Dead on Arrival

by Kiki Swinson

  42

  DAWN

  En route to my parents’ house, Reese tried calling me, but I kept sending his call to voicemail. After his third attempt, he finally left me a voicemail message. I pressed the voicemail key to listen.

  Everything he said sounded good, but I didn’t believe a word of it. He’d given me this same speech before. But this time I refused to waver. I wanted to be happy, and being with Reese wasn’t going to give me the life I deserved. To be candid, he’d lost me for good this time. And there was no turning back for me.

  Alexia and I finally made it to my parents’ house. It felt so good to walk into a house and be surrounded by the people that I knew loved me. My mother was so happy to see me. But when I walked into the den to see my dad, he was watching TV. His face was literally glued to it. “What are you watching?” I asked him.

  My dad grabbed the remote control from the coffee table in front of him and used it to turn the volume down. “The cops just found another one of your husband’s friends dead,” my dad said.

  I stood there in utter shock. “Are you serious? Was it just on the news?”

  “Yes, it just went off. And I would bet you that their deaths got something to do with the fact that port police and the Customs agents found those people in those containers.”

  “You think so, Daddy?”

  “Sure, I do. You can’t mess with those people from another country. They will eat you alive, especially if you’re messing with their money.”

  “What money are you talking about?” I asked him.

  “Whoever’s idea it was for those people to come to this country in those metal containers was someone very powerful. And if someone very powerful lost a lot of money when those people didn’t make it out of the terminal, your husband’s friends were killed for that reason. Your husband better be careful, because he might be next.”

  “Dad, I think you’re overreacting,” I said, because he was really freaking me out. I didn’t want to hear about Reese’s friends being murdered and that it could be related to the human trafficking case. Did he know it would tear me up inside if I found out what he said was true? I knew Reese and I were going through a lot right now, but I didn’t want to hear that there was a possibility Edward and Brian were killed because of those dead refugees. I swear I would lose my damn mind if something happened to Reese while we were going through our problems. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself for putting him out of the house. Okay, I know he screws up everything he touches, but when things count, the majority of the time he comes through. And if I could hold on to that, and get down on my knees and pray to God, then I believed that our situation would eventually work out.

  Alexia entered the room. “What’s this I hear that somebody got killed?” she asked.

  “I was telling your sister here that another one of her husband’s friends was found murdered in their house earlier today,” my dad reiterated.

  “Really? Who was it?”

  “Reese’s friend Brian.”

  “Oh, wow, that is sad,” Alexia commented.

  “Did they say how he died?”

  “Yeah, he got shot in the head,” my father said.

  “Goodness gracious. It seems like whoever killed him was trying to send a message.”

  “I said the same thing,” my father said.

  “Where did they find him at?”

  “His girlfriend found him in the house when she came home from work earlier today.” My dad continued to explain everything he’d heard from the news broadcast.

  “You think Reese knows about this?” Alexia asked me.

  “I’m not sure. But it wouldn’t surprise me if he does,” I told her.

  My dad changed the subject. “Are you really divorcing him?”

  “Yes, I am, Dad.”

  “Now that you’re leaving, aren’t you glad you didn’t have a baby by him?” My dad pressed the issue about Reese’s and my relationship. What can I say? My dad is a very nosy man.

  “Kinda sorta,” I replied nonchalantly, because I really didn’t want to talk about my marriage at all. I was more interested in the fact that Reese’s friend Brian had just been killed. And if my father was right, Reese’s life might be in danger too. My family wasn’t gonna like this, but I was gonna have to call Reese and warn him about what I knew. I mean, if I didn’t and something happened to him, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. “I’ll be right back,” I told my sister and my father.

  “Where are you going?” my dad wanted to know.

  “I’ve gotta make a phone call.”

  “To who?”

  Instead of answering his question, I looked at him and said, “Do you really want to know who I’m about to call? Because the last time I checked, I was a grown woman and I don’t really have to answer to anyone.”

  “Oh Lord, she’s getting defensive. And I know what that means,” Alexia commented.

  “What does it mean?” my father asked her.

  “She’s getting ready to call her husband.”

  “You know what, Alexia? I notice that every time we get around Mom and Dad, you always want to be extra messy.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Then what do you call it?”

  “Look, I’m just trying to look out for your best interests,” she said, and then she changed the subject by saying, “Oh yeah, Daddy, did Dawn tell you that she has a stalker?”

  My dad looked at me and said, “Dawn, is that true?”

  “Daddy, I don’t know who it is.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t know who it is?”

  “I’ve spotted a black car parked across the street from my house tonight and a few other times before that, and every time I let the person behind the wheel know that I see them, they always drive off.”

  “And this happened several times before?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why did you wait all this time to tell me?” My dad was becoming more furious by the minute.

  “Because I got sidetracked with the news about Reese’s friend. But I was going to eventually tell you.”

