by Kyle West
Keith continues, “Uh guys, can we do this upstairs. It’s freezing out here. Look I’m ‘on the job’ with the 8th District, name is Ellis. My identification is upstairs, room 1513. Take me up there and we can take care of all of this.”
One of the security guards asks Vivian if she is okay and she says yes. Vivian, Keith, and two hotel security guards briskly walk back into the hotel. Inside the lobby a small crowd has gathered to see what was happening with Vivian and Keith. He tells one of the security guards to bring Vivian upstairs and stay with her for protection. The security guards look a bit confused but they do what Keith asks. He tells another security guard to take him to the security office where they can talk. The security guard points to his office as the two walk over in that direction to talk.
1:30 pm - Det. Roussel is at the police station calling Vivian on her cell phone. He slams the phone down when she doesn’t answer.
Det. Huntley asks, “You want me to put a BOLO out on her?”
Det. Roussel, tapping his finger on the table is in thought. He responds, “No…not yet.” Det. Huntley says, “This lady is startin’ to piss me off. We need to snatch her up.” Det. Roussel, responds, “She didn’t sound good. She said she was at the Roosevelt. C’mon let’s go.”
7:00 pm - Keith has checked Vivian and himself into the Westin New Orleans Hotel on Iberville. They are sharing a corporate room on the seventh floor. The room is large but not as opulent as the previous hotels they stayed in. The view from the room looks over the Mississippi River. Vivian and Keith have fried catfish and garlic mashed potatoes brought up by room service.
Vivian sarcastically asks Keith, “So ‘Jesse’s brother’, where do you get this kind of money to book these top hotels? You spending Jesse’s money already?”
“I do pretty good. Jesse ain’t the only Baylor crushin’ people with his wallet. My wife and I run a real estate company back in St. Louis.”
Vivian never met anyone in Jesse’s family and asks Keith about the family. “Well me, I been married fourteen years now, three kids, life is good.”
“So how was is it growing up with Jesse? I don’t know much about his childhood? I don’t know much about your family at all.”
“We were happy, we had lots of love. Mom was strong and raised us by herself.”
“What kind of kid was Jesse? You know…what were his interests growing up?”
“Jesse was into the usual things. Always getting into trouble. I’m sorry Vivian. I’m still not ready to talk about him in the past tense. I can’t believe he’s gone.” Keith then loudly drops the elegant, heavy metal fork onto the imported porcelain china, as he jumps up from the table and storms over to the couch to watch TV.
Vivian figures out that her questions must have hit a sensitive spot with Keith, but really wants to know more about Jesse.
Vivian presses on, “So I guess you and Jesse were close.”
Keith responds, “Yea. He was my best friend too. We were very close. I’d do anything for him. That’s why I came running when he called and said he needed help.”
Vivian asks, “So what did Jesse tell you about me? He didn’t talk about you or anyone else in his family other than his,…your Mom.”
“Oh, he loved you very much. He said you was the truest woman, honest and loving, that he ever met. He definitely loved you Vivian. And that’s why I know he stashed that money somewhere safe for you to have.”
“I guess you came here, lying about being police and everything, to help me find it and get some for yourself. The money you just said my husband wanted me to have.”
“It wasn’t like that. Jesse called me last week and told me he needed my help and to fly here to New Orleans, no explanation, no nothing. I was supposed to meet Jesse at nine the morning he was killed. We were supposed to meet somewhere in Kenner and he never showed up or called. But that night, I was watching the news on TV and heard about some guy being killed at the airport and I just knew it had something to do with Jesse. I felt it in my gut.”
Keith continues on. “My mother and the rest of the family kinda knew Jesse was in trouble and that’s why I came down to see him. When he was killed we the family, almost wasn’t surprised. I told him it was not safe down here with his friends on the loose.”
Vivian reacts, “Oh, that’s why none of your family came to the funeral.”
“Yes, I stayed here in New Orleans to see who killed my brother but after those guys showed up at the wake, I knew they did Jesse. So what the whole thing is ‘I’m a police detective’.”
