FanStory.com - The Angels of Deathby Terry Broxson

"I'm glad you made it." He didn't see her, but he knew the voice. He was late, so he didn't bother knocking.

Tom Squires, Vice President for legal affairs of Penguin House Publishing, walks into Helen Nelms's office and tosses the Dallas Daily News front page on her desk. "It's official, the DA in Texas is charging Sue and Liz with murder."

"As the publisher of their novel, Love in the Retirement Village, I am delighted at the publicity and the new sales. I like how the media reports: Sue and Liz, Angels of Mercy or Death."

"Helen, I am retaining Paul Hardy, the best criminal defense lawyer in Texas, to handle the case."

"Excellent, we only want the best for our angels."

***

Kate Hix, District Attorney for Collin County, Texas, sits in her office thinking about the strangest investigation of her eighteen-year career. Three months ago, Kate met with Henry Warren, Chief of Police, and Jenny Gomez, Chief of Detectives for the City of Plano. The three had concluded there would be no murder charges filed against Sue DeMoss and Lizabeth Harper.

But that decision was made before Sue and Liz published their best-selling book, Love in the Retirement Village.

Eight men had died of a heart-related illness at an exclusive retirement village in North Texas. Henry and Jenny thought the two ladies, Sue, sixty-eight, and Liz, seventy, had used sex to cause the death of the men. Viagra had been prescribed to the men shortly before they died.

The motivation was a gambling pool that paid off based on which retirement village resident died next. Sue and Liz had won the gambling pool three times each. They had collected over sixty thousand dollars. Six of the dead men had been their winners in the gambling pool.

The novel tells a story of deception and murder. It included a detailed description of two older women who lived in an exclusive retirement village in Texas. The women sought to identify men with weak hearts. The ladies suggested, "Please get a prescription for Viagra."

The ladies' motto was, "Let's have some fun and see who lives and dies." The novel detailed every action of the ladies.

Kate Hix was furious. She would see these Angels of Death in prison.

***

"Jenny, I have talked to the Chief. We want you as the lead on this investigation. I will personally prosecute these women. I want them in jail."

"I agree. How stupid of Sue and Liz to give us a detailed guide to their murder scheme."

"As District Attorney, I had no problem getting an indictment against Ms. DeMoss and Ms. Harper through the grand jury. We need to make it airtight. We are not going after them for all the murders, only one murder each. We are charging Sue with the murder of Benny Thompson. We know she was there. She called 911."

"Kate, I can also prove Mr. Thompson was the first person she picked in the pool that paid her over ten thousand dollars. I have the treasurer of the gambling pool Charlie Mullen. He remembers giving Sue the money and saying how sorry he felt because Benny was his friend."

"One problem we may have is Paul Hardy. He is their defense lawyer."

"Oh, he is good."

"He's never lost a murder case. But then he never had a defendant write a confession and sell it to the masses."

Kate stands up and walks to her office door. "Jenny, I am going to ask my secretary to order us some lunch from that Thai place across the street. What would you like?"

"Love that place, garlic chicken for me."

After placing the lunch order, Kate returns to her desk. She flips through a file and says, "Jenny, let's talk about Liz's murder victim."

"Okay, it would be Cass Wheeler, eighty-one. He was one of her choices in the gambling pool that she won. Beverly House, one of the activities directors, will testify Cass and Liz had become very friendly just before he died."

Kate asks, "Is Ms. House going to make a good witness?"

"Yes, she knows everybody and makes it her business to know their business. She is nosey and gossipy as anybody I have ever met."

"She sounds perfect."

***

Six months after Sue DeMoss and Lizabeth Harper's indictment for murder, the pretrial publicity had been extensive, thanks partly to an aggressive advertising campaign promoting: LOVE IN THE RETIREMENT VILLAGE— the number one best-selling novel in America.

Each jury member had been asked if they had read the novel by the two defendants. None of the jurors admitted to reading the book.

Kate Hix thought she had presented a strong case against Sue and Liz. They had conspired to cause the death of two men in the retirement village where they all lived. She had been able to present passages from the book to illustrate how a woman manipulated a man with a weak heart to take Viagra and then die while having sex.

Kate had driven home the point, "The motto of the ladies in their book, Let's see who lives and who dies!"

Kate had a medical expert testify that sexual activity using Viagra could lead to a heart attack. Kate had stated to her medical expert, "Well, Doctor, we know who lived and who died."

The Doctor replied, "Yes, we do."

Kate was confident her witnesses, the gambling pool, the Viagra, and the book with its salacious passages would convince the jury. She rested her case.

***

Judge Kenneth Campbell looked at the courtroom clock, 10:50 AM. "Mr. Hardy, do you have a motion to make?"

"Yes, your Honor, I move for a directed verdict for acquittal on the grounds the prosecution failed to prove their case."

"Motion denied. Are you ready to begin your defense?"

"Yes, your Honor, the defense calls Helen Nelms."

Helen Nelms is an attractive, physically fit woman in her early fifties. She is wearing a tasteful navy-blue business suit. She is sworn in and sits in the witness chair.

Paul asks, "Ms. Nelms would you state your name and occupation for the record."

"I am Helen Nelms, Publisher of Penguin House Publishing."

"How long have you been the Publisher?"

"Five years."

"Ms. Nelms, how many novels have you published in your career?"

"One thousand nine hundred and seventy-eight."

"How many authors have been charged with a crime connected to the book they wrote that you published?"

"Only the two ladies who are sitting at the defense table."

"Ms. Nelms, were you personally involved with the publication of Love at the Retirement Village?"

