Before And After the Divorce - 21. The Audition, and Blowback

Friday

At lunchtime, Jackson left his class for a few minutes to go to Mrs. Patrick's room.

"Do you think I can talk to Dominic for a minute, Mrs. Patrick?"

"Sure, Mr. Trevon, we still have a few minutes before I start back up."

"Great. Thanks."

Jackson walked up to Dominic, who was eating lunch with Mark.

"Hi, Dominic."

Dominic kept looking at his sandwich. "Hi, Mr. Trevon."

"Did your dad say anything about the play?"

"Yes. He said I could do it. I really want to be a flying monkey."

Jackson’s lips turned upward in a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "That's wonderful. Do you think you can come to my room after school today? You need to try on the costume, to see if it needs adjusting."

Dominic looked around nervously, "Um, I won't be able to let my grandpa know first. Maybe Monday?"

Jackson nodded, "Monday it is."

"Okay."

After Jackson left, Mark couldn't hide his excitement anymore.

"A flying monkey? Gee, I wish I could do that too."

"I can ask Mr. Trevon about it on Monday. Maybe he has room for two more."

"Would you? That'd be so cool if we can do that together."

"Sure, I'll ask."

At dinner, I could tell that Dominic was excited about something. He couldn’t sit still, and looked at me every time there was a slight delay in talking to Dad. I'm guessing it's the play. Turns out I'm right.

"You seem happy today, Dominic. Did something happen at school?"

"Yeah. Mr. Trevon came by at lunchtime. He said I need to come to his classroom to try on the costume, to make sure it fits."

I look at Dad. Ulterior motive?

"When would this happen?"

"Monday after school."

I tried to think of an excuse, but the hopeful look on Dominic's face swayed me to agree. "Monday, huh? I guess it will be okay. Just remember what I said about his asking for things not related to the play."

"Cool. I can't wait! I'm going to ask him if Mark can be a monkey too. He was there when I told Mr. Trevon I could."

After dinner, Dominic was still enthused about the play. "Can we watch The Wizard of Oz so I can see the flying monkeys?"

"Sure. I bet we can find it on one of the streaming services."

Close, it was on the cable provider's on demand page. Dad bowed out of movie night, stating he had some work to finish up. I gave him a knowing look as he hugged Dominic and said goodnight. Dominic was jumping all around when the flying monkeys showed up.

"They're so cool! I hope the costume looks as good as those. Uh oh."

"What is it?"

"I saw that monkey's butt. Do you think the costume will have pants?"

I frowned. It better.

"I'm sure it will. And if it doesn't, you'll probably just wear a certain color of your own pants."

"Yeah, that makes sense. Brown probably. That's what color the monkeys' fur is."

Monday

Jackson greeted Dominic as he entered the classroom and closed the door. "Hi Dominic, I'm so glad you could make it."

"Me too. Grandpa said he'll be outside fifteen minutes after school ends. Is that enough time?"

"Sure, if not, I'm sure he'll wait until we're done."

"Okay. Where's the costume?"

Jackson went to the closet, started the video recorder, and pulled out a plastic Halloween costume bag.

"Here it is."

"Cool. It's the whole thing."

"Yes, there's one with a mask and a jacket with attached wings, but I like having the kids have tails too."

"Yeah. How else would anybody know we're monkeys?"

"Exactly. Well, it's probably going to be a little tight. See if you can get it over your pants and the top over your shirt."

Dominic struggled with the top undershirt portion. His face dropped, and he frowned. "It doesn’t fit."

Jackson gripped his chin and tapped his cheek with his index finger. "Why don’t you take off your shirt and see if that helps."

Dominic bit his bottom lip. "I don't know. I'm not supposed to get undressed in front of anybody."

"You went to the beach last week, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did you wear a shirt in the pool?"

"No, silly."

"So, taking off your shirt to try something on is just like being in a bathing suit."

Dominic hesitated but begrudgingly agreed. "I guess."

Jackson grinned. When Dominic turned away from him to remove his shirt, he unknowingly faced the camera.

Turning around, Dominic tugged the costume’s undershirt down, but it didn’t quite meet his pants.

"It's a little tight, but I can wear it for a few minutes."

Jackson nodded. "Good. Try the pants."

