“The only person Mr. Franklin saw at Jason’s was your father.”
“Are you sure?”
“According to the report. I’m not going to go with that angle because once I go that route, then my partner and I would be obligated to follow through. I would have to work with the other detectives, and it wouldn’t look good for your father.”
“Why would you say that? My father had nothing to do with it,” I blurted out.
“I know that and you know that, but your father has the money and your brother knows people. The DA could easily say your father paid someone to do it and threaten Mr. Franklin so he won’t testify against him.”
“Are you serious? Forget I even brought it up then.”
“I’m trying to let you see all angles. I’m not trying to make your dad’s situation worse.”
I wrapped my arm around his neck. “And I appreciate it.”
Omar kissed me. “Why don’t you let me take your mind off things?”
“You do know how to do that extremely well.”
He planted kisses on my neck. I closed my eyes, got up and grabbed his hand. “Follow me to the queendom.”
We laughed as we made our way down the hall.
Hope called out, “Glad you’re taking it to the room.”
Omar and I continued loving on one another until he received an emergency call from his partner. After he left, I found myself lying on my back staring at the ceiling. I could still smell his woodsy cologne lingering in the air. I closed my eyes and dozed off to sleep.
The next morning Hope burst into my room. “Did you hear?” she yelled.
“Hear what?”
“Mr. Franklin’s dead.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. He was found at his house. They think it was carbon monoxide poisoning.”
“Oh my God.” I fumbled in my bed for the television remote and then turned on the news. Hope sat on the edge of my bed.
We watched the morning news until the story was highlighted again. Then the house phone rang.
“It’s Mom,” Hope said after looking at the caller ID. She answered it. “Yes, Mom. We’re watching it now.”
Hope hit the speaker button. Our mother’s voice rang out from the other end. “Mr. Franklin must’ve known something. His death can’t be an accident like they are making it out to be. Whoever he spotted the night of Jason’s murder killed him.”
“Maybe it’s a coincidence,” Hope suggested.
“It’s no coincidence,” I said. “Omar told me the burglary at Mr. Franklin’s store wasn’t your normal burglary. The person who destroyed some of the store was trying to send a message.”
“Charity, you should have called me when you found that out. I may have been able to convince Mr. Franklin to go stay somewhere else,” Mom said.
“She was occupied. She couldn’t talk,” Hope said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll call Omar and see what else I can find out.”
“Do that, and then call me back. In fact, I’m on my way over there,” she said.
Before I could protest, she’d hung up the phone. I looked at Hope. “Good looking out, sis.”
“Hey, I’m telling the truth.”
“You only tell the truth when it suits you.” I dialed Omar’s number.
He answered. “I was about to call you.”
“Have you been up all night?” I asked.
“Yes. Our burglary victim was found dead in his home. We suspect carbon monoxide poisoning but won’t know for sure until after an autopsy is done.”
“I saw it on the news.”
“I will be in touch as soon as I can.”
“Mom’s on her way over here,” I said.
“Okay. Give her my love.”
We hung up. Hope was still sitting on my bed. “Do you really think he knew who actually killed Jason?”
“He must have. Why kill him? He saw something and now I’m not sure if we will ever find out what that was.”
“Do you trust Omar?” she asked.
“Yes. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be spending as much time with him as I have. Do you know of a reason why I shouldn’t trust him?”
“No. You seem to be moving a little fast. You’re normally the one preaching to me about being responsible. But here you are sleeping with Omar.”
“Hope, I’ve thought long and hard about what I should or shouldn’t do with Omar. I’ve dealt with my past issues with men. I promised myself I was not going to let that affect my dealings with other men and I haven’t. Unless Omar gives me a reason not to trust him, we’re fine.”
“I wish I could feel the same way you do. After Tyler, I don’t even want to be bothered.”
“You’ll get there. Right now, do what you said. Concentrate on you. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I encourage you to do so.”
“Why? So I can stop being the spoiled brat you think I am?”
“You are spoiled. And you can be a brat.”
Hope pouted. “And you can be mean.”
“Let me finish. Over the past few months I’ve seen a change in you. You’re not completely there yet, but at least you’re concerned about someone else other than yourself. Now come give me a hug. You know I love you.”
I got up off the bed and hugged her tight.
CHAPTER 16
Hope
I didn’t expect to get all emotional with Charity, but since I’d been on a quest to learn more about myself, I’d decided to be upfront about my feelings with people, and instead of ignoring issues, deal with them.
It was definitely not easy trying to change. I had to first admit to myself I had a very selfish attitude. I was the baby of the family so I was used to getting what I wanted, but maybe I’d taken things a little for granted. In between helping Charity with her business, I’d been reading a lot of self-help books hoping to find one that would help me in my desire to change.
The doorbell rang. Charity beat me to the door. “I got it!”
