by Delisa Lynn
“Well, hey, doll. You must be Jess,” I say as I reach out my hand.
“Yeah, cut the crap. What kind of money are we talking? What do I need to do?” she asks. Ahh. Putty in my hands.
“My, my, someone is in a hurry.” I giggle. “Sweet Jess, what kind of money would you like? The ten grand? You drop the charges and I’ll give you whatever you want,” I say as I lean back in the booth.
“I want Heath back,” she states.
“Now, I don’t think that is doable. You see, he dumped you. You are the one that fucked that up my dear. But glad you did, because had you not then I wouldn’t have him. So who really did all that to you? I’ll give you the ten grand, if you tell me the truth. It’s just us. I won’t even tell Heath about this little meeting.”
Come on, please buy this. Please just say it so I can go.
“Alyssa, you think I was born yesterday? I’m not as dumb as you think I am. I’m not telling you who really did this. Now you and I both know that you nor Heath had anything to do with it. But the cops don’t know that, my connections made sure that it was all pointing to you and Heath. Mainly you,” she smirks.
“Well, my dear that is very odd. You see when the nice detectives came to my employer, they told me I was cleared that it was Heath they were after, because you’d been sleeping with one of them. Not sure if you cut him off or not, but he was quick to throw you under the bus,” I say. Praying she fell for it.
“What, no. Heath isn’t supposed to be in trouble. They said they would take care of you, just you. They promised me if I would do as they said then they would get rid of you, so Heath and I could be back together.”
“Oh, so you’re planning to kill me?” I question.
“God, no. Well, that wasn’t in my plan. Look, I have to run, meet me tonight. Have all the money and I’ll tell the cops I made a mistake. But I want the entire ten grand.” She makes sure not to leave out the money part.
“Wait,” I say as I place my hand on her arm. “I give you this money that’s the end of all this, right?” I have a feeling she is going to lie, like she has been her entire life.
“Yep, just come alone. If I find out that Heath knows, you’ll be sorry.”
“Oh… Is that a threat, Jessika?” I question.
“Nope, it’s a promise… Remember, I always get what I want.” Turning on her heal, she sprints toward the door.
What a bitch.
“Okay, I fucking hope you got all of that,” I say as I make my way out the door. I see that she is already gone, nowhere in sight.
Then I hear Meek say, “Got it, come on back, dear.”
Jessika wants to meet Alyssa tonight. She thinks I know nothing of it. No way is Lys going alone. I’ll be right there, although I can’t be seen. If anything goes wrong, I won’t be able to live with myself. Pulling her into my side I ask, “Are you sure about this? We can say fuck the entire thing, because we have her on tape basically confessing to everything,” I say as I kiss her cheek.
“Yes, I’m doing this. Once I do then they can arrest her. Hopefully she will turn the shady ass cops in as well.” I know exactly what she means, this is a damn mess. I can’t believe that Jess waited until I moved on to do all of this.
“I just worry that she’ll pull some other shit.”
“Me too, but you and Meek will be there. We got this. Okay?”
“Yeah, after this…I’m locking you in the bedroom for a week. So I can have my way with you.” I laugh.
“Oh,” she bats her eyelashes. “I think we can arrange that.”
“Meek just text me. It’s all set, are you ready?”
“Yep, let’s do this. I have the bag with the money in it.”
“God, I love you. You’re a brave woman, Alyssa.” And she is— she’s stronger than most men that I know.
“Heath, I haven’t always been this brave. I’ve learned that I have to stay strong for myself. Until you, I thought I’d be alone. Forever,” she states.
Placing my hand, on the side of her face, I pull her closer to me, looking into her brown, eyes I say, “You never have to worry about being alone. I’ll always protect you.” And I will, regardless of whom I have to kill.
Arriving at the spot where I’m meeting Jessika, Heath, Meek, and another cop are set up behind this building. I make sure to come alone, so that she nor anyone else would know I have the guys with me.
