Working Title--Jason
By Debwood1999
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NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This was kicking around in my head for several weeks, and I want to put this down. It's more of a plot bunny, but I can work with this (perhaps as a screenplay or a short story). Any feedback can be sent to
Philadelphia
January 2001
A young man heading out of his apartment to start his car discovers the body of a man covered in snow at the bottom of his fire escape. Police are called, and an autopsy is done. The deceased is identified as Jason Cates, the lead singer of a popular band. The cause of death is determined to be alcohol poisoning and exposure. Jason's band breaks up, and the members go their separate ways.
Four years later...
One of the band members commits suicide, and a young woman visits Lily. Her name is Kimberly Cates, Jason's widow. After four years, she still thinks her husband's death is suspicious. Although the toxicology reports revealed that Jason's blood alcohol level was nearly three times the normal limit, he would have had more sense than to stumble outside dead drunk in the middle of winter. There are other things that do not add up, and Kimberly insists that her husband did not die of exposure.
Through standard police procedures (A/N: I would have to research those), Jason's body is exhumed for a second autopsy. The condition of the body is shocking: it is in excellent condition (which is possible. Read A Perfect Husband by Aphrodite Jones, if you want to know what I'm talking about). It's almost like Jason's got one last song to sing, and he's just waiting for an audience.
The autopsy is performed, and lacerations are discovered on Jason's scalp. An X-ray reveals cracks in his skull. The cause of death is changed to blunt force trauma, and the case is re-opened as a homicide.
The apartment building where Jason's body was discovered is searched, and an empty box containing a bloodstained baseball bat is found in a closet. The remaining band members are interviewed. One of which (I'll call him Mike) is a alcoholic and drug addict. He tells the cold case team that he's been despondent since the night Jason died. He, Jason, and a friend named Paul had been partying that night, and they got into a fight. At this time, the fingerprints are traced to Paul. Turns out that Paul has a criminal record, which includes theft, drug possession and distribution, among other things.
A deal is cut with Mike. He will receive a reduced sentence if he tells what happened four years previous. At the party, Jason and his friends drank and experimented with some drugs. A fight broke out, and Jason became belligerent. He went after one of the guests, and Paul hit Jason with a baseball bat to break up the fight. Unfortunately, the blow was hard enough to kill Jason. The friends panic, and to cover up their crime, they take Jason's body down to the street. The parties involved keep silent.
Paul is arrested and goes to jail, and Kimberly goes home, feeling like justice was served for her husband.
Okay, that's it. Any details you can help me with would be greatly appreciated. Peace!