“What about Marcella Jackson’s murder investigation? Can I at least work on that?”
“We have enough men on that case,” O’Neil replied blandly as he began going through another file. “You’re excused.”
Felix stared down at his lieutenant for a moment feeling nothing but contempt. He believed he was being stone-walled and while his gut told him exactly why he was being stone-walled, he didn’t want to believe it. But no matter what, he always trusted his gut over anything else.
He left the office feeling somewhat defeated and went back to his desk. He began looking through the file for the new case he had been assigned to but was unable to focus, his mind still occupied with everything he had discovered with Arianna’s murder investigation. He knew he was on to something and there was no way he could just give up.
“If I walk away from this and I’m right, he’s going to find Vanessa and he’s going to kill her… just like he did Regina Smalls.” He then thought back to Arianna and the frantic manner in which she tried showing him her hands. Felix closed his eyes, still seeing the look in hers. But then he saw her hands, and it was as though that was all he could see. Not only did she have blood under her nails but she had some on the heel of her palm.
“Sleeping on the job?” Felix heard someone say. His eyes jerked open and he saw his partner standing near his desk smiling at him.
“No, I was just in deep thought, that’s all. What’s up?”
“I heard what happened with Ms. Stone’s case. You should’ve let me know what you were doing, man. I would have backed you 100 percent, you know that,” Michaels said in a low voice.
“Yeah, I was just going on a hunch, all the good it did,” Felix replied as he stood from his desk and grabbed his file folders.
“Did you find anything that can maybe bring this case back to life? Any witnesses that we can interview or re-interview?”
Felix hesitated, “Nothing concrete. Just a hunch. It doesn’t matter now, anyways. I’ve been assigned this bullshit Jeweler’s Row crime spree. That shit will surely have me sleeping at the desk. Who gives a fuck about some stolen diamonds out here when women are getting murdered left and right, you know?” Felix said with disdain. He walked over to the elevator with Michaels in tow.
“Yeah, how about that? Well listen, I got some family stuff going on, so I’ll be taking a leave of absence for two weeks and then right after that, I got that trip to Barbados for two weeks, so I’ma be gone for a month,” Michaels said as he held the elevator door open.
“Oh, yeah I remember you telling me about that trip. Well, I hope they don’t assign me a bullshit temp partner. Just let me work solo while you’re gone, I ain’t trying to fuck with these newbies. Fuck around and get me shot out here with their scary asses.” They chuckled together. “Take care of your fam and have fun, bro.”
“I will. Holla at you when I touch down,” Michaels replied. He saluted Felix as the elevator doors were closing.
“Twenty bucks says Vasquez blood wasn’t the only blood on Arianna’s hands,” Felix mumbled out-loud. His friend in forensics wasn’t at work that day which meant he would have to make a house visit. He decided to stop home first.
Felix rode the elevator up to the floor his apartment was on still thinking about Arianna and the way she tried showing him her hands. His thoughts were interrupted by a nagging feeling in his stomach. The closer he got to his apartment, the stronger the feeling got and his gut told him that something was off. His keys were already in his hands when he got to his door, but he could tell by the marks near his lock that his keys were not needed. He backed away from his door as he stuffed his keys in his back pocket and pulled his gun instead. He checked behind him and then gently pushed his door in with one hand while aiming his gun with the other. His heart was racing a mile a minute and he was positive that he could hear its beat along with a loud buzzing noise. Felix managed to control his breathing as he swallowed past a knot of fear.
Just as Marcella’s office had been tossed and ransacked, so was his apartment. His room was a mess, the mattress was partially off of its frame and the drawers to his dresser were opened, clothes strewn about, and his living room was even worse. Once he was able to clear his bedroom and the bathroom and make sure no one was in the kitchen or living room, his desk where his computer sat caught his eye. He went over to it and saw where someone had tried their damndest to hack his computer and access whatever files he might have had. Felix thanked his computer tech guy who placed security measures on his computer that not even the savviest computer geek could break through.
Felix stood up and looked around. While he was pissed off that someone broke into his apartment, he knew that he had to have been onto something with the case he was working on. He was grateful that he followed his first mind and opened a safety deposit box which is where he placed his thumb drives containing any information that he gathered for all of the cases he worked on as well as printed documents. He reached in his back pocket and called in the break-in and then called his tech guy.
“Hey George, I need you to look at my computer for me,” Felix said into the phone as he looked around.
“Hey, bro. How’s it going? What’s up with the computer?”
“Someone broke into my apartment. Nothing was stolen, as far as I can tell. I think whoever broke in was looking for something and I want to make sure they didn’t plant a virus on my computer,” Felix explained.
“No prob. Holy shit, someone broke into your place? If they didn’t steal anything, what the hell they were looking for?” George asked. The excitement could be heard in his voice. He always loved hearing a good cop story coming from Felix. He was a baby genius, only 19 years old with an IQ that would make Einstein jealous. Anything dealing with computers, math and science, he knew it and had created software that could rival anything created by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. He was also a damn good hack but kept his talents low key as that would easily have the Feds on his ass to either acquire his talents or neutralize them to make sure he didn’t pose a threat to “national security”.
