Flash Fiction Story: The Letter of Truth

He had not been expecting a letter. His family, friends, and lawyer had been contacting him by phone and visiting him in person as he temporarily resided in a detention center cell to await his trial in a couple of days. He could not shake the thoughts of Tuesday's nightmarish mishap and hoped that his first letter would be a pleasant distraction. He carelessly tore through the envelope with his stubby thumb, read the first line, and began to sob.

It was Tuesday evening when a frail, salt-and-pepper haired lady turned the corner of the dim downtown alley, and "Swish!" she spun with a sudden jerk. Her gold sequin purse with a chain strap was ripped from her arm within the blink of an eye. The mugger, a stocky young man wearing a bald cap, darted across the light traffic as the elderly lady screamed, "Somebody stop him." Two cyclers, witnessing the crime, pedalled vigorously on their bikes to chase the mugger.

Meanwhile, Joshua, a young fellow with an athletic build and short stature made his way toward a crowd of pedestrians pausing at a traffic light. He contemplated what movie he would watch that evening. He never missed a suspenseful flick, as his passion was solving mysteries. Aware of being chased, the mugger stealthily tossed the sequin purse alongside a large potted flower bed as he dashed past Joshua. Strolling a few feet further, Joshua, always very observant, spotted the glittering purse. Unaware that it was stashed by the mugger, he swept it up, his back turned away from the nearby crowd. Seconds later, Joshua was tackled by the two bikers as one yelled, "You're on your way to the slammer."

The salt-and-pepper haired lady peered into a one way glass to identify the mugger. She muttered, "I really don't know. It all happened so fast."

The officer replied, "You said he had a short and thick build, right?"

"Yes. I suppose it's him on the far right," she moaned with hesitation as two taller and thinner men were called to exit as Joshua was left in the room alone.

Joshua opened his teary eyes to read the first line of the letter again. "You are acquitted due to a false eye witness account." The truth became known after the real mugger revealed his crime to an acquaintance who in turn reported him to the police. That calamity inspired Joshua to fulfill his dream of becoming a police detective by declaring a major in Criminal Justice.