Jude

Chapter 1 The police arrived, then the paramedics, then the police photographer, and after that Jude lost track. There were so many officers and technicians and medical personnel that they spilled out of the small kitchen and into the hallway beyond. They knew what to do with the body lying on the kitchen floor. They knew how to secure the area to preserve evidence. They knew the procedure cold. But no one knew exactly how to handle Jude.Jude sat in the darkened living room staring at the television. He was aware of what they must be thinking. What kind of kid sat watching TV when his father was lying dead in the next room? That's what they were saying in the kitchen. He knew the smart thing would've been to act like they expected him to. He should have cried or something. They had taken his statement, then one of the policemen -- the youngest, the one who couldn't pass the buck -- was assigned to stay with him in the living room. The policeman didn't sit. He chose to stand, like a guard, near the doorway. Jude could feel the officer glance at him every once in a while, but he kept his eyes carefully focused on the television -- so he didn't notice another figure in the doorway until he heard someone clear his throat. When Jude looked up, he saw a man in a suit. The suit was the tip-off. Detective, Jude thought.The man jerked his head at the young policeman, and the officer beat a quick retreat down the hall. Then he looked back to Jude and said, "Hey.""Hey," Jude replied.The detective seemed to take the brief acknowledgment as an invitation, and he crossed the room to stand beside the couch. He glanced over at the muted television. "What are you watching?"Jude shrugged. "Crap.""It's all crap," the man said. "But I watch it anyway," he added. "Mind if I sit?"Jude shifted slightly, as if to make room.The detective sat on the end where the springs were broken, and he sagged almost to the ground. He grunted but didn't comment on it. At that level Jude could see that he was balding at the crown. They sat without talking. Jude pretended to be staring at the screen, but he was really watching the man next to him out of the corner of his eye. Just as Jude thought the man was about to speak, a sharp voice echoed down the hallway. "Where the hell are you, Burwell?" Another man appeared in the doorway of the living room. This man was as thin and sharp as his voice -- except for his face, which had the drooping, wrinkled look of a hound dog."I thought we were doing the walk-through first," he said to Burwell. His eyes slid over to Jude. "Is this the kid?" he continued, without waiting for an answer to his first question. Jude turned back to the television. He didn't like how this second man talked about him as if he weren't even in the room, but Jude's pointed movement failed to offend him; it just drew the man's attention to the television. "You guys watching Leave It to Beaver or something?" "We're just hanging out," Burwell said, glancing at Jude as if to include him in his answer.The second man moved into the room to get a better look at the television. "Hey, I love this show," he said. "Turn up the sound for a minute."Jude lifted the remote and changed the channel.Instead of getting angry, the man broke into a smiling chuckle. "I see you've got a smart-ass here," he observed, but he said it as if it were a compliment."Hey, Grant, why don't you go back into the kitchen and make some notes about the scene. I'll be back in a couple," Burwell suggested."Okay, partner. Whatever you say." Grant looked over at Jude and said, "Don't let my partner fool you. He likes to play the jolly fat man, but he has the soul of a shark." He winked, pivoted on his heel, and disappeared back down the hallway."Don't mind him. He's an asshole," Burwell said in explanation. He paused, then asked delicately, "I need to ask you a few queMorgenroth, Kate is the author of 'Jude', published 2004 under ISBN 9780689864797 and ISBN 0689864795.