Velvet Mafia

by Lydia L Watts

  “Brother Walls,” the Elders said, “today you still have life. The gods must be protecting you.”

  “Yes, Elder.” Walls looked up to where the voice was coming from.

  “But your job is not over,” the Elder replied. “Teddy Alexander is still alive and she has to be disposed of. We want her execution to be public. We also want you to take your new assignee with you. If what you told us is true, most likely Brother Eli died of his wounds and with his death, our secret died, too. So now that you are assuming Brother Eli’s role, you are also assuming the responsibility of his assignee, Guy Yeager. We know you helped Yeager dispose of Taylor DuBois; do you still have the gun used to kill her?”

  “Yes, I do,” Walls replied, stunned they knew he had participated in the unsanctioned disposal.

  “And I assume you also have the gun you used to kill Whitherspoon, too. Is my assumption correct?”

  “Yes, Elder. Your assumption is correct.”

  “Then I want you and your assignee to attend the DaKira Symposium at Howard University. I want you and Yeager to dispose of Alexander and a new target, the Reverend Hershel Wiley. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Elder, and this time I —”

  “This is your last reminder, Brother Walls,” the Elder said. “Speak only when given permission. Now here are your instructions.” Out of the dark, someone placed an envelope in his hand.

  Then, without warning, the door behind Walls opened and standing in the light was his driver.

  The driver dropped Walls off at the bottom of the other side of Rock Creek Park, just as he’d been instructed, directly behind Yeager’s home. If Eli was there, Jason would take him by surprise. By now, Eli would have his strength back, so he knew he couldn’t make any mistakes. The first time Eli had spared him. The second time he might not be so lucky.

  From where he stood, Walls could see that Yeager was definitely home. And based on how he was acting, he was in one of his agitated moods, something he’d witnessed on several occasions as Yeager’s assignee. But now, things would be different.

  Walls approached the house and found the side door unlocked. Was it a trap? Once inside, he moved cautiously. He had to first check the other rooms to see if Eli was there. He’d deal with Yeager once he knew the coast was clear. Since Yeager’s home was all one level, it was easy for him to check everywhere without being noticed. And this time, if he encountered Eli, he would shoot first and ask questions later because whatever he wanted to know about the satchel, he would find out from Yeager.

  Walls finished his search; Eli was nowhere to be found. Now Yeager was his priority. Slowly, Walls crept down the hall, stopping a few feet from where Yeager was standing.

  “Hello, Guy.” Walls stood in an unlighted corner.

  Yeager turned quickly toward the voice. He was stunned to see that someone was in his home, and of all people, the assignee who had betrayed him.

  “How did you get in my house? And how dare you come to my home unannounced after what you did? I specifically told you to hide Taylor’s body permanently and you failed to do what I asked. You imbecile. I should have you disposed of.”

  Walls found humor in the dialogue Yeager was having with himself, and he couldn’t wait to see his face when he handed over the envelope from the Others.

  “So why are you here?” Yeager asked, face fully flushed with anger. “What do you want?”

  “I have a message for you from the Elders,” Walls said calmly. Then he handed over the envelope, sealed with the insignia.

  After reading what was inside, Yeager began to tremble: he had just insulted his handler. The power had shifted and Walls could tell he was now in full control.

  “I can see that you understand your instructions,” Walls said calmly. “Do you have any questions of me?”

  “No, Brother,” Yeager replied humbly.

  “Good! Now I have a question for you. Where is Brother Eli?”

  “I haven’t seen Brother Eli for several days. The last time I saw him, he almost killed me.”

  “What did he want with you?” Walls asked.

  “He wanted to know what I had on Blake Jones. I told him Jones knew I was present when Isabella Cardosa was killed. I also told him Jones was the legitimate heir to the Clydesdale fortune. However, if he died, the entire fortune would come under my control. I wanted Eli to kill Blake, and if he did, I said I would split the fortune with him.”

  “Well, did he take you up on it?” Walls asked.

  “I don’t know because I haven’t heard from or seen him since. In two months, if Blake hasn’t changed a provision of his father’s will — which, based on my reports, he hasn’t — I will officially be the estate’s beneficiary when he dies.” Yeager could see Walls thinking and he assumed he was thinking about the estate’s fortune. But his assumption was wrong.

  “Enough!” Walls said. “I’m not interested in your monetary gains. You and I have an assignment. In three days the DaKira Symposium will be held at Howard University. You and I will attend that event, and while there, we will dispose of two targets: Teddy Alexander and Rev. Hershel Wiley. You will be stationed on the lower level and in the back. Once the press conference is over, they will head into the large auditorium. During this transition, we will take out our targets. Have I made myself clear?”

  “Yes, Brother,” Yeager replied, sensing his life had forever changed. Yeager knew he couldn’t say anything but yes. He had received his orders from his new sponsor, and his new sponsor had received his orders from the Others. If Yeager wanted to be alive to spend Blake’s money, he had to acquiesce and do as he had been instructed.

