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  Bittersweet

  False Witness

  The falling rain created an icy looking glare on the road. It was around 1:00 in the morning as Judge Caudill Clark made his way toward Spencer’s Cove. When he passed Big Wheels Truck Stop in 1953, he was about twenty-five miles south of Tupelo, Mississippi and about fifteen miles north of Jackson. He had just passed the truck stop on Highway 7 when he saw a hitchhiker. When he pulled over, he asked her where she was going and she told him Gulfport. He told her to get in because he was going that way. She threw her bag in the backseat and got in the front. He told her he had to make a stop at Spencer’s Cove but it wouldn’t take but a few minutes and then he would take her on to Gulfport. She told him that would be alright. As he merged back on the road, they began to talk. He told her his name and she told him hers.

  “Everyone calls me Ty,” she said.

  “That’s a strange name,” he replied.

  She said, “That’s my street name.”

  “I understand,” he said.

  “So you are a judge,” she inquired.

  “Yes, I am. I’ve been a judge for about fifteen years over in Lee County.”

  “That must be exciting,” she stated as she started to light up a cigarette. “Do you mind?” she asked.

  “No, that’s fine, just crack your window a little if you will,” he said.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  “What brings you to Mississippi?” he asked.

  “I’m on my way to see my sister in Gulfport. I’m going to stay with her a while.”

  “I’m sure she will be glad to see you,” he replied.

  “Yeah, I’ll say so,” she said as she slipped her hand down in her small bag and took out her lipstick and a mirror.

  She held the mirror up to her face and lightly moved the lipstick over her lips with a smooth stroke. As they drove on, it started raining again. After a while, they approached Spencer’s Cove and he slowly pulled over to the side of the road. He could tell she became uneasy. But, he assured her all he wanted to do was talk and that he was not going to harm her. He needed her help. When the car came to a complete stop, he asked her to get out because he had something to show her.

  “I’ve got something I want to show you,” he said as they made their way to the back of the car.

  She was hesitant and a bit afraid. When he opened the trunk there was a dead woman. Startled, she turned away and started running down the road crying and waving for someone to stop. But, they didn’t.

  “Are you crazy,” she yelled at him.

  He pleaded, “Come on and get in the car so I can explain it to you. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Still hesitant, she ran a few more steps and stopped. Afraid and confused, she paced back and forth.

  “Come on,” he insisted. “Let’s get back into the car. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  As she looked around, she didn’t recognize where she was. It looked like the middle of nowhere, plus the rain had started to fall harder. Finally, she gave in and they got back into the car.

  Ty asked, “Who is she?”

  The judge answered, “My wife.”

  “Are you implying that you killed your wife,” she inquired.

  “Yes, I did,” he said.

  “Why,” questioned Ty.

  “She had a boyfriend, seven through the years. I got fed up with her cheating and killed her,” he said. “If I can’t have her, no one else will.”

  “What does that have to do with me?” she asked.

  “I need a witness, a false witness, to frame her boyfriend for her murder. I’m willing to pay good money for the witness. All you have to do is lie.”

  “I can’t do that,” she said.

  “You mean to tell me you have never lied about anything,” he questioned her.

  “Well, yeah, but not to frame someone for murder.”

  “Would fifty thousand dollars make a difference?”

  “Well, I don’t know,” she replied. “If I get caught, I’ll go to jail.”

  “But, I am a judge and I have friends.”

  “Did you say fifty thousand dollars in cash? After I testify, can I walk away?” she asked.

  “That’s what I’m saying,” he stated as he pulled a couple of hundred dollar bills out of his pocket.

  “I don’t have to touch the body or anything do I,” she said.

  “All you have to do is sit in the car while I dispose of the body and plant the evidence.”

  He put the car in gear and eased back onto the road. The lights of the oncoming cars and the glare of the road made it hard to see. The rain had fallen on and off all day. The spray from the tires of the big trucks made it hard to see out of the windshield. In a matter of minutes, he navigated the car through Spencer’s Cove and turned off the lights. The cove was wet and muddy; the air smelt musty. It was hard to see much because the windshield was covered with rain and fog. The judge got out of the car and opened the trunk. Ty heard him as he took the body out of the trunk. When she looked out the side window she saw the judge toss the body over his shoulder. In a matter of seconds, he disappeared in the dark blanket of the night. While Ty waited in the car, she watched so she could warn him if she saw someone coming. But, she didn’t have to. In just a minute of two, he rushed back up the embankment, got into the car and sped off.