“More than likely it has to do with a case I was working on. I can’t say too much. Give me a couple of hours. The cops are on their way to take a report.”
“Wow! Well, be safe bro. If they’re ransacking your place for whatever information they think you have or know and weren’t able to find it, you already know what’s next,” George warned him.
Felix hesitated. “Yeah… I know. See you in a bit.” He disconnected the call.
George was right on the money with his last comment and Felix knew it. This made him even more determined to solve the murders of Arianna, Tony and Marcella. He was positive that Eric was involved in the break-in, whether directly or indirectly. There was no way he could walk away from the case now after this. He needed to move fast and push his time table up. He decided to start with the woman Crystal, whose phone was used to call Arianna.
21
After hearing about the murder of Marcella, Crystal stepped up tremendously with transporting women who were traveling through the network to escape abusive spouses. She continued to organize the various routes that the women would travel as well as host support group meetings. She was one of many who did not initially associate Marcella’s murder with the phone call Vanessa made from her burner device. Because of that, it left her open for Eric’s assault.
Early one afternoon she received a phone call from Felix. She had only spoken with him once briefly about Vanessa and was eager to help, seeing that it was her negligence that allowed Vanessa to make the phone call which was setting everything in motion. She did not believe she was in danger, but was sure to carry her .22 pistol with her as well as her mace and pepper spray.
“Hello, Felix. How are you today?” Crystal said into the phone as she gathered up the things that she needed to get her day started.
“I’m doing well, Crystal. Thank you for asking. I was wondering if I could still meet with you to discuss Vanes
sa and her whereabouts. I remember you saying that you would send me over some information, but due to a recent incident, I think it would be better if we met in person and not spoke too much over the phone.”
“Well, my schedule has been very hectic since Ms. Jackson’s passing. I sent everything I had to the email address that you gave me. Beyond that, I’m not sure what more I can tell you about her,” Crystal replied.
“Unfortunately, I think it’s possible my email may have been compromised. I had a break-in earlier today and I’m almost positive that it’s attributed to the case I’m working that may possibly involve her.”
Crystal fell silent for a moment. She was conflicted knowing that the whereabouts of a package weren’t to be shared with anyone, but she also wanted to make sure that if Vanessa’s ex was trying to track her down, that he could be caught before the network was compromised.
“How soon can you get to Maryland?” she asked after giving in.
“I can drive down tonight and maybe we can link up in the morning over breakfast or coffee,” Felix replied as he grabbed some of his items to prepare for the trip.
“Alright. Give me a call when you check into your hotel room and we’ll go from there.”
“Thanks, Crystal. Have a good day.”
“You do the same,” Crystal said before disconnecting the call. She headed over to the facility to get her day started.
Crystal was exhausted at the end of her work day. She transported three women to their next destination, hosted a seminar on domestic violence, and conducted two support group meetings. She never noticed the man who attended each of the events she participated in. There was no need to physically follow her, as a tracking device had been placed underneath her car to learn of her every move.
She walked over to her car and got inside, plotting in her head on the roast pork, string beans and mashed potatoes that she had at home from the night before. She was exhausted but felt good inside after being able to help many of the women that she came in contact with during the day. She wanted to try her best to continue Marcella’s great work.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she was about to put the key in the ignition when she heard a click behind her, as though someone had chambered a round in a gun. She adjusted her rear-view mirror and a small scream escaped from her when she saw a sinister looking man looking at her with a gun pointing in her direction.
“Shhh,” the man said. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. That all depends on you.”
Crystal’s heart was racing a mile a minute as she felt terror from her head to her toes.
“Please, don’t hurt me. If it’s money you want, my wallet is in my purse. Take whatever you want. If it’s something else… please God, wear a condom, you can have that too, just please don’t hurt me,” Crystal begged as a tear slid out of her eye.
The sinister man laughed and shook his head. “You don’t have enough money for me to want to rob you. And I get pussy thrown at me 24-7. You’re cute. But not that cute,” he said coldly.
“Then what…?” Crystal asked confused.
“Drive,” he instructed. “Go where I tell you to go, answer a couple of questions to my satisfaction, and you live to fight another day. Try anything slick, or decide to play dumb, and your family can bury you wherever the fuck they bury you. Understand?”
Crystal sniffed as she fumbled with her keys, her hands shaking from fear as she tried to get it into the ignition. Once she got the car started, the sinister man behind her moved his gun from her head to the back of her chair while threatening her with the very real possibility of having a whole blown through her back if she tried anything slick.
He directed her to a deserted rode that was extremely dark and had her park as well as turn off her lights.
“Throw the keys,” he said to her in a low voice.
