by Kyle West
Off. Dees yells, "I got it! I found the purse." He brings it over to Vivian. She grabs the purse, opens it, looks for her asthma inhaler, then quickly zips the purse shut.
Lance then tells Agt. Nicholas to have Vivian brought into the fort, so she can get in the ambulance to breath some fresh air. Agt. Watson carefully leads Vivian up the embankment, into the fort, next to Lance, who is still on the stretcher.
Lance says to Vivian, "Look, let me get you outta here. It’s crazy around here. You need to get some rest."
Vivian cuts in, "And some food."
Agt. Nicholas makes his way up the embankment, into the fort. Lance yells to him, "Hey Troy. Get Mrs. Baylor outta here, she doesn't feel good. Make sure she gets home safely please."
Det. Roussel is standing nearby. He interrupts, "No. From here I’m taking Mrs. Baylor to the district." He motions for Off. Dees to put Vivian in his administrative car. Janine the paramedic, has backed the ambulance to the front door of Fort Dupre.
Lance shouts to Agt. Nicholas, "Troy, she hasn't slept or eaten in days. I need you to get her home for me Troy, then meet me at the hospital!" Joey rushes over to Lance on the stretcher, and quickly pushes him to the back door of the ambulance. Agt. Nicholas yells out to Agt. Maher, who is still on the riverbank looking for evidence on and around Novak's body.
Agt. Maher rushes into the fort, and is told by Agt. Nicholas, "Take Mrs. Baylor home, then get your ass back here! And hurry up! I don't want to be here all fuckin' night. Go!"
Agt. Maher hurries over to Vivian, and puts her in a car nearby, to drive her home. Vivian sees Det. Roussel, wide-eyed, looking at her as he argues with Agt. Nicholas about how Vivian is wanted for questioning downtown, and that he will not permit her to leave the custody of the New Orleans Police Department.
Vivian hears Agt. Nicholas yell at Det. Roussel, "She's tired detective. Let her go home and get some rest. You'll be able to get more out of her in the morning. C’mon detective, she ain't going anywhere!" Agt. Nicholas again motions for Agt. Maher to get Vivian to the car.
Vivian is being led to the car when she hears Det. Roussel shout to her, "Mrs. Baylor, I'm going to send someone to pick you up first thing in the morning. Where will you be staying?" Before Vivian can answer, Det. Maher quickly shuttles her into the car.
Det. Nicholas walks over to Lance, finally in the back of the ambulance. He tells Lance, "Ok Vivian Baylor is heading home. I got what is left of the evidence. Look, I don't care if your nuts fall off, it will be your responsibility to access the funds off these things (flash-drives)."
Lance tells him, "Troy I got all of that for you man. My office knows exactly how Intelligence set that up. I'll have them ask the Bureau for the warrants and everything in the morning. Come up to the hospital some time tonight and we'll get all of this rolling." Joey the paramedic quickly shuts the rear ambulance door, and they pull away from Fort Dupre.
Agt. Watson approaches Agt. Nicholas, and tells him, "Sir, here are all the pieces of the flash-drives, CDs and other stuff. This other broken glass here might be something. Looks like eyeglass lenses maybe and here's his watch." Agt. Watson hands Agt. Nicholas a plastic bag with all of the mentioned contents inside, then walks away. Det. Roussel is then suddenly surrounded by local news reporters, asking him questions about the night's events,
Det. Roussel doesn't respond to any of the questions, as his eyes are fixed on Vivian in the car, leaving the area with Agt. Maher.
Agt. Nicholas is standing amongst a few other F.B.I. agents on the scene. He looks at the plastic bag filled with the tiny, shattered, and broken pieces of evidence.
Agt. Watson asks, "Sir. You think we can really make anything out of this?"
Agt. Nicholas responds, "Probably not, but we have to turn in everything piece of evidence, no matter how big or small. Everything gets filed, you hear?"
1:49 am - Vivian is being driven home, comfortably riding in the back seat, as
Agt. Maher drives up I-10. There is no conversation in the car, Bob James is playing on the car radio. Vivian is the most relaxed she's been in the last days.
Agents Nicholas and Watson's conversation continues. Agt. Watson looks at the plastic bag of evidence in Agt. Nicholas's hand, and says, "We're gonna need this stuff intact I'd think. There is top-secret information on these flash drives and stuff, so I’m sure there are no copies. If we can’t get the info we need to trace where the money is, what are we goin to do sir?” Agt. Nicholas responds, “I really don’t know. I guess they’d have to somehow find out what bank, or banks, the C.I.A. sent it through, what country the bank is in, the account ID numbers, all that stuff, transfer info." Agt. Maher says, “Look at this stuff.” As he holds up the plastic bag full of the flash-drive parts. Agt. Maher adds, “That’s going to be impossible.”
