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D E A D L Y A D V I C E
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Reginald, Sharon and Mary
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Written By:
Brad Chapline &
Michele Chapline
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PAGE
ONE
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Sharon
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Reginald
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I just knew I was having a nightmare. I couldn't believe what I was hearing on the phone. My best friend Reginald had just been murdered.
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It was 2:15AM on a brisk autumn morning in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was in a deep sleep when the phone rang. I just knew something was wrong the moment I heard Reginald's wife Sharon say hello to me in a very mild way. It was very uncharacteristic of her. Sharon was always a very high energy lady who always greeted me with terms like, "Hey, ba ba ba baby, what's going on kiddo"? We had all once been great friends. I actually felt lost and angered when Sharon and Reginald moved to Reno, Nevada. Reginald worked for an accounting firm in Las Vegas that was having financial and scandal problems. Reginald had the choice of either moving to their main office in Reno or face being laid off. He chose to move. I had lived in Nevada my entire life and I knew just about everything concerning the towns people up north. There was no way these cliques of "Good Ole Boys" were going to accept a dark skinned Afro-American being married to a knock out blond. I voiced my concerns to Reginald. But, he said he wasn't scared and that nothing was going to stop him from working.
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Sharon felt differently then Reginald. In her mid-teens Sharon had run away from a small northern Nevada town called Beaumont. It is located just outside the city limits of Reno. She came to Vegas to get away from the racism and the red-necks that poisoned this small scenic town.
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In 1992 Sharon was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. There were absolutely no blacks living in Beaumont. Sharon was the school's "Homecoming Queen". When she was crowned, there was no one even in her league to compete. But, the township of Beaumont was suspicious of Sharon. She had never been seen dating a white boy. Although I was her next door neighbor and best friend in Beaumont, everyone knew we were not a couple. Sharon was also known for disappearing from Beaumont and going in to the city of Reno. It was known for being "The Biggest Little City". The complete township of Beaumont including that of her parents and siblings were anxious to know what was privately going on with Sharon.
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Being with a young black man would have been their last thought. The news broke in the next three months. It was now visually evident that Sharon was pregnant. Her father went in to a rage calling Sharon a slut, whore, pig and a variety of other hurtful names. Her dad grabbed her by the throat and demanded to know who the father was. Trying to fight back Sharon said, "I fucked the man whom I know you would hate most, I fucked a black man daddy". Her father let his grip loosen on her throat. In shock, he just stood there staring at Sharon. He quietly walked away in to his garage. About a half hour had elapsed when Sharon's father came back in to the house. He was holding a baseball bat. Sharon had closed herself in her bedroom and was lying on her bed crying. She then hears this boisterous yell. It was her dad. "Come out here now Sharon"! Scared and hesitant Sharon stepped out in to the hallway. Sharon's dad came out from another bedroom in to this walkway and struck her in the stomach with a tremendous swing of this bat. Sharon collasped to the floor screaming for help. Sharon's father Drew then yelled, "There will be no nigger babies or lovers in this house. Both of you will die right here and now". I lived next door to Sharon. I was absolutely the only person in Beaumont who knew that Sharon had an attraction for black men. I heard Sharon screaming. I knew she needed help desperately. I thought, "My God, her old man is probably killing her if he found out she is pregnant and especially by a black man".
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I was three years older then Sharon. I had just recently graduated from high school. I had secretly taken Sharon to meet her Afro-American boyfriend in Reno for months. His name was LeMar Davis. A very well mannered, caring and intelligent black youngster who had a bright future ahead of him. Besides being a straight "A" student, LeMar did not indulge in tobacco, liquor or drugs. I knew LeMar loved Sharon deeply and vice versa. In my eyes they made a beautiful couple. But, for sure, I would never reveal these thoughts to anyone in Beaumont.
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Sharon's desperate cries for help continued. I knew I had to make a decision. I took possession of my father's handgun that he had hidden in his dresser drawer. I was shaking with fear as I departed my house and was preparing to enter Sharon's residence. I was holding this fully loaded .38 caliber pistol in my right hand. I walked in the front door and immediately came across Sharon's mother, brothers and sisters. "Don't anybody move", as I pointed the gun towards them. "Drew, Drew, Drew"!!! Dean is here and he has a gun", as she attempted to calm here voice down. Drew yells, "You tell that mother fucker he had better get out of this house right now"! "All of you get down on the floor right now", I said. I then walked in to the hallway where Sharon was lying. I saw that she was bleeding from her vagina. The tremendous amouint of blood that she had lost had completely soaked through her underwear and her sweat shorts. I told Sharon's father, "Drew, I don't want to kill you, but I will unless you do exactly what I tell you to. Get face first on the floor and put your hands behind your back". Drew complied. I then told Sharon's mother, "Go get Drew's handcuffs off his duty belt and bring them to me. Leave his gun where it is", I warned. "You try anything stupid and everyone's life will be in jeopardy here". Yes, Drew was a Beaumont Deputy Sheriff. A few moments later Sharon's mother came back in to the hallway with his handcuffs. I said, "Put the handcuffs on him tight". She again complied. I picked up Sharon's bloody petite body. I carried Sharon over my shoulder outside and proceeded to my vehicle. It was an old 1982 Mazda GLC station wagon. It didn't look the best, but it was dependable transportation. I laid Sharon down very gently in the back. I kissed her on the cheek and told Sharon not to worry. "Everything will be alright", I assured Sharon. Somehow Sharon took my hand and managed a partial smile.
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I knew she was having a miscarriage. As Sharon and I cleared the township of Beaumont in to the city of Reno I knew this would be the last time either one of us would see this place. We could never come back. I drove as fast as I could to the Reno Community Hospital. Sharon was placed on a stretcher and rushed in to surgery. I was held by security until the Reno police arrived. Four Reno police officers came rushing in to the security office. They harshly grabbed me and threw me in to the wall putting restraints on me. I said, "I haven't done anything wrong, why are you treating me this way"? "Shut up punk", one of the officers blurts out. Another officer says, "Yeah, we just got a detailed report from the Sheriff's Department in Beaumont. We know exactly what you did to this girl". I was then taken to the Reno County Jail. I asked repeatedly for a phone call. It would be several days before I was afforded this right.
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