The Case Files of Jeremy Franklin, Teen Lawyer

By Jim Watt

Jeremy Franklin is in 8th grade when a friend is charged with stealing a necklace from a locked school locker. Jerry solves the crime and gets the necklace returned by discovering how the locker was entered and identifying the thief in a school assembly. He is praised by a teacher who calls him a 'budding' lawyer. As a result he is immediately asked to represent another student facing expulsion from school. Jerry argues his case in a hearing before the school board and wins. This launches his career as an attorney for his fellow teens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781483533766

Book preview

Dead

Chapter 1.

A Case of Locks and Lockers

Well, here I am in jail. You can ask what is a 14 year old kid doing in jail, and I will say: It’s a long story.

My name is Jeremy Franklin and, as I said, I’m 14, and I’m a student at Walker Junior High School. Or I was. Until I went to jail.

OK, it’s not jail-jail. They call it ‘detention’ because that’s where kids are sent to keep them out of adult prison, but it’s still a place with strong wire mesh on the windows and locks on the doors, so you can’t get out to go anywhere.

Locks remind me of how all this got started.

I’m not a long term criminal. I’m tall and skinny but I’m not on any of the school teams. Too light to play football, too slow to play basketball and too awkward for baseball. I always played sports in the neighborhood, but was never good enough for the teams, a real nothing. My grades are good and I’m in the chess club, which I like a lot. Big Whoop.

Well, anyway, last year I just started 8th grade and was walking to school in my really cool new sneakers, new for the school year. I remembered the battle I had last year when my father bought me black, plain-toed, thick rubber-soled shoes for school. I protested loudly, and my Dad said that these were sturdy shoes and were a good bargain and besides they would wear forever. That’s what I was afraid of.

The first day of school the other guys showed up in their new white and black name brand sneakers, took one look at my shoes and said they looked like postman’s shoes. They began calling me Postie. That night I told my parents that I would never wear those shoes to school again, even if I had to go to school barefoot in the snow!

My mother understood and, even though my father grumbled, we went to the mall that night and bought new sneakers. The name Postie soon went away.

I’ve got a neat wide belt with a large buckle I found which has a chess figure, a knight, on it. But otherwise I’m normal, I guess.

Anyway, it was a nice fall day, leaves coming down. I had just left to walk to school when I met my best friend Jacob Constantine.

Yo, Jake said.

Yo back.

You ready for the Civics test, Jer?

Yeah, I looked everything over last night, it doesn’t look too bad.

Sez you.

Jake wasn’t so good at what he called ‘word courses’, he was better at the ‘number courses’. I was pretty good at the ‘words’ and Jake envied me for it.

You got a soccer game today, don’t you? I said.

Yeah. We should do all right. Breaker Junior team’s not all that good.

Jake is small and quick and a star of the soccer team. I envied Jake his sports skill. We’re a Mutt and Jeff combo, and we’re good friends, I guess, because we’re such opposites.

Jake walked on, staring at the ground, looked up and said,

Your Mom and Dad talk about college again? Mine got into it last night, how much it was going to cost and where they’d get the money. They’re really anxious for me to be good at soccer. They figure I might be able to get a scholarship somewhere.

Yeah, I said, they talked about it. But athletics is out for me. We’re going to have to figure some other way. They’re hoping I’ll keep up my grades.

My family’s not rich and we’re not poor. My Dad works for the county in the tax collection department. My Mom is a full time Mom, but before she had me and my sister Beth, she had been a legal secretary. Neither my Mom or Dad went to college and they want both their children to go.

* * *

The night before, after dinner, I finished my homework early and I was in the living room flipping through a Tin-Tin comic book, when my Dad put down his paper, looked up and said, The cost of college is going through the roof. I see here where Harvard is going to charge $50,000 next year. pointing at the paper.

I put the comic down and said, Well, I don’t think I’m going to Harvard.

But that shows they’re all going to go up, even the state schools.

I thought for a minute. I’m no good at sports, so I don’t think I can get a scholarship. I don’t know what will get me in.

Jerry, sports isn’t the only thing they look for. They look for grades and for how you’ve been involved in your school and your community. They get recommendations from your teachers, and other people who know about you.

I didn’t say anything but Dad knew what I was thinking.

Jerry, you’re a good son. Your grades are good, you’re not in any trouble. We’ll find a way to get you to college. Don’t worry about it. Just do what you’ve been doing.

I’d like to go to college. I don’t know what I want to be but I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.