Agt. Nicholas interrupts, “Well lucky for us, that's not our issue. Is this the evidence here? Flash-drives, CDs? Was this stuff found on the body? Did Lance confirm that this is the evidence? Then our job is done! The Treasury's job is done here! The Bureau can rake Intelligence over the fucking coals, and figure out how the money can be retrieved, not us!"
Agt. Nicholas adds, "We almost done here?
2:13 am
Vivian unzips her purse, takes out a piece of chewing gum, and puts it in her mouth. She reaches into the purse again, this time pulling out a flash-drive and two CDs, in its case. She opens one of the cases, takes the disk out and holds it up in the air to inspect it.
Back at Fort Dupre, Vivian threw the flash-drive that was labeled ‘rap playlist’, and Jesse’s two mix CDs down to Novak so he wouldn't kill Lance. Those CDs, and the flash-drives were smashed into small pieces when he was killed by a construction wrecking ball. The flash-drives and CDs that had no writing on it. The ones that did, were full of rap music. The flash-drive and CD that Vivian is holding, has nothing written on it. The flash-drive and CDs Vivian has no music on it because…Vivian still has the money!
2:58 pm
As Vivian is enjoying her relaxing ride home, Agt. Nicholas and Agt. Watson are still at Fort Dupre. Agt. Watson walks over and says, "We’re all done here sir. Not much tangible evidence here, we’re good to go. But sir, let me ask you. Realistically, with what we have, you think we’ll be able to close this case? You think we can track these funds down and stick it to The Agency (C.I.A.)?
Agt. Nicholas says, "Let me just put it this way. We can't even trace faxes back to Intelligence. With that flash-drive and CD in a million pieces, it's gone. We'll never be able to find that money. Son, file it as 'Case Closed'."
3:23 am
Vivian has reached her destination. Agt. Maher asks her where to let her out. Vivian, looks out of the car window, with a constant reflection of flashing, bright lights on her face, "Oh, this is fine. Just pull up in front of the bus and I'll get out there. That'll be perfect. Thank you."
Agt. Maher pulls up in front of the bus, and stops at the curb. He exits the car, and walks around to Vivian's door. She looks to her right out of the car window, and sees Ronelle standing at the entrance of the American Airline departing terminal at New Orleans Airport. Maher opens the door for Vivian, and she smoothly exits the car. Vivian, with only her large purse in her hand, casually walks over to Ronelle, who is looking over Vivian's shoulder, watching Agt. Maher pull off from the curb. Ronelle calmly asks Vivian, "How was the ride?"
Vivian nods her head, and simply says, "Good. I even caught a few minutes nap if you can believe it." The women share absolutely no emotion between each other.
Ronelle calmly says, "I got the message from the Barbara Jean (the old lady at ‘A Tisket A Tasket’). Thanks for that. Our time is looking good." She then looks at her watch.
Ronelle calmly adds, "Your mother called. She said for you to call her when we settle in." Vivian nods in acknowledgement, “Yes, last week they told me and Jesse that the phone would be installed by now. The two women then turn and enter the American Airline terminal.
Vivian and
Ronelle walk through the rather empty terminal together. Alex, who was sitting in the terminal, playing Minecraft on his IPad mini, runs over and joins his mother and Vivian as they all head to the escalator. Gate 24, boarding time 6:00 am, International flight to Martinique of course they're one way tickets.
About the author:
Kyle West was born in Bronx, New York, raised in Mt Vernon, NY. Both parents were educators, his father was also a musical performer which is where Kyle got his musical inspiration. Kyle learned to play the piano at the age of four by watching his father and essentially playing by ear. Kyle first took piano lessons at age seven but quickly found music theory and structured teaching not to his liking and quit taking piano lessons. Kyle then concentrated on athletics, playing football in high school and college. At home on Christmas break from Louisiana State University Kyle was introduced to Andre Harrell through Eddie F of Heavy D and the Boyz. Harrell put Kyle and his younger cousin Al B. Sure in the studio to ‘do their thing’, Kyle did the music and Al B wrote the lyrics and sang. A deal with Warner Bros and a subsequent double platinum album was the result.
From there Kyle worked with artists ranging from Rod Stewart, Al Green, & Diana Ross to Tevin Campbell, Ralph Tresvant & Johnny Gill of New Edition, K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci, Angie Stone, 112, Donell Jones & Ashanti.
Since 1988 Kyle West has had six number one R&B records and has helped sell over 20 million records.
Kyle has always had a penchant for writing. Currently he is involved with TV and movie scoring as well as screenwriting .
