Diamond Lives, Platinum Lies

by Howard, Vonda

  Peaches turned and stood. “I’m sorry, I was...”

  “Hey, I know you. You’re the crazy girl that fainted in the boutique when I confronted Simone. What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Melanie, right? I’m here trying to help your brother.”

  “Just how do you plan to do that? What changed your minds from the last time we saw one another?”

  “There have been some troubling things that have come to our attention recently and the first step in our finding out if they are true is to find out if D-Smooth really did do this to your brother and why.”

  Sheer anguish and regret covered her face as she walked on the opposite side of Ganja’s bed. “No, it was me.”

  “What?”

  “It might as well be my fault. I didn’t throw the punches or kicks, but I certainly did get him into this.”

  Ganja looked at his sister with tear filled eyes as if he was trying to ease her guilt.

  “What are you talking about?” Peaches sat down in the chair.

  “My brother had come to me one night angry because he felt he had been dooped and cheated by D-Smooth, so we figured out a way to get what my brother what was owed to him and get back at D-Smooth’s lying ass.”

  “What did D-Smooth do?” Peaches asked listening intently.

  She sat down on Ganja’s bed and held his hand. “He and my brother were working on some big time secret project and apparently, Darius decided he didn’t need my brother anymore. So he gave him some chump change, took his ideas and booted my brother out.”

  “What was the project?”

  “I don’t know. We decided that my brother was going to get what was owed him, so we started to blackmail Darius for ten million dollars or we would go to the police with info about the project.”

  “Ten million? This must have been a major project!”

  “From what he would tell me, whatever it was, it stood to make both he and Darius a lot of money.”

  Ganja tried to speak once again.

  “What is it, little bro?” Asked Melanie as she stroked his hand.

  Ganja tried his best to speak, but started to get frustrated when his sister and Peaches didn’t understand him. He strained as he lifted his finger and pointed at the closet at the end of the room.

  Melanie got up and walked over to the closet. “What is it?”

  Ganja mumbled slightly louder in her direction.

  “What is it?” She looked frantically through the closet until she uncovered a black shoe box at the back of the closet. “She grabbed it, stood and turned towards Ganja and Peaches. “Is this what you wanted?” She asked her brother.

  He nodded slightly.

  Melanie walked over and handed it over to Peaches. “Here. Hopefully whatever is in there will help.”

  “Don’t you want to find out what’s inside?”

  “Frankly, no. All I want is for my brother to get better, but, if whatever is in that box puts D-Smooth in hell where he deserves to be...fine.”

  “Okay, you two. It’s time for him to get some rest.” Ganja’s mom entered the room and interrupted.

  “Of course.” Peaches stood up and headed out the bedroom door.

  “One last thing?” Melanie called out.

  “Yes?”

  “Be careful. D-Smooth is not what people think he is. He is a very dangerous man.”

  Peaches smiled and nodded as she left the bedroom and exited the house. Once inside her car she opened the box and was floored by the contents. “Oh my god!” She knew just who to call with this evidence. She saw a photo buried at the bottom of the box and pulled it out from under the stack of papers. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” She laughed.

  Chapter 14

  Simone could hardly concentrate at her photo shoot in New York. She couldn’t stop thinking about Peaches and how she should have cancelled the shoots and stayed with her in DC.

  Roxanne noticed how distracted she was and halted the shoot for a second while she bought Simone back to planet Earth. “Sweetie, are you okay? You are blowing this shoot!”

  “I’m sorry, Roxanne. I just have some things on my mind.”

  “Honey, I understand, but these shoot are very important. We’re still trying to shake off all the negative press from this whole Darius-Ganja debacle. You want to talk about it?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? Is it the whole thing with D-Smooth again?”

  “No, Roxanne. I’m fine.”

  “Okay, if you say so. Now get over there and kill these shoots.”

  Simone did just that. She rocked the shoots and did her interviews with ease. After everything was done she was headed back to her hotel when her phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey big sis!”

  “Oh my God, Peaches, I was so worried! Did you find out anything?”

  Peaches laughed. “Oh yeah.”

  “What did you find? Is any of it true?”

  “Look, I’ll just say this. Mr. Darius Barnes is not who we thought!”

  Simone’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t want to get into all of it on the phone. Besides, it’s best if I show you all that I got.”

  “Peaches, you can’t call me and drop a bomb like that and not tell me what’s going on!”

  “Look, just know that what happened to Ganja was no accident.”

