J is for Judgment

"J" stands for Wendell Jaffe, who passed away five years ago. Or so it seemed, until he was seen at the bar of a small, dusty Mexican resort halfway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz by his old insurance agent.

What was said by Kinsey Millhone? "To be honest, the information about Wendell Jaffe had nothing to do with my family's past, but murder is never neat, and nobody ever claimed that disclosures happen in a linear fashion. My research into the deceased man's history led me to investigate my own, and ultimately it was hard to distinguish between the two narratives."

When Jaffe's 35-foot yacht was discovered floating off the coast of Baja five years ago, it seemed quite likely that he had lost his way. He was completely destitute, his firm was insolvent, and his real estate venture was nothing more than a massive Ponzi scam that was about to blow up and lead to a criminal conviction, according to the letter he left behind. Nothing remained when the cops stormed his bank and his records shortly after; Jaffe had pilfered everything.

Jaffe did not, however, lack assets. His wife was named as the beneficiary of his $500,000 life insurance policy, which was sponsored by California Fidelity. But the insurance company was slow to approve the claim since there was no body to corroborate the death. In order to have her husband officially certified deceased, Dana Jaffe had to wait the required five years. Fidelity of California paid in full, only two months before Wendell Jaffe was seen at that Mexican bar. They were seeking the truth now. They were also prepared to pay Kinsey Millhone to find it.

J stands for judgment—the type we make quickly and often regret even faster. It concerns Wendell and Kinsey's families.

"J Is for Judgment" is Kinsey Millhone's eleventh journey into the shadowy corners of the heart, where deceit reigns supreme and murder is an all too common outcome.