met face to face. One of his colleagues had been following her around for close to 3 years before Jackson ever met her. Clearly, case 29847 was around for a lot longer than he first presumed. He thought they actually hit it off when the first met at Dallas International. He’d done many assassination cases before Keefe’s and he had never felt so attached to one person like he did to Lisa. But, Jackson knew better than to let the outer shell of someone’s character fool him. It had happened way too many times before and it wasn’t about to happen again. Yeah, he knew once they got on the airplane things got out of hand. Jackson knew that from the moment after each event happened, from the choking, to the suffocating, to the head-butting. He never wanted to hurt her. But, when you lie to Jackson Rippner and play him for a fool, well, sometimes bad things DO happen to good people. Nothing frustrated him more than the fact of her lying about the scar on her chest. He knew what it was like to be taken advantage of, just not in the same scenario as Lisa’s. It happened to him all the time when he was a young boy in instances that were painful to the brain and were just memories longing to be forgotten. Jackson could remember that moment with Lisa frame by frame. His hand grasped firmly around her neck. The tip of his nose brushing her cheek. His breath warming up her right cheek.
Oh the terror on her face…
Next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor of Joe Reisert’s house, with a gun shot to his chest and a hole in his throat and nothing but the sound of police sirens and his own raspy, exhausted breath.
I’m going to die here.
Thoughts of death were running frantically through his mind as he took a glimpse at Lisa Reisert for one last time and the next thing he knew, she was gone. The whole past year of his life has been a blur to…
Not guilty.
Jackson snapped back into reality and shot open his eyelids.
”The jury finds Jackson Rippner not guilty in the charges alleged towards assisting in the attempted murder of Mr. Charles Keefe and his family. This case is dismissed.”
The gavel slammed against the wood and Jackson stood motionless, staring at the blank wall behind the judge’s desk. A smile of joy crept onto his face, as everyone in the room broke the uneasy silence and began to whisper and chat amongst each other. George began hugging Jackson and shaking his hand with a firm excitement.
”We did it, Jackson. I knew they didn’t have enough information to accuse you of something you didn’t do. You weren’t even near the Lux Atlantic when the Keefe incident happened. Well done, my friend,” George congratulated him, still shaking his hand.
Jackson said nothing, still in complete shock. He just smiled and returned the handshake. Soon, everybody was filing out of the courthouse and now Jackson Rippner was a free man. A free man to get on with his life and be Jackson again. Would he continue his job? He was damn sure he would. He was lucky this time and someone out there was giving him another chance to set things straight this time, come his next assignment. Jackson stepped outside the courthouse doors into a world of bright May Floridian sunshine and hundreds of reporters. Luckily, no cameras were allowed because Jackson certainly didn’t want his picture plastered all over every tabloid and newspaper known to man.
“Thank you,” Jackson finally managed to say in his raspy voice. “So much.”
”You’re a free man now, Jackson. Get the hell out of here,” George told him and smirked.
Jackson just smiled and walked to his getaway taxi that was waiting for him. The whole street was barricaded off except for authorized police cars and the taxi that Jackson was now stepping into. He situated himself inside the taxi and shut the door.
”Sunset Plaza,” Jackson told the driver, as he began to drive off.
He’d been staying in Miami for the past year, being under surveillance. He figured he’d give the police officers what they want even though he missed home back in Dallas very badly. He missed being in the neighborhoods he knew like the back of his hand. Though, in a year, a city like Miami can be quickly figured out. Jackson was nervously awaiting a phone call from the ‘boss’. One of his colleagues was sitting in the audience of the courtroom. It was only a matter of time before he called the boss and the boss called Jackson. Jackson began to see Sunset Plaza in the distance and he started to pull money out of his pocket.
”That won’t be necessary, sir,” the man said. “I’m getting paid by the police to do this.”
The police. Hmm. Well, that’s good to know.
”Alright. Well, thank you for the drive then,” Jackson replied.
Jackson looked out the window as the cab came to a complete stop in front of Sunset Plaza. He opened the door and stepped out.
”Congratulations on your case, Mr. Rippner,” the cab driver told him.
Jackson slammed the door shut. “Thank you.”
Jackson began walking up to his temporary home apartment and saw the vague outline of a shadow lurking behind the corner of the building. He ignored it, figuring it was just a pedestrian walking somewhere in the area. The area around Sunset Plaza was a very busy area, in fact. Jackson continued walking until he noticed the shadow, that clearly wasn’t his own, was following him.
”Hey. Jack,” the voice said from behind him. “How’s your friend, Lisa?”