Mom walked in looking as good as usual. Even under distress she dressed to impress. She wore her signature pearls and was wearing a brown pantsuit.
She hugged us and sashayed right into the living room. She handed Charity the newspaper she’d been holding in her hands. “What did Omar say?”
Charity responded, “He said they are waiting on an autopsy.”
“Even if the autopsy comes back as carbon monoxide, it will be because someone initiated it. That means someone knows I stopped by to see him. They also believed he was going to tell me something. I need to get inside of his house.”
“Mom, it’s not safe to go in his house,” I said.
“By now, they’ve cleared the problem,” she assured me.
“Well, I’m not letting you go in there by yourself,” Charity said.
“Mom, people recognize you, so you shouldn’t be going—period. Not that many would recognize me. I could pretend to be one of his nieces or something. Get inside. Snoop around and see if I can find something.”
“But I’m not going to put you in harm’s way. Royce would never forgive me if I did. I couldn’t forgive myself,” she stated.
“We have no choice. If you go, they won’t let you in because you’re Mrs. Royce Jones. Charity can’t go because of Omar.”
Charity said, “Mom, she’s right. If there’s anything in the house, Hope will have to be the one to gain access.”
Since that was settled, I got dressed in some skintight jeans and a low-cut blouse. I pulled my hair back with a ponytail. Lately, I hadn’t been wearing makeup, but today I decided to get all glammed up.
“Wear this,” Charity said as she placed a baseball hat on top of my head.
“You’re messing up my look,” I said.
Mom said, “No, this is perfect. You want to look lik
e the grieving niece. Let me do a little something here.” She used a tissue and smeared some of the mascara around my eyes. I looked like a raccoon.
Charity looked at me. “Now that’s perfect.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I’ll text you once I’m inside.”
“If there’s anything to be found, it will be either in the living room or bedroom. Most old people like to keep stuff under mattresses, so check there,” Mom said. “Or check on the floor for a loose floor board.”
“Be careful, in case you run into Omar,” Charity said.
“I’ve got this,” I assured them.
Twenty minutes later, I was on Mr. Franklin’s street. There were two police cars parked outside on the curb. I parked behind one of them and walked down the sidewalk toward Mr. Franklin’s house.
One of the officers said, “Ma’am, you won’t be able to go in. This is a crime scene.”
I used some of my acting skills and started crying. “I heard about what happened to Uncle Franklin. I had to come see for myself.”
The officer immediately softened his tone. “We’re sorry for your loss. Is there someone else you want to call?”
“No, not right now,” I said in between sniffles. “Are any of my relatives inside?”
“They were. But they’re gone now,” the officer responded.
“Do you mind if I go inside? I need to say goodbye in my own way.”
“Let me check.” The officer went inside and talked to another officer. He came back outside. “We’re about through in there, so sure. Come on in.”
He held the door open for me. I followed him in. I burst out in tears some more. “You sure you want to do this? Maybe you should come back another time,” the officer stated.
“I’m going to be all right,” I assured him.
After he went back outside, I walked through the house until I located the room that looked like Mr. Franklin’s bedroom. I shut the door and started looking through things. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was searching for. Maybe something would stand out, but nothing did. I checked under the mattress like Mom said. Only thing I located under it was a few stacks of money. I left those in place.
I stepped on the floor to see if any of the boards were loose. Nothing. It was a bust.
Something shiny on the floor behind the dresser caught my eye. It was a small video camera. It was too big, however, to fit in my purse. I had to figure out a way to get it out of the house.
I located a small bag in the closet and placed it inside. I walked out into the hallway. I didn’t see anyone.
“Ma’am, are you all right,” the same officer I’d seen earlier said from behind me. He was back indoors.
“Yes. I didn’t realize it was going to be so hard. I need to get out of here.” I held the bag in front of me and rushed toward my car.
The officer didn’t stop me. I didn’t breathe until I was safely inside my car and pulling away. I called Charity. “I’m on my way home.”
“Lovie’s here. He wasn’t too happy about our plan.”
“Tell him not to go anywhere. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes,” I said.
CHAPTER 17
Lovie
“What were y’all thinking? What if the police figured out Hope wasn’t who she said she was? Do you know how that could’ve hurt Dad’s case?” I said as soon as I learned of Mom and my sister’s plan.
Charity responded, “Hope should be here any minute.” We heard a key in the lock. “In fact, there she is now.”
We all looked in the direction of the doorway. Hope rushed in carrying a black bag. She pulled out a small video camera.
“I don’t know what’s on it, but maybe we can find something.”
“Lovie, you’re good with those things. See if you can get it to work,” Mom said.
I took the camera from her. I hit the On button. The red button on it flashed, indicating the battery was low. I opened up the viewing window and pressed Play. Nothing was on the video except Mr. Franklin taking footage of his front yard.
