187

by P. L. McCall II

      They snooped around town to get the scoop around town.  They went all day and no luck came their way.  Until finally they met a neighbor of Dan’s, who ran her mouth like a number one fan.

      This neighbor in particular was somewhat of a stickler.  She answered questions and asked even more.  Police were unaware of what she had in store.  Her info was helpful, but not about Noreen.  It was about a previous killing.  It was regarding Dan's dead fiancée, whose place was left in a bloody red disarray.

      She brought up a murder from months ago that changed the spectrum of what they would know.

      “The place was like a haunted house,” she told police without a doubt.  “The poor young lady must have suffered.  And the killer was never discovered...”

      More questions came after hearing what happened, the gory details made their attitudes sadden.  It was bizarre, so Burr cops elected, to get in touch with Ace County detectives.

      They went to the precinct to see what they could tell them.  The meeting was productive and they were more than welcomed.  Ace County detectives shared everything they knew, they even shared the 911 tape too.  The Burr County detectives then had no debate, this undeniable evidence they couldn't negate.  They quickly had recognized the caller’s voice.  All the detectives there started to rejoice.  Everyone then put two and two together.

      “The murder was committed by Noreen altogether!”

  *******

      Following months of lead after lead, they finally got the info they need, or info they needed.  They partially succeeded; so now after reaching their minor success, matching her DNA with the blood was up next.

      Yet the question at hand was why’d she call Dan, immediately after assaulting her hus-band?  The attempt on Jack was definitely planned.  Cops visited Jack in the Burr County hospital.  The urgency displayed was definitely not little.  Prior to that they interrogated Dan, spur of the moment they never made plans.

      Dan admitted that Noreen was his babe, even though he was happily engaged.  He said that he had no knowledge of a poisoning.  When he found out, his eyes started moistening.  He had no idea that Noreen was wedded, or else he would have told her forget it.

      He didn't believe that his involvement itself, was the reason for his fiancé’s death.  However the cops had a different notion, they felt his affair is what caused the commotion.  They notified Dan that she had attacked Jack, then went to be with him with no plans of going back.  They felt that since she tried to kill her spouse, she probably did the knifing over at Dan's house.

      Dan was in shock but now he believed them.  He felt so betrayed like Noreen committed treason.  How could she do that and still lay down with him?  He was manipulated from the time she came around again; and again and again until she endeared him.  All of that scheming so she could be near him.  Before he knew it, she had enticed him.  He got played like a back alley dice game.  He told the cops to just let him know, any help they needed he was ready to go.

  VIII

      Noreen was in jail and awaiting trial, proclaiming her innocence all the while.  She sat in Burr County while Ace County detectives, looked at her alibi to scrutinize and check it.  They went to her job to talk to the clerk, to find out the times she clocked into work.  What they discovered turned out to be great, the day of the stabbing Noreen clocked in late.  Her window of absence occurred in the same, time that the 911 call came.

      Ace cops investigated Noreen in the meanwhile, while Burr cops prepared for her poisoning trial.  Once the legal proceedings began, the prosecutors had enough evidence to win.  With Noreen's hubby's testimony, the D.A. convinced his juror cronies that she was guilty of attempted murder.

  The judge would not hear anything further.  He scoffed as he delivered her sentence, offering her no chance of repentance.  When she was taken away by the bailiff, her husband felt bad from being the plaintiff.  Jack had almost shed a tear, but the fact that she tried to kill him was clear.

  *******

      In Burr County the trial was done, but in Ace County things just begun.  Noreen’s case there was harder to prove, so investigators made all the right moves.  Good for them she was in confinement, this is what would give them time with building a solid case against her.  Poor Noreen had no one to defend her.

      It was ultimately the voice analysis, that eventually led to her story's dialysis.  The lies she told came all apart.  All the blame was hers from the start: she made the call to throw them off track.  At first it worked, but that was that.  Now they knew the culprit was her.  The innocent act would have to defer.

      The blood they found on the steps at the condo,

  happened to match her DNA combo.  All the proof they accumulated, was the truth and she knew they made it into an air-tight case against her.  The thought alone made her want to whimper.

      Her day of reckoning finally came, after a year-long waiting game.  She went from jail straight to the courthouse.  She felt just like a walking corpse now.  Even still she kept it real, when it came to her lie.  She cried about the way she feels, sticking to her alibi.

      Noreen’s fiction was no match.  The jury listened to nothing but facts, from the D.A. and the witnesses.  Prosecutors got inquisitive, especially during the cross examining.  They were precise with their handling of the legal litigation.  They sought the elimination of the doubts in jurors’ minds.  Noreen was sure to face some time.  Her defense was poorly managed.  To get an acquittal they couldn’t manage.  It was a short deliberation for the foreman’s confirmation of an easy guilty verdict.  Court was quiet, everyone heard it.

