by Kyle West
In a pleasant tone, a smiling McKenna sarcastically says, "What a beautiful morning we have! I thought we can make this a family day! He directs to Vivian, “One of my buddies didn't make it this morning. So when I ran into your buddy, on her way to dropping off little Alex over there, I invited her and Alex to spend the morning with us."
McKenna and Starr do not want to frighten Alex, so they insincerely keep the mood of the room light and friendly.
Keith stands up and says to McKenna, "They have nothing to do with this. Why did you bring them here?"
McKenna responds, with a smile on his face, "What are you talking about buddy? We're just sitting here talking right?" McKenna snaps, "You need to sit down before I put you down. I owe you one my friend."
Vivian jumps up from the dining table on the other side of the room, and comes over into the living room area of the spacious hotel room. She bends down to talk to Alex and spiritedly says, "Hey sweetie, I have some magazines for you on my bed. I think I got the new Vibe issue with all them crazy rappers with gold teeth on the front. You go look at the magazines and turn on the TV. Go wait over there for us sweetie, until it’s time to leave okay." Alex happily jumps up to give Vivian a hug. The towel falls off of Vivian's hands and Ronelle notices that Vivian’s hands are bound with the hand-ties. Ronelle is really frightened now.
Alex gleefully runs across the hotel room, over to the bedroom area. Ronelle tries to get up but Starr pushes down on her shoulder, forcing her back onto the sofa. Ronelle pushes Starr's hand from her shoulder. McKenna looks to Starr, nodding his head and waving his hand telling him to leave Ronelle alone.
Vivian steps over to Ronelle and asks, "Girl, are you alright?! I’m so sorry I got you and Alex mixed up in all of this Ro."
McKenna tells Keith, "You should've kept on going when you had the chance you piece of shit.”
Keith doesn't respond.
Vivian then questions Ronelle, "Are you and Alex okay? What happened?"
"I was about to take Alex to school. I had him take out the garbage and when he came back in, those two bastards came in with him, smiling and grinning. They told me to come with them right now or they was gonna hurt you and me."
Vivian again apologizes, "I don't want Alex around these maniacs."
Ronelle comments on the hand-ties, "What did they do to you, Viv?"
Vivian turns to McKenna and pleads, "Let my friend and her son go, please. They can't help us. Please let them go."
Alex jumps off the bed and walks across the room to ask Vivian loudly, "Auntie
Vivian, I downloaded that Rihanna song you wanted. I have it playing now. Here", as he takes his Beats by Dre headphones off for Vivian to listen to the song.
"Oh, sweetie thank you. I love that song! I'll listen to it later when you get home from school, alright? You go back over there now honey."
Ronelle screams at Alex, "Aunt Vivian told you to stay your ass over there! Get over there and don't move!"
Starr says to Ronelle, "No need to talk to that boy like that. What kind of mother are you? If you was my wife I'd."
Ronelle snaps, "Who the fuck do you think you talking to?! Don't you ever say anything about me, or my son motherfucka!" Alex stands scared as he watches his mom go ballistic on Starr.
Starr blows kisses at an out of control Ronelle, "Mmm. A woman with fire! What I'd do for just ten minutes with your fine ass!"
McKenna looks and sees Alex frozen in fear. McKenna turns and points at Starr, then he sternly says, "Watch your mouth." McKenna steps to Keith, grabs him, "Get them the fuck outta here!"
Keith quickly calls to Vivian, "Vivian, they can leave!"
Vivian says to Ronelle, "Girl, get Alex. You go! I'll call you later! Go!" Vivian waves Alex over to give him a good-bye hug.
Ronelle insist, "C’mon, get your shit Vivian!"
"No. I'm gonna stay here and take care of things. I'll be fine. Go! Go on Ro!"
Ronelle snaps, "No Viv! They got you shackled like a damn animal! I'm callin' the!"
Keith interrupts, "You need to grab your son and go now! Damn!" Keith turns and says to Vivian, "Get her out of here Vivian! Fast!"
Ronelle quickly whips her head around to respond to Keith's rudeness. She sees the seriousness in McKenna and Starr's face, then decides not to make matters any worse. She grabs Alex's hand and says to Vivian, "You call me as soon as you can. If I don't hear from you by..." Vivian, with both hands tied, grabs Ronelle by the arm and briskly walks her to the room door.
Vivian says to Ronelle, "Don't call anybody about this, it won't help matters sweetie. I'll call you tonight and let you know that I'm alright. I swear."