“This was a bust,” Hope said. “Sorry, y’all.”
“Not totally,” I proclaimed. “This made me think of something. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before.”
All eyes were now on me. I decided to keep what I was thinking to myself in case it didn’t work out.
“Are you going to tell us or what?” Mom asked.
I got up and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Lovie, where are you going?” she asked.
“To take care of business.”
Hope and Charity had questionable looks on their faces. “Don’t do anything else without my knowledge,” I said to them as I headed toward the door.
Charity walked behind me. “Lovie, what’s up? Come on. You can’t keep us all in the dark.”
I turned and looked at her. “If I tell you, you’ll tell Mom. So until I know what’s what, I’m keeping it to myself.”
“Fine.” She pouted.
“That’ s not going to work. Bye, Charity.” I left and hopped in my black SUV.
I eased my vehicle into the parking lot of what was once Uncle Jason’s office. I went inside and the security guard that was normally at the front desk was gone.
“Must be my lucky day,” I said to myself as I chose to take the stairway in case the security guard was on one of the elevators.
I only had to go a few stories up before reaching what used to be Uncle Jason’s office. I used the key Dad had on his ring and it worked.
For some reason no one had cleared out his office. There were boxes of stuff stacked up, but otherwise, everything else was in place.
I looked through the glass door to see if anyone was coming. I took the liberty of locking the door back. I didn’t want the security guard to slip up on me. I went inside of the room where Jason’s desk was located.
The drawer to the desk was locked. I removed my pocketknife and used it to break open the lock. I opened up the desk and located some of Uncle Jason’s personal information. I flipped through the pages until I located the information I needed. I removed the sheet of paper and placed it in my pocket.
I tried to close the drawer, but it kept hitting something. Frustrated, I pulled the drawer all the way out and a book was squashed. I removed it. I opened it up. It was a ledger. My mouth flew open. I’d hit a goldmine. This had to be the book showing the real amounts of money for some of his clients. It also contained account information and passwords. I’d hit the mother lode. I’d found more information than I’d set out to find.
I closed the desk drawer back up. I wish I had known where his laptop was because that would’ve helped me as well. I sent Charity a text message asking her for Omar’s number. She texted it back to me.
I punched in his number. He answered on the third ring.
“Omar, this is Lovie. How you doing, man?”
“What’s up?”
“Do you know where Jason’s laptop is? Was it ever recovered?”
“I don’t recall seeing it on the list of items. It probably got burned up in the fire,” he said.
“Probably,” I added. “Thanks. If you find out otherwise, this is my cell number so hit me back.”
I ended the call with Omar and now had to get out of the office building without being detected by the security guard. I picked up the book and was about to leave when something told me to check the other desk drawers. I looked through the drawers and saw nothing but files. The last drawer was what I needed. It contained a small computer notebook.
I didn’t wait to see what was on it. I grabbed it, along with the book, and left Uncle Jason’s office. I locked the door. I chose to use the stairwell again. The security guard was now sitting at the front desk. Instead of going in his direction, I eased down the hall toward one of the s
ide exit doors.
I said a quick prayer and opened the door. There wasn’t an alarm. I sighed with relief as I rushed out and to my car. My adventure wasn’t over. I eased my car down the alleyway near Uncle Jason’s house. The shell of his house still stood.
I parked in the alley and went through the back way. I picked up a huge stick off the ground. I didn’t have a problem opening up the back door. It almost fell off the hinges.
I used the stick to move stuff as I rumbled through some of the ashes. I went to the room that used to be his den and didn’t locate anything that resembled a laptop. Uncle Jason would have had his laptop at home, so the question I now had was, where was his laptop? If it wasn’t in these ashes, then who had it? I walked through the ashes and out the back door the way I had entered. I was careful to make sure no one noticed me.
CHAPTER 18
Omar
The short conversation with Lovie had me wondering a few things. Did the laptop get burned with the rest of Jason’s stuff or was it missing in action and the real killer had it? I reviewed the file again to see if I’d overlooked the inventory before, but the laptop wasn’t listed.
I pulled up into Jason’s driveway and went through the front door and through the ashes. I thought I heard the back door close. I removed my pistol and held it out and went through the rooms until I got to the back door. Nothing. I opened the door and didn’t see anything.
I guessed the noise could have been anything. I placed the gun in the holster on my side. I was unable to find any remains of a laptop. I dialed Lovie’s number. He answered. He sounded like he was out of breath. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Everything’s cool. Just been rushing.”
“I double-checked and there wasn’t a laptop on the list. I’m at his house now and don’t see any remnants of a laptop.”
“Whose house?” Lovie asked.
“Jason’s,” I responded.
“You’re at Uncle Jason’s house?” he asked.
“Yes. I thought I would come and see if I could locate some of the remains. Just to verify.”
“Did you?” he asked.
The Aftermath Page 6
