One Way To Heaven

by J. M. Benjamin

  “On it.” Sonya scurried towards the room where Shell was resting.

  Mia watched as Heaven began moving the living room furniture around. “We’re going to use this.” She pointed to the printed rug. Together, her and Mia lifted Anita’s body and carried her over and onto the rug. Within minutes, they had her tightly rolled up in a bundle.

  “Mi, go in the kitchen and see if you can find any rope or something to tie this up.”

  “Got you,” Mia replied making her way towards the kitchen.

  Meanwhile Heaven went to her room and retrieved the duffle bag containing the $160,000 they had to their name. She knew it wasn’t enough to carry out her initial plans, but it was a start. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it she told herself. Mia was already tying up the rug when Heaven returned to the living room. After securing the rug and getting Shell into the SUV, Heaven along with Sonya and Mia hopped in their getaway vehicle and pulled off from the place they had been calling home for nearly a year. Twenty minutes later, they were pulling off from the lake they had dumped Anita’s body in and was floating on I-95 North bound headed back to where it all began…

  Chapter Twenty- Four

  The three dogs heads all shot up at the same time at the sound of the car approaching. One by one, they all dove off the porch and began sounding off with their respective barks.

  By the time the patrol car had reached the front of the house the welcoming committee consisting of a Hound, German Sheppard and a Terrier, had them surrounded.

  “Friendly lil’ bunch ain’t they,” Saleski joked.

  “I reckon,” Sheriff James replied.

  Just then an elderly short woman with a full set of dull grey hair appeared on the porch. Saleski noticed she was wearing a checkered apron and bore a wooden cooking spoon in her hand.

  “Larry, Curly and Moe, get on up here,” the elderly woman shouted at the three dogs.

  A huge grin appeared across Saleski’s face at the names the dogs possessed.

  “Welcome to the south Detective.” Sheriff James matched his grin.

  The two men exited the patrol car as soon as the dogs obeyed their master and made a mad dash back to the porch.

  “Afternoon Joyce,” Sheriff James addressed the woman by her first name.

  “Sheriff,” she replied dryly.

  “Is Lou home?” Sheriff James inquired about her husband.

  “Afraid not, is there some sort of problem?” the woman asked.

  “This here’s detective Saleski from New Jersey,” he introduced.

  “Maam.” Saleski bowed.

  “What can I do for you gentleman.”

  “Mind if we come up?” Sheriff James asked.

  “Ya’ll go on in the house.” She opened the screen door and let the dogs inside.

  Sheriff James and Saleski made their way onto the porch once the dogs were secure.

  “Now what’s this all about?”

  “Mrs. Abrams,” Saleski opened up with the elderly woman’s last name. “I came down from the state of New Jersey in search of five fugitives of justice.”

  “What does that have to do with me and Lou?” Mrs. Abrams wanted to know.

  “I was hoping you could tell us,” Saleski replied. He pulled the five mug shots of the women out of the manila folder and handed them to Mrs. Abrams. “These are the fugitives.”

  Mrs. Abrams put on the reading glasses that dangled around her neck from the gold plated chain. She eyed the first photo. Her heart nearly skipped a beat from the image but she maintained her composure as she continued to skim through them.

  “Do you recognize any of these women?” Saleski chimed in. He studied Mrs. Abrams body language as she prepared to answer.

  “Yeah.” Mrs. Abrams cleared her throat. “I do.”

  Saleski became overwhelmed with excitement. He hadn’t anticipated things going so well and so easy.

  “Who do you recognize?” he continued.

  “One of ‘em look like my sister’s only child, Anita.”

  “Yes, photo number one was your niece, Anita Abrams,” Saleski confirmed.

  “Do you recognize any of the other women?” he went on to ask.

  “No, can’t say I do,” Mrs. Abrams replied.

  Saleski stared at her carefully. He wasn’t sure if Mrs. Abrams had answered truthfully but he moved on.

  “Okay, Mrs. Abrams, when is the last time you saw you niece?”

  Mrs. Joyce Abrams looked up into the sky as if she were searching for the answer in the clouds. She rubbed her chin.

