Both Sides of the Fence 4: Bad Blood (16 page)

 

 

I was startled out of my sleep by the ring of my phone. I threw my legs over the side of the bed before I reached for the phone. I picked up, looked at it. It was my brother Li’l Shawn.

“Hey. Wassup?” I asked in anticipation of some news about my missing sister Diana. My stomach started to flutter in anticipation. Good news or bad news; that’s what I wondered, feared.

“Man, you better get over here and now. I have no time to explain. Get here,” he said in an almost hushed voice.

“Okay.” I immediately hung up the phone and searched the room for something to put on. I quickly washed my face and made my way into the living room where Wallace was laid out on my sofa.

“Yo, Wallace.” I shook him gently so that I wouldn’t scare him out of his sleep. That wasn’t a good feeling at all.

He woke up in an instant and asked, “Everything okay?”

“I don’t know, man. My little brother called me to go over my parents’ house. It sounded urgent. You rolling with me or are you going to chill right here until I make it back?”

“Nah, man. I’m with you,” he said and then he proceeded to put his clothes on. He made a quick trip to the bathroom before he followed me out of my house and to my car.

I pulled off quickly so that I could get to my destination with haste. My mind was all over the place. I didn’t know what to expect right now.

I arrived at my parents’ house in fifteen minutes on a regular twenty-five-minute drive. Wallace looked at me in fear as I drove with reckless abandon on the highway. I was on a mission, but I should have taken my time because an accident wouldn’t help the situation, good or bad. I almost hopped out of my car as I got out and walked around to my front entrance. Wallace wasn’t too far behind me as I opened the front door to the house and walked in.

I headed straight for the living room as most of our family interaction was held there. As soon as I entered the room everyone’s attention was focused on me. My mother, who looked a hot mess, hopped up and ran over to hug me around my neck. I looked on as my father was obviously shook up as well. My brother Shawn had the look of death on his face. That sinking feeling of despair and dismay covered the face of Jasmine, who was also in attendance. My grandmother looked like she wanted to pass out as well.

“What’s going on?” I asked as I pried my mother from around my neck.

“She’s not answering her phone. She’s not answering her phone. She’s not answering her phone. She’s not answering her phone.” She kept on repeating it as she looked at me.

“Who’s not answering their phone?” I looked around the room for an answer from anyone.

“You sister went out yesterday and that is the last time that we’ve seen her. Her phone goes straight to voicemail every time we call it,” my father said as he stood up. I hadn’t seen my father cry in a long time, but today, right now, he was letting them fall freely. It broke my heart to see him like this.

“Didn’t she say where she was going when she left?” I asked as tears welled up in my eyes. My twin was missing and I was almost instantly grief stricken. The flashback of the last time that she went missing in California flowed through my mind. She almost didn’t make it out that situation and now here we were in the same situation again.
What the hell is up with this family and kidnappings?

“No, she said that she wanted to take a walk and do some thinking,” Li’l Shawn said. “I knew I should have gone with her like Mommy said. She wouldn’t be missing if I would have gone with her,” he said as his voice began to tremble.

“Look everyone, calm down,” I said in as calm a voice as I could. “Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t have any information yet. Has anyone called Troy to see if she was with him or if he has talked to her?” I asked as I looked around the room. My mother had eased her way back across the room and into the arms of my grandmother. My youngest sister, Brittany, was huddled up next to my mother. She looked like she had been crying as well. My whole family was messed up right now.

“Yes, he said he tried to call her as well but he got the same result that we did when we tried. He said he would be here as soon as he can get off,” Jasmine said from the corner of the room.

“Okay, let’s get the police involved in this and see what they can do to help the situation.”

“We did that. They said that they will combine the cases since they are related. They also said that they would add another person to the case but they couldn’t make any promises,” Jasmine answered.

I looked at my father for some help, but he was looking out into space like he was lost. I was hoping he could pull some strings with a friend or something but I was assuming that would have been one of the first things he would have done already if he could, so that was out.

“Wallace.” I turned and looked at him because he was standing behind me with his hand on my shoulder. “What else can we do?

“Let’s track her cell phone. See where that leads us to.” He looked at me with hope in his eyes.

“Okay, let’s start there.” I nodded my head.

“Here’s her laptop.” My sister Brittany hopped up and ran it over to me.

 

 

I sat in the corner and marveled at Alex as he went into action. I didn’t know the fine brother who was next to him, but they both looked like they were about to get the business going as it pertained to finding Ashley. I was definitely going to be a ride along anywhere they had to go. Alex immediately went to work on Ashley’s laptop.

I looked around the room at all of the family who were in the room. It was quite amazing to see the cohesiveness of the family. You had Mr. Black’s mom consoling his wife. She was in very good control of her emotions right now. You could tell she was the stable head of the family. Even after all that the family had been through.

Then you had Mrs. Black who was an emotional wreck right now. Her hair was all over her head in a disheveled mess. She was still in her wrinkled pajamas and housecoat. Bloodshot eyes and a tearstained face also accompanied her present persona. Her family was going through some very trying times right now and she was feeling it. I felt her pain.

