by Iris Bolling
Nate looked down at the keys to the Mustang. He looked up at Janice. “I can’t take these.”
“Yes, you can. That car was your and Alex’s baby. The time you two spent working on that piece of junk was just plain ridiculous,” she laughed. “But you loved it and so did he. No one would care for that car like Alex did but you.” She kissed Nate’s cheek. “I’ll see you at the club on Monday, partner. Now get out of here and go get laid.”
Nate watched as she walked from the kitchen into the living room then opened the front door. His feet were moving, but his mind was fighting back tears. He pulled her into a strong bear hug. “I loved him like a brother, you know.”
“I know.” Janice hugged him back.
“All right. I’m leaving before I embarrass myself.”
He walked out the front door ready to get out of the uniform and relax. It had been a hell of a few days he was thinking when he heard his name.
“Detective Reigns, a word before you leave.”
Nate turned to see the Chief walking from the side gate of the house. “Chief?”
“That address I gave you. 7 am tomorrow morning. Basement door, left side of the house.” Then the Chief did something that shocked him. He shook his hand as he hugged him. “I know you and Burnett were close,” he said as Deputy Chief Bynum and Captain Daniels approached.
“I appreciate that, Chief,” Nate spoke loud enough for the other men to hear.
“Take the rest of the weekend,” Deputy Chief Bynum ordered. “Captain Daniels here feels you need the time to deal with your loss. Clear your mind. I expect you back at your desk bright and early Monday morning.”
Nate glanced at the Chief and then the Captain. “Yes, sir,” he replied then got into his car and pulled off. When he reached a stop sign, Nate reached into his pocket and pulled out a key that Chief Williams had placed in his hand.
48
The emotions of the day had gotten the best of him. Seeing his friend’s body lowered into the ground had taken its toll. Nate needed to feel alive, something to ease the pain, and to jar his senses. He was not in the mood to talk or think, he just wanted to be.
The door he approached was answered on the first ring of the doorbell.
“Hi,” he said as he leaned against the doorjamb.
Ebony Sullivan, the thirty-two-year-old assistant to the Mayor, held her arms open. “You look like you need a friend.”
Nate walked in closing the door behind him as he pulled her into a warm embrace. No words were spoken as she took his hand and led him to her bedroom.
Two hours later, they laid half on, half off the bed; both reeling from the sexual release. Nate chuckled as her hand roamed over his bare chest. “You have a way of knowing just what I need at times.”
Ebony pushed up on her elbow as she looked down at him. “This was a no brainer. You’ve been blindsided by the loss of Alex. Today could not have been easy for you or his sister. I can tell you the Mayor is relieved you are leading the investigation. With a few more Reignses and Williamses, we could prepare the city for a bright future.”
“That’s a lot of pressure for two men. The kind of battle we are facing will need an army.”
“There are times when the quality and heart of a few men can take down a multitude of wrongdoers. You just need to know who and what you are fighting against. Do you know?”
With his hands behind his head, he replied, “Different people from all levels. I fear the Mayor has more to tackle than he knows.” Nate sighed. “The brass’ eagerness to close cases versus finding justice concerns me. That kind of pressure I don’t need.”
“It is a high-profile case,” she sighed. “The Mayor is getting questions from the media every hour on the hour. People are afraid if someone with Alex Burnett’s caliber can be killed in his home, so can they. I’m going to miss watching him walk through the hallways.”
Nate gave her a sideways look. “Is that so?”
“Damn right. Alex Burnett was a handsome man and could wear the hell out of a suit.” She smiled.
“I guess.” Nate shrugged.
“Is that a tad bit of jealousy I hear in your voice?”
“Jealousy, me? Of course not.” He smirked. “Maybe a little.”
“You look good in your suits too, when you wear them properly.”
“I know how to wear a suit.”
“You never wear a tie,” she chuckled.
He nodded. “Those days of suits with ties are over for me. That was courtroom attire, my attorney persona is in the past now.”
“You never know. Alex switched from a detective to an attorney.”
“By choice,” Nate replied. “I’m good where I am, for now. I will let the sharks have that arena to themselves.”
“Are you talking about your father?” she asked.
This conversation was going into an area Nate would rather avoid. Talking about his father would only spike his stress level and that was defeating the purpose of his visit. He turned her over onto her back, then eased himself between her thighs.
“I will deal with family tomorrow.” He kissed her. “Tonight, I need to clear my mind, release some tension, and enjoy the company of a beautiful woman.”
“Hmm, I think I can help with all of that,” she smiled. “I have a lifetime proven remedy for what ails you. The doctor’s office is open.”
Nate smiled, cleared his mind then settled into a night of pure satisfaction.
49
The next morning, precisely at 7 am, Nate put the key into the lock of the side door of the Mayor’s personal residence. To his surprise the key did not have to be turned to unlock the door. Once the key was inserted, it literally lit up. He heard the lock disengage, allowing the door to swing open.
“Detective Nathan Reigns is entering the premises.”
Nate smiled as he stepped into the room.
“Please remove your key from the lock. Retain it for future meetings,” the computerized door announced.