  As they made their way toward Gulfport, he told Ty he’d have her money in the morning and he’d let her know what she needed to do. As he drove on, he let her know what evidence he had planted. He had placed a piece of her boyfriend’s business card in her pocket with today’s date and 2:45 p.m. written on it. The card also had a smear of her blood on the back. Her boyfriend’s home phone number was in her wallet. He had also planted some of her boyfriend’s hair on her clothes and luckily he was able to put a couple spots of her boyfriend’s blood on her clothes since he suffered from frequent nosebleeds. Ty’s part was to say she saw them leaving together from the Willow Spring Motel the day his wife disappeared. The motel would have his signature on file from when he rented the room. The owner of the hotel will also verify that he checked them in. With the testimony of Ty and the owner both overhearing them fussing and arguing in their room right before they left, it should be an easy conviction. It may be somewhat circumstantial but he had put people in prison for less than that before.

  It wasn’t long until they saw the lights of Gulfport. Ty was ready to get out and get her head back on straight. The judge told her he had a meeting in Gulfport and he would meet with her before he went back to Tupelo. He pulled in at the Willow Spring Motel. It was a sleazy motel, the kind you would expect people used when they had a rendezvous with their lovers. It had twenty-four units with a swimming pool in the middle. The three room units had a bathroom, bedroom and small kitchenette. The rooms smelled old and rustic. She thought to herself, if my boyfriend brought me to a place like this, I’d kill him. He told her to ask for Sinlow because he would know what to do and take care of everything else. She was about to get out of the car when he noticed he had a cufflink missing. They both looked inside the car for it, but they didn’t find it. He told her it was not big deal, so she got out and went on in the motel. He hoped he had not lost it back at Spencer’s Cove. He thought to himself, it could be anywhere in the trunk or car. He didn’t have time to look right then.

  At the breaking of dawn over the skyline of Gulfport, you could hear morning birds as the moon slipped behind the clouds. The skyline of the city arched across the bluish gray sky as a small plane circled the city. The Gulfport Herald broadcasted that the body of a woman had been found at Spencer’s Cove.

  It was about ten-thirty the next morning when the judge knocked on Ty’s motel room door; she let him in. In his hand he carried a black briefcase. Hurriedly, he tossed the briefcase on the bed and quickly unlocked it. When he flipped back the top of the briefcase, she had never s
een so much money (all big bills) in her life.

  “Is it all mine?” she asked.

  As she jumped onto the bed with the money, she laughed and cried at the same time. Then she rolled from side to side, grabbing the money and squeezing it in her hands. She stuffed some down her bra and panties, and she waltzed about the room as a teenager who had her first kiss.

  “It’s all yours if you will be my false witness. But, if you change your mind or try to run with the money, the blood of your sister will be on your hands.”

  “What do you mean about my sister?” she questioned. “My sister has nothing to do with this. Leave her out of it.”

  “She is just a little insurance policy to see that you do right,” he said.

  “Oh, no,” she replied. “You won’t hurt my sister will you?”

  “Your sister’s name is Brittany McCullen and she lives at 550 Bledsoe Street here in Gulfport. I don’t think I need to say anymore. Do we have a deal?”

  She hesitated a little then shook her head to indicate yes.

  “Nothing better not happen to my sister,” she cried, “or I’ll kill you.”

  “It won’t as long as you do as you’re told.”

  “Your testimony will be taken right here in this motel room. The police will be by here in a day or two asking questions pertaining to my wife’s murder. That is when you will make your move. I’ve got to get back to Tupelo. I’m supposed to be out of town on business. They are probably looking for me now to question me. When I leave here, we will never meet again unless you try to stab me in the back. Oh, yes,” he said, “I know your sister is a lawyer too.”

  When the judge left, she made her way back over to the money and dove in laughing and pitching money into the air. She had never seen so much money in all her life and it smelt good too. As time slipped by, she hid the money and headed to her sister’s house. With a couple of quick rides, she was there in no time. As she knocked on the door, she heard someone inside. About that time the door opened and on the other side of the door stood a nice looking guy. He was tall with eyes that sparkled and his beautiful smile captured the moment with a soft hello. By the time her legs quit shaking like jello, her sister stepped out from behind him.

  “Ty,” she cried out as she grabbed and hugged her.

  She returned the greeting just as enthusiastic with hugs and kisses.

  “Come on in here,” Brittany cried. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming,” she said.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” replied Ty.

  “Hey, girl, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Ty, this is Isaac Denton. Isaac, this is my identical twin sister Michelle, but we call her Ty.”

  “Glad to meet you,” they said at the same time.

