Storymania - Identity Crisis by Jeffrey Lee Williams

Identity Crisis
Jeffrey Lee Williams

“Stop!” I’m sure everyone heard Jasmine scream at the top of her lungs with the clarity that I had. It was around eleven thirty at night and I was enjoying my final cup of cocoa for the day just before I curled up within the warmth of my silk sheets and turned in for the night. I heard a raucous noise across the hall in her apartment but it wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before. Jasmine had many boyfriends, so naturally she has many ex boyfriends. Many of them were shady characters that I so often warned her about. She never listened to reason. The noise from her apartment became so loud that many of us started to bang on our walls and even open our doors to yell at her to shut the hell up.

“I said I want you out of here, fucker.” Jasmine shouted with force. “I want to leave now mother fucker and never come back! I mean it this time! You disgust me!” It was the usual argument she had with one of her all-too-frequent gentlemen callers. This became a familiar sound to the residents on the fourth floor at 233 Parklane Drive. “Leave now or I’ll call the cops.” Jasmine threatened the chap, but that, too was just empty words from a woman that I am convinced is a masochist. Surly she must truly enjoy being treated this way or she wouldn’t put herself in these situations as often as she had.

Shortly before midnight, just as I was about to call the police myself to have an end to the noise, Jasmine’s door flung open with such force that it hit the wall in her apartment and let off a tremendous echo throughout the floor. I opened my door to catch a glimpse of what was transpiring. I caught a peek of a figure of a man no more than five feet seven inches tall and roughly, if my fifty-nine year old eyes don’t deceive me, weighing about one hundred and thirty pounds. He was truly a small individual but definitely capable of overpowering the five foot one, ninety nine pound Jasmine if he wanted.

“Did you see him, Mr. Greene?” Jasmine asked of me. “Yes,” I responded. Are you alright, Jazz?” I’ll be fine.” She proclaimed. “I’m going to take myself to the hospital just in case there are any physical bruises that may need documentation.” I don’t see anything but that may be a good idea.” I hadn’t seen any bruises on her at all but it was dark and I was half asleep so the suggestion that I may have overlooked something was very valid. “If you need anything from me, feel free to knock on my door.” I said. Jasmine thanked me for my generosity before going back into her apartment to get ready to leave for the emergency room.

The hospital was right on the corner of the next block from our apartment complex. Mary Immaculate General was one of the best hospitals in the North East. It ranked top in emergency care and had a lower fatality rate than any other hospital in the country. Jasmine had gone there so often, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had her own private room at on the fourth floor. I had hoped that everything would be fine and perhaps that the hospital would finally admit the troubled girl into the hospital for observation of her mental status and not her physical wounds. Whatever the case was, my apartment was quiet, the noise had finally gone away and that is all that mattered to me. As soon as my weary head hit the pillow, I was blissfully dead to the world.

But my night of pleasant silence didn’t last long. At two thirty in the morning, the banging had resumed. This time, however, it was on my door and the voice on the other end was that of a woman who identified herself as Detective Pear from the 84th The 84th Precinct. I rubbed out my eyes, put on my glasses, slipped on my slippers and threw myself into my robe covering me completely. “Yes?” I answered confusingly. “Is this the apartment of Edward Greene?” The officer asked. “Yes” I replied as I opened the door to inspect the badges. “We just need to ask you a few questions about the altercation that happened between your neighbor Jasmine tonight in her apartment with another gentleman.” Lead Detective Andrea Pear said. I took a deep sigh and reluctantly invited them inside. “Please come in and have a seat. Would any of you like something to drink? I have coffee or, perhaps would prefer a cup of peppermint tea?” “No thanks, Mr. Greene.” Detective Pear said on behalf of herself and her partner Detective Richard Willis.

“Ok. How may I be of service?” I asked. “Did you hear any of the events that occurred here last night in Jasmine’s apartment?” The detective asked. “Well, yes and no.” I explained. “I heard a lot of yelling on Jasmines part. She was making threats to call the police and telling the man that she didn’t want to ever see him again.” “Was that all you heard? Was there anything in specific that you heard her like she’ll kill him or anything like that?” “Heavens no!” I said aghast at the very thought of the threat of murder. “Jasmine has her share of problems, but I don’t think she’s physically capable of killing anyone, even with a weapon. She just doesn’t have it in her to do such a thing. That’s not the Jasmine I know.” “Is there anything else you can tell me about what happened tonight?” Detective Pear asked me. “Not much, no. Lot’s of yelling and screaming from Jasmine. I may have heard a dish or a glass object break but that was all.”

As they stood up to thank me for my cooperation, the detectives asked me if I had gotten a glimpse of the man that rushed out of her apartment and down the stairs adjacent to her front door. “Yes, but a vague one, officers.” I said. “Not sure how much help it will be.” Anything you can tell us would be great, Mr. Greene.” Detective Pear said. “Well let’s see. I heard Jasmine’s door swing open. I remember that clearly because it echoes throughout the floor and the screams became clearer. It was almost as if they were right here in my apartment arguing in front of me. I ran over to my door and opened it to see what was going on. When I did, I saw a figure about five feet seven inches in height and no more than a hundred thirty to a hundred and forty pounds.