“Good morning, Detective Reigns.”
Nate recognized the woman who walked into the room with a tablet in her hand as the Mayor’s fiancée, Sapphire Lassiter. He remembered her as a reporter during her college years and that she was a major contributor to the Mayor’s successful campaign to her.
“Good morning and congratulations on your engagement,” Nate greeted.
“Thank you.” She beamed at her ring. “I’m still getting used to wearing it. May I get you a cup of coffee, tea, or a smooth Merlot?”
“Merlot,” Nate replied wondering how the woman knew what he liked.
“Merlot it is.” She walked over to a butler’s pantry, pulled out a bottle from the wines displayed inside a glass covering.
“Tell me that is temperature regulated.”
“It is.” She smiled.
“I’ve got to get me one of those.” Nate smiled.
“For a wine connoisseur like yourself, I’m surprised you don’t have one installed in your house.” She handed him the glass. “You certainly have the space for it.”
“Nate.” Mayor Palmer, his Chief of Staff, Grant Hutchinson, and Chief Williams walked in from the same doorway Sapphire had entered from. “Good morning and thank you for coming.” He extended his hand.
“Mr. Mayor, Chief, Grant, it’s good to see you.” Nate replied.
Grant shook his hand. “Good to see you too. My condolences on losing your friend.”
“Thank you.”
“In this room we are all equals. L.T. will do just fine.” The Mayor stated. “Let’s take a seat. I have a little over an hour before my soon-to-be wife whisks me off to early services at church.”
Sapphire chuckled. “I am a convenient blame box for him. Detective Reigns, this is your tablet. All notes about this meeting and those before today are loaded on here. Any actions taken by this committee will be summarized with each member’s responsibilities. There is a non-disclosure document we will require you to sign and return.”
> Nate watched as everyone took a seat at the oval- shaped table. Above their heads on the wall were three monitors. A diamond shaped controller was in the center of the table. Sapphire pushed a button on the controller turning on a monitor.
“The recent turn of events has led us to this moment,” the Mayor began. “Before we begin with today’s meeting, I want you to know the plan was to bring you into this investigation once we had a better handle on what we need you to concentrate on. The deaths of Alex, and now Judge Paula Reid, have driven that timeline up. Our setup here is simple, Chief Williams brings situations to my attention. We gather to decide priorities. Once that decision is made, Grant becomes the point man for my office. Sapphire is our in-depth investigator.”
“A few months back you stumbled into an investigation with federal implications,” Grant took over. “We are not at liberty to go into details about that investigation, we can only state that it has been completed. Since the Feds have wrapped up their case, we are now able to move forward with ours. When we took over the city, we found several corrupt activities were deeply rooted in city government. Some corrective actions were as simple as moving people around and replacing leadership in certain roles. However, we found that cure to be a problem when it came to the Richmond Police Department. The Police Union has a strong hold on promotions and terminations. Attempts to work with the leaders of the Union proved fruitless. In fact, we believe some of them may be the root of our problems there. The more we dug into their backgrounds, and those of some of our officers, we came to a disturbing conclusion. There is a viable working consortium of sorts within the department. From patrol officer up through the brass. Our investigation exposed something interesting that you may recognize.”
Sapphire turned on the monitor. A picture of Wyatt Chambers, the man Nate killed a few months ago, filled the screen. Below his picture were at least twenty officers who all had two things in common.
Nate sat back. “Yes, I have seen this vision in person.”
“We believe that Wyatt Chambers was in contact at some point in time with each of these officers. We also believe the organization he is affiliated with was making an attempt to infiltrate the Police Department with their brand of officers.”
“To what extent?” Nate asked Grant.
“We are not certain, but we do have our suspicions.”
“As do I,” Nate commented.
“We have to find a way to stop their progression within the department,” Chief Williams stated. “While I like having a diverse force, I need assurances that we are all following the same laws for all citizens.”
“I’m afraid the situation is worse than we first thought,” Mayor Palmer added. “It seems when Alex began investigating the situation with Officer Arthur Mosley, it led him to Wyatt Chambers and several judges.”
“Kennedy, Price, and Reid,” Nate offered.
“Correct,” Grant nodded. “Unfortunately, we believe someone within his office was also connected to Chambers.”
“Let me guess, William Whitaker.”
Sapphire hit the button to show a picture.
“William Whitaker,” Grant acknowledged.
“Do you think he had anything to do with Alex’s death?” Nate sat up as he asked.
“We have no proof,” the Chief stated. “But this incident with Prosecutor Burrell last night gave us an interesting connection. The piece of evidence Fire Chief Hasting collected the night of the incident generated a match to another vehicle fire. That fire also led to the death of another witness in the original federal investigation.”
“It was an attempt on her life. This also further solidifies that Alex was murdered.”
The Chief nodded. “We believe Whittaker is going to attempt to force a closure of the Alex Burnett case. I am ordering you now to put up a fight but place the case in a drawer.”
“What?” a surprised Nate questioned.