Next you had the baby of the Black family, Brittany, who was so full of energy and love right now. She was going back and forth to the kitchen for drinks and snacks for everyone in the room without a murmur of complaint. It was astonishing, because at her age most children were usually not that focused on the needs of others. But she was doing it up right now. It made me happy to see it.

There was also Li’l Shawn, the middle child. He was sitting next to Mr. Black and he was rubbing his father’s back. It, too, was mesmerizing to see. This family was close knit and even through the rough times they were here for each other and focused on the needs of all who were around.

A tear escaped my eye as I tried to blink them back. This was the epitome of a family. It was what I wanted. Needed. Strived for. I looked down at my stomach and smiled.
Soon I’ll have a family like this one!
I couldn’t wait for my baby to make its entrance. I had a little less than nine months to go but I was ready. I had my stuff in storage and my plan for my family was a go. Alex needed a little more persuasion to give us a go. I was waiting for that opportunity to arrive. My heart throbbed at the thought.

“Both of my babies are gone!” Mrs. Black let out a bellowed moan. It caused everyone in the room to turn their attention toward her. She started to shake and then fell limp in her mother-in-law’s arms. Mr. Black hopped up and went to his wife’s aid.

“Is she okay?” I asked in concern as I got up and moved closer. Since I was the caregiver for her mother and a private nurse I immediately went into caregiver mode. She looked like she had died. That was how limp she went. I had never seen anything like it in my life. I was consumed with concern. I reached back to the chair that I was sitting in and grabbed my purse. I quickly fumbled in my bag for what I needed and handed it to Mr. Black. He had a look of relief on his face as he placed the smelling salts under his wife’s nose and she slowly came back around. The look on everyone’s face was a collective look of relief of tension.

“I found the signal to her phone!” Alex jumped up with a smile on his face.

“Let’s get on it and track it down,” the guy who came with Alex suggested.

“I’m ready,” he said as he headed for the door.

“I’m going too,” I said as I gathered my things and trailed behind the two closely. They were moving rather quickly. It was expected.

We all hopped in the car and sped off in an unknown direction. I had to say that my mind and heart were racing as Alex drove through the streets like he had lost his mind. I could only imagine what was going through his head right now. He and Ashley were quite close. As close as they say twins can be. You know, like they feel each other’s pain and emotions at the same time.

The car came to a halt in a matter of fifteen minutes. We all hopped out as soon as we saw Ashley’s car. We were in a residential area with a manmade lake type of body of water in close proximity of the car.

Alex and the other guy ran up on the car and immediately opened the door. I watched from a close distance while they searched the car feverishly.

“Shit!” Alex got out of the car and huffed. “Her phone isn’t in here.”

“Let’s check the trunk,” the cute older guy suggested. The look on my face as they went into the car and popped the trunk was one of pure torment. I didn’t want to see my best friend being pulled from a trunk. It would have been too much to bear.

They popped the trunk and thankfully there was nothing in there but a spare tire and a few other car essentials. I immediately felt at ease until Alex looked at his phone and then turned his attention to the body of water that was in the area. My stomach plummeted once more from the thought of my best friend’s body being in it. This was too much to deal with.

“It says that the phone signal is coming from the body of water,” Alex said with dejection in his voice. The look on his face was one of pure and utter fear as I walked up on him and stood beside him.

“It can’t be,” I said with tears in my eyes. The thought of it caused my legs to lose their strength and I almost tumbled to the hard ground beneath me. If it weren’t for Alex’s quick reflexes that caught me in time, I would have had a few nasty bruises to nurse.

“Come on now, Jazz, let’s not jump the gun on this one. It could be her phone in the water and not . . .” He didn’t even finish his sentence before he was letting tears fall from his eyes. He had me cupped from the midsection of my back and close to him as he spoke. I felt so safe in his arms. He looked at me in my eyes as he spoke. It felt so good to be in a man’s arms. Especially, one who was in high regard on your list of potential mates.

“I know.” I sniffed back some tears and snot. “It’s too much to bear or think about. But I can’t help but think about it.” I put my hands on his firm chest as I got myself together and pulled away from him. I was mildly aroused as well.

“I need to head back home so I can brief my father on this situation. I don’t know how but I have to tell them it in a manner that doesn’t make it look like it looks.” He looked at the other guy and then at me.

“Wallace, Ashley’s car keys are still in the car. Do you think we should take it back home or leave it for evidence? Even though we potentially could have tampered with some evidence already?”

“I say leave it here. The police will want to look at it in its present state. And as far as evidence goes, I don’t think we did that much tampering for them not to be able to find pertinent clues to the case,” Wallace said with confidence that made me feel at ease.

“Okay, let’s head back home and get the police involved.”

All three of us hopped back in the car and headed back to the house to give everyone the heads-up on the situation. I was trembling as we got closer and closer to the house. This was like one of those scenes when you got a knock on the door from the army letting you know that your loved one who was fighting in a war was killed in action. This was not shaping up to be a very good time for me as an expectant mother. This type of stress could cause me to miscarry and I didn’t need that right now. But I ignored it and as soon as we got to the house I followed the two guys as they walked to the house with everyone still pretty much in the same spots as when we left them. They looked at us with anticipation.

