Poison Candy - Book 2: Behind Closed Doors Series

by H. H. Fowler

  “Are you certain we should make that stop? Your wife needs to get to the hospital.”

  “I know what my wife needs,” Gregory said. “I just need you to do as I asked.”

  “Okay, sir. It’s your call.”

  Izaiah made the right turn and brought the jeep to a stop in a parking area. He watched as Gregory gently positioned Dana on the backseat and then climbed out of the jeep. Gregory’s expression was severely crestfallen, but Izaiah figured it had to do with all the drama he had experienced that night with his daughters and now his wife had retrogressed into a state of uncertainty.

  “Take my wife to the hospital and then return for me at this exact spot after she’s stabilized,” he told the youth minister. He then pinned him with an emotional gaze. “I trust you to take good care of my wife…and my daughters. I’ve trusted you from the beginning; don’t fail me now.”

  Izaiah couldn’t hide his confusion. These last few days with Gregory had been strange – to say the least. “Yes sir. You know I will do everything that you ask of me. Is everything alright?”

  “I am fine, my son. Just do as I ask and don’t allow anyone to destroy your righteous heritage.”

  Gregory walked off before Izaiah had an opportunity to fire any more questions at him.

  Only a man’s character is the real criterion of worth

  - Eleanor Roosevelt

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The limo cut across Gregory and obstructed his quick strides. Ms. V jumped out from the passenger side, pointing the pistol at him.

  “Get in!” she demanded.

  “Put the weapon away, Viola. It’s completely unnecessary.”

  “That will be my decision to make. You just get in and shut your mouth!” Once they were on their way, Ms. V turned her attention to the limo driver and spat, “Take us directly to the private airport. Then give orders to security to have Anwar shot and buried. I don’t care if Mustafa is done with him or not. By the time those incompetent detectives figure out what is going on, we will be long gone.”

  Gregory stared at his men with utter coldness. They had been a pain in his butt ever since they were assigned to him. But they were the least of his worries. “Where are you taking me, Viola?”

  “To hell!” She exploded in laughter and then morphed into a serious expression. “You know when a member at your level rebels, a stricter form of punishment is imputed. But first we will strip you of everything, beginning with that precious little family of yours. From a distance you will watch them die one by one.”

  “I haven’t revealed anything to anyone.”

  “But you were going to if we hadn’t intercepted you.”

  “Make me disappear,” Gregory pleaded. “Change my identity. Do whatever you want to do to erase me from the face of the earth, but I beg you not to touch my family.”

  “Beggars don’t get to pick and choose.”

  “I’m offering my life for theirs! All of what I know will die with me. There is no need to touch them.”

  Ms. V cocked her head as if something Gregory said grabbed her attention. “You’re willing to die in place of your family? Kind of like a human sacrifice.”

  “If that’s what it would takes – yes.”

  “How commendable.”

  “Please, Viola.”

  “Let me think about this for a moment.”

  “A willing a sacrifice is the closest thing you can get to being sacred. It’s engraved in our tenets.”

  “I said I will think about it! No need to give me a lesson in the holy order.” Ms. V pulled out a red lipstick from her bag and began to run it along her lips. “Any other dying wishes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then make it quick!”

  “Izaiah is a respectable young man with a godly heart –”

  “Like you were at his age,” Ms. V interrupted. “But that can change with the right bait.”

  Gregory swallowed his anger. He would have bounced back with a strong retort, but it wouldn’t be wise to tick Viola off while she was in this generous mood. “Don’t go after him. Let him lead St. Donovan’s Chapel in peace.”

  “That is out of my hands,” Ms. V said. “St. Donovan Chapel isn’t mine to give.”

  “I am sure you have the power to make that happen.”

  “You were planning this all along, weren’t you?”

  “What can I say, Viola? I am tired of living the double life.”

  “Consider your requests done,” she said bitingly. “Because I am tired of you.”

  ****

  Richard spotted Dana being wheeled down the hall by two nurses, but he did not see Gregory by her side. Instead, he noticed a young man tagging loosely behind. Richard recognized his face from that day when he and Karissa had visited the Beaufort estate to interview Gregory.

  “Seems to be a tough night for Mrs. Beaufort.” Richard walked up and extended his hand to Izaiah. “I’m Detective Shelby.”

  Izaiah shook Richard’s hand and replied, “Nice to meet you…I think Mrs. Beaufort had had a relapse of some sort. I heard the doctor making reference to a minor ruptured brain aneurysm.”

  “Terribly sad. Mr. Beaufort mentioned that she was in pain when I spoke to him over the phone. I sincerely pray that she makes it. She has been through a lot. Do you know where I can find Mr. Beaufort? I was supposed to meet him here at the hospital.”

  “I’m waiting until Mrs. Beaufort has been stabilized and then I will go to where I dropped him off.”

  Richard regarded Izaiah with an intense stare. “Come again?”

  “He told me to leave him at a rest area because he wanted to purchase something.” Izaiah frowned. “What’s going on?”

  “That doesn’t sound like Gregory,” Richard said pensively. “How far is the rest area from here?”

  “Two to three miles at the intersection.”

