Confession by Gary Whitmore - HTML preview

Chapter 8

A Killer’s Tale story continued.

Nineteen sixty-two rolled around, and Jimmy had weekend drills as an MP down at Fort Benning, Georgia. He loved the temporary life of being a Military Policeman and his full-time job as Sheriff of Boldger.

It was a Saturday, and Private Jimmy Nalla was down at Fort Benning for another weekend drill. Most of the previous weekend drills had been boring on the base. But today, things have become interesting.

Jimmy’s unit received a call that the body of a dead Private was found in the woods south of the main post.

An Infantry unit out on training maneuvers for the week stumbled upon the dead Private’s body.

Jimmy and two other MPs were summoned to the woods to secure the crime scene.

After Jimmy and the other MPs arrived in the woods, they spotted the dead Private’s body in the dirt. He had on fatigues and lay in the dirt on his back.

Jimmy and the other two MPs immediately secured the crime scene with rope.

While Jimmy stood guard by one roped-off area, he would take an occasional glance back at the dead body with keen interest. He saw that the dead soldier had a gaping bloody hole in the middle of his chest. “Must be a gunshot that killed him,” Jimmy thought to himself while playing detective. He glanced down at the bloody hole in the chest of the Private. The fatigues soaked up much of the blood, and Jimmy thought that sight was cool. Jimmy recalled that day in the woods when he was twelve with the dead colored girl and dead redneck. He couldn’t stop taking his eyes off the dead body.

An Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) agent in fatigues with WO2 insignia approached Jimmy and flashed a badge. “CID,” the agent said.

“Yes sir,” Jimmy said, then lifted the rope for the agent.

The agent headed over and checked out the dead body.

One of the other MPs glanced over at the dead body, and he turned pale. This was the first body he saw, and he ran away, covering his mouth, then puked the second he arrived at a nearby tree.

“Pussy,” Jimmy thought while watching his fellow reservist empty his stomach all over that tree trunk.

Jimmy’s curiosity started nagging at him, so he stared at the dead body with fascination. At the same time, it lay on the ground without a soul. Then Jimmy wondered if the killer would get caught. “Not me if I killed that guy. I would be too smart,” he silently bragged.

The CID Agent removed a pad of paper from his fatigue shirt pocket. He started jotting down notes about the dead body and the crime scene.

Jimmy stared at the CID Agent and thought that that was the coolest job.

The CID Agent walked over and went under the rope.

He walked away over to his Jeep.

After a few seconds, the CID Agent and an Army Corporal, fatigued, walked up with a Kodak camera. They both went under the rope and headed back to the dead body. The CID Agent watched while the Corporal started snapping pictures of the dead body and the crime scene.

Jimmy’s curiosity intensified after the CID Agent and Corporal left the scene, and he could not resist.

He looked, and nobody higher than the rank of Private was in sight.

He discreetly slipped under the rope and rushed over to the dead body, looking at the blank stare of the dead soldier.

Jimmy knelt down by the body, touched the soldier’s cold skin, looked down at the chest wound, and was fascinated by the sight of the gaping hole. “Probably a shotgun,” he quietly said.

He rushed back to his post by the rope. While he stood guard, all he could think about was the four dead bodies he had seen in his life.

It was August 1962.

It was a hot and steamy day, and Jimmy drove his squad car around Boldger to show his presence.

He drove through the colored area and headed down the dirt road where Melissa Washington lived.

He stopped his squad car on the road and glanced to his left at the Washington shack. He saw Melissa in a rocking chair on the front porch. On her lap was a baby girl who looked to be a little over a year old. That baby was not of the same skin color as Melissa. The baby’s skin color was a lighter shade of brown.

Melissa saw Jimmy’s squad car, got off the chair with her daughter, and entered her house.

Jimmy drove his squad car off down the dirt road, leaving a trail of dust.

Melissa peeked through one of the living room windows to see if Jimmy was gone. After she was satisfied he was, she returned to the porch with her daughter in her arms.

Two days passed, and Jimmy had a visit from his only high school friend, Homer, who was visiting his parents for a few days.

So he hooked up with Jimmy to talk law enforcement over at Jimmy’s house.

Betty let the two guys chat in the living room while drinking beer. Then she rested in bed, reading a book.

Jimmy would tell Homer about his Army MP duties down at Fort Benning, the dead Private, and how they arrested a Staff Sergeant for the murder.

Homer would then tell Jimmy about the cases he worked on and provide information about active investigations. This friendship would serve Jimmy well in the future.