"Yes, I was."

"Could you tell the jury about your discussions with Ms. DeMoss and Ms. Harper?"

"Yes, a literary agent had pitched the book to our company. It sounded interesting, and I had a meeting with Sue and Liz and a couple of staff members to talk about it. They explained the book was based on their experiences living in an expensive upscale retirement village in North Texas."

Paul says, "Did the ladies tell you about any murders at the retirement village?"

"No, they did not. But they did tell me some men had died from heart failure. I learned a little later that, on average, two retirement village residents die each month. "

"Did Sue and Liz tell you about a gambling pool based on who might die?"

"Yes, they did, and mentioned they won the pool three times each."

"Did the gambling pool give you any concerns?"

"No, over a hundred people were participating. It was a good detail for the book."

"Did the ladies ever say they had sex with any gentlemen?"

"No, they said they were having drinks one evening and started to think it would be something if a woman in the retirement village had caused the men to die. Their conversation was the genesis of the book. I thought it was fiction genius."

Paul looks down at his legal pad, smiles toward the jury, and says, "No further questions."

Kate quickly approaches the witness and asks, "Ms. Nelms, you do not know whether Ms. DeMoss and Ms. Harper had sex with anyone and what the results might have been?"

"Ms. Hix, you are right. My knowledge is limited to their talent as fiction writers, and I think they are wonderful."

Kate returns to her chair and says, "No more questions."

Judge Campbell announces, "Folks, we are going to break for lunch, back at one o'clock."

***

Judge Campbell gavels the courtroom to order. 'Mr. Hardy, call your next witness."

"I call Dr. Lynda Prothro."

A tall, elegantly dressed woman in her sixties is sworn in and takes a seat.

Paul says, "Please state your name and occupation for the record."

"I am Lynda Prothro. I have an MD degree in Psychiatry. A Ph.D. degree in Human Behavior. I have studied human sexual response for more than forty years. I have worked with Masters and Johnson, and I was an associate and co-author with Dr. Ruth on two of her books on sexuality."

Kate says, "Judge, the people will stipulate that Dr. Prothro is an expert in the field of human behavior and sexuality."

Paul says, "Thank you. Dr. Prothro, I only have a few questions. My clients are charged with murder. Are you familiar with the facts of this case?"

"Yes, Mr. Hardy, I know the facts and the charges."

"Are you familiar with the novel the defendants have written?"

"Yes, I have read it."

"Dr. Prothro, in your expert opinion, do you think a woman, one sixty-eight, one seventy could kill a man in a manner described in their novel?"

"Given the fact that the man in question had taken Viagra, it is more likely, considering the ages, the woman would have had the heart attack."

Laughter erupts in the courtroom. Judge Campbell hammers his gavel and says, "Order in the courtroom. I will not tolerate outbursts. Mr. Hardy, you may continue."

"Dr. Prothro, can you explain your answer in more detail?"

"Mr. Hardy, it is straightforward. A man taking Viagra will be stimulated chemically to perform. A woman would give out a lot quicker than he would."

"Dr. Prothro, did you review the medical records of the two deceased men?"

"Yes."

"What were your conclusions?"

"Mr. Hardy, I only saw they had Viagra in their system. I saw no proof they had sex. I saw no proof they died from anything other than a heart attack. Even if the men had sex, there was no proof it could have caused death. My conclusion was natural causes."

"No further questions."

Kate says, "One moment, your Honor." Kate has already decided she will not challenge Dr. Prothro. After looking at a file, she says, "No Questions."

***

Kate was the first to make her closing argument to the jury. She summarizes the facts: two men died with Viagra in their system. She points out one can assume the drug was to have sex. Kate reads a few passages from the book describing how the ladies plotted to make money in the gambling pool. She read more details supporting her theory of how the men died.

Kate closed, "Remember who lived and who died."

Paul Hardy sounds like a folksy Texas lawyer telling a story. He concludes, "There is no evidence Sue and Liz had sex with anyone, killed anyone, or conspired to do any harm. They are guilty of a vivid imagination and writing a best-selling novel. And that is all."

Judge Campbell gave the jury its final instructions and sent them to deliberate.

Twenty minutes later, the jury foreman announced, "Not Guilty."

***

The media surrounded the jury foreman and asked him to explain the verdict and why it arrived so quickly.

He said, "We liked the old ladies. When we got back in the juror's room, I asked how many thought they were innocent, and everybody raised their hand, and that was that."

***

Kate says to Jenny, "Well, onward and upward, what are you going to do now?"

"I am going home to my husband. I have been neglecting him lately. Tonight we will see who lives and who dies."

***

In New York City, Tom Squires, Chief Legal Counsel, pours a flute of Dom Perignon for Publisher Helen Nelms. "I told you Paul Hardy was good."

"Yes, you did, and book sales are through the roof. I am delighted."

"Do you want to see who lives and who dies?"

"I thought you would never ask."

***

Kate's cell phone rings. It is Paul Hardy calling. "Yes, Paul, called to gloat?"

"No, I thought I would see if I could buy you a drink and say no hard feelings."

"I got a better idea. Do you want to see who lives and who dies?"

"Your place or mine?"

***

In the penthouse of the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel, Sue DeMoss and Liz Harper are sipping bourbon. Sue says, "To our gentlemen friends and the auction of the movie rights to our best-selling novel."

Liz asks, "Who do you think will play you in the movie?"

"Meryl Streep, and how about you?"

"It is a toss-up, either Angela Bassett or Oprah Winfrey."