  “Station 61?”

  “Yes…I remember seeing that sign when I turned in to the parking lot. He was talking on his cell phone for several minutes and the next thing I knew I was instructed to make that stop.”

  Richard didn’t bother going into further details, because he’d wasted enough time already. He patted Izaiah on the shoulder and said a quick, “thanks”, before turning to leave.

  “Did I do something wrong?” Izaiah inquired sorely.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Richard took off down the hall, calling for backup as he raced toward his car. He had left Karissa at the police station with Dallis and Anwar’s parents. Based on what Anwar told her, Dallis knew a little about the inner workings of the secret organization. But she could not identify a specific location and she could not give them any names that could put them in hot pursuit of the persons who’d killed Jorge Bentley and Chazz Brunswick.

  Although Richard still categorized Anwar as a person of interest, he didn’t want to take anything for granted. He secured an approval from the chief inspector to dispatch three squad cars to circuit the area outside of Crystal Bay. Dallis said it was all Anwar had been willing to tell her about the location of the secret organization.

  That was why Richard was depending heavily on that meeting with Gregory, because Gregory assured him he had information that could lead to a legitimate arrest. Gritting his teeth, Richard slapped the portable siren on the roof of his car and then floored the accelerator. His detective instincts told him that something had gone awry. Somehow, Gregory had been intercepted by the people who did not what to be exposed.

  That bothered Richard immensely for two reasons: Gregory’s safety had been greatly compromised. Secondly, Richard had sensed all along that Gregory had been hiding something, but he had not actively pursued it. Now, his chances of obtaining the truth could be jeopardized.

  In less than seven minutes, Richard swung the car in the parking lot of Station 61. Some of the other patrol cars were pulling up at the same time. Richard jumped out of the driver’s seat and began firing orders to the young men. They fanned ou
t in twos and scouted the area for Gregory, interviewing anyone within their reach. When their searching came up empty-handed, Richard concluded that Gregory’s abductors had long since left the area. They needed to expand the search to the surrounding zone.

  Suddenly, Richard’s police radio came alive with interesting feeds about a young man that had been picked up a few miles outside of Crystal Bay.

  “…Two eleven at the juncture of Bailey and DeVry.”

  “In the area already,” another voice said over the radio.

  “A young male fitting the description of Anwar Daxon has just been picked up.”

  Richard almost pulled his radio out of its connection in trying to reach for it. “Two eleven, keep the suspect in the area,” he spat. “I am on my way!”

  Richard divided the fleet into two groups. Half would go along with him to question Anwar and the other half would continue to search the outskirts of where Gregory had last been seen. They all flew out of Station 61 with sirens screaming.

  ****

  Back at the hospital, Izaiah paced in the waiting area, unable to settle the sick feeling he had in his stomach. He knew something was off with Gregory. The farewell speeches and Gregory’s sudden hiatus from the pulpit were signs that Izaiah felt he should have paid more attention to. He did not imagine that Gregory’s behavior could be linked to an underlying plot. And that detective made it worse by the way he’d stormed out of the hospital.

  The only reason Izaiah hadn’t followed Richard was because he’d promised Gregory that he would stay with Dana until she was stabilized. But Izaiah wasn’t sure he would keep that promise for much longer. It felt as if he’d made a huge mistake by leaving Gregory alone at that rest area. His nervousness increased and so did his pacing. It led him down the hall to a small enclosure where a coffee machine had been set up. He fixed himself a cup and then made his way back to the waiting area.

  But Izaiah couldn’t drink the coffee. The only thing he felt led to do was pray. At that moment, he didn’t care who paid attention to him. He got down on his knees in a corner and began to softly call on God in earnest need.

  “Father, in Your holy name, I present Bishop Beaufort and his entire family to You. Give them the power to overcome the situations they are facing. The devil desires to bring division between them, but You said in Your word, whom you bless, no man can curse. Marriages are blessed because You ordained it. Families are blessed because You designed it. Now break the stronghold of the enemy over the Beauforts and cause them to walk into newness of life and into a covenant of Your divine love. Give them strength for the trials that lie in wait to discourage them. And even though it seems dark now, give them hope for a brighter tomorrow.

  “And finally, Lord, I ask of You to wrap Your protective hands around Asia, wherever she might be tonight, I pray that You keep her in perfect peace and restore the joy of her salvation. You promised not to withhold any good gifts from Your children. Give Asia a new lease on life. Let her purpose be revealed and her destiny be esteemed. These sacred things I ask of You, in Jesus’ name…”

  “Amen!”

  Izaiah looked up to see who it was that had concluded his prayer. He saw three women standing around him, dressed in the purest white. Their smiles were angelic and their presence radiated with peace. Izaiah returned a smile and proceeded to ease up from his knees, but by the time he had straightened up, the three women were gone. Izaiah looked to his left and to his right, but could not tell in which direction they’d disappeared. A bit baffled, he went in search of the doctor to see how Mrs. Beaufort was coming along.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The patrol car where Anwar sat in the back seat was pulled to the side of the road. Richard parked directly behind it and then jumped out. He exchanged a few words with the arresting officer before he was led to the back seat to question Anwar. The young man was visibly shaken, which could be interpreted as anything. Richard would decidedly ditch his suspicion of Anwar based on the information he drew out of him.