Jackson turned around slowly as his temper began to flare. One. Never call Jackson Rippner, Jack, unless you want to get on his bad side. Two. Don’t mention the name Lisa or Lisa Reisert to him. Soon, he was facing the individual that suddenly started speaking to him.
”Joe?” Jackson said, looking at the figure in front of him in disbelief
”That would be me.”
”What in the hell are you doing here?”
”Just looking for you.”
”Why?”
”Well, I haven't talked to you since Bryan’s house. I didn’t get to hear the situation with Ms. Reisert or Keefe for that matter.”
”I don’t want to talk about it,” Jackson said, in an aggravated tone. “I’m clear, that’s all I care about right now.”
He began walking around from Joe, leaving him behind.
”Of course you want to talk, Jackson. Want to talk about why things got out of control, rookie? Want to talk about Lisa’s scar that you don’t know much about and how she got raped? Want to know why I know so much?”
Jackson just stood looking at Joe like he was crazy.
”Do you, Jack?”
”Why in the hell are you doing this?”
”You’re putting our whole team in jeopardy, Jackson. Luckily, you got off clean. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to continue doing what we do. So what, you got ticked off about Lisa lying to you about her scar? Is that the reason you ended up in court in front of 156 people on the verge of spending life in prison and tearing everyone else apart with you? I followed Lisa for 3 years and helped YOU out and then this is what happens? What happens if I would have killed her 2 years ago in a parking lot, in the middle of the day, holding a knife to her throat the whole time, when I had the chance? Where would you be?”
Jackson’s eyes widened at Joe.
”Oh, what Jack? Does that line ring a bell? Because it should. It f*cking should.”
There was absolute silence in the courtroom, as a jury member walked over to the judge and handed him the ever so crucial piece of paper.
“We have a verdict. Will you please stand,” announced Judge Harrington.
Jackson slowly slid his wooden chair out from under the table that he and his lawyer, George Darwin were seated at so that he could stand. Everyone else part of the case stood as well. The sound of the wood scraping against the floor sent a shiver to Jackson’s spine. This was it. He had spent the past year under surveillance by police all coming up to this day; the day of whether or not he would be charged for assisting an attempted murder of Charles Keefe. Jackson had begun to grow even rougher around the edges. His once piercing, blue eyes had grown weary and dusty and his throat, even a year later, was throbbing in pain from the pen that had been used to puncture his windpipe.
Thanks, Lisa.
Jackson just closed his eyes and tried to drown out his surroundings. He waited for the word, ‘guilty’, or even better, the words ‘not guilty’ to escape from the judge’s lips. That’s all that mattered to him right now. Even though he was trying not to focus on the situation, with his vision now black from the closing of his eyelids, all he could think about was Lisa. Things happened so quickly a year ago when they first met face to face. One of his colleagues had been following her around for close to 3 years before Jackson ever met her. Clearly, case 29847 was around for a lot longer than he first presumed. He thought they actually hit it off when the first met at Dallas International. He’d done many assassination cases before Keefe’s and he had never felt so attached to one person like he did to Lisa. But, Jackson knew better than to let the outer shell of someone’s character fool him. It had happened way too many times before and it wasn’t about to happen again. Yeah, he knew once they got on the airplane things got out of hand. Jackson knew that from the moment after each event happened, from the choking, to the suffocating, to the head-butting. He never wanted to hurt her. But, when you lie to Jackson Rippner and play him for a fool, well, sometimes bad things DO happen to good people. Nothing frustrated him more than the fact of her lying about the scar on her chest. He knew what it was like to be taken advantage of, just not in the same scenario as Lisa’s. It happened to him all the time when he was a young boy in instances that were painful to the brain and were just memories longing to be forgotten. Jackson could remember that moment with Lisa frame by frame. His hand grasped firmly around her neck. The tip of his nose brushing her cheek. His breath warming up her right cheek.
Oh the terror on her face…
Next thing he knew, he was laying on the floor of Joe Reisert’s house, with a gun shot to his chest and a hole in his throat and nothing but the sound of police sirens and his own raspy, exhausted breath.
I’m going to die here.
Thoughts of death were running frantically through his mind as he took a glimpse at Lisa Reisert for one last time and the next thing he knew, she was gone. The whole past year of his life has been a blur to…
Not guilty.
Jackson snapped back into reality and shot open his eyelids.
”The jury finds Jackson Rippner not guilty in the charges alleged towards assisting in the attempted murder of Mr. Charles Keefe and his family. This case is dismissed.”