  “Daddy, I don’t think she needs to go back to that house alone. Especially since she and Reese are divorcing. Anything could happen to her,” Alexia said as my mother entered the room.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Well, Dad just saw the news about another one of Reese’s friends getting killed,” Alexia said.

  “Oh no, that’s a travesty. What’s going on down there at that terminal? Joe, you might need to call one of your friends down there and find out what’s really going on.” She turned toward me. “When did you get here?”

  “A few minutes ago.”

  “She only came here because there’s a stalker on the loose in her neighborhood,” Alexia blurted out.

  “You’re kidding, right?” my mother asked Alexia, and then she looked at me. “Are you in danger too?”

  “Mom, I don’t know. But I think so,” I replied, not knowing what to say to her. I was kind of confused about my situation.

  “What happened?” my mother asked me, and then she looked at Alexia for her to answer the question too.

  “There’s a car that sits on my block every other night and watches my house. But when they find out that I see them, they pull off before I can see who they are,” I replied.

  “Oh no, Joe, do you hear this? We can’t have our daughter living in that house all by herself.”

  “I told her that,” my dad responded.

  “Do you have a description of the car?” my mother wanted to know.

  “All I know is that it’s a black car. A Mercedes-Benz,” I said.

  “Baby, you’re gonna need to file a police report,” my mother said.

  “I think so too,” my sister agreed.

  My mother, my sister, and my dad convinced me to file a police report. Although I wanted to go into another room and call Reese, my dad and my sister escorted me out of the house and do
wn to the nearest police station.

  When we arrived, I spoke with a detective in depth about the times when I saw that car. I had to give precise times and days that those incidents happened. I also had to give a reason why I thought the driver was a stalker. The report itself didn’t take long. And when it was over, I felt good that I made the report.

  “Aren’t you glad you came down here to file that report?” my dad asked me.

  “Yeah, I am. I just hope that after doing this, I won’t see that car popping up around my house anymore,” I told him.

  “Well, look at the bright side, you’re at the house with your sister, me, and your mom, and nothing is going to happen to you while you’re here with us.”

  “You can say that again,” I commented, giving only a half smile.

  On the way back to my parents’ house, my dad stopped by the gas station so he could fill his car up with gas. While he was filling up his tank, Alexia got out of the car to go in the store and I waited in the car. I watched my dad for a few seconds to see how far he had gotten with the gasoline, and I looked at the front door of the store, calculating how long it would take my sister to buy whatever it was that she needed before she returned to the car. And when I realized that I had a two- to three-minute window to get Reese on the phone and say what it was I had to say, I grabbed my cell phone from my purse and began to dial Reese’s cell phone number.

  “Dawn, is that you?” he answered.

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Oh my God! I am so glad you called me back. It feels so good to hear your voice.”

  “Listen, Reese, I didn’t call you to talk about us. I only called to see if you heard about Brian’s murder.”

  “Yes, I saw it on the news not too long ago.”

  “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you and everyone around you, but you need to look over your shoulder. I think that whoever killed Edward and Brian may come after you next.”

  “Don’t worry about me, I’m good. I went to the terminal today and talked to the agents that are investigating the case. And because I’m cooperating with them, they said they can get me a good deal that will allow me to avoid going to jail if I testify in the case.”

  “Do you think that is wise?”

  “Dawn, that’s the only option I have.”

  “Be careful. Because whoever is doing this is not playing games. And I would hate to get a phone call saying that something happened to you. It would break my heart,” I told him.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m with my dad and my sister at the BP gas station off Virginia Beach Boulevard.”

  “Why are you with them, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Reese, that car showed up at the house again tonight. It was parked in the same spot as it always is. Luckily, Alexia was at the house with me when it happened. When she was about to leave the house, I decided to go with her so I wouldn’t be home alone.”

  “Baby, I am sorry you are going through that.”

  “I’ll be okay. My dad convinced me to go to the police station and make a report. So that’s what I did,” I explained to him. As soon as I uttered that last word, my dad was getting back in the car. “Hey, listen, I’m gonna have to call you later,” I told him abruptly. I didn’t want my father to know that Reese was on the other line.

  “Wait. Why are you hanging up so soon? Don’t you think we need to talk?” he pressed me.

  “Right now is not a good time,” I said nonchalantly, trying to sound as though I was talking to someone other than Reese. But it didn’t work.

  “Who are you talking to, baby girl?” my dad interjected. I gotta say that he is the nosiest guy in the world.

  “Dad, please don’t ask me any questions right now,” I said, looking in my dad’s direction.

  “Yeah, tell him to mind his own business,” Reese yelled from the other end. I could tell he was getting really irritated by my father’s behavior.

  “Don’t talk to me like that. I am your father, young lady,” my dad barked.

  “When is he going to shut up?” Reese was still yelling.

  “All right, look, Reese, let me call you back,” I said.

  “Yes, tell him you will call him back. You’re with your family right now,” my dad kept interjecting. He was running me fucking crazy with it.