Keith tells her, “I don’t know. I just had to do that. When we first met at your house it was obvious that you wasn’t giving up no information about nothing. So scaring you into telling me where the money was the best thing. Jesse’s boys actually did me a big favor by putting the fear in you.”
“So my dear sister-in-law, if that three hundred million is out there, I’m gonna find it. Real talk and two heads are better than one, so let’s help each other find this money and hell, retire at forty. Deal?!”
Keith gets up from the couch and briskly walks towards Vivian at the dining table and tells her that they need to retrace Jesse’s whereabouts for the last week. Both Keith and Vivian agree that the only people who knew about the money are still looking for it. The four remaining M.I.C.O. soldiers and the feds. Therefore, Jesse most likely didn’t have the money with him when he was killed or no one would still be looking for it now. Keith sits at the dining table and asks Vivian for her bank records and investment portfolios for her and Jesse.
Vivian shares, “We were supposed to do that today.”
“Well give me your account number from whatever banks you deal with. I can probably go online and check your activity. Vivian tells Keith no…not fully trusting his motives as of yet. Keith puts his hands on his head in frustration, then asks Vivian if she’d show him Jesse’s belongings that he had with him when he was killed.
Vivian tells him, “I left the travel bag in your car.”
Keith quickly stands up from the dining table and asks, “Where?”
“You put it in the back seat. It should be there with my IPad and my other stuff.”
Keith rushes to the hotel room door and tells Vivian he’ll be right back and again…to keep the door locked. Keith then runs out the door, down to the garage to get Jesse’s travel bag from his car.
Looking in his car Keith finds Jesse’s bag in the back, on the floor. He unzips the bag, looks in briefly and re-zips the bag shut. Keith pumps his hand in victory, then gets out of his car. He walks to the elevator and presses the button. As he waits for the elevator, he again unzips the bag and starts rummaging through it, not knowing what he is looking for. The empty elevator arrives and Keith gets on. He goes up one flight to the lobby and stops. Two men get on the elevator. Keith nods hello to the men, re-zips the bag shut and secures the bag under his arm. On the elevator with Keith is former M.I.C.O. soldiers Greg McKenna and Ross Barone.
As the elevator ascends up to the seventh floor…McKenna, the tall red-headed commando, smoothly and casually turns to Keith and asks, “How are you tonight sir?”
Keith again gives a friendly nod to both men.
McKenna continues, ‘We have some business to take care of with you and Mrs. Baylor.”
Keith has a perplexed look on his face as McKenna asks his name. Keith tells him, “My name is Keith, do I know you?”
McKenna continues, “Uh, Keith, we want our money.”
Keith looks at both men with a confused look on his face and tells the men that he doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Barone, the stocky blonde, suddenly punches Keith in the face. McKenna stops the elevator between the fourth and fifth floor as both men beat and kick Keith mercilessly. In between blows, Keith tells the men that he doesn’t know where the money is and that he is close to convincing Vivian to tell him where it is.
McKenna tells Barone to stop beating Keith and says, “So she knows where our money is? Beautifu
l! Where is it?”
Keith keeps Jesse’s travel bag tightly under his arm, “I don’t know yet but I got her talking now. She trusts me.”
Barone angrily interrupts, “That bitch will tell me where the money is! Greg let’s grab her!”
“I just need two more days and I’ll have the codes and all the other info to get the money.”
McKenna probes, “Codes? What codes? Where the fuck is the money?” As he grabs Jesse’s travel bag, Keith tells McKenna that nothing is in the bag and continues his deception to buy time. “She was telling me about some codes Jesse sent her through e-mail. We’re just trying to get the rest of the info. That’s it.”
McKenna can’t open the jammed zipper on Jesse’s travel bag, so he throws the bag on Keith, “What info? Look dude! Where is the fuckin’ money? I’m not gonna ask you again!”
“That’s just my toothpaste and shaving shit man! Look, all I just need are two or three more days! I can get it, she’ll tell me where it is! When I have everything we can go get the money and split the cake!”
Barone again punches Keith in the stomach, “You’ll be lucky to be alive. You ain’t
gettin’ shit guy!”
