Swipe Right
“I need a pick up.”
“I’m sorry, sir, we have no one in your area.”
“What do you mean you have no one! I paid good money for the Platinum Level subscription for this reason alone.”
“It can’t be helped, sir.”
“You had better help it if you know what’s good for you.”
“Is that a threat, sir?”
“Take it however you want to, just get someone here now.”
“As I said, we have no one in your area and you are not in a position to threaten anyone.”
“Excuse me?”
“You just admitted to murder. Sir.”
“No, actually, I just requested a pick up. Sylvester.”
“How…?”
******************
“Vics name is Angie Jones. Her mother found her. She’d missed a lunch date and a therapy session so she knew something was up. She found her like this.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, looks like it was just the two of them. Mom is a wreck. Blaming herself. They have her under suicide watch now.”
“This isn’t a suicide, Marsh.”
“You think not, right? She couldn’t do all that to herself. ME will tell us more, but pretty sure there was some sex involved so more like rape and murder. No way it happened here, though. No blood or any other bodily fluids anywhere. No evidence of a break in or a fight. Nothing. But, she did leave a suicide note and the mother confirmed it was her handwriting.”
“WTF!”
“Yeah. This is a, what was that SAT word my kid was flapping about last night? Oh, yeah, a conundrum.”
************
“Boyd? Computer Forensics found something. We got an address.”
“Perp?”
“Likely. They were able to access the last known destinations in her car’s GPS. The last was her own, early on the 19th, but the prior was the evening of the 18th. 6249 Bellerouge Road.”
“Swanky.”
“Yeah. Listed owner is a Dr. Rod Ashton. Judge Langley accepted probable cause. I already got the warrant.”
“Let’s go. Yo, Mel, get local PD out to 6249 Bellerouge Road. Tell them to go in quiet. Don’t want to spook the guy before we get there.”
“You got it, Boyd.”
**********
“May I help you gentlemen?”
“Are you Dr. Rod Ashton?”
“Yes, but I don’t see patients in my home. You can make an appointment with my receptionist although I’m fairly booked for the next several months.”
“Not prospective patients, doc.”
“We have reason to believe you were the last person to see the recently deceased, Angie Jones. You may have seen the case on the news.”
“I don’t watch television news.”
“We have a warrant here to search the premises.”
“A warrant?”
“As I said, you were the last to see her alive.”
*********
“Boyd! Marsh! You gotta see this!”
“I don’t think he’s seeing patients in this place.”
“He already said he doesn’t see patients in his home. This is his house of horrors. Sick bastard.”
********
“Dr. Rod Ashton, you are under arrest for the rape and murder of Angie Jones. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”
“I’d like to speak with my lawyer.”
“He can join us at the station. Get him out of here!”
*********
“Self-defense my ass!”
“That’s what he and his lawyer are claiming.”
“No jury is gonna believe that crap when they see the torture chamber. Plus, why didn’t he just report it rather than ditch the body? BS.”
“What kind of game is he playing?”
“Got me. Looks open and shut. If he’s claiming self-defense, he’s admitting he killed her. He doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
*********
“You’re going to get some backlash exposing the site. I’m sure you’re not the only person of means on it. This could get ugly fast.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Your call. We’ll present the digital footage when you’re on the stand. You’re as good as free.”
“That’s why I pay your exorbitant fees, Arthur.”
*********
“Please state your name for the court.”
“Dr. Rod Ashton.”
“Dr. Ashton, please tell the court what happened on the night of March 18th.”
“Well, I was home, having a glass of wine and watching the NCAAs when my phone buzzed. I knew from the tone someone had swiped right on my FF account.”
“Objection, FF, Your Honor?”
“Sustained. Please refrain from using acronyms, Dr. Ashton, to limit confusion amongst the jury.”
“Sorry, Your Honor. That is a good point, actually. Most people would think it means Final Fantasy, like the video game that was popular back in the 1990s. It doesn’t, although I guess it is kind of a real life version of a final fantasy.”
“The point, Dr. Ashton?”