It was now October 1962, and things took a turn in Jimmy Nalla’s life. This would be a turn in his life that Jimmy would love for a few years.

Back home, Melvin Nalla decided to go into retirement from the Nalla Ford dealership. Since Ricky had started working there four years ago and had a good handle on the business, Melvin decided to give Ricky full reins of the dealership.

Since Jimmy did not want any part of the family business, Melvin decreed that Jimmy could get a brand-new Ford every year for free. He told Jimmy this would be his inheritance. This would be the first year Jimmy could take advantage of this offer, and he wanted to surprise his wife.

Every October, Jimmy, and Ricky still go on their annual fishing and camping outing on Artabatian Lake outside Pierce, Mississippi. They find it a great way to relax.

It was a beautiful, cool Friday morning in Boldger.

Inside Jimmy’s bedroom, Betty finished dropping a pair of pants and a shirt into a suitcase for Jimmy’s

trip. “While you’re gone, I’m going to visit my sister, Maggie, over in Montgomery,” Betty said while she closed the suitcase.

“Sounds good, Betty,” he replied, but his mind was on another desire. It was a desire that had been eating away at him ever since he saw that dead Private at Fort Benning. A passion he had to try and get away scot-free.

Jimmy grabbed his suitcase and walked out of his bedroom. Betty followed him out of the bedroom.

Outside his house, he walked to a 1954 Ford in the driveway. He dropped his suitcase in the backseat, where a camera, tripod, and baseball bat were on the floorboard.

“Are you going to pick up Ricky?” Betty asked.

“Not this time. We decided to drive separately, as I have some official business to attend to first,” Jimmy lied.

“What business?” Jimmy glared at Betty, and she knew he wouldn’t get an answer.

Betty glanced inside the car. “Why are you taking a baseball bat and camera on this trip?”

Jimmy glared at her and got pissed for asking more personal questions. “It’s actually none of your business.”

Betty was intimidated, knowing that Jimmy would not hesitate to slap her.

He kissed her quickly on the cheek and then got inside the Ford.

Betty walked to the front door and watched while Jimmy started up his car and backed down the driveway.

He pulled his car into the street and tooted the horn while he drove away.

She went inside the house. Part of her was glad he often went away for these fishing trips with Billy and went away on his Army Reserve duties.

While Jimmy drove down his street, he repeatedly ran his proposed plan in his head.

It was later that evening.

Jimmy stopped, filled his tank, and ate dinner in Jasper, Alabama, north of Boldger.

After dinner, he drove farther north, started to get thirsty, and soon found a good place, Buster’s Bar.

This establishment was decorated with red, white, and blue

neon lights outside Oak Hill, Alabama, in the boonies in the northern part of the state, not too far from the Mississippi state line.

Jimmy walked inside Buster’s Bar and cased the joint. An old lady with bleach-blonde hair was at the bar and obviously drunk. “Yuck!” he thought when he eyed her skinny, unsightly legs filled with spider veins that looked like a road map.

He saw a sexy young brunette who drank with a man around the same age. Thinking, “Not her,” he looked around the bar again.

He set his eyes on Annette Boyer and liked the woman. She was a sexy, curvy young blonde dressed in blue cabin boy pants with a light blue jester shirt. Annette was a barmaid, and he instantly knew he had to have her.

He sat down at an empty table and waited.

Annette walked up to his table a few minutes later. “Hey sugar, what would you like?” she asked and followed it with a loving smile.

“I would like you,” he said, then saw her name tag pinned to her shirt. “Annette,” Jimmy replied with a smirk.

“Oh, a fresh one. But I think you may want a drink first.”

“That really sounds nice, Annette. I’ll take a Bourbon and Coke.”

Annette smiled and then walked over to the bar.

Jimmy’s eyes were on her backside every inch of the way to the bar. He watched while she spoke with the bartender and bar owner, Bruno, who was about three hundred pounds of pure redneck.

He kept his eyes on her and watched as she returned his drink to his table.

“Here you go, sugar,” she said while she set his drink down.

Both eyes were on her butt cheeks while Annette walked away back to the bar. He knew she was going to be all his later tonight.

Jimmy drank his drink while stalking Annette with his eyes.

When he was finished, he motioned with the empty glass that he desired another drink.

She walked over to the bar and spoke with Bruno.

A few minutes later, she returned with a fresh Bourbon and Coke to Jimmy’s table.

“So Annette, I was thinking,” he said, then took a drink. “After you get off work tonight, why don’t we go out somewhere private so we can have some fun?” Jimmy offered while he looked her over from head to toe.