“I’m the one closest to the money right now! Yea, if you kill me or Vivian, you don’t get a nickel, remember that! I’m telling you guys I can get the money!”
Barone quickly pulls a knife out of his boot. McKenna grabs his arm, “No, wait.”
Barone responds, “Greg, we don’t need this fucking guy! Jesse’s wife is upstairs, she’s all we need!”
McKenna rationalizes that Keith would have an easier time getting Vivian to tell him where the money is than they would. He tells Barone to pick Keith up off the elevator floor, then restarts the elevator to go back down to the garage.
The three men walk from the garage elevator, Keith still clutching hard to Jesse’s travel bag, McKenna tells Barone to call Starr and Rome to tell them to meet them here in the Westin New Orleans Hotel garage.
Barone responds, “Fuck them! We got what we need, we got this asshole now let’s just go upstairs, get Jesse's wife and get the fuck out of here!”
McKenna snaps, “Dude just call them please.”
Barone turns and walks back towards the garage elevator to makes his calls. McKenna leads a battered Keith to a blue Chevy Suburban parked in the back of the garage. McKenna and Keith get in the back seat. Barone joins the men minutes later and sits in the front seat. Barone tells McKenna that Starr and Rome will be there in fifteen minutes.
Keith puts Jesse’s travel bag down at his feet as McKenna asks him how he is involved in all of this and how is he connected to Vivian.
“Vivian is my sister and I’m just making sure she is okay in all of this. She’s been through a lot lately.”
McKenna asks Keith how he found out about the money.
He tells him, “She told me about it at the funeral and how you guys showed up at the wake. You guys scared her to death so she told me everything last night. She just hasn’t told me where the damn money is. She’s just dealing with the Jesse thing right now guys.”
From the front seat of the SUV…Barone snaps to McKenna, “This is bullshit! So now we gotta wait until she feels good and ready to tell this guy where our money is! She’s gonna talk right fucking now!” He angrily swings opens the SUV door to exit.
McKenna grabs Barone on his shoulder and says, “Ross calm down! We’re gonna be smart about this! You can’t beat it out of her. Let’s give this Keith guy here a day to work on her. We have this under control.” McKenna continues, “C’mon buddy, there’s Marlon and Rome, flash your lights.”
Starr and Rome pull up in a rented black, Ford Mustang. Starr pulls up driver’s side to driver’s side to McKenna’s Suburban. Starr gets out and steps to the driver’s side back window to talk with McKenna…
Starr inquires with McKenna, “What you got Greg?” Starr sees a bruised Keith sitting next to McKenna and excitedly continues, “I see you acquired one of the targets. Damn, you are good white boy. Where’s Jesse’s wife?”
McKenna informs him, “This guy is Vivian’s brother Keith. He’s a little scratched up now but he’s a good guy. He’s gonna get us our money.”
Keith looks scared sitting in the back seat of the Suburban.
Rome gets out of the Mustang and walks around to McKenna’s window saying, “Now that’s what the fuck I’m talkin’ ‘bout! Where is it? What are we sitting here for? Let’s go!” Barone interjects, “We don’t know where the money is. Dude here doesn’t know either. Jesse’s wife got it stashed and won’t tell where it is or some shit.”
Starr responds, “You guys are kiddin’ right?”
Rome responds, “Let’s just take them to the swamps!”
Barone gives Rome a fist bump as McKenna cuts in, “Nah we don’t have to do that yet. I was telling Ross that Keith here is gonna bring us our money right to us. Less attention, less bullshit.”
Starr agrees with McKenna. McKenna adds, “Since our boy Keith here is gonna take care of this for us, we’ll gladly let him and his sister keep Jesse’s split. Isn’t that right Keith”
Keith looks into the faces of the money hungry men, hesitantly agrees, “Tomorrow is gonna be hard guys.”
McKenna responds, “For your fucking sake, you’re gonna make it easy my friend. I have faith in you Keith my boy! Look at these faces!” McKenna is referring to the three other men. McKenna continues, “Our faces will be the last faces you’ll ever see tomorrow night, you understand?” McKenna ends the impromptu meeting with, “Keith nice to meet you! Sorry about the boot prints on your chest there. Listen, get a good night’s sleep and let’s meet tomorrow night at eight.”