  “You are a hard man to track down,” he said to Anwar. “But what a pity I don’t have time to indulge in any small talk. Dallis Beaufort has turned herself in as the murderer of Jorge Bentley and she said that you have been hiding out in her bedroom for several days. On the surface that looks like several serious charges of which both of you could be convicted.”

  Anwar pierced Richard with his hazel brown eyes. Despite his shaken state, he said evenly, “Let Dallis go and I will tell you everything, including who killed my friend, Jorge.”

  “Now that is interesting,” Richard said. “Tonight, you are the second person who told me that they knew who murdered Jorge Bentley.”

  “The first person could only be Dallis’ father, Bishop Gregory Beaufort. He was the one who had recruited me and then introduced me to a secret organization called the House of gods.”

  Richard tried not to show his surprise, but he knew he must have failed miserably. Anwar gave details of the case only the detectives could have known about. “I am listening.”

  “Give me your word that you will let Dallis go.”

  “It depends on the strength of your story.”

  “You will know that I’m telling the truth,” Anwar said confidently. “I could even take you to a specific location, which would back up everything that I’m about to tell you.”

  “Okay…you have my word.”

  Anwar let out a sigh and then began the arduous effort of relating to Richard everything he had experienced within the last two and a half months. He left out nothing, although his most recent encounter with Mustafa had been unpleasantly debasing. He gave Richard names, places and codes that were used within the organization, ending with his belief that Jorge’s murder could be linked back to Gregory.

  “Are you certain Gregory can be linked to Mr. Bentley’s murder?” Richard probed.

  “I overheard the conversation between him and Ms. V. He said something to the effect, ‘all evidence seemed to be pointing back to me’.”

  “But that doesn’t mean he actually pulled the trigger.”

  “That’s your job to interpret however you want to interpret it. I kept my end of the bargain. Now, it’s your turn to do the same.”

  Richard stepped out of the car and then got the attention of the arresting officer.

  “Take Mr. Daxon back to the station until I have checked out his story,” he ordered. “Whatever you do, don’t let him out of your sight.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  After Richard returned to his car, he was told by a different officer – who’d been left to continue the search for Gregory – the tracks were turning cold. Gregory was nowhere to be found. Of course Richard responded optimistically. He instructed them to search the airports, the docks where millionaires cruised in on their expensive yachts. Any port of entry where sophisticated criminals would try to elude the police. Orders given, Richard called for more back up and directed them to meet him at the hideaway of the infamous House of gods.

  When the detectives finally pulled up on the scene, mayhem broke loose. They were at a standstill for almost an hour because of a bombardment of bullets being fired at them from the inside. The island’s only two police choppers were called in, along with an indomitable reinforcement of gun power. Men on the inside began dropping like flies as bullets from the choppers ripped through everything in its path. With such a heavy display of support, Richard and his team were able break in and conquer.

  At the end of the night, a group of forty men and twenty-two women had been rounded up. From celebrities to unknowns, mostly teenagers who had recently graduated from high school. They raided the compound of computers, documents, audio equipment, cameras, basically any artifact Richard thought could be used to track down Gregory and the woman who’d abducted him. Richard had come to know her simply as Ms. V.

  Although the ambush could be considered successful, Richard still felt as if he had failed somehow. He had allowed the two most important people in th
is whole baneful affair to slip through his fingers. But Richard was a determined man and he would not rest until he found them – even if it meant he had to turn every city on top of its head.

  Three Years Later

  In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on

  - Robert Frost

  Epilogue

  Anwar picked up his champagne glass and raised it in the air to give a toast. He looked debonair in an all-white tuxedo. His wild afro had been shaved down to a reserved haircut to reflect the transition of boyhood to manhood. But what stood out the most was his broad smile that lit up the entire room of two-hundred guests. His hazel brown eyes then rested on the woman he knew he would love for the rest of his life.

  “On behalf of my wife – the gorgeous Dallis Daxon and I,” he began, loving how the crowd applauded with their exuberant screams. “We want to thank you for attending our wedding today. Those of our close family and friends know that the road has not been easy getting to this point. I can say a lot about my hard upbringing and the trials I had endured as a young man, simply looking to better my life. But I will not take that route today. Today is about celebrating what God has given me. And that is a second chance to grow old with the woman who has captured my heart. Through thick and thin, she has stuck with me and has never given up on me.”

  “Today, because of the unwavering support of my wife, I am now a certified computer technician with the Bliss Haven Christian Academy. And through her godly example, I have given my life to Christ. She has helped me identify my purpose and for that, I will forever be eternally indebted to her. I’ve loved her from the first moment I saw her and I will love her beyond the grave. Dallis Daxon is the only woman for me. And like those old church mothers used to say back in the day, those of you who know the virtue of prayer, please pray for me and my wife – that we will stand strong and that our marriage will last. For we are still a work in progress. Once again, thank you and please enjoy the rest of your afternoon!”