She smiled at his offer. “I’m sorry, sugar, but I have a boyfriend,” she said, then walked away.

“Creep,” Annette said quietly while returning to the bar. She hated it when the drunks would hit on her. But she needed the job and tips, so she tolerated their pickup lines.

Jimmy kept his eyes on her and looked determined.

Fifteen minutes had passed, and Jimmy motioned he needed another drink.

She acknowledged from behind the bar and soon brought it over.

“Why don’t you reconsider? I’m just passing through town, and your boyfriend will never find out,” Jimmy said with determined eyes.

Annette looked down at Jimmy and saw his wedding ring. “You’re a married man and shouldn’t be asking women out for dates. Shame on you! So, if you don’t mind, I would appreciate it if you would leave this bar after this drink,” Annette said seriously.

“And what if I don’t?” Jimmy replied with a smirk.

“I’ll make sure Bruno behind the bar will have your wife asking how you got a broken nose, black eye, and split lip,” she said, crossing her arms to let him know she meant business.

Jimmy looked at Bruno and knew he did not want to tangle with that redneck and draw undue attention to him. He reached into his pants pocket, removed some cash, placed money on the table, and stood up. “I’m sorry for being a jerk,” he said with fake eyes.

Annette watched while Jimmy left the building, relieved that creep was out of her hair.

She walked back to the bar.

Outside the bar, Jimmy walked back to his Ford and got inside. He started his car and drove off to a secluded area of the parking lot. He parked his car, which allowed him visibility of the front door of the bar, then turned off his engine and waited.

He leaned over, opened his glove box, and removed a pint bottle of Jack Daniels. After opening it, he took a sip while he eyed the door to the bar.

Three hours passed, and it was two in the morning. A 1960 Chevy Impala drove out of the parking lot. The only two other vehicles in the bar’s lot were a 1959 Dodge pickup and a 1960 Corvair.

Jimmy just knew the Corvair belonged to Annette, so he got out and rushed over to it.

He knelt by the rear driver’s tire, removed a pocket knife from his pocket, and then sliced the air valve. Air hissed out of the slit.

He rushed over and sliced the air valve of the rear passenger rear tire, where air hissed out of the slit.

He rushed back to his car and sat behind the wheel. He waited and kept his eyes on the bar’s front doors.

Twenty minutes had passed, and the neon lights in the bar went out.

A few minutes later, the front doors to the bar opened, and Bruno and Annette, with her purse, walked out into the dark parking lot.

Bruno locked the front doors.

“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” Bruno said to Annette while he walked away to his pickup.

“Have fun fishing,” she said.

Annette walked over to her Corvair while Bruno got inside and started his pickup.

Bruno did not waste any time driving out of the parking lot. He wanted to go fishing in six hours.

Annette got inside her Corvair and started it up. She drove off, but her car lagged and then stopped her car.

She got out of her car and left her engine running with the driver’s door open.

She walked around and saw that her two rear tires were flat. “Shit!” she cursed as she was tired and wanted to go home and get some sleep.

She walked back over to her opened driver’s door.

This was Jimmy’s opportunity, so he slipped on leather gloves stashed in his glove box and drove his car over to Annette’s Corvair.

He stepped out of his Ford. “What’s wrong?” he asked with the best fake tone of concern he could muster.

“Just my luck. I have two flat tires,” she said while walking to her car’s rear. She showed Jimmy the flats but did not remember him from earlier.

Jimmy looked at the flat tires. He scanned the area, ensuring nobody was in sight. “That’s a shame. Can I give you a lift somewhere?” he offered.

Annette looked at Jimmy and was going to accept his offer. But she remembered him from earlier, and a sudden eerie chill took over her body. “No, thanks. I’ll go back inside the bar and call my boyfriend,” she said. Then she walked over to the driver’s door and reached inside to turn off her car engine.

The second Annette’s head was inches from the roofline of her car, Jimmy sprang into action. He grabbed the back of her hair and smashed her forehead into the top of the door jam. She was stunned, as she did not know what hit her. “Never reject me!” he cursed while he repeatedly slammed her head into the top of the door jam. Annette’s body went limp while she passed out.

Jimmy picked her up in his arms and carried her to his car. He opened the passenger door and plopped her down on the front seat.

Jimmy rushed over and opened up his trunk. Inside his trunk were rope, a tube of axle grease, and rags on top of his camping gear. Jimmy reached inside and grabbed one of the rags.