Vivian bends down to kiss Alex on the cheek…Alex asks Vivian, "Auntie Vivian, I saw you had Sports Illustrated with Chris Paul on the cover. Can I have it?" "Baby you can take all of the magazines on the bed. There's a few in the blue bag on the table too. Take those with you. Hurry!" An excited Alex sprints back to the bed and dining table to grab the magazines, and digs through Jesse's travel bag for more magazines. An excited Alex also notices the CD's and flash drives in Jesse's bag, which he asks Vivian for. "Sure sweetie, take ’em with you. C'mon now, your mother is waiting." Alex takes the CD's and flash drives from Jesse's travel bag, and holds them up to show his mother. Keith again calls out to Vivian to rush Ronelle and Alex out of the room before McKenna changes his mind about them leaving.
Alex rushes back to Vivian as Ronelle thanks her for the music and magazines, and then gives her a big hug. Starr walks over and tells Alex to have a good day in school.
He gives Alex a pat on the top of his head to tell him goodbye. Ronelle violently slaps Starr's hand away from Alex's head and snaps, "Keep your hands off of my son! Don't you dare touch him! I swear, I will kill you!"
Starr puts his hands in the air, with his eyes wide in astonishment, smiles and laughs as he backs away from Alex and Ronelle. Starr again blows an eerie kiss to Ronelle, who then hurries her son out the hotel room.
As Ronelle walks down the hall, Vivian notices a man near the elevator, who quickly steps back out of view. She now knows the federal agents are in the hotel for her protection. She closes the door.
Starr is still laughing after Ronelle’s outburst, says to McKenna, "I think I'm in love!"
McKenna laughs with Starr, then unexpectedly grabs Keith by the back of his jacket collar, smashing Keith in the face with his forearm. Keith immediately falls to the floor. Starr grabs Vivian pulling her from the hotel room door. Vivian screams ‘help’ hoping the federal agent in the hallway will come to her aid. She watches as Keith is repeatedly kicked and punched by McKenna, who shouts to Starr, "Take her into the bathroom!"
Starr pulls the screaming and still bound Vivian into the bathroom. Keith is now slipping into unconsciousness as McKenna is now pistol-whipping him. As McKenna beats Keith down, he yells at him that he knows that he killed Rome. McKenna sees Keith slipping in and out of consciousness and yells, "Oh no! Don't you fucking go to sleep on me! You got more work coming to you." He slaps Keith's face to keep him from passing out.
In the bathroom, Starr has thrown the pleading and crying Vivian to the cold marble floor. Starr keeps her down on the floor by kneeling on her small body. He shouts to Vivian to keep quiet. He empties the Jacuzzi tub, looking around the bathroom and finds two tubes of hotel-issued shampoo. He spreads it all over the edge of the tub. Back out in the living room…Keith who is barely conscious, tells McKenna that he met with Rome last night, but did not kill him.
McKenna doesn't respond, then he hears Starr yell out of the bathroom, "Bring him in!" McKenna grabs Keith by the collar, and drags him along the white carpeted floor, into the bathroom. McKenna runs back out to the bedroom area and takes the sheets from the bed. He returns to the bathroom and tears the sheet in half. With half of the sheet, McKenna makes a noose to tie around Keith's neck. With the other half of the sheet, McKenna ties an end around Vivian's feet, and the other to the towel rack that is on the wall, five
feet high above the tub. Vivian is in the Jacuzzi tub, lying on her back, with her hands bound in front of her and her feet in the air. Starr then turns on the water in the Jacuzzi and inserts the tub stopper.
Both McKenna and Starr get Keith to his feet and tie his hands with a torn sheet behind his back. The two men stand Keith on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub, which has been smeared with slippery shampoo. McKenna then ties the end of Keith's noose to the solid steel television support, that is attached to the bathroom ceiling. The noose is not tied directly above the edge of the Jacuzzi tub. McKenna then anchors the sheet around the toilet. McKenna and Starr do not converse as they devise their dual death trap for Keith and Vivian. Keith is now lucid enough to know that he and Vivian are in a life or death situation!
McKenna and Starr make sure their trap is secure, then McKenna states, "Ross and Jerome wish the both of you long and healthy lives." McKenna and Starr casually leave the bathroom, and rush out of the hotel room.
