The Black Course Murder

It’s hole eighteen and Ben Wilson is two strokes ahead of his competitor, Carl Tee, and is preparing for his shot. Announcers are heard talking into their microphones, “We are on the last hole of the Hole in One Cup brought to you by Dick’s Sporting Goods, `Where Every Season Starts`.” “If Ben wins this competition it will be his thirteenth professional gold cup win this year.” “Your absolutely right, Bob, and as of right now he is tied with Mark Club, who unfortunately died last year, his death is still under investigation.” “It’s a real shame he couldn’t be here on Long Island at Bethpage State Park. It was his favorite course. He always practiced here and enjoyed the challenge the `Black Course` had to offer.” “Lets see if Ben can win this competition that will put him in the history books.” Ben set up his tee and ball and started practicing his swings. Then he lined his club up with the ball. He pulled his club back and swung it back toward the ball in a perfect curve. Upon contact, the ball soared through the air. Then a very strong wind picked up and the ball turned toward the woods. “I guess Mother Nature doesn’t want to make this win easy for Ben,” Bob said. Very frustrated with himself, Ben and his caddy, Gary Driver, went to find the ball in the woods. It wasn’t to far from the edge of the fairway, but it took a couple of minutes to find. Ben picked out his club and walked over to the ball. Gary moved away, giving Ben his swinging space while he practiced, but then thought he heard a motor of a car. Ben lined up his club with the ball, brought back his club and swung. Upon impact, the golf ball became a big ball of fire. There was so much force, it threw Ben and Gary back. Ben was pushed into a tree and Gary landed in the dirt. Golf officials came running into the woods to find Gary Driver unconscious and Ben Wilson dead.

Later that day, detective Franklin Par was on the scene. He liked being back on Long Island, unfortunately he was there to solve a murder case. He was informed on what had happened. “The only witness was Ben Wilson’s caddy, Gary Driver. Unfortunately he is unconscious, but the doctor said he should wake up soon,” said an officer who was on the scene. Franklin asked, “Are there any known suspects?” “No, and there were no other witnesses around, the crowd of fans were on the edge of the fairway. They were all pretty scared when the explosion went off, as you can imagine.” “I think I’m going to take a look around,” said Franklin. He made his way over to the spot where the explosion went off. He saw the footprints of Ben Wilson and Gary Driver in the dirt. He saw the crater where the explosion was and he saw bits and pieces of a golf ball. He noticed other footprints, “I have a hunch, I need to get Ben and Gary’s shoes.” Then the officer came over, “I just got a call from the hospital and they said Gary Driver regained consciousness.” “Which hospital is he at?” “He’s at the North Shore LIJ Hospital.”

Fifteen minutes later he was in the lobby of the hospital. Franklin asked, “Where would I find Gary Driver?” “On floor seven, in room seventy-seven,” answered the receptionist. “Thank you.” As he took the elevator to the seventh floor, he said to himself, “What motive did this murderer have?” When he reached the seventh floor, he got out of the elevator and was welcomed with a scream from down the hall. He ran to the source, which happened to be room seventy-seven. Franklin tried the knob, but it was locked from the inside. Instead, he kicked in the door to see a cloaked man. He had on dark clothes, his hood up so his face wasn’t visible. This cloaked man was holding Gary Driver at knifepoint. He looked up, and then jumped out the window as he saw Franklin take out his gun. Franklin ran to the window and saw him land on a pick-up truck filled with mattresses for a soft landing. He watched him hop off the mattresses, climb into the truck and drive away. “Thanks mister,” Gary said. “It’s my job. I’m detective Franklin Par, I’m here to talk to you about the explosion at the golf course. I’m hoping you could shed some light on the crime. But first off, who was that guy?” Gary replied, “I think it could have been the person that killed Ben. Whoever it was probably wanted to finish the job. I was the only one around Ben at the time of the explosion.” “Did you get a good look at his face?” “No, it was covered by a bandana and he was wearing sunglasses.” “Was he wearing gloves when he came into your room?” “Yeah, he was wearing them when he jumped out the window. Why do you need to know if he was wearing gloves?” “If he wasn’t wearing gloves, I could check for fingerprints. So, what can you tell me about what happened on the eighteenth hole?” “Well, when Ben swung on his first shot, it was perfect. While the ball was gliding through the air, a strong wind blew it into the trees. Ben and I went to go find it. We found the ball after a couple of minutes. Ben picked out his club and warmed up for his next shot. Oh, now that I think about it, I remember that I thought I heard the sound of a motor, like there was a golf cart close by. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I backed up for Ben to take his shot. When his club came into contact with the ball there was an explosion right before my eyes. I remember being thrown to the ground and the next thing I know, I’m in this hospital.” “That’s all you remember.” “Yeah, that’s it.” “Can I have the golf shoes you were wearing yesterday? It was very helpful talking to you,” Franklin said. “Your welcome. The shoes are over there in the closet. Hopefully I’m not attacked by that maniac again,” said Gary.