He rushed over to her Corvair and wiped the top door jam of any blood that was visible. He turned in, turned off her car engine, and dropped her keys into her purse on the front seat. He grabbed her purse and slammed the car door shut with the rag in his hand.

With her purse in hand, he rushed back to his car, threw the purse and rags into the trunk, and slammed it shut.

He got inside his car and drove out of the parking lot.

He drove down the street at the speed limit so that he wouldn’t attract any attention.

Jimmy’s heart raced with excitement.

He couldn’t believe he actually went through with his plan.

While he drove down the street, he kept a watchful eye on his rearview mirror for any police cars. It looked like the coast was clear.

He reached over and turned on his AM radio. Porter Wagner’s “Misery Loved Company” song played on the radio. Jimmy whistled along, happy as a clam.

Jimmy drove deeper into the country down a two-lane country road, and “The Big Bad John” song by Jimmy Dean played on the radio. Jimmy whistled along while scanning ahead for a place to do his much desired deed.

He glanced over at Annette, who was still passed out and slumped against the passenger door. His heart raced, and then he suddenly got a nervous stomach. He started to have second thoughts about continuing with his plan.

He pulled over to the side of the road and pondered for a few seconds whether to set her free. Then, turning off his radio, he thought straight.

“I don’t have a choice now, as she might identify me,” he said, then pulled back on the road and drove off down the street.

After driving for another ten minutes, Jimmy soon found a dirt road and turned down it. He figured this would lead to a secluded place.

After a few minutes of his Ford bouncing around while he drove down the dirt road, he was correct. He thought this road was perfect because it had numerous other tire tracks in the dirt.

He pulled over to the right to a clearing in the woods.

Annette was still slumped over against the passenger door and passed out.

After positioning his car and shined the headlights on a nearby pine tree, he leaned over and removed Annette’s jester shirt and bra, then groped her bare breasts.

He reached down and removed her shoes, tossing them to the floorboard.

He unzipped her cabin boy pants, slid them down, and removed them, tossing them to the floorboard.

He grabbed the waistband of her panties and slid them down her leg and over her feet, tossing them to the floorboard.

He stared at her naked body, slouched down next to him.

After grabbing the baseball bat from the back, he got out and rushed to the trunk of his car, opened it, and removed some rope.

It wasn’t long before Jimmy had Annette’s naked body tied to a tree with that rope and his camera on its tripod in position. He bent down and grabbed the baseball bat.

After a few smacks with his hand across her face,

Annette woke up looking dazed and confused when she saw Jimmy. Her eyes widened when it dawned on her that she was tied naked to a tree out in the woods. “Help!” Annette screamed in total fear once she saw Jimmy holding the baseball.

Jimmy stood in a stance remembering his Little League days and began using Annette’s body for batting practice.

Her screams echoed in the woods.

But her screams were soon silent, as she was dead.

After Jimmy was satisfied she was dead, he got that tube of axle grease out of the trunk.

He walked back to Annette and ran a streak down her stomach to represent the number “1” as his calling card.

He rushed the tube of axle grease, dropping it inside his car’s trunk. Reaching inside the trunk, he grabbed her purse and then slammed the trunk closed.

Jimmy tossed the purse onto the front seat and rushed to his camera. He began snapping pictures of his first victim from different angles.

After that, he used the timer to snap a picture of himself standing next to Annette, looking like he had just bagged a prize deer.

Jimmy next searched the dirt and picked up all of her teeth. He beat out of her and then shoved her teeth in his pants pocket.

He grabbed the camera still on the tripod, rushed over, and placed it in the rear seat of his car.

After getting in his car, he cranked the engine, turned it around, and drove off down the dirt road.

He stopped when he got to the paved road, got out, and found a small tree branch with leaves.

Jimmy ran back down the dirt road and into the clearing, erasing his boot and tire track prints from Annette down the road to his car.

He tossed the branch into the woods and got back into his car. Then, he opened Annette’s purse and removed her driver’s license and eight dollars in cash.

Jimmy beamed while he drove away down the paved road.

He turned on the radio, and “The Wings of a Dove” song by Ferlin Husky played on the radio.

Jimmy whistled along with the song while he drove down the two-lane country road. He was satisfied, believing he would get away with murder.

The next morning, Jimmy stopped in Amory, Mississippi, in the northern part of the state, for breakfast.

He paid for two scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee with Annette’s money.

Afterward, he discreetly dropped Annette’s purse and shoes in a garbage can outside the restaurant.

Jimmy got in his car and headed south out of Amory.

Later that morning, Jimmy met up with Ricky at Artabatian Lake outside Pierce, Mississippi.