  “Oh my God.” Simone muttered as she covered her mouth with her hand. “How could I be so stupid?” Her heart sank as tears trembled on her almond-shaped eyelids.

  “Sweetie don’t beat yourself up. How could you have known he was a ruthless criminal?”

  “I’m coming back home tonight.”

  “Simone, you can’t do that. I will be fine. Besides, you need to keep up appearances. He already caught you going through his desk. We don’t want him to even suspect that you know anything. I’m going to take all this to Detective Rice. Trust me this guy will do whatever he has to do to get what he wants.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Simone sighed as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. “But I ‘m on the first flight out of here after my interview tomorrow.”

  “Deal, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. One more thing?” Simone blurted.

  “Yes?”

  “Can you tell me when my little sister became so smart and brave?”

  “Hey, it was always here. You just have to know when to use it.”

  “I love you lil’ sis.”

  “I love you too, big sis’. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Simone hung up her phone and looked down at the four carat lie on her finger and snatched it off.

  Peaches dialed the phone number listed on the back of Detective Rice’s business card.

  “Hello?” Brenda answered.

  “Hi. Is Detective Rice available?”

  “Who’s calling?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Rochelle and I have some info that he may want to see concerning the Ganja case.”

  “Oh, well he’s not here right now, can I help you with anything? We are working on this together.”

  “Not to be rude or anything, but, who exactly are you?” Peaches asked trying not to be rude.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m his partner and fiancée, Brenda.”

  “Oh...okay. I’m sorry; I just have to be really careful.”

  “I understand.” Brenda smiled.

  “Well, I have some new evidence that you guys are going to want to see.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you come to our apartment and we can talk in person?”

  “Why not at the station?” Peaches asked suspiciously.

  “Our Chief has basically forbid us from working on this case, so it would be nice if we could look it over and make sure everything is concrete before we take it in.”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “Can you be here at say, five?”

  “Sure. I’ll see you then.”

  Peaches arrived at De
tective Rice’s apartment to meet with Brenda at five pm sharp as they agreed. She walked up to the door of the lavish condominium and rang the doorbell. After waiting a few seconds, Brenda opened the door with a smile.

  “You must be Rochelle?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please come on in.” She gestured for Peaches to come inside. “Shouldn’t Detective Rice be here for this?”

  “He’s at a conference, but like I said, we both have been working on this case for a long time.”

  “I guess.” Peaches went and sat down on the couch and looked around at the elaborately decorated condo. “Cop salaries must have really jumped because this place is laid out!”

  “Oh,” Brenda chuckled. “This is all courtesy of my parents.”

  “Oh okay. What is a rich girl like you doing being a cop? Not enough excitement at the garden club?”

  “No, I guess you could say I wanted to break away from all the stuffiness. It all worked out though; if I never joined the force I would have never met Dick.”

  “Aww, how romantic. Well, here’s the box I got from Ganja.”

  Brenda took the box from her and began to look at its contents.

  “Oh my...”

  “Now, I don’t quite understand a lot of the paperwork inside, I was hoping you could explain some it to me?”

  Brenda unfolded one of the sheets of paper to reveal scientific formulas and math equations. “I have no idea what this all means. I would have to give it to some of our nerds at the department.”

  “Well, whatever it is, it would have to really be important to try to kill someone over.”

  “Ganja admitted that Darius was behind his beating?”

  Peaches nodded. “Both he and his sister. They said that Darius had edged Ganja out of some big project they were working on so they started to blackmail him.”

  “What’s this?” Brenda pulled out a photo of a woman that was very familiar to her. “Do I know her?”

  “She is the woman that my sister caught with Trent earlier this year! I think her name is Olivia Ackers.”

  Brenda’s face clouded with confusion. “What is her photo doing in this box?”

  Peaches reached in the box and pulled out a letter written to Ganja from her. “It looks like she was dating Ganja and was trying to help him get back what was his by trying to trick Darius.”

  “A lot of good that did her.” Brenda looked at the photo with pity. “If she was so in love with Ganja, why would she be in a nightclub kissing Trent? Let alone kill him?”

  “I don’t know.” Sighed Peaches. “Wait...who’s to say she killed him? Maybe D-Smooth got wind of her plans.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Peaches stood up in front of Brenda. “She was collateral damage. Expendable. They had to cover their tracks in Trent’s murder somehow.”

  “What reason would D-Smooth have to kill Trent?”

  “I don’t know. To get to my sister maybe? I mean, my sister is fine and all, but enough to want to kill? It just doesn’t add up.”