      Next the judge gave her the sentence.  A ten-year minimum prison attendance.  Along with the time she already had, Noreen’s future was looking bad.

  *******

      After months of sitting in prison, it was like a deep incision into the psyche of Noreen.  Her whole life might be serene if she had known to practice restraint.  Now she suffered a constant constraint within her mind and on her body.  She was alone and had nobody.

      Every day, she regretted her choices.  Late at night she’d often hear voices, churning away inside her head.  It got to a point where she wished she were dead.  But over time she learned to adapt, and live with the results of her mishaps.  She had finally learned her lesson, after losing all her blessings.

  Dana

  I

      The life of Dana was rough like gray bark.  First of all, she was born in a state park.  Second of all her parents were trifling, because of them her hope was stifling.  Her mom had overdosed in back of a church.  Her dad got arrested and slammed in the dirt because of his involvement in several robberies.  No way for him to be around and be fatherly.

      This girl was innocent and she was young, her troubled life had just begun.  Orphaned at an infant age, the foster home is where she stayed, until she caught a break like no other.  She was adopted by her grandmother.  

      The situation at grandma’s apartment, wasn't much better than what she would start with.  A two-bedroom place with one adult, plus nine kids and no food in bulk.  It was a place of incredible poverty, housing projects on government property.  All of her cousins piled up in one room.  The space allotted was tight as a womb.

      There was no comfort, so what she did was, lay on her pillow inside the bathtub.  At least it was better than the corner of a box spring, although sometimes it would leak like a hot spring.  It was all hers until somebody used it, it was still better so that’s why she choosed it; or that’s why she chose it.  Her extra presence she didn’t want to impose it on all the kids who already lived there.  They were her kin so she wanted to be fair.

      Limited space and limited food, kept their household in a rough mood.  Granny worked hard for the little they’d eat, forcing the kids to seek money in the st
reets.  Her cousins ranged from six to sixteen.  Her feelings changed from things that she seen her cousins do in the neighborhood for money.  Some things were serious and some things were funny.

      Yet things weren't funny almost a year after, unfortunately grandma was sent to the hereafter.  And due to the foster care system’s incompetence, the kids were stuck with no help and no confidence.  All their lives their grandma had been well, now they had to fend for themselves.

      Dana was ten and on her own again.  Despite having her cousins, she wished she’d know a friend who could take her in as part of their family.  But instead it was the start of insanity.  Things got harder and Dana did too.  It started to feel like cement shoes were on her feet while under water, but she could swim so she did what she oughta.  All her male cousins were out on the streets, hustling and doing whatever to eat.  She chose to join them.  The youngest amongst them, she soaked it up while she was amongst them.

      Most of the things that they did were illegal, towards adults and not ‘lil people.  Pesky crimes and drug related, they pulled scams that weren’t outdated.  They were successful but some got arrested.  Eventually all of the kids got tested.  But Dana passed with flying colors, because she learned from all the others exactly what and what to not do.

      Using her brain was how she got through all the many difficult times.  She switched her hustle to digital times.  At twelve years old she was trapping online.  Setting up deals for one of her cousins.  Several a week and sometimes dozens.  Business picked up and kept increasing.  Meanwhile Dana kept believing that she could be a huge success.  She let her cousin do the rest.

      Day after day and week after week, illegal transactions stayed at a peak.  Week after week and month after month, their hustle continued and didn't stop once.

      Prior to middle school Dana had little food.  Now as a preteen, getting paid was routine.  For over a year things were good and smooth, until her cousin made the wrong move and caught a bullet from a rival foe.  The first two days she didn’t even know, until she found out from on the news.  So distraught that she dropped out of school.

      For a short while she was out of commission, but then she made a brave decision to take over from where her cousin left off.  This way she felt she’d be best off.  This way she knew she'd be in control.  Although police would be on patrol and things would be much riskier for her.  She didn't want cops frisking on her.  She made sure she stayed under the radar, avoiding the lights that flash like quasars.

      Evading trouble was what helped her prosper.  Plus she made sure she kept a good roster of goons and hustlers to maintain business.  She stayed on the down low like she was a mistress; although she was not, she was only a teen, in it to win it at the age of eighteen.

      She finally graduated not from school, but because her life was much improved.  Brand new condo and a car.  She had no license but drove afar to meet with dealers and broker deals, with good composure and appeal. Things worked out and she got what she was needing, until one day she was pulled over for speeding. The stop was originally for mashing the gas, until cops located drugs in her stash.  She got arrested but had an excuse.  She said, “That stuff is for personal use.”

      The cop made a comment while putting her in the cruiser.  “Young lady, if you’re using all these drugs you’re a loser.”

      She really didn’t care what he had to mention, pretending to use would lessen her sentence compared to the time for intent to sell.  This was a fact that she knew very well.  This was a chance she was willing to take.  Most likely the judge would give her a break.