  “No, I am not hanging up, Dawn. I know shit ain’t right with us right now, but you’re still my wife.”

  “Is he giving you a hard time?” my dad said.

  And before I could answer him, Alexia hopped back into the car. “Dad, why are you fussing?”

  My dad had turned around in the driver seat so he could look back at me. “Your sister is on the phone with that loser husband of hers. She keeps telling him that she’s going to call him back, but he won’t get off the phone.”

  “Just hang up on him,” Alexia blurted out.

  “I know that ain’t your sister running her mouth! Tell that bitch to mind her fucking business too,” Reese screamed through the phone.

  “Reese, please let me call you back.”

  “No, I wanna talk to you now.”

  “Hang up on him,” my father belted out.

  Instead of telling my father, Alexia, and Reese to all be quiet, I ended the call with Reese.

  “Are you guys happy now?”

  “Yes, I’m happy,” my father said.

  “I’m trying to figure out why you were carrying on a conversation with him, especially after all the crap he’s taken you through,” Alexia said.

  “You wouldn’t understand,” I commented.

  “You are so right. So, explain to me why you’re taking a call from the man you’re leaving? If it were me, I would’ve changed my cell phone number the moment he walked out the front door. I wouldn’t have any words for that guy. He’s a pathetic human being. The quicker you see that, the better off you’ll be.”

  “What, are you a relationship expert now?” I replied sarcastically.

  “I’m whatever you want me to be,” Alexia replied, and then she turned back around in her seat.

  “FYI, the quicker y’all stop telling me what to do, the sooner I will come together with you guys. So, stop pushing me away, okay?” I said to them. But I know my words went through one ear and out the other. They’d better heed my warning because I was going to say it only once.

  43

  REESE

  Dawn’s old-ass father has become a thorn in my side. I hate that nigga with every fiber in my body. He can’t stop poking his nose in our business. I swear, if I was in front of that motherfucker right now, I would hit him one good time in the mouth. That punch alone would knock all his teeth out of his mouth and prevent him from ever talking again.

  Does he realize that Dawn is my wife? Does he realize that he’s coming between us? From day one, that motherfucker has poked and pried into our affairs. He thinks that because he helped me pay for our wedding he could do or say anything he wants. It’s my fault because I should’ve sat him down a long time ago and gave him the rules and things that I wasn’t going to take from him. But no, I lay back like a passive-ass nigga and allowed that old-ass dude to do what he wanted. How would he feel if I always got into his and his wife’s business? I bet he would shut me down at the first sign that I was going to be trouble for him and his wife. Well, see, that’s the same respect I’m supposed to get, regardless if Dawn and I get a divorce or not. Speaking of which, I know he’s happy as hell that Dawn wants to divorce me. He may not realize it, but I’m gonna win my wife back. And sooner than later, that’s gonna happen.

  It took a while to do it, but I finally calmed down after that altercation I had with Dawn’s father and her sister. After Dawn ended our call, I held my cell phone in my hand for an hour, hoping that she would call me back. Unfortunately for me, she didn’t. And I’m sure her family had something to do with it. So, as I placed my cell phone down on my bed, it started ringing. I picked the phone back up and looked straight at the
caller ID. The phone number wasn’t visible, so that seemed odd. But I answered it anyway, just in case it was Dawn blocking the number she was calling from.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Hey, Reese,” the caller said.

  I stood there for a second, waiting for the voice to register in my mind. “Todd, is that you?”

  “Yeah, man, we need to talk.”

  “I tried calling you again, but your phone wasn’t working,” I told him.

  “I know. I had to get rid of that phone. Hey, Reese, we need to talk.”

  “Sure. I’m listening. What’s up?”

  “Not over the phone. Can you meet me at the Starbucks coffee spot on Military Highway in twenty minutes?”

  “Okay, I’ll be there. But did you hear about what happened to Brian?” I blurted out before Todd disconnected the call.

  “Yeah, I heard about it and that’s why I called you. Remember, twenty minutes,” Todd repeated.

  “I’m leaving the house now,” I assured him, and then we hung up.

  Getting a call from Todd threw me for a loop. Not wanting to talk to me over the phone kind of spooked me. I wanted so badly to find out what he wanted.

  On my way out of my grandmother’s house, I yelled, “Hey, Grandma, I’ll be right back. Okay?”

  “Okay. But be careful driving out there. People are dangerous,” I heard her yell back.

  After I reassured her that I would, I made my exit. “What could Todd have to say in person that he refused to say over the phone?” I mumbled to myself. I hopped in my truck and sped out of my grandmother’s neighborhood.

  It took me less than fifteen minutes to get to the Starbucks where Todd told me to meet him. Surprisingly, he was there the moment I pulled into the parking lot, and waved me over to his car. I looked in both directions after I stepped out of my truck. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being ambushed by Todd or anyone who might be lurking behind one of these buildings. I saw that the coast was clear, so I hurried over to his car and got in.