  “Well, Rochelle, you may have broken this case.”

  “You really think so?” Peaches’s face beamed with pride.

  “I do.” Brenda put the top back on the box. “I will get this to Dick as soon as he gets home.”

  Peaches brow was high and rounded. “Oh, I’m not leaving the box. If he wants it, he can come and get it.”

  Brenda stood up and placed her hands on Peaches’ shoulder. “I completely understand your caution in leaving it here, but please trust me; it’s in very safe hands. Besides, he’ll want to get right on this when he gets home.”

  Peaches hesitated, measuring Brenda for a moment. “Okay, but tell him to call me as soon as he gets home.”

  “I promise.” Brenda followed Peaches as she headed for the door. “Don’t worry. You did a good thing. We are going to get this bastard.”

  Peaches opened the door and took a step out into the hallway. “I just want to protect my sister.”

  “Trust me, you are. I promise we will be in touch as soon as he gets here.”

  “Okay. Thank you for your help.” She shook Brenda’s hand as she turned and headed for the elevators.

  “No, thank you.” Brenda offered Peaches a friendly smile as she closed the door.

  Chapter 15

  Simone didn’t waste any time getting to Peaches’ house after her jet landed the next evening. She didn’t sleep a wink last night and thought about it all through her interviews. What was it she had found? How could she have been so wrong about yet another man? She had called Neal and filled him in on all that has happened, and he insisted on picking her up at the airport so they both could go see Peaches.

  They arrived at Peaches’ house, walked up onto the porch and rung the doorbell. They stood for a moment and got no answer.

  “Where is she?” Neal asked impatiently. “I know she’s home. Her lights are on.”

  “She’s probably on that treadmill with her Ipod turned all the way up again. Hold on, I have my key.” Simone reached in her pocket, pulled out her keys and entered the house.

  “Peaches? Where are you?”

  No answer.

  “I’ll go see if she is downstairs on her treadmill.” Said Neal.

  “Okay.” Simone said as she walked around the corner and into Peaches’s bedroom. “Peaches?”

  Simone’s heart fell as she walked into the room and saw Peaches lying in the floor unconscious. “Neal! Help!” She screamed as she ran to her sister. “Peaches? Peaches?” Simone could feel her heart pounding through her chest as she turned Peaches over, and searched for a pulse.

  “Oh my God!” Neal shouted as he ran into the room.

  “She doesn’t have a pulse!” Simone shouted as hot tears rolled down her face.

  Neal immediately called 911 while Simone started CPR. “Come on little sis, don’t do this to me.”

  “The ambulance is on its way.” Neal said through tears of his own. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know.” Simone said as she pumped Peaches’ chest. “I just came in and found her like this.” She touched her neck to see if there was a pulse with no luck, so she continued for what was only about five minutes, but seemed like forever.

  The EMT’s arrived and instructed both Simone and Neal to move so they could work. Simone watched in soul shattering horror as they tried to revive her sister, eventually using the paddles with no effect. She let out a loud, soul shattering scream as the EMT’s stopped working on her.

  “NO! You keep working on my sister!” She shouted, her voice trembling and her eyes bloodshot red from crying.

  “Ma’am, there is nothing else we can do for her. I’m sorry.”

  She stood in the opening of the door, her chest rising and falling under her labored breathing, staring at the lifeless body of her little sister. Neal tried to grab her and hold her, but she pulled away and went and knelt down beside Peaches on the floor. Neal’s heart broke a million times as he watched Simone grab her sister close to her, sobbing and rocking back and forth.

  “Excuse me sir?” Asked one of the policemen on the scene.

  “Yes.” Neal answered in a low, anguished voice.

  “Do you recognize this pill bottle?” The officer held up a plastic bag with an empty prescription bottle in it.

  Neal wiped his eyes so he could clearly see. “I don’t know. I know she was taking sleeping pills to help her sleep lately.”

  “Well we found this not to far from her.”

  “What are you saying? She committed suicide?”

  “No, we’re not saying anything yet...”

  “Good, because she would never do that! She loved her life! This was obviously a set up.”

  “How’s that?” The officer inquired.

  Neal paused because he knew that he had no real proof of what he was implying. “Look, I just know that she wouldn’t do that. So, you guys need to figure out what really happened here.” He turned from the officer and w
alked over and knelt down next to Simone whom was steel cleaving to her sister’s lifeless body. “Honey, we have to go.”