Without hesitation, Crystal rolled her window down and tossed the keys, making sure she followed them with her eyes to see where they landed. She then rolled the window back up and waited to see what was going to happen next. She trembled as she breathed trying to remember a time when she had been this frightened, but could not. Periodically she glanced in her rear view hoping to steal as much of what the man in her back seat looked like so she could ID him later on… if she lived through this.
“Now, all I have is one very simple question, Crystal. Answer it correctly, and I get out of your car, I walk away, and you never hear from me or see me again. Bullshit me, and you won’t be seeing anything ever again in this life, understand?” the sinister man asked in a voice too calm for Crystal’s liking.
“Yes…” Crystal replied.
“Before I even give you the opportunity to lie, I want you to know that we already know you helped a young lady by the name of Vanessa Lofton. She used your phone to contact her friend Arianna, which is how we found you. All I want to know is, where is she now?”
Crystal’s eyes looked around wildly as everything started to become clear. That is why the detective wanted to meet with her. Vanessa’s phone call had set off a chain reaction that caused Marcella’s death and God knows how many others.
“All I did was drop her off at a train station in Bethesda. Where her next destination was, I don’t know. We’re never given that information.”
The sinister man sighed and shook his head. “That was not the answer I was looking for Crystal,” he said as he put the gun back to her head. Crystal closed her eyes tightly and began to cry as she begged for her life. “You better tell me something, Crystal. You have about five seconds to tell me something worthwhile or I’ma splatter your pretty little brains all over this fucking windshield. Who’s more important? A measly little bitch that you gave a ride to the train station, or you? Whose life, Crystal? Five… Four…
“They changed her identity!” Crystal said loudly in between sobs. “Please, please don’t kill me.”
“What do you mean?”
“She isn’t going by Vanessa Lofton anymore. Her name is Carmen Thompson. There were two southbound trains leaving at 7:25am on June 2nd. One was headed to North Carolina, the other was headed to Georgia.”
“Which one did she get on?” the sinister man asked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t stay. All I know is she took the escalator to the southbound platform. Please, please God don’t kill me,” Crystal pleaded as she continued to sniff and cry.
The sinister man stared at her for a moment and then took the gun away from her head. He put the safety back on and tucked it inside of its holster.
“Good job, Crystal. That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” he said to her in the calm voice that was really beginning to creep her out. He ran his fingers through her hair, shushing her and telling her to calm down. Before Crystal could make another attempt to beg for her life, she felt the sting from a needle enter her shoulder. She opened her mouth to holler out in pain but was unable to make any noise. Her body shook as the contents of the syringe surged through her veins. Her eyes fluttered before closing and the sinister man gently laid her head against the steering wheel so that she appeared to be sleeping. He then exited her car while whistling a tune to himself and walked over to another car that was a few feet ahead of Crystal’s. He got inside and did a search for train stations in Bethesda. When he found what he was looking for, he casually started his car and drove away as though nothing had happened.
22
Vanessa stirred in a hospital bed, feeling groggy. She opened her eyes partially but the bright lights in the room she was in compelled her to close them. She heard voices that for once weren’t inside of her head and listened. She could tell one was Derek’s but wasn’t sure who the woman was.
“What the hell happened, Derek?” Vanessa could hear the woman asking.
“She was fine until a woman walked up to her and asked her if her name was Vanessa. Then she handed her an envelope and when Carmen looked inside, that’s when she lost it,” Derek explained.
“What was in the envelo
pe?” the woman asked.
“I didn’t get a chance to look because she collapsed, but I put it in my back pocket.” Derek reached for the envelope and Vera took it from him. When she looked inside, he noticed that she got the same expression on her face that Carmen had gotten earlier. “What? What the hell is going on? Carmen had the same damn look on her face when she looked in the envelope.”
Vera tucked the photo back inside of the envelope and then put the envelope in her pocket-book. Instead of answering his questions, she began grilling him about fraternizing with the women in the facility. “You know that is strongly frowned upon, Derek. These women are here to heal and get help with transitioning from their previous abusive relationships into a better life. They don’t need any distractions.”
“I’m not distracting Carmen and all we did was have breakfast, that’s all.”
“She’s a young woman who is clearly not in the position mentally or emotionally to start a new relationship, not to mention, she’s pregnant.”
“Who said anything about getting into a relationship? It was just breakfast, Ms. Vera. It’s not that deep.”
“It is that deep, Derek. You have no idea who this woman is. You have no idea how damaged she is nor are you fully aware of the problems she’s brought to this program. If it weren’t for her…” Vera caught herself and stopped. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
“If it weren’t for her what?” Derek asked.
“Nothing. Just watch yourself with her. A lot of the things that are going on right now are transpiring because of her. She’s going to have to be removed from the facility to make sure no one else is jeopardized.”
“You’re kidding me? So because of a mistake she may have made, you’re just going to throw her to the wolves? Then what? Whatever happens to her is whatever happens to her? That’s not something Marcella would stand for and you know it,” Derek said angrily.
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