  “It’s my pleasure indeed,” he said to smooth over the intro.

  “Come on in here,” cried Brittany, “we have a lot of catching up to do. Before you ask, he’s not my boyfriend,” Brittany informed her. “We’ve been friends for a long time; we hang out together a lot.”

  “Is he gay?” Ty asked.

  “No way,” replied Brittany. “He has his women friends and I have my men friends.”

  “So is he available?” asked Ty.

  “Yes, you can say that. He has a lady friend he has been seeing for the last few months. But, nothing binding.”

  “That sounds good,” replied Ty.

  “Now, Ty, don’t you get involved with him. You know I can always tell when you are up to something,” insisted Brittany. “Promise me you won’t do anything.”

  “Well, I’ll see,” responded Ty.

  Time quickly passed and Ty told her sister that she needed to run. Brittany asked her why she was in such a hurry.

  Ty laughed and replied, “Oh, I have 50,000 reasons.”

  “Where are you staying?” she inquired.

  “Oh, at a motel up the road,” Ty answered.

  “Now, I want you to go get your things and come back here to stay with me,” ordered Brittany. “I’m not having my sister staying in a motel.”

  “But…,” Ty mumbled.

  “Ty, no buts about it, Isaac can take you to get your things.”

  “But…,” replied Ty.

  “No buts,” Isaac interrupted. “Come on,” he said. “I can take you over there now to get your things.”

  On their way to the motel, Ty told him she needed to go by the bus station to put some things into a storage locker.

  He said, “That is fine. Where do you want to go first?” he asked.

  “The motel,” she replied.

  Within minutes they were parked in front of the motel. As they made their way inside, Ty started a little teasing and flirting with him. He played it cool at first. But as things started to warm up, she began to loosen some of her clothes. Slowly, he eased over to her and stretched his arms and hands above her head; she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. She quickly turned her back to him and he passionately kissed the back of her neck with his warm lips. As she stood there weak in his embrace, she suddenly spoke up.

  “Hold what you got. I’ll be back in just a minute.”

  She went into the bathroom and he lay on the bed and waited for her. When she opened the bathroom door she didn’t have anything on. She made her way over to him; the darkness of the room enhanced them engaging together. After their romantic encounter, they both fell asleep. When she woke up, she saw him at the foot of the bed putting on his clothes.

  “I will be back in a minute,” he assured her. “I’m going to get a newspaper from the newsstand by the office.”

  As he started out the door, he suddenly stopped.

  “What is that on your lip?” she asked.

  “Oh, nothing, just a little nosebleed,” he answered.

  While he was gone, Ty got up, got dressed and gathered her things. Suddenly, the door flew open and Isaac barged in; he was panicking.

  “I can’t believe this,” he cried out.

  “Believe what,” questioned Ty.

  “This woman they found dead at the cove,” he cried.

  “What woman?” shouted Ty.

  “Her husband is a judge,” he said. “I’ve been having an affair with her for the past few months.”

  “Oh, my God,” screamed Ty. “Please tell me this is not happening.”

  “No, it is,” cried Isaac. “It’s real.”

  “Come on, let’s get out of here,” insisted Ty. “Let’s get to the bus station and back over to Brittany’s.”

  When they arrived at Brittany’s, she had seen the paper too. She knew about Isaac’s relationship with the judge’s wife. She had tried to get him to end his relationship with her because she knew Judge Clark. But, he wouldn’t listen to her. Brittany already knew they would try to charge him with the murder. He asked Brittany if she would represent him and she assured him she would. Isaac didn’t know what to think or believe and Ty was dumbfounded. She didn’t know if she should tell Brittany everything. She would lose the money and put Brittany in danger if she did. But, she didn’t know if she could frame Isaac either.

  “I’ve got to get out for a few minutes,” spoke up Ty. “I’m going for a walk, I need some fresh air.”

  “Okay,” replied Brittany, “but be careful.”

  As Ty rushed out the door, she battled with her situation. She was afraid of Judge Clark. He had killed his wife, plus he threatened to harm her sister if she backed out.

  “What a mess,” she cried out loud. “I have never been involved in anything like this. What else is going to happen?”

  About that time, a patrol car pulled up beside her with its lights flashing. Now what have I done, she said to herself. When the officer got out, he asked her if she was Michelle McCullen.

  She said, “Yes, I am.”

  “Well, I’m Officer Davis. The manager at the motel gave me your name and description. I went by the motel to speak with you about the man and woman that was in
the unit beside you,” he stated. “Would you be willing to go down to the station and give a report?”

  “Now,” she said. “Can’t I give it to you here; I really don’t know that much.”