“Yes, well, the app is called Final…well the F word. I suspect it would be objected to were I to say it.”
“We get the point, Dr. Ashton. Continue, please.”
“It works like any other dating app except one partner seeks, um, actual death during la petite mort, and the other…doesn’t. One partner enjoys inflicting pain for sexual pleasure, the other has a death wish and wants to die…I’d say happy but there is no guarantee that they will find pleasure in the pain. There are those that do… At any rate the app matches the one with the other.”
“Objection. This is the first I’m hearing of this so-called app.”
“I apologize for the late submission, Your Honor, Counselor. Please accept as Exhibit 1 a printout of the homepage and two subscriber contracts from the FF site. The stated basis of the app is clearly relevant to everything else that took place that evening.”
“I’ll allow it. Objection denied.”
“Dr. Ashton, what happened after your phone buzzed?”
“I picked it up, of course. I was excited. It’s a new app I accessed on the dark web and I hadn’t had anyone swipe right on me yet.”
“Who had swiped right?”
“Someone who called herself Angel.”
“Let the court record show that Angel was the profile name of the deceased, Angie Jones, as noted on the recently submitted subscriber contract and thus shows Ms. Jones as the initiator of the events on the evening of March 18th.
“What happened next, Dr. Ashton?”
“We messaged back and forth a bit. I took her on a video tour of my, um, playroom, so she could see my toys; had to make sure she was sure since there are no take backs once I get started. Don’t get me wrong, I am quite the, uh, sadist, but I find I rather like the idea of willing partners. Keeps me out of jail.”
“Your Honor, permission to approach the bench.”
“Counselors.”
“Your Honor, the defendant is clearly titillated by telling his story. I would like to reiterate that although I accept that it was, perchance, not rape, there is no question that Ms. Jones died at the hand of Dr. Ashton. It does not matter if she went willingly. It is still murder. I am also not convinced that this is an isolated incident given the existence of his so-called playroom, aka, house of horrors.”
“Your Honor, my client admits to rough sexual relations with a willing partner who, as delineated on her FF profile, wanted to die. Nothing more. Since Dr. Ashton is a doctor, we might liken it to Assisted Suicide…"
“Not amusing. Counselor.”
“But we don’t. We are calling it self-defense. If he did not kill Ms. Jones, she would have killed him, and that was not his wish.”
“I have seen no evidence of self-defense, Counselor. Right now, you are on thin ice. Get to the point.”
“Yes, Your Honor.
“Dr. Ashton, what happened next?”
“I gave her my address and got ready.”
“What time did the deceased arrive at your home?”
“Around 10:00? I had showered, readied the play room and was just starting to watch another basketball game.”
“10:00 pm?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did Angie enter willingly?”
“You know she did. You have the video.”
“Objection. What video? No video was provided to my offices prior to these proceedings.”
“Again, I apologize, Your Honor, Counselor. I’m afraid we just got access to the digital footage minutes before court was in session. Here is a copy. Your Honor, please let this video stand as exhibit 2. If it pleases the court, we can show the footage and it will be evident to all that the deceased was not only a willing partner in the proceedings on the night of March 18th, but also the catalyst to her own death.”
“I would like the opportunity to view said footage prior to presentation to the Jury.”
“I’ll allow it. Court is adjourned for one hour.”
“Your Honor, the footage is eight hours long.”
“My God.”
“Court is adjourned. We will continue tomorrow morning at 9am.”
*********
“Angel?”
“Are you as good as you say you are?”
“You’ll be screaming within the hour.”
“You first…”
“WTF! Is that a stiletto in her hand?
*****
“All rise. The case of the state of California v Dr. Roderick Ashton is now in session. The Honorable Judge Langley presiding.”
“Counselor, as we discussed in chambers this morning, you may show the pertinent clips only.”
**********
“We find the defendant, Dr. Roderick Ashton, not guilty on all counts.”
“Thank you, Arthur.”
“That’s why you pay me so well, Rod.”
“Indeed. Back to the old ways I guess. I have a truck coming Saturday.”
“How old?”
“None over 18. All beautiful. Just like you like them.”