Misfortune or Murder?
A Peconic Bay Mystery
By: Jim Shevlin

Tom Mcardelle walked to the beach and took a seat on the bulkhead, relaxed and lit a cigarette. As he watched the young people enjoy water sports, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. His curiosity aroused, he decided to investigate the something.

The something was a man’s body floating in the small stream flowing between the marshland and the bay. When he saw the body move, he hoped the man was still alive, but when he turned the body over, he realized the man was dead and that the deceased was one of his neighbors.

The autopsy did not reveal the exact cause of death so further analysis was needed. A sample of an unidentified substance found in the deceased was sent to the CDC.

The popular theory that prevailed among the public was that the dead man was poisoned.

The police chief and the district attorney were under heavy pressure to find a murderer. After discussions between the two, they agreed that guilt pointed in only one direction.

The prosecution pulled a fast one on the defense by calling a surprise witness. The defense countered by calling a surprise witness of its own and when it did, the only thing the district attorney could do was raise an objection.

After both the prosecution and the defense met in the judge’s chamber, everyone returned to the courtroom and the district attorney addressed the court with his final surprise.