* * *

We got near school.

I’ve got to get these books back to the library, they’re due today, I said.

You still reading those mysteries and adventures? Jake replied.

Yeah, I got hooked on them. We’ve got a pretty good library for a school this size. How many kids we have here now?

About 400 in the three grades, said Jake. We’re not as big as Breaker, but we’ve got better teams.

As the students drifted in, you could see how many different types we had there: blacks, Hispanics, whites, Asians, and all kinds in between.

There’s Big John, said Jake, our football-basketball-baseball-everything star, with his gang. I wonder who he’s going to pick on today?

I guess I can get along with most everyone, I said. John either ignores me or puts me down. I just move on.

I hear he can’t wait to get to high school so he can join Junior ROTC. He wants to get in the Army or Marines so he can really be a tough guy.

* * *

I thought about the time I saw John’s family, at a parent’s night last year at the school. Most of the parents were there, talking to the teachers in the auditorium, when John’s father came in.

Mr. Pudlowski was over six feet tall and must have weighed 250 pounds, with a dark face and a two day beard. He was towing John behind him and he turned and spoke to him. John pointed to one of his teachers. A woman who was apparently John’s mother tagged along behind.

Mr. Pudlowski marched up to the teacher, elbowing another parent out of the way.

I’m John’s Pappy, he said. You tell me if he gets out of line and I’ll put him back in line, and with that, he turned and backhanded his son across the chest, causing him to stagger back two or three steps. His father said to him, Hear that? You do good. and he turned and grabbed John and marched him out again. The mother followed behind, her head down. The teacher and the parents looked stunned until they slowly took up their conversations again.

* * *

We went into school and were headed toward my locker when we saw several girls gathered around Sally Ann’s locker. Jake perked up. He’d been hanging around Sally Ann for weeks now, ever since school started. He really liked her, she was cute and blond and had big blue eyes, but in spite of his sense of humor and easy way around his friends, Jake was tongue tied and shy when it came to Sally Ann. All he could do was stare and talk in single words.

As we passed Big John at his locker, we heard two girls, Linda and Sue, squealing with delight at Sally Ann, who was holding up a necklace.

My Uncle Joe brought this from Burma where he went on business, said Sally Ann. See? It has a real ruby in the center! That’s my birthstone. And five real diamonds around it, all set in gold! He told me the ruby represented my loving heart, and the diamonds are my sparkling personality. Isn’t that neat!!

Oh! Oh! Oh!, said Linda, That’s a darling present!! I love it! That must really be valuable!

That’s the neatest thing I’ve ever seen, said Sue as she reached out to touch it.

I’ve got to get to class, said Sally Ann as she put the necklace in a leather pouch, put it in her locker, locked the padlock with the key, and pulled down on it. Let’s go!

Jake stood watching Sally Ann leave. She gave him a funny look, shrugged her shoulders and turned and left with her friends. Jake walked slowly to class.

I grabbed my class books and headed for the library to turn in my library books.

* * *

The bell rang ending the last class before lunch. I walked slowly down the hall to my locker. The Civics exam was about what I expected--one or two confusing questions but I thought I did OK. I hoped Jake did too.

As I neared my locker I heard a scream. I looked up and saw Sally Ann in front of her open locker with her hand over her mouth, staring into her locker. It’s gone! It’s gone! she cried, tears running down her face. Linda and Sue came running over.

What happened? What’s gone?

My necklace! My beautiful necklace! It’s gone! It was right here on the shelf in its leather pouch and it’s gone!

Did you look all over? Did it fall down? Look in the bottom!

I did, I looked all over. I took everything out. It’s gone!

I ran over. Did you lock your locker when you left? Did you pull on it to make sure it caught?

Yes, I always do.

Did you come back during the morning and open it again?

No! she wailed.

Was the lock broken?

No, see, here it is. I put in the key and turned it and it opened.

Hmmm, I said. Well, you’d better report it to the Principal right away.

I’ll go, said Sue, and ran off.

Sally Ann just stood there with tears running down her cheeks and kept saying, My beautiful necklace. What will I tell Uncle Joe? Why did this have to happen?

Mr. Anders, the Principal, came rushing down the hall. What’s happened? Sally Ann, what’s wrong?

I had this beautiful necklace my uncle gave me. It had a ruby in it and five diamonds and I had it in my locker and now it’s gone and I don’t know what I’m going to do. Sally Ann wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.

When did it happen?

