Once You'Ve Touched the Heart (5 page)

JD could care less about the popularity aspect of this case or where Gavin wanted to go politically. His concern was the children in the neighborhood. Gangs were recruiting at the age of ten or eleven. JD believed all children should have
what his father had given to him and his sister: a childhood.

“Good morning, Mrs. Langston, how are you today?” JD smiled as he entered the office.

Mrs. Langston was the receptionist for the DA’s office. She was a wise elderly woman with a knack for dealing with people. She loved JD and treated him as if he was one of her children.

“Hello, Mr. Harrison. I am well, how about you?”

“Hanging in,” he replied.

“Here are your messages, and just so you know, Mr. Roberts is on the prowl for you.”

JD hung his head. “Why? What could he possibly want to know this early in the case?”

Mrs. Langston hunched her shoulders. “Who knows?”

“Thanks for the heads up,” JD said as he started to walk away. He stopped and turned back to her. Before he could say a word, she handed him a sandwich bag containing oatmeal raisin cookies. JD took the bag and put it in his suit pocket, looked around to see if anyone was looking.

“This is our secret,” he said.

“I won’t say a word.” She smiled.

JD returned the smile and headed to his office.

Mrs. Langston shook her head. “My Lord, if I was twenty years younger.”

Calvin met JD at his office door and handed him a file. “Here we go again. Are you ready?” he said with a touch of excitement.

“As ready as ever,” JD replied. “Did we investigate everyone from the top down?”

“Yes, and from what I can tell we are looking at a major player and three small ones. But we could clear several unsolved murders and indict on at least one kingpin charge and that’s just for starters.”

“Okay, let’s see what we have,” JD said as he took his seat behind his desk.

Calvin sat in the chair directly in front of the desk. Before JD had opened the file, Brian, one of his boys from high school and a federal agent, came in.

“JD, what’s up, man? Thanks for the recommendation.”

“Hey, B, nothing to it. They said get who you need on this case, so I opted for the best.”

They shook hands and Brian hit Calvin on the shoulder. “Hey, Cal, how’s it going?”

“Hey, B,” Calvin replied.

“This is going to be a big one,” Brian commented as he took a seat.

“Yes, it is, that’s why I need you at the beginning of this case,” JD replied.

“Okay, I’m here and I see you have the file. I ran an investigation on everyone, but did an in-depth on Albert Day. He is the brains behind this group.”

JD opened the file. “Okay, give me the run down”

Calvin started, “From what I read, we have a thug with a conscience. He sets his people up well. Gives them forty percent of the take and makes them work towards cleaning up by starting legit businesses under another name. Some of those who followed his lead have a good small business being run by a relative and in that relative’s name.”

“So we can’t touch the legit stuff,” JD interjected.

“Right,” Calvin acknowledged, “but everything else is open season.”

“Give me a ball park.” From the summary JD was getting, he formed a certain curiosity for this man. This man was looking out for the community and his people. He was putting his people’s future before profit. JD had to respect that. He continued to read the file as Calvin summarized. Calvin was quoting figures when something in the file caught JD’s attention. In reading the family bio on Day, he noticed the name of his little sister.

Brian, who is very observant, caught the look on JD’s face. “What is it, JD?”

Calvin stopped talking and looked up.

“I know that name from somewhere,” JD replied.

“What name?” Calvin asked.

“Tracy Washington.”

“Day’s little sister?” Brian asked.

“Yeah, where in the hell do I know that name from?” JD wondered.

“One of your many conquests,” Calvin joked.

JD laughed. “I don’t think so, but maybe. There have been many, you know.”

“Yes, we know. I’m still trying to catch up,” Calvin replied.

Brian laughed at Calvin. “Like you could.”

JD laughed along, all the while knowing this name meant something to him; he just did not know what. The conversation turned back to the file. By the end of the meeting, the three had developed a strategy to start the case. Calvin and Brian left, after all agreed to meet at their hangout spot, Maxi’s, after work.