The man was wearing a pair of black slacks and a pair of Prada shoes from three seasons ago. I Cleary remember that because the pants were released this fall and I couldn’t understand why he would sully them with three year old shoes.” The detectives chuckled at my observation. “Sir, how would you know the season that the shoes and pants the man was wearing were released?” Detective Pear asked. “Oh my word, officers. I have forgotten my manners. I never did properly introduce myself to you.” I said. “I am Edward Juniper Greene, practicing homosexual since 1960.” “If there’s one thing an old school queen like me knows, its fashion. The detectives laughed and wished me a good night as they left my apartment.

The very next morning shortly before nine, there was another knock on my door. It was detective Willis and he asked if I would mind accompanying him to the police station to witness a line up for identification. They had just picked up a gentleman fitting the description of the man that had left the apartment last night. Admittedly, I was reluctant to go but I thought that it would be a good thing to help out the cops. I always did have a thing for a man in uniform! “Sure, office Willis. I agreed. “Please allow me a few minutes to gather my things. I had some errands to run anyway, perhaps after this line up thing, you and I can go for a cup of coffee someplace.” Detective Willis laughed and lauded my sense of humor. “I wish my wife had your wit and sense of humor, Mr. Greene.” He said. “May I have the honor of calling you Edward?” He asked. “You can call me Edward, Juniper, Mr. Greene, or anything you want. As long as you call me, my dear.” I knew that I had grown on the shy detective. I loved making straight married men shy and bashful. This fifty-nine year old body of mine still had some kick in it!

We were met at the station by Jasmine and the District Attorney Matthew Hayes. They escorted me to the viewing room and asked me if any of the men in the lineup had fit the description of the man that was at Jasmine’s apartment the night before. I immediately dismissed suspect’s number three and five. “Detective, two of the men are wearing completely different shoes than the rest. They are wearing some disastrous footwear that they no doubt fished out of a barrel from a tragic corner department store nightmare.” I thought to myself: “some people just don’t care what they wear these days. The first suspect was a little too tall to be the man I had seen and the second had been a little too thick in the midsection. Jasmine never made it a habit of dating men that were not in fine physical condition. “I can say that the man I saw in the hallway that night was suspect number four.” “Are you sure?” The District Attorney asked. “I am as sure about that as I am that the cologne you are wearing is from Jean-Pierre’s elite men’s collection only available in Paris. “Thank you Mr. Greene.” Matthew said with a shocked expression on his face as if he thought I had been snooping around his fragrances in his bedroom this morning.

When we got outside, the suspect was brought into the interrogation room where he decided to wait until his lawyer was present to answer any questions. “Are you utilizing your right to have an attorney present at your side, sir?” I overheard the detective say. “Yes,” the man who identified himself as Stewart said in a low monotone reminding me of James Caan or Smokey Robinson when he’s singing. Almost three minutes had passed before his attorney had arrived. “I am Mr. David Learner and I will be representing the defendant in this case.” David said. “Before you do anything, I am going to need to confer with my client alone for a few minutes.”

The district attorney agreed and came back over to us to discuss what would be happening next. “I doubt that you’ll need me any further, officers.” I said. “So if there’s nothing else.” “No, I can’t think of anything, Mr. Greene.” Detective Willis said. “I’ll rain check that coffee one day.” He remarked as he looked at me seductively with his piercing green eyes. “Another one for our side,” I said to myself. I wished everyone luck, told Jasmine to stay strong and turned around to walk out of the door. When I was almost out of sight, I heard the voice of the attorney for Stewart. “My client demands to be released now!” He said speaking in a condescending voice. The detectives and district attorney looked at each other than at the counsel and laughed. “We have your client at the scene as witnessed by Mr. Greene and sworn to by Jasmine.” Detective Pear said. Your client even admits to being in the room though he denies that violence ever took place.”

“I’m sorry, David.” Matthew said. “We have will have to charge your client for simple battery, and attempted rape.” “Attempted rape?” David said with a sneer. “That’s preposterous.” “Not really sir,” Detective Pear continued. “Not really. We took swipes off of Jasmines hands, finger nails and inner thighs. Jasmine even scratched him on his penis and other places around his genital area including his testicles.” In a rather bizarre move by a defendant’s council, David offered the district attorney a plea but not for his client, for the alleged victim. “I am asking you to reconsider what you are doing or suffer sheer embarrassment for the rest of your career and a lifetime of psychotherapy for the alleged victim.” David said. “I think we have gone far enough, Mr. Learner.” Matthew replied. “You’ve had enough time to confer with your client, now I need to speak with him.” Mr. Learner, it would be in the best interest of your client, your reputation and the integrity of the DA’s office if you allowed him to plead out before the results of the lab kit returns.” Matthew threatened with confidence. The threat went unaffected by the confident attorney. “Sir, you’ve had enough time to reconsider a plea. Now there’s nothing left for us to do but formally…”

David was cut off by the shocking sight just a few feet behind him. The door to the interrogation room had opened and a teary-eyed and trembling Stewart emerged. He was stark naked in a station house of nearly one hundred people baring witness. That was a shocking sight within itself but not the most shocking of the morning. David moved out of the way to give the alleged victim, the detectives and the district attorney a better view of the site. While Stewart glared at all the witnesses, David applied his defense of his client. “I want to make this as simple and clear as possible. Matthew, my client could not have attempted to rape anyone nor could the accuser have scratched his penis at all.” David said with confidence. “You see, my client is a post-op transsexual. My client is a female.”

End