  “Um, let me see,” she started out with. “It had to have been summer 2006 when our family reunion was down here,” Mrs. Abrams answered.

  Both Sheriff James and Saleski’s eyes widened.

  “Mrs. Abrams, are you sure about that?” Saleski questioned.

  There was no doubt in his mind she was lying.

  “Yes,” I’m sure,” Mrs. Abrams replied with a straight face.

  “Joyce, no disrespect,” Sheriff James interjected. “But Detective Saleski came down here because he has reason to believe this is where your niece and her friends relocated to after killin’ a bunch of police officers and inmates during a prison break out. Now, no one’s saying you’re not telling the truth but if there’s something you’re not telling us, we’d appreciate it kindly if you told us now.” Sheriff James’s tone was very respectful.

  “Frankly, I don’t care what detective Saleski has reason to believe,” Mrs. Abrams replied in a snapping manner. “Jesse James, I’ve known you all your life since you were in diapers and had a snotty nose. Known your momma and grand momma too and I know they brought you up right with manners and respect. Now, I don’t know how things run up north with all those big shot detectives and all, but down here the law don’t go around calling tax payers liars and go ‘round accusin’ them of something. Now, if you’re done, I’d appreciate it if you two please remove yourself from my property unless you fin’ to charge me with something,” Mrs. Abrams ended.

  Sheriff James lowered his head in embarrassment.

  “Yes ma’am. Sorry ma’am.” Sheriff James tipped his hat.

  Saleski on the other hand was not buying what he believed to be a performance by Mrs. Abrams.

  “Mrs. Abrams, if you think of anything that may help me in this investigation, please give me a call.” Saleski extended his business card.

  “Good day, detective.” Mrs. Abrams abruptly took the business card and rolled her eyes.

  “Well, that went well,” Sheriff James was the first to speak as soon as they made their way to his patrol car.

  “Actually, it wasn’t a total bust,” Saleski retorted.

  “How so?” a confused Sheriff James asked.

  “Because her lie told me the truth. They’re down here. The question is where?”

  “It makes sense,” Sheriff James agreed as he pulled away from the Abrams residence.

  Joyce Abrams stood on her porch in the doorway and watched as Sheriff James and the New Jersey Detective pulled off. Once they were out of plain view, she took a deep breath.

  She could not or rather did not want to believe her ears as the Sheriff filled her in on the reason for the Detective being in the south. For nearly the past year she was lead to believe and under the impression that the women with her niece had left the Garden State and migrated to the south to get a fresh start, only to find out that they were fugitives of justice and worse, killers. Being a God-fearing woman and law-abiding citizen, Joyce Abrams struggled with her decision. Although she hated lying to the police, she just could not bring herself to turn in her niece and her friends. Joyce Abrams felt light headed from thinking about the disturbing news. She knew she had to go and lay down before she passed out from all of the excitement. Joyce shook her head in pity and out of guilt as she made her way to her bedroom. Before she laid down, she dropped to her knees and began to pray and asked for forgiveness…

  Chapter Twenty- Five

  For the past
hour and a half, I-95 North had been congested. Heaven steadily made her way through Virginia while her crew slept. For the average person, the stop and go traffic probably would have been annoying and frustrating, but Heaven took it all in stride. She was just happy to be out of South Carolina and closer to home. The closer she got to New Jersey, the stronger she felt she became. Since the new turn of events back in South, Carolina, Heaven was already strategizing her next move to scrape up some more fleeing cash after they had taken care of what they were headed back to Jersey for. She had come up with a few different scenarios and plans to execute to build up their capital. The most promising one included their target she thought but didn’t want to put all of her eggs in one basket. Her second choice was to go on a massive robbing spree, targeting the Trenton, Plainfield, Elizabeth and Jersey City areas, something she knew her and her crew could easily pull off. Her third option, which she had kicked around in her mind for the longest, was simply to just run up in a bank and hit the teller drawers. No matter the choice, she knew she was not going to half step or play around. She knew her return to New Jersey was a huge gamble and she intended to bet it all on her and her crew.