Later in the day, JD was in Gavin’s office giving him an update on the case when it came to him. Tracy Washington was Ashley’s roommate. JD stopped mid-sentence and told Gavin he wanted to dig a little deeper before he went on. Gavin did not make much of it. He knew JD was a perfectionist and probably wanted to make sure of events prior to conferring with him.

“All right JD, get back with me when you are ready. Is this one we can win?”

JD’s mind was on Ashley now. “I’ll get back to you on that one, Gavin.”

JD left the room with no idea what he was supposed to get back to Gavin on. He took out his cell and called Brian. “B, man I need to see you, where are you?”

JD met Brian in the parking deck. “B, I know the sister and I pray I’m wrong.”

“Man, don’t tell me Calvin was right,” Brian laughed.

“No, man.” JD hit Brian on the shoulder. “Tracy Washington is Ashley’s roommate.”

“Your sister Ashley?”

“Yes! When you ran the investigation on Day did you come across anything on the sister?” JD asked, hoping to get something to eliminate Tracy.

“No. There was no communication between them. There was communication between Day, the older sister and his mom, but nothing with the little sister. In fact, there was no communication between the little sister and the rest of the family. From what I got, she left for college and never looked back.”

“Did anything indicate what college she attended or when?” JD asked desperately.

“Nothing on where, just that she disappeared at that time.”

JD shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. His mind was racing. He remembered Tracy not keeping in touch with her family and her having a brother.
That was too much to be just a coincidence. “Tracy and Ashley have a business together,” he said. “We need to make sure there is no connection between Day and that business before we go any further.”

Brian had known JD and Calvin since high school and could read both of them like a book. At that moment, he knew JD needed other possibilities to this scenario. “Could it be another Tracy Washington?” he asked.

“I hope so,” JD replied wishfully as he slid into Brian’s black Suburban. JD called Ashley’s cell. There was no answer. He called the office, and Monica, the receptionist answered. “Hello, Next Level.”

“Hi, Monica, it’s JD. Is Ashley in?”

“Yes, JD, she is on another line. Would you like to hold?”

“No, thanks, Monica. Is Tracy in?”

“Yes, she is. Would you like to speak with her?”

“Yes, thank you.” JD held the line.

“Tracy Washington, may I help you?”

“Hi, Tracy, this is Jeffrey.”

Tracy knew who he was the moment he said hi. She had not seen or really talked to him since graduation, but she knew it was Jeffrey. The churning inside her stomach told her so.

Talk, girl…talk
, Tracy coaxed herself. “Hi, Jeffrey, how have you been?”
Stupid, stupid, stupid, you were supposed to say something provocative, not how you been
…. Tracy rolled her eyes at herself.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” he replied.

“What can I do for you?” Tracy asked.
Okay that was a little better; weak but better
, Tracy thought.

“Tracy.”

She thought for a moment, because in her mind, that conversation was going a little different.
Oh, something like, I can’t live without you in my life any longer, be my lady. Oh, if only for one night….

“Tracy?” JD called out when she did not reply.

“I’m sorry, Jeffrey. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, things are fine, but I need to talk to you alone.”

“Okay, it sounds serious.” When Jeffrey did not respond, Tracy continued. “You can park in the back and come in the door on the right, it leads into my office. I’ll unlock it so you can just walk in.”

“Thanks, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Okay, see you then.”

“What’s the plan?” Brian asked as JD closed his phone.

“No plan, just straight
questions and hopefully some straight answers.”

♥

Tracy was in her office wondering what Jeffrey wanted to talk about. She looked at the calendar; it wasn’t Ashley’s birthday. Maybe it was something about his mom. Either way it did not matter why he was coming—he was coming. She checked herself out in the mirror. Looking nice mattered to her now. One man mattered.

Ashley had taken a lot of time to teach Tracy how to dress and how to carry herself. Tracy had the “it” factor, that certain something every man looks for in a woman, but she was clueless to it. Tracy looked at her reflection in the mirror. The black, sleeveless, mock turtleneck dress she wore was fitting in the right places; black three-inch heels, sheer stockings and a red blazer, which was on the back of her chair. She was presentable, she thought. Her hair was worn straight, falling right at her shoulders.