Looking around, I don’t see anyone. I sit down on the bench that is directly in front of the brick building. It smells of dead animals. It’s along the beach, but looks as if it has been vacated for a while. If things plan out, Meek is going to arrest Jessika once she reaches for the money.
Hearing footsteps, I gain my composure sitting up straighter and holding onto the bag tighter. I see that it is only Jessika and she is alone. Just as she said she would be.
“Okay, let’s do this. You have the money?” she asks as she looks around.
“Yep, I do. Are you okay? You seem jittery,” I say, knowing that I was a little nervous myself. I pick up the black duffel bag and hand it to her. “Here, it is. Are you sure you don’t want to give up those names for some extra cash?” I ask as I point toward the bag.
“Look,” she says, looking around. “I’ve done some bad things, and I need this money. If I tell you everything, you can’t tell Heath, okay?”
“You have my word,” I say as I reach my hand out to her. She pushes my hand away.
“No, I don’t need all that, I just need you to listen. And watch your back. They could be watching us,” she whispers.
“Who Jessika?” I ask.
“They’re monsters, you don’t want to get mixed in with them. Just go, I’ll call and tell the police that I made a mistake that it wasn’t y’all. Now go, please.”
“Wait… Jessika, drop the bag and place your hands on your head,” Meek says, rounding the corner.
“You, fucking whore. You lied to me,” she yells as she charges toward me.
“Jessika step back. Please don’t make me shoot,” Meek calls out to her. The anger in her eyes turns to hurt as she places her hands on my shoulder.
“I trusted you,” she states.
“Look, I’m sorry. You are in a lot of trouble, but we can help you. You need serious help,” I say, pushing her out of my face.
“No… I’m taking the money and going.” Grabbing the bag, she pushes past me and starts running.
“Fuck, I knew this may happen,” Meek says as he chases her. Then I see Heath, he has a gun pointed at her.
“Heath, don’t shoot her. It’s just money, let the cops do their job, and arrest her,” I say, walking closer to them.
“This is all your fault... You’re the one that took my life from me. You made me this way,” she yells to Heath.
“Me? You’re the one that has gotten yourself involved with these people and some shady shit.”
“If you would’ve loved me the way you love Josie, I would have never been like this. Do you still go visit her every weekend? Does your new whore know, about her and all of your secrets? You kept me in the dark for years then I found out about it all. That’s when I started using again.”
“You’re crazy, you know that right? Josie died years ago. Before you and I even got together,” Heath says, looking at her then back to me.
“Cut the shit, you know she is alive and so is your child that you made while with me. I saw the pictures. All of them, including videos of you and her fucking.”
“Seriously, I have no clue what you are talking about. Please…elaborate for us, since you know so much.”
“Just stop, fucking stop. You know goddamn well what I’m talking about. You pretended she was dead then you went and fucked her every weekend while you were supposedly playing golf. I promised them, I wouldn’t say anything to you. But this is just getting to be too much. I loved you Heath, I do love you. But they approached me and told me about you and her, showed me the pictures and videos. That’s when I decided to give it all up, I start
ed the drugs. I started selling them and sleeping with them for the money.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Heath yells. He looks as if he is going to pass out. I walk over and place my hand on his shoulder.
“Come on, let’s go. We don’t need to hear any more of this.”
“I know she is dead, I attended her funeral. I was there, and I was fucking there when she took her last breath. You’re pure evil Jessika.” He walks toward her, “Stay the hell away from us. Arrest this trash, before I take care of her myself.”
“Walk away, just walk away. Just like you walked away from Josie and your child. I know Heath, I spoke to her.”
“What?” He stops and turns around. “Tell me, who put you up to this?”
“I can’t say who told me. But Alyssa, know he will hurt you the way he did her and then me. He is worthless. All the money he has belongs to Josie and their child.”
“Look, I have no clue what this is all about… But you need to stop,” I say as I look at Meek and shake my head. He grabs her hands and starts reading her the Miranda Rights.