  “Well, that’ll be fine, go ahead and tell me what you saw and know,” he replied.

  “I was trying to get some sleep and the couple next door was arguing; they were loud.”

  “Could you tell what they were saying?”

  “A little,” she replied. “The man told her that if he couldn’t have her no one else would. Then it sounded like he slapped her. I assumed he did since she started to cry out for him to stop. I heard something break; it sounded like someone had thrown something against the wall. After that, it quieted down. About all that I could hear then was the woman crying.”

  “Did you see either one of them?”

  “Yes, I did. When I heard the door open, I went to the window and peeped out from behind the curtain. That’s when I saw her.”

  “Was this the lady?” he asked as he showed her a picture.

  “Yes, it looks like her,” Ty replied.

  “What about the man? Did you see him?” asked the officer.

  “Yes, I saw him as they were getting into the car.”

  “Do you think you could pick him out of a lineup?”

  “Yes, I believe I might be able to. What is this all about and why am I tangled up in it?”

  “From what we have found out, you may be the only witness to have seen the woman that was found dead in Spencer’s Cove alive and who she was with. Did you recognize who the man was that she left with?”

  She replied, “I have never seen him before.”

  “Well, that will be all for now. We will be getting back in touch with you.”

  Ty was unaware that Officer Davis was one of Judge Clark’s friends. As the officer drove off, Ty turned and headed back to her sister’s house. A couple of hours later, a warrant was served on Isaac. Brittany went to the station to get him out on bond. In the meantime, Officer Davis picked up Ty and brought her into the station to see if she could pick the man she saw at the motel with Brenda Lynn Clark out of a lineup. As Brittany worked out a deal with the bonding company, Isaac stood in a single line with some other men in a police lineup. As Ty looked them over, she studied each one. Officer Davis asked her if she recognized any of them. He told her to take her time; he wanted her to be certain. She asked for two of the men to step up for some side views, but it wasn’t them. She carefully examined each man in the lineup.

  “It looks like number three,” she told Officer Davis. “Please ask him to step forward?”

  Officer Davis asked number three to step forward, to turn to the right and then to the left.

  “I believe it is number three.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “You can take them out now,” instructed Officer Davis. Officer Davis turned to her and said sternly, “I don’t know what kind of game you are playing.”

  “What do you mean?” questioned Ty.

  “The man you picked out of the lineup is a vice squad officer. Are you sure you don’t want me to bring in another group of men? You’re in a whole lot deeper than you realize.”

  When she looked into his eyes, she knew exactly what he meant.

  “No, you don’t have to bring anymore in; it was number seven. Number seven was the man at the motel with Mrs. Clark.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” she stated as she turned away.

  “Okay, you can go. Judge Clark is a good friend of mine and he has a lot of friends. I’m just looking out for his best interest. Thank you, Ms. McCullen, for your help.”

  As Brittany was leaving, she unexpectedly ran into Ty.

  “Ty, why on earth are you down here?”

  “I’ll tell you later,” she said as she headed out the door.

  Brittany tried to arrange a bond for Isaac, but they told her he had been denied bond. She asked them on what grounds.

  “We have a witness who placed Mr. Denton with the deceased right before her death. Since the victim is the wife of a judge, they denied bail to protect the judge.”

  “Who is the witness?” she inquired. “I want to talk to this witness.”

  “Go ahead,” said Officer Davis. “Your sister just picked him out of a police lineup a few minutes ago.”

  “What, my sister!” she screamed. “What does she have to do with this?” she yelled as she turned and stormed out of the station.

  When Brittany got outside, Ty was waiting in her car.

  Brittany jerked the car door open and screamed, “What in the hell is going on, Ty?”

  Ty began to cry and she told Brittany the whole story.

  “How could you get yourself in this mess?” cried Brittany.

  “I don’t know it just happened. The money sounded so good and all I had to do was lie,” explained Ty. “What am I going to do?”

  “What did you do with the money?” asked Brittany.

  “Oh, I put it in a safe place,” Ty replied. “Why?”

  “There might be a way we can turn things around, get Judge Clark in the process and still be able to keep the money.”

  “You think so,” said Ty.

  “Let’s sleep on it,” Brittany replied. “If there’s a will there’s a way. Let’s go home and get some rest.”

  Early the next day, they were up and going. Brittany had a plan and she was ready to share it with Ty over a cup of coffee.