The pants, with the tail attached wouldn’t come up past his knees.

Dominic’s eyes brimmed with tears. "They're not working either."

Jackson rubbed his hands together. "Try it without your pants on."

"I-I don't think I should."

Jackson turned on his manipulative charm. "Don’t worry. I've seen boys in their underwear before. They change into their gym shorts all the time."

Dominic looked at the floor. "I don't know."

"That's okay. I'll find other monkeys."

Tears slipped down Dominic’s cheeks. "Can't I take the costume home and try it on there?"

Shaking his head, Jackson shrugged. "Then how am I going to know if it fits or not."

"I can tell you."

"No. I don't think that will work."

Dominic’s bottom lip quivered. "So, I can't be a flying monkey?"

"If we don't know if the costume will fit, then no, you can't."

"Alright." Dominic turned away and happened to look up toward the closet.

"Mr. Trevon, what's that red blinking light for?"

Jackson played dumb. "What light?"

"There. In the closet."

"Oh, it's just a smoke alarm."

"But there's a smoke alarm on the ceiling."

"The closet needs one because of the paint I keep in there."

"The one on the ceiling has a green light."

While Jackson is looking up at the one on the ceiling, Dominic walks toward the closet. He opened the door before Jackson can react.

"That's a camera, not a smoke detector! It looks like my Daddy's."

"The red light means it isn't on."

Dominic shot him a look that said he knew he was lying. "Uh-uh. My daddy's does that when he's recording. Are you trying to record me undressing?"

"No.” Jackson shook his head emphatically. “I didn't even realize it was on."

"You’re a liar!” Dominic ripped the too-tight monkey shirt off and grabbed his own t-shirt. “Daddy said you did something that hurt him in a way. I bet he caught you recording him."

Jackson snatched the ripped costume off the floor and reached for Dominic, missing him when the boy dodged his hand. "Listen to me you little punk. Get those pants off and try on the monkey ones."

Grandpa walked in, "What's going on in here?"

Jackson tried to backpedal. "He's just trying on the costume."

Dominic ran to his grandfather and hid behind him. "Uh-uh. He's got a camera in the closet, Grandpa."

Grandpa’s eyebrows shot up. "Really? Let's just go see."

Immediately, Jackson lunged for the closet door. "You'll stay away from that closet, old man, if you know what's good for you."

Grandpa opened his jacket, showing Jackson the extendible truncheon, he was carrying. He takes it off his belt and snaps it open.

"I think we'll just call the police."

Jackson’s eyes darted all over, searching for an escape route. "No, you won't."

He rushed toward Dylan's father. Salvatore swings the truncheon, stopping Jackson dead in his tracks.

"Go sit at your desk, Trevon. If you know what's good for you. I could crack your head open with hardly any effort. SIT DOWN!"

Sheepishly, knowing he's beat, Jackson goes to his desk. Grandpa walked over to the closet and stands next to the camera.

"Dominic, see if you can find someone else. I don't want to take my eyes off of him."

Dominic ran into the hall, and returned a minute later with another man, who happens to be the principal.

"What's happening here? Why are you threatening Mr. Trevon?"

Salvatore steps aside so the other man can see the camera, "He was recording my grandson undressing."

The principal turned to Dominic. "Is this true, young man?"

"Yes, sir."

"Did you call the police?"

"Not yet. I didn't want to risk taking my eyes off him."

The principal took out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. When they answered, he described the situation. Within minutes, three police cars were at the school. He sent Dominic to the office, so someone there could buzz them in. They found the right room easily. Dominic was standing outside its door, waving madly. Once they were in the classroom, Salvatore explained what was going on. The cops took down names and dragged Jackson away.

On the way home, he called Dylan and told him Jackson was trying to record Dominic undressing, and the police were taking Jackson to the station.

Once at the station, a detective took out the memory card. He loaded it into a laptop and played the video. Turns out, there are four more boys on the video. Needing to identify the other boys, he made screenshots of all four and cropped them down to headshots.

Captain Rose suggests, "Call Judge Arkind, I know he knows the family. You can probably get a search warrant for his house right away."

The detective does as he’s instructed. The judge signed the warrant immediately. After entering Jackson's house, the police found all sorts of child pornography. The forensic team carried out his desktop and folders loaded with photos.