“We are going to use the case to pull people out,” Sapphire explained. “We believe you and Ms. Burrell are on the verge of finding the proof to connect Alex’s case to the judges’ bribery case.”
“Which, with any luck, will lead us to the people behind Wyatt Chambers,” Mayor Palmer stated as he glanced at Nate. “You are the key to uncovering who is attempting to take over our justice system from the inside out, discovering who killed Burnett and the reasons behind both.”
Nate exhaled. “The federal case was closed because DOJ was ordered to shut it down by heavy hitters in Congress. My thoughts lead me to think what is happening in the city has far-reaching implications. I believe we have an active branch of White supremacists working within the city. It’s hard to determine what their goal is without having someone on the inside.”
“How did you know Congress ordered the case closed?” L.T. asked.
“Assistant AG Haskell met with Prosecutor Burrell to advise her of the situation.”
Grant nodded. “It is good to know they brought her on the inside. She is someone we determine to be an asset.”
“And you are correct, Detective Reigns,” Sapphire added. “I fear there are wide-ranging implications if this manifests into an emergence of White supremacy activity in our area. I believe the proof of that is in the hanging of Alex and Reid.”
“What about Reid?” Nate asked. “The name she provided implicates Cory Vaughan may be on the take.”
“Why is that?” Sapphire asked.
“The name Judge Reid gave us was his father, Christian Vaughan.” Nate advised.
Sapphire nodded. “An inquiry has been placed into him.”
“You’re not going to get much. Prosecutor Burrell received push back when she made a request.”
“She doesn’t have our connections,” Sapphire exhaled. “I like our chances on vetting Mr. Vaughan.”
“We should proceed with caution on Cory Vaughan,” L.T. stated. “We do not want to hold the son accountable for his father’s actions. Until we have proof of his involvement, we need to perceive him as an innocent victim of complacency.”
“I’m not certain I buy the innocent victim piece,” Chief Williams shifted in his seat. “However, until we know more, let’s keep an eye on him.”
“Now that we have an idea of what we are fighting against, we need to prepare our minds for what is to come,” Grant stated. “Look around the room. Every one of us is a threat to them merely because of the color of our skin.”
“Why Richmond?” Nate asked. “There are larger cities other than Richmond with high populations of African Americans. Why not D.C.? It’s where the capitol is located.”
“D.C. is not their capitol,” Sapphire explained. “Richmond was the capitol of the confederacy. They are fighting the battle of the past. If they capture Richmond to reclaim what was once their capitol, there will be an unprecedented rise in membership.”
“Placing us in an uphill battle to retain democracy as we know it.” Nate summarized. “It seems we have opened Pandora’s Box.”
“We?” Chief Williams chuckled. “You opened this box.”
“And now I’m tasked with closing it.” Nate shook his head.
“We are tasked with closing it,” Sapphire concluded. “You are not alone.”
50
His mind was finally on track with the case. Yes, he was going to have to put it in the drawer for a while, but Nate had to believe Alex would understand. It was not justice denied. It would be justice delayed for a greater cause. He was going to finish what Alex set out to do: identify the officers and other parties attempting to dismantle the justice system, and then he was going to have Alex’s killer or killers brought to justice.
Pulling into the secure parking area under the canopy of the Vista on the James condominium building, Nate was happy to discover that Skylar had given him access before his arrival. That allowed him entry into the building without having to deal with security. The security of the condos was high, as was the price of each unit, but it was well worth it. The location was on the ca
nal walk and had great views of the downtown area of the city and the James River. The building had high-end furnishings and great amenities. He had a good idea where Skylar’s salary fell, but she lived there with her sister who could afford to buy the entire building with what she made from one photoshoot.
“Door’s open,” he heard her say before he knocked.
“How did you know I was here?”
She pointed to the monitor on her island. “When you give your name at the gate, they send a notification to the resident.”
“Nice place.” He nodded in appreciation as he glanced around. The slate flooring rather than hardwood gave the place a stately look and feel. The all- white kitchen with gold trim showed someone had a taste for quality. “Marble, nice,” he said as he took a seat at the island. “A lot of people are going with quartz these days.”
“Tylar likes high-end, low maintenance.”
“Whoa, look at that picture.” He was eyeing a large picture over the fireplace in the great room. “She is beautiful.”
“Thank you. That’s me,” Skylar said as she pointed behind him next to the door. “That’s Tylar.
Nate’s head turned from one picture to the other. “Damn.” He looked up at her. “Why did you pick the courtroom instead of the runway?”
“I have two left feet,” she replied as she placed a glass of wine in front of him. “Wine, plans,” she said as she sat next to him with her tablet and glass of wine.
“It seems wine is the Sunday morning drink.”
“It starts my day off right,” Skylar replied.
Nate shook his head at her reply. “Did you hire security?”
“No.”
“Why the hell not?” Nate frowned. “Someone tried to kill you the other night and was successful in killing Reid.”
“I have you. You are not going to allow anything to happen to me. Besides, you predicted Reid was a goner.”
Nate glared at her. “While I appreciate the vote of confidence, I’m not with you twenty-four-seven. You are going to need someone watching your back.”