  ACT IV

  THE RECKONING

  The action or process of calculating or estimating something

  Chapter 25

  BY 8:00 AM, Howard University had started to fill up with DaKira Symposium attendees. Every worldwide media outlet had identified its spot on the lawn leading up to the great hall where the symposium would be held. And due to the nature of the event, the District was on high alert. Commander Racine had men positioned everywhere, and the FBI, the CIA, and the White House police had done the same.

  As dignitaries arrived, their credentials were checked and they were given their assigned seats. Heads of states and representatives of the United Nations sat up front while those living with the disease sat behind them.

  All the invitees, including other government officials, local politicians, AIDS advocates, and community-based organizations, followed the prescribed seating pattern and all seemed to accept the rules laid down by the DaKira representatives. Even the White House followed suit. Several key advisors had been invited to attend and they had all showed up. The thought that the government had a role in the development of AIDS was taking its toll, so everyone had been put on notice.

  Hershel Wiley and several other national and international clergy were present for the opening press conference. These men and women represented every faith including Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Jews. Each representative had read the DaKira Papers and had been asked to make recommendations as to the role the US government should take since it had been found that the accusations had merit. Despite Wiley’s presence, a soft-spoken rabbi and crusader for human rights would take the lead and speak for the world’s religions.

  Once the press conference started, you could hear a pin drop. Those in position to share information were provided the opportunity to do so without interruption. When it was time for questions from the press corps, each person responding answered with authority, understanding, and proof.

  The press conference ended on time and those in attendance began to migrate to the great room for the symposium. The press left first because they needed the opportunity to be seated quickly in their respective locations. Just as at the press conference, cameramen lined the wall of the great room. There were so many cameras in the room that chances were, if you later looked at the video and photos closely enough, you would be able to s
ee if any attendee’s hair had been out of place.

  Teddy, Blake, and Wiley stayed back with the clergy long enough for all the others to make it to the great room and be seated. They knew the panel had to be in place before they entered the room. But, before the leaders and the clergy could begin their entrance, each and every member of Reverend Wiley’s cohort took turns leading their small group in prayer. One would think, based on the energy in the room and their shared beliefs, that if these men and women ruled the world, there would be no wars fought between them in the name of God, country, or religion.

  What was especially clear was that they all felt a strong need to pray for Teddy. Whatever else they believed, they knew she needed protection and that’s what they prayed for. When they were through, each turned and walked into the great room where hundreds of people waited.

  As the final clergy headed toward the great room, Teddy felt both a sense of peace and purpose. She was ready for anything about to happen. She knew that if she died at that very moment, she had made her peace with God and He had showed her that heaven was hers. She no longer feared or questioned where she would go if she left this life, and was grateful that if she had to go doing what she was about to do, then so be it.

  In a funny sort of way, Teddy found humor in her current position. Here she was, surrounded by all these men and women of God — one who’d long been a father figure, others who barely knew her, but believed in what she was doing — and then there was Blake. She could finally honestly admit that the man who stood directly in front of her, using his own body to protect her from harm, was the only man she had ever fallen in love with.

  For that moment, Teddy thought about what she had just admitted to herself. And she smiled. It finally resonated from within that on the most important day of her life, she was in love.

  Wiley had received word it was time for them to move into the great room. Everyone was in position. First would be Wiley, then Blake, and then Teddy. As Teddy waited for the last of the clergy to get settled, she pulled Blake close and lightly kissed his lips.

  “Thank you, Blake. I want you to know, if anything happens to me, I love you.”

  “I know, Teddy, and stop worrying. You can’t have faith and fear in the same house. Right?”

  How could she argue with that? He knew she loved him and he also knew her faith would see her through.

  As they finally entered the room and started heading up the steps to the stage, a voice from the crowd yelled something. Then there was a loud noise like that caused by an explosion, and smoke started to billow. Suddenly people were running in every direction trying to find refuge from the smoke that was now starting to collapse airways.

  Several shots rang out — one, two, three, then four. The attack seemed to have stopped with the fourth shot. People in the auditorium were coughing and crying as they were ushered out by police, while those on the stage tried to ascertain the damage.

  Blake could see that everybody was down, but he couldn’t see where Teddy was. Bodies were everywhere, and from the carnage left behind, it was clear several people had been hit by the hail of bullets.

  Blake crawled around the stage moving bodies. All the clergy seemed to be okay, so he kept on searching. He knew that based on the order they had entered the room and climbed to the stage, he should soon see Reverend Wiley — and Teddy should be somewhere behind him.

  Once Blake got his bearings, he could see Wiley and that he was moving.

  Then he passed Wiley and finally made it to where he thought Teddy should be, only to find Eli lying on top of her. Tears filled Blake’s eyes as if a dam had broken as he pulled Eli off her. He was convinced by the way she just lay there, and the amount of blood he could see, that she was dead. Feeling distraught and alone, Blake could do nothing but pick her up and pull her close to him. He cried like a man drenched in loss.

  While Blake continued to rock Teddy, Charlie and Racine reached his position on the stage. Racine started checking to see how the others were doing while Charlie examined Eli.

  “She’s dead, Charlie; she’s dead,” Blake said, crying. “He killed her.”

  Before Charlie could respond, he heard Racine yell for a paramedic.

  “Reverend Wiley has been hit; I need some help right now!”