The next day, Franklin Par visits the victim’s family. The family was really upset, but they gave Franklin Ben’s golf shoes as evidence. Franklin wanted to compare Ben and Gary’s shoes with the shoe prints at the scene. Franklin left the Wilson house and went back to the scene of the crime. He went back and noticed the footprints again. That’s when he saw it, his first clue. There was one set of footprints going in the opposite direction of the golf course unlikely that Ben or Gary made them. Franklin compared the shoes with the prints. Franklin was right they didn’t match! Franklin followed the footprints to where they ended. He then sees tire tracks leaving the scene. He follows them to the clubhouse where he asks the manager “Did you see a golf cart come through the woods yesterday? Over there, where those trees are?” “As a matter of fact, yes, I did. There was such a commotion immediately following, that I didn’t think much of it.” “Does the clubhouse have any surveillance cameras?” asked Franklin. “Yes, let’s go review the tapes.” Finally, a possible breakthrough in the case. They couldn’t believe it, there on the tape was golf cart number 27 driving past the clubhouse, just as you see the explosion on the tape! “Do you have a list of names of the people that used that particular cart yesterday?” “Yes, let me get that list for you.” The manager left to get the list and came back in 3 minutes. “There is only one name on the list.”

Franklin takes the paper and goes to the address listed. When he gets to the house he whips out his gun and tries the door, surprised that it was unlocked. He does a thorough check of the first floor. Then he hears the high-pitched scream of a woman in the backyard. He goes to the back door and looked out the window and sees a man tying an unconscious woman to a pole. A pile of wood surrounds the pole. Franklin notices that the woman is Ben Wilson’s wife and the man is the suspect. He is Steve Fairway, he was a pro golfer who didn’t qualify to be a part of the Hole in One Cup. Then he sees Steve take out a box of matches. It was then that Franklin decided to go to the second floor. He would jump off the balcony. He summoned up his courage and hopped off the balcony. Steve didn’t see this, as he was lighting the match. He threw the match into the pile of wood, which ignited extremely quickly for it was soaked in gasoline. Franklin jumped through the air and shot Steve in the leg. Steve screamed out in pain and Franklin landed on a spot of unburned wood. He got up and started untying the woman from the pole. Once he had succeeded in untying the woman, he threw her off the pile of burning wood and Franklin threw himself out of the fire just in the nick of time. He got up and went over to the sprawling figure of Steve Fairway. He slapped handcuffs on him and called the local police station. Ben’s wife was unconscious, but still breathing.

As Franklin waited for the police to show up, Steve sat up. Franklin wanted to know what Steve’s motive was, what could possibly bring him to murder? “Why did you do it?” asked Franklin. “Do you remember the murder of Mark Club last year?” Steve asked. “Yeah. You didn’t kill him too did you?” “Yes, I did. I killed him and Ben Wilson. The reason I did all this was to get back to the top.” “I used to be the pro, best in the league. Until these rookies came along. Their names were Mark Club and Ben Wilson. They were equally matched and made their way to the top. They annihilated me in the competitions. It bothered me and I got sick and tired of not being the best, because these youngsters come along and take the spotlight. I decided that killing them would get them out of my hair. This ending wasn’t what I was planning on.” “Well, it’s the ending I was expecting to give you, a long time in jail. You might even be in there for the rest of your life.” “I’m looking forward to it,” Steve said sarcastically. The cops pulled up and Franklin handed them Steve’s tape-recorded confession. A double murder solved.