While I was in class. Before class I was showing it to Linda and Sue, and then put it in my locker and locked it; I really did, and then when I came back before lunch it was gone and the lock was still on it!!!

Linda and Sue nodded.

Mr. Anders looked grim. Who saw the necklace?

Well, there was Linda and Sue, and Jerry was over by his locker. And Jake! Jake was hanging around like he always does! Jake doesn’t have a locker near here and he’s always hanging around! and she turned and glared at Jake. I bet Jake took it! He’s so creepy. He never says anything, he just stares. I bet he took it!

I looked at Jake, and Jake hung his head and slowly walked away.

Mr. Anders called to him, Jake, come back. I want to talk to you -- in my office.

Jake turned and followed the principal down the hall, while we stared after them.

* * *

That afternoon after class, I met Jake outside school. Jake kept his head down as we walked. Nobody said anything.

Finally, I said, Jake, what did Mr. Anders say?

He asked me if I took Sally Ann’s necklace. I didn’t, you know, but nobody’s going to believe me.

I believe you, I said, but you’re right. Once Sally Ann accused you, everybody’s going to believe you’re guilty. That’s the way they are.

What am I going to do?

Well, unless you want to live with this, you’re going to have to find out who did take it. Did Mr. Anders say anything else? What’s he going to do?

He says he’s going to put a stop to these thefts. He says there’s been a couple of these thefts from lockers in the last two weeks, but this is the most serious.

Really? I didn’t know about any others! What did they take?

Oh, a box of Hershey bars from one locker and a pair of gloves from the other.

Gee, it really is serious. I wonder whose lockers were robbed. Were they broken into?

I don’t know anything about them. How am I going to find out who did this? I don’t want to have everybody thinking I’m a thief.

Well, I’m going to see what I can find out. I’m going to see Mr. Anders. You’ve got a soccer game. Good luck. See you later.

I went over to the Principal’s office.

Can I see Mr. Anders for a minute, Ms. Johnson? It’s about these thefts; it won’t take long.

I’ll see, she said and went into his office.

She came out and said, He can see you, but just for a minute; he’s got a meeting shortly. I went into the office.

Mr. Anders, Jake just told me there have been other thefts from lockers and I was wondering if they’re the same kind of thing.

No, he said, only small items were taken; a box of chocolate bars and some gloves. But this necklace thing has made it much worse. It’s got to stop.

I wonder if you could tell me whose lockers were robbed and what their locker numbers are?

Why do you want to know?

Well, Jake says he’s innocent and I believe him, I said, and I’m trying to help him figure out who’s doing this because if this goes on his reputation in the school is mud.

I see. Well, I don’t think the thefts are a secret. Fred Morrison lost the chocolate bars. His locker, let’s see, is A24, and Sam Fry lost the gloves and his locker is D48. You can tell them I said it was OK to talk to them. I have to go now, I’ve got a meeting. Please let me know if you find out anything.

I thanked him, left the office, and immediately toured the halls until I found A24. Fred had gone home, but I looked at the lock. It was a padlock that you open with a key inserted in the bottom. Then I found locker D48, and again the lock was a padlock with the keyhole in the bottom. I looked at other locks on the lockers in the hallway and saw all types, some with dials on the face where you had to turn to a number and then back to another number and then forward again to a third number before it would open.

Others had numbers on wheels on the bottom of the lock and you had to line them up in a certain order to open it. But A24 and D48 and Sally Ann’s locks were all the same type.

I decided I needed to know more about locks

* * *

Next morning, I hurried to school and got to locker A24 just as Fred was getting his books out.

Fred, I was wondering about the stolen candy bars last week. The principal told me I could ask you some questions about it.

Sure, Jerry, what do you want to know?

Is this the same lock you had on the locker when the candy was stolen?

Yeah.

Do you keep your key on a key ring or do you keep it where others can get it?

No, it’s on my key ring in my pocket.

Is there an extra key?

Yeah, but it’s at home.

Are you sure you pulled the lock to make sure it was set before the candy was taken?

Yep, I always do.

So your lock wasn’t damaged at all?

No, that’s the funny part. I don’t know how they got in there.

I then went over to see Sam at D48 and asked him the same questions and got the same answers.

After school I ran home, got my bike and pedaled quickly downtown to the public library. I went immediately to the Reference desk and asked if they could direct me to a book on locks.

The librarian typed into her computer and soon came up with, All About Locks by Paul Smith. I found it on the shelf, sat at a table, and opened the book. I looked through