The change in Tracy’s appearance was not by choice. Ashley came out of her room one Saturday morning, turned to Tracy, who was in the kitchen, and threatened, “If I see you in a ponytail one more day I’m going to strangle you with it. Come on, you’re going with me today.”

“Going with you where?” Tracy asked.

“To see Penne.”

“Who is Penne?”

“My hairstylist.”

At first sight, Penne screamed, “Girl, you need help, quick, somebody call 911.” Penne got hold of Tracy and she was changed forever. Sensing Tracy was a little uncomfortable, Penne did not go overboard, as he had a tendency to do. However, he knew the girl had serious “what if” potential. He closed his eyes, put his free spirit back into his inner box and went to work on Tracy. He did a relaxer, a cut, a wrap, and then used a flatiron to bump her hair out. When Ashley saw the results, she turned to Penne and said, “Girrrrrl, what a little relaxer and a flat iron can do….” She gave Penne a high five. Penne responded, “Girl, a sista got the gift and I had to use it.” They both fell out laughing. Tracy looked in the mirror and could not believe it was her. She actually looked okay; no, better than okay, she looked good. From that day on Tracy took a little more time getting dressed in the morning. With a new wardrobe, she discovered a new person. Tracy had a little more pep in her step when she went out the door now. She knew the new her was working. She started getting all kinds of attention from men. But at the moment, that little confidence was all going out of the window, because he was walking through the door.

“Tracy?” Jeffrey said as he looked around the opened door.

“Hi, Jeffrey.” Tracy extended her hand and he hesitated for a moment.

“Hello, Squirt Two, it’s been a while.” JD smiled.

“Yes, it has been,” she responded with a smile.

“You’ve changed a little,” JD said, but her smile still had the same effect on him.

“I hope that’s a good thing,” she replied nervously.

Brian stepped in the door behind JD. Noticing him, Tracy spoke. “Hello, I’m Tracy Washington,” and she extended her hand.

“Hi, Brian Thompson,” he replied in a deep voice and shook her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Thompson.”

“Oh, Brian, please,” Brian replied pleasantly.

JD glared at Brian.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Tracy said as she left the room.

Both men watched as she walked across the room and out. They stared at the closed door for a moment. “DAMN,” they both breathed simultaneously.

“Man, what is wrong with you, you didn’t introduce us. That was rude, and you didn’t say she was a dime,” Brian stated.

A dime, she’s a whole damn dollar bill
, JD thought, but before he could respond to Brian, Tracy came back in the room.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to make sure we were not disturbed. You sounded so serious on the phone. Please have a seat,” Tracy said and pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk. “How may I help you?”

JD and Brian looked at each other as Tracy watched them. Neither of them wanted to approach the subject with her now. However, JD had to, for Ashley.

Tracy spoke first. “Jeffrey, you have never been a man who had to search for words. Come on, it can’t be that bad,” she teased.

Tracy had eyes that looked all the way into a man’s soul, combined with an electrifying smile—a man could lose his mind. JD remembered the feeling well. Today her smile brought back those feelings he had buried years ago.

Brian sensed something was off with JD. So he began talking. “Ms. Washington.”

“Tracy,” she corrected.

“Okay, Tracy,” Brian replied and smiled. “I’m a federal investigator working on a case with JD and your name came up.”

“My name?” Her expression was marked with confusion.

“Yes, in connection with the case,” Brian clarified.

“I can’t imagine why my name would come up in connection to any case, federal or otherwise. Are you sure it’s not another Tracy Washington?”

“Tracy,” JD spoke up, “does the name Albert Day mean anything to you?”

“Yes, he’s my brother,” she frankly replied.

“The brother who taught you how to dance, cook and
play ball? That brother?”

“Yeah,” she replied, surprised he remembered
that. “He’s the only brother I’m aware of. Why?”

“Then we do have the right person,” Brian stated.

“When was the last time you saw or spoke with your brother?” JD asked.