  “You straight?” Mia asked through a stretch and yarn. Her body was still sore and felt stiff. “You need me to drive?”

  “I’m good,” Heaven answered. “Go back to sleep.”

  “Nah, I’m up. Damn, traffic is crazy out here.” Mia noticed.

  “Yeah, it’s been like this for almost two hours,” Heaven agreed. “Ya’ll asses were knocked out.” She smiled for the first time since they had left South, Carolina.

  Mia smiled back. “Yeah, I think I went out as soon as we hit the highway.”

  “All of ya’ll did, sounding like a bunch of fuckin’ grizzly bears.” Heaven laughed at her own comment.

  “Shit, I feel like I been in a fight with one,” Mia rebutted, massaging her left shoulder.

  Heaven glanced over at her in admiration. Mia reminded her so much of Earth sitting across from her. Heaven had studied her from the time Mia had joined her team. As time progress, she couldn’t deny the fact that Mia had moved and acted like her ex-partner in crime. There was no doubt in her mind that Mia had her back through thick and thin.

  “So, how did you find out what went down, and what the fuck happened to you?” Heaven asked her.

  Mia shook her head and let out a chuckle. “There’s nothing like a woman scorned,” Mia started out with, in reference to the stripper her, Anita and Anita’s cousin Corey all shared.

  Sonya woke in the middle of Mia replaying the tapes back of what happened.

  “I wish I would’ve been there,” Sonya chimed in after Mia had ended. She stroked Shell’s hair, who was still asleep, as she thought about her close call with death.

  “I really appreciate how you handle things,” Heaven directed to Mia.

  “Sis, you don’t have to thank me,” Mia replied. “We family and that’s what family do,” she added.

  Heaven smiled. “Earth would be proud of you,” Heaven retorted.

  Mia embraced the compliment. “She really gonna be proud when we get back to Jersey and take care of that bitch ass nigga,” she stated. She anticipated the return home.

  She was not the only one though. They all were more than ready to return to New Jersey soil and end the final chapter to the story…

  Chapter Twenty- Six

  The Florence South, Carolina strip club was mediocre when Detective Saleski had first arrived and pulled into the parking lot. Within ten minutes, while standing outside questioning the bouncer, Saleski witnessed the gentleman’s club become full throttle as cars pulled up in droves. The average man may have found it to be entertaining but Saleski didn’t particularly care for the establishments. His feelings stemmed back from the 80’s when a popular strip club known as The Brown Derby was open and had him and his colleagues working over-time due to all the negative and illegal activities that surrounded the place.

  “Nah, I don’t remember seeing any of them,” the bouncer stated.

  “Ya sure? Because I hear at least two of them frequented this place.” Saleski lied, taking the photos back from the bouncer. He had merely gone on a hunch, based on information he had gathered back home on Abrams from his informant. He looked down at a small notebook as if he was reading. In all actual reality, the pages were blank. It was an old cop trick he occasional used, if he thought he could get away with it. He pretended to know more than he really did to gain edge on the bouncer and keep the ball in his court.

  “Man, you know how many people walk through that door a day?” the bouncer asked, nodding his head towards the battered door, without giving Saleski the time to answer the question. “A whole lotta people. I can’t keep track of all the mutha’ fuckas that come in and outta here, let alone some broads. That ain’t my job.” Saleski stared at the African American. He was a huge man, physically intimidating. Saleski sized the bouncer up. His chest was thick and his shoulders were broad. He possessed powerful looking arms and had no neck at all. Saleski was a rather large man himself at 6’1, 220 pounds, but nowhere near the size of the bouncer. Nonetheless, he was in no way intimidated by the bouncer. Saleski had the bouncer by several inches, but what the bouncer lacked in height, he made up for in width. He was as wide as the doorway.

  Saleski could see why the bar used him as a bouncer – the average person would think twice about acting up with him present.

  Yeah, I hear you brother, but how many women that look like them step through those doors? It shouldn’t be too hard to remember any of them,” Saleski said.

  “You’d be surprised my man,” the bouncer announced.