This is the craziest fucking shit that I’ve ever heard, I have no clue what this is all about. Or who even put Jess up to do all this, I can still hear her words playing through my mind. “Your child.” And that, “Josie’s not dead.”
Looking over at Lys, I see the heartbreak and confusion in her face. She has been through so much the last few weeks because of me. Placing my hand on her leg, I squeeze it. She looks at me and the tears that roll down her face makes me gasp for my breath.
“Heath, I know she is lying. But why, why would she make all this up?” she asks.
“Baby, I’m not sure. I have no clue what the hell is going on. Someone is out to get me, apparently. We will get to the bottom of this, but first I need to show you something,” I say as I drive straight to the cemetery. Although I come here, I need to see for myself that Jess is lying.
The drive on the way there was quite. Driving down the small gravel road that leads to the spot where Josie is, I can still see the flowers I left the last time. I stop the car, right in front. Looking at Alyssa, I say, “See, this is her grave.” For a quick second, I wanted to believe that what Jess was saying might be true, that Josie was still alive.
“Can I meet her again?”
“Huh?” I ask as I look at Lys, confused.
“Can I say hi to her?” she asks.
“Umm, okay. Come on,” I say as I climb out of my seat and walk around to open her door. We walk toward the huge black stone, it has a scripture on one side, and the other is a picture of Josie before she got sick. The words, daughter, sister, and aunt are scripted into the stone that reads.
Joselyn Mae Quartet.
Born on May 13th, 1987
Died on December 2nd, 2008
“Jos, this is my girlfriend, Alyssa. You may remember her from Seth, I know you liked her then and you would definitely approve.” I laugh. “Please, help us figure this shit with Jessika out. I know you’re exploring the world from up above. I had to come here, some part of me wanted to believe what we were being fed, but I knew it wasn’t true. Rest easy, sweetheart”
“Hi, Josie. As Heath said, I’m Alyssa. Seth was my boyfriend when he died. I never got to thank you for talking with me at the hospital and buying me coffee. I’m sure you’ve seen him up there. Tell him I said hi, would you. I promise I’ll take care of Heath. He is amazing, and the crap that Jessika is pulling is going to stop soon. Now that I know where your resting spot is, I’ll be by to see you soon,” She says as she wipes a tear from her face.
“You’re amazing, Lys. You know that?” is all I can say as we walk toward my car.
“Heath, I knew she was lying. We have to figure out who she is working with and who fed her this lie.”
“I just don’t know who would want to do all this,” I say as I start the car, I really didn’t have any enemies, I slept with a lot of woman. But none of them wanted to pursue a relationship, well that I’m aware of.
“Heath, what about… Shit, the waitress. Theresa, that’s her name.”
“Yeah, she thought I’d cheat on Jess with her,” I say as I run my hand down my face.
“She has to be involved, because she is the only one that knew about me.”
“Fuck, why is this shit happening now. I hadn’t seen either of them since I broke things off with Jess. I did… Damnit, I did sleep with one of their other friends in April—I think it was. She is the one that called me and she came over to my place. I normally never bring anyone there, and I actually bought a new bed after that, because I didn’t want any reminders of Jess in my room. So I got all new shit.”
“Call her to see if she will tell you anything. Tell her you’re on to them. See if she will bust.”
“You’re so fucking good. I’ll call Meek first and see how things are going.”
“We will get this sorted, even if I have to cut one of these bitches.” She laughs.
We’ve just discovered that Jessika’s friends have helped her in this little plot to destroy Heath and me. While she’s behind bars, we have to get the other two to confess. We think that Theresa and Melanie have been egging Jess on. Heath’s made a few calls and we’re heading to the police station. They’ve agreed to let us talk with Jessika to see if she will give them up. He tried calling both girls, but of course they didn’t answer.
“Baby, know that whatever happens I love you,” he says, squeezing my hand.
“Heath, we will bring them down. There has to be a reason they’re doing this.”
“I just don’t get it. Are you going to talk to Jess? I’m not sure I can without hurting her. I would never put my hands on a woman, but she isn’t a woman.”