Chapter 16
Vivian and Keith are literally inches away from death. The water level in the Jacuzzi is rising fast, just a few inches from being over Vivian's head. Keith is trying to stand on the narrow, slippery edge of the tub, so as not to slip and hang himself. Vivian is screaming and crying as she pleads for Keith to save her. Keith tries to free his hands but every time he moves the least bit, he starts to slip. Keith tells Vivian to reach for any edge of the tub, and hoist herself above the water, but she cannot grip the slippery tub edge.
The water level is so high now that Vivian has to position her head and neck in a way so that her mouth and nose stay above the rising Jacuzzi water level.
Keith shouts to Vivian to take off her sweater, which obviously won't come all the way off because she is hand-tied. He wants Vivian to take off her sweater, then reach the sweater to the edge of the slippery tub, so he can stand on it for better footing. Keith wants to kick his feet up on to the towel rack that Vivian is tied to by using his body weight to kick and stomp it, and break it off the wall. Vivian wriggles out of her sweater laying on her back, which put her completely under the tub water. After a few attempts Vivian is able to reach the sweater to the edge of the large tub, and Keith is able to trap the sweater under his feet. This also helps keep Vivian in a semi-sitting position above the water level. Keith tells Vivian to watch out as he gets his footing as secure as he possibly can, then kicks his feet onto the towel rack. On his first attempt, Keith only gets one foot onto the rack, Vivian has fallen back under the water level of the now filled tub. On the second attempt, Keith struggles, but manages to get both feet onto the towel rack, then repeatedly stomps on the rack until it comes off the wall! This frees Vivian's feet, she quickly stands up in the filled up tub, she can now breathe. This also sends Keith dangling from his neck, Keith is strangling to death! Vivian is screaming at Keith to tell her what to do to help him. Still hand-tied, Vivian puts her arms under Keith, bringing her bounds hands around his legs. She grabs, and lifts Keith, taking the pressure off of his neck. Keith's eyes are starting to roll back in his head. Vivian can't hold Keith's weight!
She lets go of Keith's legs, then falls on the bathroom floor. A few seconds later the TV support gives way, sending the unconscious Keith crashing to the bathroom floor! Vivian crawls over to Keith on her hands and knees, feverishly checking to see if he is alive. As Vivian shouts, "Keith! Keith! Open your eyes", the bathroom door wildly swings open! Vivian lets out a horrific scream! At the door with gun drawn, is Inspector Clark! Insp. Clark rushes into the bathroom behind Vivian, to help revive Keith. He asks, "Are you hurt Mrs. Baylor?! Who did this to you?!"
Vivian hysterically responds, "Jesse's friends! They tried to kill us!"
Insp. Clark says, "We're gonna get 'em. They can't get far. Do they have the money?!" Vivian tells him no.
The Inspector bends down to check Keith's neck for vital signs, and tells Vivian that
Keith will be fine, he is still unconscious. Insp. Clark sees that Vivian’s hands are bound and asks, "What the hell happened up here? Are you sure you are okay?" Vivian tells Clark about the entire evening. He pulls out his Swiss army knife, cuts the plastic hand-tie off of Vivian’s wrists and says, "The agents were slow! I truly apologize for that! They saw the two guys leaving the hotel about fifteen minutes ago on security cameras. We’re gonna get them! Are you sure they don't have the money?!" Vivian again says she is sure that they don't. She adds, "Keith needs an ambulance! Is he breathing?!" Insp. Clark tells Vivian that Keith is breathing, and will come around in a few minutes.
He then tells Vivian that this was most likely the former military soldiers final attempt to intimidate them, or that they now have a lead on the money and don’t need them anymore, and that’s why they tried to kill them. He adds, “They won't be harassing you anymore I’m sure. Let me check, we probably picked them up by now." Insp. Clark climbs over Keith, and leaves the bathroom to make his call on his cell phone.
Keith regains consciousness, as he lies on the cold, wet bathroom floor. His eyes are barely open as he mumbles to Vivian, "My chest hurts." Insp. Clark comes back to the bathroom, and hears Keith tell Vivian that he wants to get up and sit in the living room area. The Inspector sticks his head into the bathroom, while staying outside, he tells Vivian, "Mrs. Baylor, I just called for the ambulance. They are on the way!"
Keith sits up on the bathroom floor, and faces towards the bathroom door. Before Vivian can tell Keith that Insp. Clark is there, helping them, Vivian hears the Inspector leave the hotel room. Vivian and Keith remain sitting together on the bathroom floor. Keith is still a little light-headed and cannot stand up to walk to the sofa.