Two hours later, Zach Washington pulled up to his house, where the police were waiting. They found emails with incriminating evidence to and from Zach on Trevon's computer. Sitting handcuffed in the back of a cruiser, he wondered what the fuck happened.

***

When I got home, Dominic is sitting on the sofa with Dad. I could tell he'd been crying, but most of the tears had already dried up.

Dominic threw himself at me and buried his face against my shirt. "He's a bad man, Daddy. You were right. I should have just kept away from him."

I picked him up and hugged him tight, relieved he was unhurt. "It's okay, buddy. He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"No, just the recording."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Two detectives stood on the front steps. When I answered the door with Dominic still clinging to me, they identified themselves and asked if Salvatore Pastore was there.

I stepped aside and ushered them in. "That's my father, yes. Come in."

Once inside and everybody is introduced, the detectives indicated they needed to show Dominic some pictures.

Dominic looks like he's about to cry after looking at the first photo.

The lead detective asks, "What is it?"

Holding back the tears is getting harder. "It's Gary."

Dad was looking over Dominic's shoulder, "Geez, I didn't even realize. Yeah, it definitely looks like him."

I confirmed it, "It is him."

"Who is Gary?"

"Gary Madison. His brother is Dominic's best friend."

"Do you have his address?"

"He lives here, apartment 401."

"We'll want to go talk to his parents."

"I'll call his parents and let them know you’re on your way up. I do hope Mr. Trevon is in jail."

The officer nodded. "He is in custody."

After turning away from the police, Dad said just loud enough for me to hear. "I wish I had whacked him when I had the chance."

I couldn't argue with that. If Jackson was here, I'd be choking the life out of him. I grabbed my cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Tammy, it's Dylan. Is Ben home yet?"

"Yes."

"Okay. There's something I need to tell you guys. The police are here. Mr. Trevon was recording Dylan changing into a costume for the play. They'll be up to see you there shortly."

"Oh, no. Why?"

“I’ll let them explain.”

The officers went upstairs and rang the doorbell at the Madison's. Ben answered and let them in. "Come in, detectives. What can we do for you? "

Tammy is shaking, she's already nervous.

The lead investigator introduced himself. "First, I want to assure you that we have the situation under control. This is probably going to be shocking, but Mr. Trevon, a sixth-grade teacher at the boys' school, invited your son's friend, Dominic Pastore, to be in the school play. He told Dominic to come see him after school today to see if his costume fit. When Dominic’s grandfather went into the school to pick Dominic up, he said when he arrived, Dominic had his undershirt off. He then discovered a camera in the closet."

Ben gasped. "He was recording Dominic?"

"Yes. We captured photos to show to Dominic. The first boy on the video was your son, Gary."

"Oh, God." Ben shook. "Was he naked, Detective?"

"I'm sorry to say, Mr. Madison, yes, his penis was visible."

Ben’s fists clenched. "I'll kill the motherfucker."

Tammy placed a hand on her husband’s arm. "Calm down, Ben."

"We've gotten a search warrant for Trevon's house. He's already in custody. But could you go ask Gary to come out?"

"Certainly," Tammy replied.

She knocked on the door and told the boys only Gary needed to come out. The boy shuffled into the hall with his eyes downcast.

She assured him, "You're not in trouble, Gary. You didn't do anything wrong."

When they got back out to the living room, Ben started the discussion. "Gary, I want you to know right off, you're not in trouble."

The boy nodded. "Okay. That's what mom said."

The detective took over, "We need to talk to you about Mr. Trevon."

Gary started to tremble.

"Did you try on a costume for him for the school play?"

"Y-y-yeah."

"It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong,” the detective reiterated. “Can you tell us exactly what happened?"

Gary looked at his parents, eyes wide. His trembles had turned to full body shaking.

Ben went and put his arm around his son. He explained, "Mr. Trevon tried to do the same thing with Dominic today."

Gary started crying. After taking a few ragged breaths, he began, "H-he gave me a munchkin costume to try on. It was too small, so he said I should try without my clothes. We change for gym all the time, so I didn't think there was anything strange about it.” He searched Ben’s face for signs of disapproval but saw nothing but encouragement on his dad’s face. “I turned away from him so he wouldn't see my privates. But it still wouldn't fit. He said he'd bring another one some other time. I didn't let him see my front, honest! "

Ben kissed the top of Gary’s head. "It’s okay, Gary. But when you turned away from him, you turned toward his camera."