Starr tells Keith, “Dude get your ass up there and get to work on your sister!”
Rome walks around the SUV to Keith’s door, pulling Keith out of the truck. Keith desperately reaches back to grab Jesse’s travel bag from the floor of the truck and places it under his arm again.
McKenna tells Keith to be up in his hotel room at 7 pm tomorrow night to wait for his phone call to tell him where to meet them. Starr adds, “Dude I’ll be on your every step from now on homie. Don’t call no police, don’t call nobody! Feel me?!”
Keith slightly staggers from the SUV and nods, yes. He briskly walks back to the garage elevator, as the four commando soldiers loudly speed out of the garage.
Chapter 7
11:17 am
Vivian is at the 7th District police station, on Dwyer Road in New Orleans East. She just came out of the interrogation room, after a twenty-five minute meeting with detectives Roussel and Huntley. Vivian is standing outside the interrogation room door, trembling from anxiety and fear, as she watches her left hand shake uncontrollably. She takes a minute to gather herself, before walking down the hall and out of the police station. Detective Roussel comes out of the room and yells down the echoing hall, “I’ll be seeing you later Mrs. Baylor! I’ll make sure of that!” Her face shows the stress, fear and confusion that the last three days have dealt her. Vivian is in a dazed state as she walks out the front door, to the curb and raises her hand to hail a cab.
Standing at the curb she notices Starr and Rome across the street, sitting on the hood of Starr’s Mustang, eating nachos. Rome tips his hat to her and Starr blows her a kiss.
Never taking her eyes off of the men, Vivian starts walking down the street away from them. As she unknowingly comes to the corner of Read and Dwyer, she steps into the street, where a delivery van nearly hits her! Vivian lets out a bone-shivering scream. The driver leans his head out of the window and yells, “Hey lady! Go kill yourself on somebody else’s time! Get out of the damn street!”
Vivian looks back to see Starr and Rome laughing at the whole situation. She flags down a cab two or three cars behind the delivery van and immediately runs toward it. A shaken Vivian tells the driver, “Take me to the Mulate’s on Julia please!” She jumps in.
The cab driver says to Vivian, “L
ady it’s 11:22 in the morning. Maybe Starbucks is more what you need right now!”
Vivian corrects herself, telling the driver, “I meant Café du Monde. I’m sorry.” As she nervously looks out the window at Starr and Rome, enjoying their nachos, never moving from the hood of the car.
11:40 am - Keith is sitting at a curbside table at the Café du Monde sipping on a Café Au Lait as Vivian’s cab pulls up. As she exits the cab, Keith stands up from the table to greet her. Vivian briskly approaches Keith. “How did it go with Roussel?” he asks. Keith then notices that Vivian is very jumpy and nervous, “Vivian? Here, sit down. What happened?”
“I just saw those guys! They were waiting outside the police station!”
Keith looks around to see if they followed her. He asks, “All four of them? Did they hurt you?”
“No. Just two of them. They were there…just looking at me!”
Keith dismisses her, “They won’t hurt you. Tell me about Roussel? What did he say?”
Vivian, still shaken, “He pretty much wants to put me in jail for killing Jesse. I tell you this is crazy!”
Keith asks, “Is that what he said? What did you tell him?”
“Roussel told me that I’m the prime suspect in Jesse’s death.”
Keith coolly responds, “I told you that’s what he’d do. You’re the prime suspect because you’re the only suspect. They have no evidence whatsoever. They gotta put the pressure on you. If Roussel had anything concrete you’d be behind bars right now. Don’t worry about Roussel Vivian. You told them about Jesse’s friends right?”
Vivian says yes. Keith continues, “Good. He has to investigate them Vivian. I have to meet these guys tonight and if things gets ugly, I’m gonna need police to know what I’m talking about. I know people don’t say this too often but, New Orleans Police will be my protection. That’s why I had you go see Roussel today, but everything is good now for us. Thank you.”
Vivian says out loud to herself, “I cannot believe all of this is happening to me.”
