Porto - A Courtroom Massacre

ISBN: 9781626752771

CHAPTER ONE

Johnny Bellow got off the bus on a Saturday morning in mid-September, dressed in his naval uniform. When the rain started to pour, he rushes into his parents grocery with his head covered barely by his naval cap.

Johnny and his parents live in Black Meadows, New York. Its a small community in the southwest quadrant of Tappan County, which was surrounded by a small mountain range from Appalachia, ten miles north of Yonkers.

He puts on his green apron and glances outdoors, it was then his mother rushes up to him to give him a kiss, welcoming him home. Johnny blushes as his mother returned to one of the two cash registers located in the aisle near the door; the other register was operated by a clerk.

Sal Bellow hugs his son as Johnny heads for the back room. They talk briefly about the service as Johnny enters the back room to take inventory.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash causing some to look outside and saw a group of young men taking loads of trash that were supposed to be collected and throwing them as well as the cans into the street. This followed with the taking of objects and smashing the windows of the other businesses. The gangs leader took out a gun, he points and fires shots in the air while yelling indecipherable sounds. They disperse when the police arrived.

About a half an hour later, Jeffrey McKinley and his wife walked in while Anita was talking to a customer about coupons. He walks over to the newspaper stand near the divider.

As Johnny was stocking the shelves, Anita puts cash in the register. Mr. McKinley walks over to Anita to discuss the affairs of the city.

Jeff frowns as Anita closed the register; she went back behind the partition with her fist clenched under her chin. Her other arm rested on the counter next to a stack of financial periodicals. Anita, you havent heard?

She shrugs her shoulders. No, what is it?

Jeff informs her there was a gang terrorizing the town. Anita said she noticed a group of youths throwing trash and cans in the street. He leans against the wooden stand. I shouldve realized youve been busy and havent had time to read the newspaper. There are five members to this gang, whove been wreaking havoc in Black Meadows for the past month!

Anita raises her eyebrows.

Jeffrey wants to call a town meeting to discuss the matter. Ive been talking to quite a number of people, but they dont want to get involved. His eye squints, while the fingers on his right hand twitch. Did you know they attacked Elise Durant last night?

Anita gasps. Dont they know shes in her eighties?!

Jeffs face is red, his arms folded while holding a rolled newspaper. They dont care. Elise though, whacked one of them across the jaw with her cane. They took off when a group of people came out from a party.

Sal came out to look around and saw Jeff. He talks with him for a few minutes. Jeff told him about the gang, the incident involving Mrs. Durant and a possible town meeting. Youve known the family long enough to know we mind our own business.

They dont care! Its gotten so bad I recently purchased a gun to protect me and my family. Jeff asks about Johnny. The last time I was here, he was working in an auto parts factory and serving in the Naval Reserve, does he still work at both?

Sal said Johnny works a lot of overtime at the factory, especially when there was a big order. He recently was promoted to line supervisor.

Anita says to Jeff with a smile, This area is still a nice neighborhood. Thank you for your concern.

Johnny overhears the conversation and came out while Jeff and his wife were shopping around the store. He asks him where he bought his gun.

When Jeffs wife wasnt within listening distance, he took the young man aside and made it very clear what he was about to say couldnt be said in public.

I want to buy a shotgun. Johnny whispers.

Jeff emphasizes whatever he told him to keep it quiet, because there were politicians in Albany who opposed what he was doing.

Why not, Mr. McKinley, doesnt the Second Amendment to our constitution guarantee American citizens the right to bear arms?

Jeff has to withhold a loud laugh. Tell that to Albany! He explains about a state senator in 1911 named Big Tim Sullivan, who sponsored a bill limiting who could and couldnt own a firearm. Its known as the Sullivan law. Our senator is very fond of it.

You mean Senator Croydon favors gun control? Isnt he a republican?

Hes the also the county chairman of the party, but hes a party hack and a republican in name only. Jeff continues telling Johnny where to get weapons while he swept the floor.

A few days later, Johnny, after his shift at the factory ended, went to the gun shop; it was nestled between two large buildings on Market Street, located just outside the downtown area.

Upon walking in, the smell of gunpowder and kerosene infiltrates Johnnys nostrils. As he approaches the counter that had several guns, both intact and taken apart, he leans forward and inquired about Jack.

A gruff looking and sounding clerk dressed in a flannel shirt grumbles as he was cleaning his gun rack. He motions for him to come into the back room where a cigar chomping, middle aged man seated behind a messy, rusty desk. Suddenly, the obese man stood, blocking the light from the window behind him. He roars with a roguish smile, So, Mr. Jeff sent you, how do I know youre not a cop?

Johnny holds onto a rail shivering inside, opened his coat showing he wasnt wearing a wire.

Jack walks around his office cleaning out his pipe and reloading it with tobacco with one hand, and another on a pistol. Have you ever served in the military?

His abrupt and raspy laugh and oration startles Johnny with the mounds of papers on his desk hiding the smile.

Yes, sir, Im in the Naval Reserves.

Jacks bulging stomach was up and down and laughing. What, sir Im Jack! His rotund arm wraps around his shoulders. He shows the young sailor an array of weapons. Do you see anything you like?

Johnnys face illuminated gazing at the display while picking up a Winchester model rifle. I like this 12-gauge is good, even though you say the carbine was better.

Jack charged him $25 and threw in a box of shells, Johnny paid him in cash and left.

The next day, Johnny inquired about obtaining a gun license. The county clerk said the process took three to four months with letters of recommendation from three or four character references.

Johnny thanks her and went to a naval base in Connecticut and fills out a form. He requested a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum, upon showing identification.

Harry, who was a petty officer, hands him the gun with a couple of clips that contained fifteen rounds in the magazine and reminds him to return the weapon when he was finished using it. He asks. Johnny, why did you join the reserves, instead of active duty?

Johnny said he wanted to join the military, but he began working at the local auto parts factory. The pay was higher than most places in Black Meadows.

Bellows grocery is located in downtown Black Meadows; the building which is housed in an older building that survived the wrath of the citys Beautification Project. The project was successful in getting a strip mall built. Bellows grocery was originally slated for demolition, but Sal and Anita Bellow successfully petitioned the members of the city council. Jeff McKinley agreed with them and assisted them in preserving the building.