  Just then, the door to the bar opened and five shades of females varying in height and weight came strolling out, pulling miniature suitcase on wheels, toting large pocketbooks over their shoulders. All of them were extremely attractive, sporting wigs and weaves ranging from the colors lime green to gold. Saleski couldn’t help but zero in on their skintight clothing. A sense of pity swept through him at the sight. All of them were young enough to be Saleski’s daughter he knew.

  Saleski knew right off the bat they were exotic dancers. Alcohol fumes poured off the entourage and Saleski wondered if asked, how many of them would be able to produce proper identification verifying they were old enough to drink. Probably none of them he thought. Letting minors drink and dance in a strip bar was definitely illegal, but Saleski wasn’t here for that tonight he told himself. He watched as the bouncer shamelessly groped one of the girls. “Damn Honey, when you gonna stop playing with me and lem’me get some of that pussy gurl,” he asked a short caramel complexioned girl with thighs as thick as his arms and an ass to match. The stripper named Honey twisted her face up and sucked her teeth. “Nigga ya money or ya dick ain’t long enough for me.” Her raunchy reply caused all of her girlfriends to burst into laughter. “You might be right about my money not being long enough. But this hammer here…” the bouncer grabbed a fistful of his jeans. “I promise you it’ll beat that young pussy up.”

  She gave him a disapproving look and wrinkled her nose in disgust. But truth be told, Saleski could see that she really enjoyed all the attention the bouncer was giving her. Honey spoke to the bouncer in an irritated, annoyed tone. “Yeah whatever nigga. I’ve definitely heard that line before.”

  As he listened to the back and forth, out of the corner of his eye, Saleski could see he was being watched. He turned in the direction only to see a gorgeous, light-skinned girl intently staring at him. She was the tallest out of the group. Saleski guessed she was about 5’7. She had long silky hair and light brown, almond shaped eyes. Saleski could tell she was Latina. Puerto Rican or possibly Dominican he concluded. Her height didn’t take away from her thickness though. Saleski could see her breasts protruding through the Baby Phat flight jacket she wore. He noticed how her thighs were abnormally thick and her ass could be seen from the front. He wondered how long it took for her to squeeze into the fitted jea
ns that she wore. Saleski caught himself in a lustful daze and lowered his gaze.

  “It’s okay papi. You can look, you might be able to touch it too,” she flirted.

  Saleski smile politely. “Thanks but I’m fine,” he declined.

  “Yes you are,” the stripper continued.

  “Girl, leave that man alone,” another stripper interrupted. “Don’t you see he’s not interested.”

  “Bitch, let him tell me that.” The dancer moved in closer to Saleski, purposely brushing her chest against his arm. She was so close that Saleski could see the lip-gloss glistening off her sexy lips and smell the sweet smelling fragrance that she was wearing.

  It was intoxicating. “For $150 you can call me whatever you want,” she answered in a low, seductive voice.

  “Not interested.”

  “I told you, bitch,” the other stripper chuckled walking off with the other dancers. “Let’s go.”

  Saleski could tell by the look on her face, and the fact that she disregarded what her dance colleague had said, that he had bruised the young girl’s ego. He knew there was only one way to put an end to the charades. He slowly unzipped his old leather jacket halfway, revealing the police shield that was hanging around his neck. The girl’s eyes stretched wide and her mouth formed into an “O”. Saleski glanced over at the bouncer, who was shaking his heading at the young girl’s ignorance. He knew he was going to hear it from his boss for not protecting the dancer from the situation she was now faced with. He was so focused on flirting with Honey that he hadn’t noticed what was transpiring between the girl and the cop until it was too late.

  “You just propositioned an officer. Money for sex. That’s a felony sweetheart. Guaranteed jail time. You don’t want to go to jail, do you?” he asked. She slowly shook her head back and forth. Saleski could see the fear in her eyes and felt sorry for her. “Well you said I can call you whatever I wanted right?” She stared at Saleski with a puzzled expression on her face, and then whispered,” Yes.”

  “Well how ‘bout tonight your name is Lucky.”