Gary buried his face in his hands. "Oh, no! He recorded me? And you saw it?"

Ben shook his head. "No, your mom and I didn't see it—only the detectives did. Dominic's grandfather caught Mr. Trevon and called the police."

Looking at the detectives, "Then you saw my..."

His mother reached over and cupped his cheek. "They had to look, honey. Just enough to see what Mr. Trevon made you do. I'm sure they didn't look close."

A shudder rippled through Ben. “What happens now?"

The detective explained, "Mr.Trevon is in jail. We'll look at other things, other recordings, or pictures. I'm sure we'll find more than the single memory card. Mr. Trevon will stand trial and go to jail for a long time."

Gary got upset again. "But if it's just the memory card, he'll go free?"

"No. There will be enough there to send him to jail, just maybe not for as long. And if he ever gets out, he'll never be able to be a teacher again."

"I guess that's good.” Gary sniffled. “I hope he dies in jail."

Tammy hid her shock behind her hand. "That's not very nice, Gary."

Ben looked at his wife. “Neither was what that pervert did.”

"Sorry, Mom. But what he did was bad. He doesn't deserve to be free."

Tammy nodded. "That's true, honey, but it's never nice to wish anybody dead."

Her husband gave her a look that said he disagreed but understood she was trying to teach their son good moral values.

"Whatever. " Gary muttered, clearly not pleased with his mom’s assessment of what Trevon deserved.

The police had no further questions and left the case number and contact information for them. After they left, Tammy shared her concern with Ben.

"Let's talk to Mark. Dominic said he asked about being a flying monkey too. I think we at least need to let him know that might not happen."

"If he asked Dominic about that, yes, you're right."

They explained to Mark as simply as they could that Mr. Trevon tried to record Dominic changing. They emphasized that this wasn’t appropriate, and the teacher was in trouble for doing so. Because of it, he probably wouldn't ever be going back to the school. They weren’t sure if the play would still happen. Mark was disappointed but understood.

***

Meanwhile, at the jail, Jackson and Zach were placed in adjacent cells.

"What the fuck happened, Jackson?"

Jackson slumped against the wall. "The kid saw the camera. His grandfather came into the room. Long story short, another teacher called the cops. I'm sure they cleared out my collection, PC and all."

Zach growled, "So, they saw the emails, and that's why they arrested me. Shit! Well, maybe we can get a lawyer to fight the seizure of the memory card, makes everything else inadmissible."

"I doubt it. The cops were told about the camera, and Mr. Stinson, the principal, gave them permission to take it. I'm sure it will be admissible."

“Goddamn it!” Zach shouted loud enough to get the guard’s attention.

The guard’s shoes clacked against the concrete, heralding his approach. "Alright you two. Break it up." Turning back toward the offices, he yelled, "Hey, who put these idiots next to each other?"

Not getting an answer, the guard moved Zach to the opposite end of the holding cells. Although It was only three cells down and on the other side of the hall, it meant they couldn't talk quietly anymore.

Tuesday

The sexual fiends were arraigned and taken to the county jail to await trial.

Wednesday

The local newspaper got the scoop of the year:

BRUMFELD: Yesterday, two Brumfeld men were arraigned in Mercer County Superior Court on child pornography charges. Jackson Trevon, thirty, an elementary school teacher at Brumfeld Elementary, allegedly had hundreds of photos and videos which were seized during execution of a search warrant. The second suspect, Zachary Washington, twenty-nine, also allegedly had several files on a computer in his possession. Dozens more physical photos were found at Washington's residence. Emails between the two men allegedly indicated a collaboration between the suspects to distribute the unlawful images and videos. State and local police are investigating the possibility of other suspects being involved.

EDIT: Last night, a reliable Mercer County Jail source, who requested to remain anonymous, reported that Jackson Trevon was found dead, purportedly by suicide. Washington remains incarcerated, awaiting trial, and was not made available for comments.

Next up - "Munchkins and Monkeys, Zach's Troubles"