  “First of all we don’t know anything about any money. The only thing you need to mention about it is that you never received it. All you need to do is tell the D.A. that Judge Clark picked you up hitchhiking and offered you a deal of $50,000 to be a false witness to frame his wife’s boyfriend for murder. Let him know he instructed you to stay at the motel until the police came to talk with you. And once his wife’s boyfriend went to prison you would receive the money. This will be on our plea bargain. Let’s go to the D.A.’s office and see what we can do.”

  As they headed for the D.A.’s office, they went over their story to be sure everything lined up. When they got there, Eugene Dickens, the D.A., was out of his office. So, Brittany decided to go over to the jail and talk to Isaac. When they brought him out, Brittany told him that she was working on getting him released. She told him to be patient and trust her, but she couldn’t go into all the details right then.

  “I will try,” he said. “It’s hard to keep your head up in a place like this.”

  “I know,” she replied. “But, it shouldn’t be long. Well I’ve got to go,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  As they made their way back over to the D.A.’s office, Ty said, “Isaac’s going to hate me.”

  “No, he’s not. He will be pissed, but he will not hate you,” replied Brittany.

  When they got there the D.A. still hadn’t returned.

  “Let’s get a bite to eat. Hopefully he’ll be here when we get back.”

  “Sounds good,” replied Ty.

  “This is not the first time Judge Clark has pulled this stunt,” she stated. “I believe this is what happened to our brother, James. He was fooling around with Judge Clark’s first wife and was sent to death row for her murder. I never could prove his innocence,” she said. “He had too many false witnesses that testified against him. Judge Clark is a very powerful man in Mississippi. He got away with the murder of his first wife and only God knows what else he has gotten away with. Well, are you about ready to head back?” asked Brittany.

  “Sure,” replied Ty. “Do you think we can get James out?”

  “We are going to try our best,” she replied. “We sure in hell are going to try.”

  When they got back to the D.A’s office, he was waiting for them.

  “Come on in counselor,” welcomed Eugene Dickens the D.A. “What can I help you with?”

  “I want to talk to you about a plea bargain for Isa
ac Denton,” she said.

  “Oh, the one who is supposed to have murdered Judge Clark’s wife,” he replied.

  “Yes, sir,” said Brittany. “I have a witness who can testify of that fact that Isaac Denton didn’t kill Judge Clark’s wife,” she explained.

  “Okay, I see,” replied Dickens. “It better be good because you’re going against a judge. You know he has been nominated for the State Supreme Court, don’t you.”

  “Yes, sir, I heard something about it.”

  “Well, what have you got?” he asked.

  Ty told him the truth about everything except for the money.

  “I see,” he said. “Now, what’s the plea bargain you’re looking to get,” questioned Dickens.

  “For Ty’s testimony, I want all charges dropped against Isaac and I want an investigation opened regarding the death row sentence my brother, James McCullen, received for the murder of Judge Clark’s first wife.”

  “So you think he is trying to do the same thing to Isaac Denton that he did to your brother James?” asked the D.A.

  “Yes, I do,” replied Brittany. “I could never prove it, but maybe you can.”

  “Do you think a judge or jury will take your sister’s word over a judge’s?” he asked.

  “Not in Mississippi, but maybe another state. Is it possible to get a change of venue?”

  “It’s highly irregular, but Judge Clark knows a lot of influential people. I don’t know, probably not in Gulfport but maybe in Jackson or Biloxi. Let me look into it. As far as the plea bargain, I don’t see any problem with that. You are trying to make some wrongs right which I don’t blame you. As far as your brother, I’ll get a team to pull his records and see what we can turn up. I believe we have enough to open a more thorough investigation into the case. Let’s wait and see what turns up,” he suggested. “Thank you so much for this information.”

  About two weeks later, the D.A contacted Brittany. Judge Clark had been picked up for the murder of his second wife and the investigation into his first wife’s death was ongoing. The charges against Isaac Denton were dropped. James McCullen, Brittany, Isaac Denton and Ty were on their way home.

  A month later, after finding and interviewing the witnesses in Judge Clark’s first wife’s case, they found enough evidence and the false witnesses agreed to testify against Judge Clark for their immunity. This was enough to prove Clark killed her. Judge Clark was tried and convicted in Jackson, Mississippi court. They waved the death penalty and he was convicted of murder in the first degree; he was sentenced to life without parole. About three years later, he was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide.

  When everything died down they all went to get the money out of the locker at the bus station. But, when they got there and opened the locker, it was empty.

  “What’s going on,” cried Ty. “Where’s the money?”

  She looked in the locker again and noticed something; it was a cuff link. When she picked it up, she recalled Judge Clark saying he was missing a cuff link; she wondered where it could be.