The Prosecution of General Hastings

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Deputy Virgil Willard approached the cell that was occupied by General Jack Hastings. Willard had served in the Marine Corps for four years and had lived through two deployments to Iraq. ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine,’ he frequently told his friends. And as such, he still respected military rank. He had been both courteous and respectful to the new prisoner that occupied his block of the Oklahoma City Jail and had a hard time believing that the charges against this major general could possibly be true.

  “You have a visitor, General,” he said when he reached Hastings’ cell. He signaled back to the guard at the end of the cell block and heard the electronic and metallic release of the cell door.

  “Who is it?” Hastings asked. “My lawyer?”

  “No,” answered Willard. “It’s a Mrs. Von Karmenn.”

  Hastings looked back at the Deputy with a frown. For a moment he considered directing Willard to ask her to leave but he didn’t need the kind of trouble that Carol Von Karmenn could cause. And she was sure to make things messy if he refused to see her.

  He rose from his cell bunk and held out his hands allowing Deputy Willard to apply the handcuffs that he had come to expect when leaving his cell. He passed through the door and turned right toward the exit door that led out of Willard’s cell block. Once through, he turned left down the hall that led to the visitation area.

  “Room 4, sir,” Willard said. “Right there on the left.”

  Willard opened the door for Hastings to step through. He remained outside saying, “I’ll be right here, sir. Let me know when you are done.”

  When he entered, Hastings was met by a tearful Carol Von Karmenn who was seated at the familiar steel table with the green linoleum top. When she stood he noticed her form fitting black skirt and sheer white blouse revealing a provocative camisole underneath. He watched as she came around the table and stopped, facing him. She reached up with her right hand and forcefully slapped him on the left side of his face. He raised his cuffed hands to ward off anything further.

  “Carol…” he exclaimed.

  She stepped back as Deputy Willard opened the door. “Everything all right in here?” he asked.

  “It’s okay, Virgil,” Hastings said. “We’re fine.”

  Willard paused, looking at Mrs. Von Karmenn who was holding both her hands over her nose and mouth.

  “Are you sure, sir?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Hastings answered, turning to face him. “It’s okay.”

  The deputy backed out of the room, closing the door. Carol moved back to the other side of the table.

  “That wasn’t necessary,” Hastings said.

  “I never thought I had anything in common with your wife,” she said. “But now I find out you were cheating on both of us.” She paused. “You son of a bitch.”

  “You drove all the way up from Lawton just to call me a son of a bitch?” he asked. “Thanks for the concern. I guess you believe I killed that woman, too.” He shook his head and smirked at her. “Don’t believe everything you see on the evening news, Carol.”

  “I don’t think you killed anybody,” she responded with a voice full of scorn. “Pete said generals don’t have the balls for that kind of work. What’s your story with this woman?”

  “She worked for the Chamber of Commerce. That’s all. I loaned her a laptop computer and went to pick it up,” he said. “She was dead when I got there. But I got nailed for it because it had just happened and I left the scene. I left footprints and fingerprints all over the place.”

  Carol Von Karmenn walked around the table and over to the door. Her eyes were locked onto Hastings’. She tapped on the door with her finger.

  Deputy Willard opened the door saying, “You done?”

  Still glaring at Hastings, she responded, “We certainly are.”