  The air in the auditorium was stagnant with a stench of chaos. But, despite everything going on around him, Blake couldn’t move. People were running around helping the injured, looking for friends, and doing everything they could to recover from what had happened just moments before. But Blake was paralyzed in his grief. All he could do was hold the woman he loved in his arms as his tears dropped endlessly.

  Then she moved. Then she moved again. This time, he wiped away his tears as if they interfered with his ability to feel her moving.

  “It’s okay, Blake. I’m all right. It’s okay. Where is Eli? Where’s Eli? He saved my life. When the shots started to ring out, he pulled me behind him. Do you hear me, Blake? Eli saved my life.”

  Still wiping his tears away, it took Blake a moment to comprehend what she was saying. Now he cried again, this time with overwhelming joy, just knowing she was alive.

  “I love you, Teddy,” he said as he kissed her all over her face. “I don’t know what I would have done without you. Are you all right? Have you been hit?”

  “I’m fine, Blake,” she said as she gently pointed to the titanium vest she was wearing. “Find Eli.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll be back. If this blood isn’t yours, it has to be Eli’s. So hold still, baby, okay?”

  Blake left Teddy and went toward where Eli had been moved by others helping to do triage. When he reached him, he could see Eli’s wound was fatal and he was dying. When Eli opened his eyes, he smiled at the sight of Blake standing over him.

  To Blake, he no longer looked like the man who, days earlier, had said he was bred to kill. Now he simply looked like his friend, the man he had played racquetball with, beat in dominoes, and let win in chess.

  “Hold on, Eli,” Blake said. “The paramedics are on the way. Just hold on.”

  “I’ll do my best, brother,” Eli replied. “But I don’t know how long I have.”

  Blake could tell Eli was resigned to the fact that death had finally knocked on his door, but Blake wasn’t resigned. He wanted Eli to live.

  Eli coughed, and then said with a fading voice, “I want you to know that I meant what I said the other day at the safe house. I’m sorry for all the pain and harm I have caused.”

  “Be quiet, Eli,” Blake said. “The paramedics are on their way. You need to conserve your strength.”

  “Just one more question, brother,” Eli replied, struggling to form his words. “Can someone like me find forgiveness?”

  Blake had heard that question before. He hadn’t had the answer then and he didn’t know if he had one now. The first time Eli had asked him, his heart had been hardened, and all he’d been able to do was wish he had what it took to kill him. Now he sat there holding the man who had just saved the one person he loved more than anyone, and he still couldn’t give him his answer. Blake held Eli as he had held Teddy earlier. He knew that for him to forgive Eli would take some time, so he asked God for an answer.

  Dear God, please help me. Tell me what it is you want me to say and tell me what it is you want me to know.

  Please, Lord, help me.

  Blake could see that the man he held in his arms was beginning to drift. Afraid God didn’t have enough time to provide him with the answer, Blake decided to tell Eli what his mother had always told him about forgiveness. “Eli,” Blake said, “look at me. Open your eyes.”

  Eli knew his time was short, but with every inch of strength he had, he opened his eyes.

  “When you need forgiveness, Eli, all you have to do is ask God to forgive you, and believe that He did the very moment you asked. Then, my friend, you have to forgive yourself.”

  For a moment, Blake could see that his words had brought Eli comfort
. No longer did he look troubled. Instead, he clearly had found peace and God’s grace. Blake knew it was time.

  But before Eli would shut his eyes for the last time, he motioned for Blake to come closer. “Watch, Charlie, Blake. Watch, Charl … .”

  Realizing that Eli had finally succumbed, Blake gently laid him down on the floor and then returned to where Teddy and the others were. He couldn’t believe that seconds before his death, of all things for Eli to share with him had been a warning.

  After the emergency vehicles had taken the wounded to hospitals and the dead to the morgue, Commander Racine addressed the press which had been on site the entire time. In deference to the injured and the victims, no television stations had released the live feed that had captured the event. They all wanted to wait for Racine, who appeared to have everything under control.

  Standing with him behind the podium were several officers, the city manager, and members of the FBI, including Charlie Henderson.

  “Good afternoon, everyone,” Commander Racine said. “Today is a very sad day for the District of Columbia. Three people were killed, including two gunmen and my good friend, Rev. Hershel Wiley. It was during our investigation of the murder of Taylor DuBois that we received a tip that an assassination attempt would take place during the DaKira Symposium and that those responsible would be members of an elite group of hit men known as the Velvet Mafia.

  “As part of a joint effort among the DC police, the FBI, and the CIA, we uncovered that the sponsors of today’s symposium — Teddy Alexander, Blake Jones, and the Reverend Hershel Wiley — were scheduled for termination as a result of the work they had done in exposing the AIDS conspiracy.

  “At approximately 10:15 this morning, three men — Councilman Guy Yeager, Agent Jason Walls, and Eli Edelstein — entered the room and began shooting. We don’t know how they made it past security with their weapons, but we can logically assume they were able to do so because of their social and political stature. Since this is still an ongoing investigation, we believe there will be others linked to and/or directly involved in this conspiracy. At this point, I have nothing further to say.”