“Yes, I think it’ll be better if I do,” I say as we walk into the station. Meek had arranged for us to see her, but I honestly don’t want Heath to. I know as upset as he is, he would hurt her.
“Alyssa, Heath, I’ve sent a few men to bring Theresa Houseman and Melanie Cooper to be questioned. I think it would be best if Alyssa talks to Jessika. She keeps saying they’re monsters not sure who it is she is refereeing too.”
“I’ll go in, make sure you record everything. Come in when I motion for you.”
“Yes, we will be right there, if you need us just say the words.”
“Okay. Heath, it’ll be okay,” I say as I kiss him. Walking in, she is sitting at a table smoking of course.
“Alyssa, look they will hurt you. They want money they’ve made it clear. They’re going to kill me if I don’t have it,” she states then takes a draw from her cigarette. “Look, I know you don’t like me. But I’m scared shitless.”
“Who are these men you are referring too? Or should I say women?” I say as I sit in the chair across from her. I’ve been in interrogation rooms with my clients before, but this is too damn close for comfort.
“Sledge, he is Theresa’s brother. We fucked here and there. But they are the ones that told me about Josie and the kid,” she says lighting another cigarette. “Want one?” she asks.
“No, thanks. Wait, your friend Theresa that works at the diner?”
“Yes, that’s her. She is the one that told me about you,” she sighs. “They made me do it. She beat the shit out of me so it would look like I was attacked.”
I take a deep breath, “So this girl Theresa has done all this, beating you up and came up with the story that we attacked you?” I ask, hoping to get the right answers.
“Yes, they…” she looks around, “they want Heath’s money. He is one of the wealthiest men here. When I started using again, they’d told me about Josie. Then she called me herself.”
“Sweetie, Josie is dead. I’m not sure what they told you or who called you, but I saw her gravesite.”
“But I saw the pictures and the video. It was fuzzy, but I could have sworn it was Heath.”
“Jessika, look at me. What have these people told you? Come on you can talk to me, we want what’
s best for you,” I say, trying to console her.
“It all started about a year ago. Theresa started telling me that Heath was cheating and she’d seen him with different woman. Then I started using again, because she kept feeding me the lies, and her brother was my dealer. Then he would give me drugs for sex. I love Heath, I never meant to hurt him, but he was the one with the money so I knew he’d miss it if I kept buying drugs with it. Then after Heath kicked me out, I started seeing Sledge,” she sighs and lights another cigarette.
“Are you still seeing him?” I ask.
“No, that’s just it. He used me to get money from Heath. He wanted me to get it from the bank I was working at, but I lost my job. Then Theresa said she’d met you and that you looked loaded. So they came up with this shit. I’m so sorry, I just want to go to sleep. I’m so tired of lying and running,” she cries. I actually feel sorry for her.
“Jessika, do you think that your other friend is involved also? I think Heath went on a date with her a few months back.”
“I’m not sure, but that was when I tried to break into his house, and then I felt bad and lied to Sledge and told him someone had seen me.”
“Why are they doing this, I understand they want money. But Theresa didn’t seem like anything was wrong when we saw her last month.”
“I need help. Is there a way that y’all can help me stay away from them? If I don’t pay Sledge, he will kill me. He is a bad cop, he has connections.”
“Why wouldn’t you go to Heath when all this started?”
“They kept telling me they would hurt him or me. I would rather die than see him hurt any more than he already has. I did him wrong, I used to be bad and then he changed me. Then it all started up again. Once I get a sniff of the poison, I’m back on it. I’m a junkie, I used to be pretty at one time, but now this,” she rolls her sleeves up to show me the tracks in her arms. “This is what makes me happy. The rush I get when the heroin goes through my body is a high like nothing else.”
“How long have you been using?”
“I’ve always smoked weed and used coke here and there. But the heroin is new—I started earlier this year. Can I have something to drink, please?” she asks as she looks around the room.