Vivian unties and removes all the sheets from Keith’s wrists and neck, "You know you saved my life. Thank you Keith.” Vivian shares with Keith that an ambulance is on the way, and for him to relax. "Inspector Clark from the F.B.I. was here, he found us. His people are on to those psychotic murderers, I think they caught them."
"Oh damn, the feds. Ok, where is he?"
“He left. He said those maniacs won’t bother us anymore because they probably know where the money is now, and now they don’t need us.”
Keith struggles to speak, "They know where the money is? Oh damn. Your house. We were supposed to go there this morning. I gotta get over there, help me up."
Vivian snaps, "No! We aren't going anywhere Keith! The ambulance will be here in five minutes to check you over, just sit there!"
Keith struggles to stand up, looks at his watch, then says, "You know they might not be there yet."
“Keith no. Insp. Clark can go over there he'll handle it now! We are done with this!"
Keith struggles to lift himself up from the bathroom floor. He makes his way over to the sofa in the living room area, and collapses. "Vivian, straight up. I really need that money. I can feel it on the tip of my fingers. My stocks ain’t going too well, and this money was like sent from above. I have to make sure that money isn't still out there. Help me Vivian."
Vivian pleads, “Keith, we were almost killed thirty minutes ago! This is over for me. I'm not going anywhere with you! When the ambulance gets here I’m!"
Keith interrupts, "Ambulance, no. We gotta get outta here. When the ambulance gets here, New Orleans Police will be right behind them and that means you will be in a four by six cell by noon! I, we can't stay here, Vivian. Get me up!"
A wavering Vivian, scared of Detectives Huntley and Roussel showing up to arrest her, agrees to leave the hotel with Keith. She says, "Okay, I'll go. But I'm not chasing after that money anymore Keith. Better yet, drop me at my favorite place in the whole city"
9:56 am - Ronelle is driving on I-10, taking her son Alex to Barbara Jordan Elementary school. She is quiet, as she is still upset, anxious, and somewhat terrified about this morning's events back at the hotel. Ronelle keeps her emotions under control so as not to upset Alex. Ronelle is just two blocks from Alex's school.
She asks, "Don't you have that history test today? You ready f
or it?" Alex doesn't hear Ronelle because he is listening to music on his headphones. When Ronelle pulls up in front of Alex's school, she yanks the headphones from Alex's ears and tells him, "Remember, you have a dentist appointment today. No basketball after school. Right here, 3:30!" Alex leans over and gives his mother a kiss, grabs the CD's and two flash drives that Vivian gave him back at the hotel, puts them in his backpack, and opens the car door to get out of his mother's car. Ronelle grabs his arm and snaps, "Why are you taking those to school? You don’t need those, you go to school to learn!”
Alex, halfway out of the car, turns around and asks, "Mom, what's up? You alright?"
Ronelle realizes that she is venting her frustrations about Vivian's situation on her son. She looks at Alex, rubs her face in frustration, then tells him, "I'm good baby. Sorry about snapping at you. I just don't want you getting in no trouble with your teachers today. We’re already real late. Boy, you know I love you. Good luck on your test. Don't forget, 3:30."
"I love you too Mom."
Vivian watches as Alex runs up to the front door of his school.
11:50 am
Keith and Vivian have rented another rental car, a white Nissan Sentra. They are parked in front of the deck for the Lady Victoria Riverboat Casino, which is on the Riverwalk. The Lady Victoria Riverboat is a floating casino that sails down the Mississippi River for a four-hour ride. Keith is sitting in the driver's seat, popping Advil tablets in his mouth as if they were candy.
He speaks to Vivian, "Ok, I kept my end of the deal. I'll meet you right back here at five.
Hopefully, I'll be three hundred million dollars richer. Don't go off anywhere, Have fun.”
"I think you’re crazy Keith. What if you run into Jesse’s friends over there? Be careful." Keith then asks Vivian for her house keys, which she gives to him, then she exits the car. Vivian walks up the Riverboat Casino dock, turns back and sees Keith still parked at the curb. Vivian stops and yells to him, "I'm good! You can go!" Keith yells back, "Well get on! I wanna make sure you are on that boat, sailing down the Mississippi, before I drive off!" Vivian pays her way onto the Riverboat Casino, and walks aboard. Keith speeds off down Girod Street. Once sure Keith has sped off, Vivian peeks out of a casino window, then casually walks off the Lady Victoria.