They always parked their cars at the secluded dirt clearing with a sandy bank into the Artabatian Lake.

Jimmy parked his car in the clearing, got out with his bottle of Jack Daniels, and sat on the hood of his car. He sipped on Bourbon while glancing at the lake. Last night’s event ran repeatedly in his mind to ensure he didn’t leave any

clues. He was satisfied he had covered his tracks.

Behind him, Jimmy heard the sound of an approaching car. Jimmy turned around and saw a new, shiny, red 1963 Ford Galaxie with a red interior. Ricky had installed a trailer hitch and towed his fishing boat behind.

Ricky parked the Galaxie by Jimmy’s Ford.

Jimmy got off the hood the second Ricky shut off the Galaxie’s engine.

“Whew! She sure is pretty,” Jimmy said, admiring the new car while walking over.

Ricky got out of the Galaxie and handed Jimmy the keys when Jimmy approached him.

“Why did you want me to give you the car here? You could have come down to the dealership,” asked Ricky.

Jimmy went over and opened the trunk of his new car.

He rushed over to his old car and opened the trunk, gathering the bat and Annette’s clothes. Then, he rushed over to his new Ford and dumped them inside his new trunk.

Ricky got confused as to why Jimmy dumped clothes and a bat into the trunk of the Galaxie.

Ricky walked over and curiously looked inside the new trunk. “Is that women’s clothes?”

“Well, little brother, I had some fun on the way over here last night, so I would appreciate it if you have my old car crushed the second you get back home.”

“What did you do last night?” asked Ricky, and he was inquisitive.

Jimmy looked around the area, and it was clear of anybody to eavesdrop. He inched closer to Ricky. “You’ll have to swear you’ll keep this a secret,” he said in a low voice.

Ricky looked at Jimmy and wondered what he did last night. “You bet.”

Jimmy inched closer. “I killed a girl last night.”

It took a few seconds for that to dawn on Ricky. “You really killed a girl?”

Jimmy nodded with a huge grin.

Ricky looked back inside the trunk and then back at Jimmy. “So, how was it?” he asked, as he recalled that dead colored girl when he was seven. The dead body of that colored girl fascinated even Ricky back in 1948.

“Kinda nice,” Jimmy replied with a huge grin.

Ricky looked proud of his big brother. “I’ll get rid of your old car.”

Jimmy rushed over to his old Ford, opened the rear door, and removed the camera and tripod.

He rushed it to his new Galaxie and placed it in the trunk. “Let’s go fishing,” he told Ricky, then slammed the trunk closed.

Ten minutes later, they were off in the lake fishing in the boat, and Jimmy told Ricky all the details about Annette.

The weather was great, and they spent two relaxing days fishing, camping, and drinking beer.

Jimmy took his camera on a few trips to the lake in Ricky’s boat. He snapped a picture of Ricky with his fishing line in the water, and then Ricky snapped a picture of Jimmy with his fishing line in the water.

It was morning, and Jimmy and Ricky were ready to call it an end to another yearly tradition. They started packing up all of their camping gear.

When they were ready to go home, Jimmy tucked Annette’s clothes, bat, and leather gloves inside his tent.

He set his camera and tripod on the tent and closed the trunk.

He walked over to Ricky, standing by his old Ford. “Okay, little brother, we’ll keep this a secret until the day we die,” Jimmy said as he approached Ricky.

“Until we die,” Ricky said while they locked pinkies to seal their promise.

Jimmy drove off in his new 1963 Ford while Ricky drove in the old 1954 Ford.

Along the way back to Boldger, Alabama, Jimmy made two stops in Madison, Alabama, which is located in the northern part of the state.

His first stop was Elmer’s Pawn Shop, where he bought an old wooden chest. It had a hasp with a padlock and would be a great place to keep the souvenirs of his new hobby.

After leaving Elmer’s Pawn Shop, Jimmy drove to Tad’s Tattoo Parlor.

He went inside as there was something he also had to do to confess his tale.

After his tattoo, Jimmy returned to his car and drove south to head back home.

Jimmy turned on the radio, and the “Don’t Worry” song by Marty Robbins started playing.

“Don’t worry ’bout me, it’s all over now,” sang out Jimmy along with Marty Robbins.

He drove down the road, singing his heart out, occasionally checking his rearview mirror for a cop car, but he never saw one.

Back to reality.

After finishing this chapter, Sam jotted down some notes on a paper pad.

Marty was so engrossed in the story he had to read the next chapter.

Billy was fuming while he finished this chapter.