Wallace was the one who eventually broke the news to everyone and most of the room looked on in somberness as he spoke. Mrs. Black was not too thrilled with the news and it led to another fainting spell and her having to be brought back around with smelling salts again.

 

 

I sat at my desk with my emotions running on high. I had gotten the call earlier in the day that Ashley wasn’t anywhere to be found and now I got the call that said they found her car and her cell was under a few feet of water. The stress of my boss coming to me every other day with the progress of this case of these murdered women was starting to get to me. I felt a throbbing headache on the horizon soon if I didn’t get my pressure down and fast. I really needed to get the hell out of here and see what the hell happened to Ashley. I was furious that someone was trying to up me in the offing of one of my victims. Ashley’s ass must have pissed somebody off and now they were gunning for her like I was along with the other two. I had to do some work to get this stuff done so I could make my exit. I needed to get on top of this situation.

A knock on my office door caused me to become even more frustrated. “Come in,” I bellowed.

My fuck boy partner on the case walked through the door. He had a smile on his face and something in his hand. “I haven’t heard from you in a few days. I came in for some work.” He sat on the edge of my desk with a smug look on his face. I looked at him with irritation written all over my face.

“This is not the time,” I said looking back toward what I was working on and not at him.

“Oh, I think this is the time.” He hopped off of the desk and waved a manila envelope in my face. I reached for it and he quickly pulled back and moved a distance away from me. My interest was now piqued as I look at him in wonder. What was in the envelope that he thought he could use as leverage to get some dick from me? He looked good in the outfit he had on and his behind look ripe for the picking.

“Right now is not the time to be playing games with me. I’m not in the mood and you could really get hurt by fucking with me right now.” I stated the facts as I got up from my chair and walked in his direction, stopping short of two feet from him.

He looked at me for a few seconds and then laughed. “What I have in this envelope will change your life and maybe the case, if you give me some of that wood on a permanent basis. Me likey.” He laughed again. I still didn’t find him funny but I did need to relieve some stress and there was no better way at the moment then busting a nut.

“You have a deal,” I said as I complied. I unzipped my pants and let my dick do what it did best. He gravitated toward me like a mouse to cheese. He fell to his knees instantly and took me into his mouth. He was a master at his head game. I reached for the envelope but he had as good a grip on it with his hand as his mouth had on my dick at the moment.

I palmed the back of his head and relished the good head that I was receiving. I felt all of my problems drain out of my balls, getting ready to release into his mouth.

“No, no, not so fast.” He grinned as he pulled up. “I want to feel that wood on the inside.” He unbuckled his pants and pulled his pants down. He had on no underwear, which let me know that he was trying to get fucked today. He pulled out a condom from his back pocket and slid it to me through his now-gapped legs. He was a show off for sure. I liked the show. I strapped up and slid in.

A low sigh of “ahhhh” slipped through my lips as I felt his warm walls gripping my dick. I eased out of him partially and then slammed into with force. A small yelp came out of his mouth. I felt it to be pleasurable and warning to not do it again. I didn’t want to alert anyone to what was going on.

I slowly and methodically pumped in and out of him so that we both would enjoy it and not get caught in the process. In a few quick pumps, I exploded inside of him and pulled out. I reached for the envelope and pushed him away in the process. He lost his balance and Nelson tumbled to the floor. After a few minutes, he got himself together and sat in the chair in front of my desk.

I sat down at my desk and opened the manila envelope. It contained a disc. I looked at him in curiosity. “How long have you had this disc?” I asked.

“I’ve had if for quite some time. I was waiting for the right moment to give it to you. I held it longer since you were being such an ass about everything. I have a copy of it so you won’t try to screw me out of credit for this case if there is something credible on it.”

“Did you review it?” I looked at him as I placed the disc in my laptop and waited for something to happen.

“No, I wanted to see what your reaction would be before I watched it.”

I thought that it was stupid for him to wait for me to watch it but I let him do him. “Do you know what it is?” I asked not looking at him.

“One of the owners of the club brought it in. I’m assuming it was footage of the club.”

He was right. It was footage of the club but I wanted to be alone as I watched this video. “Thanks for the help. You can exit my office. I will make sure you get all of the credit due to you.” He looked at me for a few more seconds before he got up to exit my office.

“Until next time,” he said as he exited my office.

I continued to survey what was on the disc until it got to a pivotal point and my mouth hung open in shock and amazement. I was now viewing footage of Jasmine going into the ladies’ bathroom and then the murdered chick going in right after her. Only one of the ladies exited the bathroom a few minutes later. I quickly paused the disc and fumbled through the papers on my desk for the autopsy of the deceased girl. I looked at the probable time of death for the victim and the time stamp on the video and almost lost my composure as I was excited for finding this information at the time that I did. This would help me in my personal life and in my professional one. Jasmine just became the missing piece to my puzzle.

I exited my office with the disc in hand. I hopped into my car and made my way over to the Black residence to get clued in on Ashley’s disappearance. This was a huge glitch in my plans. It made me feel uneasy and angry as I made my way over to the Black residence. I hated interruptions especially in my plans.