  II

    

       Dana went to county jail for almost a year, upon first arrival she harbored some fear.  Yet by her time and date of release, she earned respect that she was a beast because of the way that she handled herself.  To all enemies she was bad for their health.  The jail environment was perfect to learn, just how and when to be brutally stern.

      Also she learned about gangs and structure.  This is what helped her become the constructor of something that was very substantial; something solving every financial issue that she ever had known.  But first a girl she never had known, became her friend and they clicked like clones.

      This was a girl who had a connection, in the south of the border direction.  Her favorite uncle she knew so well, discreetly ran a huge cartel.  Her access to product was almost free.  When Dana found out, it filled her with glee.

      “Joan please tell me that you are not bluffing!  You can get that much for next to nothing?”

      From that point on they made plans together.  Like Run DMC they were tougher than leather.  They got out of jail like a month apart.  And Dana wasted no time to start to reestablish her emerging business.  She traveled with Joan to go and witness the product in its first stage of production.  This was Dana’s introduction directly to a major plug.  Because of Joan they got major love.

      Ultimately they brought back so much weight that it could equal benching two plates.  In no time at all they got rid of it all.  Their competition got a bit of a maul.  The market was captured by Dana and Joan.  Their product was everywhere, the source was unknown to the public and also unknown to police.  It sold like a new iPhone release.

      They quickly expanded from local to regional.  What they had was more than seasonal.  All year ‘round their product prospered.  They laid low and avoided coppers.  They made sure to strengthen their core.  As far as for help, they needed some more.  Thus they recruited four other females; ones they knew who'd follow the details just the way that they were instructed.  Immediately after they were inducted was when they all went straight to action.

      Financial transactions and social interactions were handled to Dana’s satisfaction.  All about business, all the girls bonded, and just like a family, they all responded to everything that went against them.  Often they would have to dispense them bullets into the bodies of foes.  Exactly how many, nobody knows.

      They got hardcore whenever it was called for.  Rarely did they ever have to bend like cardboard.  The way that they acted was hardly ever mild, they became known as the Girls Gone Wild.

      All of the girls were aged in their twenties, and made enough money to all have Bentleys.  They chose not to, Dana’s suggestion; they obliged without any questions.  They even recruited males eventually.  This decision was reached consensually.

      "Let's get us some males, to help with enforcement..."

      They had a reputation so they didn’t need endorsement. But this would help them to keep their hands clean.  Outside opinions notwithstanding.  Their outside dominion became commanding, because their performance was upstanding.

      Time continued to forge ahead.  They all got paid like they were celebs.  Dana though, stayed on the down low, despite the fact she was making profound dough.  Her business set-up was like a corporation, thanks to her clever organization.  Removed from daily operations, Dana was the wiser; with underlings like managers, dealers and supervisors.

      Dana and Joan served as the distributors.  In several states they were the contributors towards the problem of drug addiction.  Serving more people than a cable subscription.  But then again was it really their fault, that people liked their product to a fault?  Apparently law officials thought so, but who was behind it, they didn’t know.

  III

      Years later Dana was a grown-ass lady.  A karma collision she would outlast maybe.  But so far luck was all on her side.  She got a boyfriend and a new place to reside.  Far away from her business territory, Dana lived a double life story.  She was a master peddler by day, then at night, an innocent wife.

      Her new man owned a construction company, but had no idea he was in the company of such an influential figure.  A ruthless kingpin he wouldn’t
have figured.  She handled her business in the shadows of the city, then home to the suburbs where it wasn’t as shitty.

      She attended Galas and a lot of fundraisers, ‘til something occurred she couldn't have begun to waiver.  A lovely evening at a five-star restaurant, ended with her trying to revive her confidante.

  “Excuse me Miss, I didn’t mean to bump you ... but look at that ass, it makes me wanna hump you.”  This is what came from the mouth of a stranger.  His drunken ignorance would ultimately cause danger.

      Dana’s boyfriend seethed with fury.  His next reaction was violent surely.  He chopped dude’s throat with the side of his hand, and gave him a beating he couldn’t withstand.  The guy didn’t die, he sought out some vengeance, he watched them flee through the front of the entrance.  He got off the ground to chase them down, then ran to his car before they got far.

      He went to his gun before they’d begun to exit the parking lot.  His pride was stunned and before he was done his bullets sparked a lot.  The car was hit that Dana was driving.  Her boyfriend was slit and the pain was agonizing.

      The next thing you know she was in the hospital.  Her car had wrecked and the impact was not little.  She got a concussion but her man had died.  Stuck in the hospice for days she just cried.  But no sooner than the time of her release, on the streets there was no further peace.  Until the day that she got her revenge, on the culprit, his family and friends.

      After all was said and done, she realized things were overdone.  She got revenge but it didn't solve anything.  She still was sad about her boyfriend perishing.  For her it was hard to get back to business.  Her lingering memories had to be dismissed.  In time she got over it, but not altogether.  Regaining her focus was all to the better.