The gavel slammed against the wood and Jackson stood motionless, staring at the blank wall behind the judge’s desk. A smile of joy crept onto his face, as everyone in the room broke the uneasy silence and began to whisper and chat amongst each other. George began hugging Jackson and shaking his hand with a firm excitement.
”We did it, Jackson. I knew they didn’t have enough information to accuse you of something you didn’t do. You weren’t even near the Lux Atlantic when the Keefe incident happened. Well done, my friend,” George congratulated him, still shaking his hand.
Jackson said nothing, still in complete shock. He just smiled and returned the handshake. Soon, everybody was filing out of the courthouse and now Jackson Rippner was a free man. A free man to get on with his life and be Jackson again. Would he continue his job? He was damn sure he would. He was lucky this time and someone out there was giving him another chance to set things straight this time, come his next assignment. Jackson stepped outside the courthouse doors into a world of bright May Floridian sunshine and hundreds of reporters. Luckily, no cameras were allowed because Jackson certainly didn’t want his picture plastered all over every tabloid and newspaper known to man.
“Thank you,” Jackson finally managed to say in his raspy voice. “So much.”
”You’re a free man now, Jackson. Get the hell out of here,” George told him and smirked.
Jackson just smiled and walked to his getaway taxi that was waiting for him. The whole street was barricaded off except for authorized police cars and the taxi that Jackson was now stepping into. He situated himself inside the taxi and shut the door.
”Sunset Plaza,” Jackson told the driver, as he began to drive off.
He’d been staying in Miami for the past year, being under surveillance. He figured he’d give the police officers what they want even though he missed home back in Dallas very badly. He missed being in the neighborhoods he knew like the back of his hand. Though, in a year, a city like Miami can be quickly figured out. Jackson was nervously awaiting a phone call from the ‘boss’. One of his colleagues was sitting in the audience of the courtroom. It was only a matter of time before he called the boss and the boss called Jackson. Jackson began to see Sunset Plaza in the distance and he started to pull money out of his pocket.
”That won’t be necessary, sir,” the man said. “I’m getting paid by the police to do this.”
The police. Hmm. Well, that’s good to know.
”Alright. Well, thank you for the drive then,” Jackson replied.
Jackson looked out the window as the cab came to a complete stop in front of Sunset Plaza. He opened the door and stepped out.
”Congratulations on your case, Mr. Rippner,” the cab driver told him.
Jackson slammed the door shut. “Thank you.”
Jackson began walking up to his temporary home apartment and saw the vague outline of a shadow lurking behind the corner of the building. He ignored it, figuring it was just a pedestrian walking somewhere in the area. The area around Sunset Plaza was a very busy area, in fact. Jackson continued walking until he noticed the shadow, that clearly wasn’t his own, was following him.
”Hey. Jack,” the voice said from behind him. “How’s your friend, Lisa?”
Jackson turned around slowly as his temper began to flare. One. Never call Jackson Rippner, Jack, unless you want to get on his bad side. Two. Don’t mention the name Lisa or Lisa Reisert to him. Soon, he was facing the individual that suddenly started speaking to him.
”Joe?” Jackson said, looking at the figure in front of him in disbelief
”That would be me.”
”What in the hell are you doing here?”
”Just looking for you.”
”Why?”
”Well, I haven't talked to you since Bryan’s house. I didn’t get to hear the situation with Ms. Reisert or Keefe for that matter.”
”I don’t want to talk about it,” Jackson said, in an aggravated tone. “I’m clear, that’s all I care about right now.”
He began walking around from Joe, leaving him behind.
”Of course you want to talk, Jackson. Want to talk about why things got out of control, rookie? Want to talk about Lisa’s scar that you don’t know much about and how she got raped? Want to know why I know so much?”
Jackson just stood looking at Joe like he was crazy.
”Do you, Jack?”
”Why in the hell are you doing this?”
”You’re putting our whole team in jeopardy, Jackson. Luckily, you got off clean. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to continue doing what we do. So what, you got ticked off about Lisa lying to you about her scar? Is that the reason you ended up in court in front of 156 people on the verge of spending life in prison and tearing everyone else apart with you? I followed Lisa for 3 years and helped YOU out and then this is what happens? What happens if I would have killed her 2 years ago in a parking lot, in the middle of the day, holding a knife to her throat the whole time, when I had the chance? Where would you be?”
Jackson’s eyes widened at Joe.
”Oh, what Jack? Does that line ring a bell? Because it should. It f*cking should.”
. Please add more soon, I can't wait to see what Jackson does! *does a little dance around the chair singing 'he got let off'*