Criminal Defense

by Alice J. Harris-Wood

  "It took about a week for Bruce to find Gary. He was so dumb. He went to New Orleans, Zola’s hometown. Anything that happened to him would go unnoticed. Murder was common in New Orleans. For him, Zola should have been the last person to steal from.

  "Within two weeks, Zola received a cashier’s check from Bruce. He had recovered all the money. When he returned, Bruce filled her in on the details. ‘He did not have a wife or children. He lived by himself. He is dead. I burned him up in his house. I made it look like an accident. He was an outsider and no one will care. But he did tell me that he was made to take the money by an old man with a Caribbean accent who appeared to be from the Bahamas or from that area. He also said that the man was going to kill him and hunt down and kill his sisters and brother if he did not steal the money,’ said Bruce.

  "Mama became very concerned. She told Nate the story and he knew exactly who it was. ‘Zola, we might be in trouble. This old man is the brother of the conman that my father killed in the Bahamas before Nick and I were born. He must have figured it out that it was my father who killed his brother. My father is dead, so he wants revenge. I do not think he wants to physically harm us but we must find him. My father lived by his words. Do unto others before they do unto you,’ said Nate.

  "‘Where do we start?’ asked Zola.

  "‘I have some old papers of my father. Maybe I can get a name from them,’ responded Nate.

  “The next morning, Nate called Uncle Nick,” said Lola.

  "‘Nick, I need you to come for a visit. Some very troubling situation has surfaced from the past that involves us. Please come as soon as possible,’ said Nate.

  "‘New Orleans is only a two-hour drive to Vinton. I will leave after breakfast,’ Nick said to Eva, who now was living with him.

  "‘I will go with you. Maybe I can help in some small way,’ replied Eva.

  "‘I wonder what from the past could cause concerns for us today. My brother wants me to bring any pictures or papers that I might have of my parents and their friends. I have plenty of pictures and papers. The pictures were all dated and the people were named. My mother did that because she wanted her boys to understand the past so that we would have a good life without criminal activities. My parents were born criminals. A psychologist would tell that criminals are not born but are made. Sorry, that is not the case with my parents. My grandparents were criminals, my parents were criminals, and my brother is a criminal. I pray to God that my nephew and niece grow up to be good citizens,’ said Nick.

  “The next morning, Nick and Eva arrived with boxes and papers, some of the papers no one had ever looked at until now. We were asked to go into the family room while the adults sat and had coffee in the kitchen with the boxes. We could hear everything. As we listened, it became known to us that our family has a dark, sinister past,” said Lola.

  "‘What is this?’ asked Eva as she held up a small blue notebook that was covered with mold and pages that were sticking together. ‘I think this is your father’s confession book.’ Eva took a thin knife and carefully separated the pages. She began to read the first page.

  "‘I have kept a record of all my criminal activity. One day, after my generation is long gone, the authorities will be able to solve murders and other crimes that have gone unsolved for many years. This is my way of asking God to forgive me for taking this path in life,’ submitted Redd Harrison.

  "‘The date and time of the murder is recorded and the circumstance that led up to the murder. This book needs to be turned over to the FBI,’ said Eva.

  "‘That might be true, but for now we need to find the name of this old man who wants to harm us. I believe his name is here somewhere, okay,’ said Nick.

  "‘Redd’s first murder was his uncle who killed his father while trying to rob him. His second murder was a competitor who beat him up and killed some of his workers. The next was his cousin, for his land and insurance money. The last was Lyle from the Bahamas who was the mayor’s baby brother. This is it, jackpot. His name is Lyle. All we have to do is find out the name of the mayor during that time. After that, we can develop a plan to stop this man who is trying to get revenge after all these years,’ said Eva.

  “The next day, I was looking at the pictures of my grandparents. They were good-looking people. Their friends were also good-looking. In order to make a living in their line of business, they were very smart people. It is a shame that it was not developed differently like the Rockefellers,” said Lola.

  "As the adults sat in kitchen looking through papers, Nick said, ‘Let’s hire Bruce to find him but he is not to approach him. Just let us know where he is. Bruce can find a needle in a haystack.’

  "‘That sounds good but you are not going to harm him. If you do, you will be just like your parents,’ said Eva.

  "‘Let’s have a drink,’ said Zola.

  "No one said anything, so Zola poured herself a big glass of wine.

  "‘We need a plan. After he finds the old man and then what and who will go to talk to him without being aggressive,’ said Nick.

  ""All eyes turned to Nick; he was the lawyer and could give the old man some legal reasons to leave the children of Redd alone.

  "Without hesitating, Nick said, ‘Okay.’

  "Bruce was hired and was told only to report back to Nick the old man’s location. It took Bruce longer than normal to find the man but he did. Bruce had gotten a picture from the Bahamas of their former mayor. The man was staying in New Orleans and was spotted at the bank talking to the bank manager about the money the accountant had deposited in the bank a few months ago. The old man did not know that the accountant was dead. All he knew was that the money had been deposited into the bank with both of their names on the account.

  "‘The account was closed out a few months ago and all the money was withdrawn?’ asked the old man.

  "Hearing that news, the old man knew that this family of criminals was on to him and that he would be lucky to get away with his life. Bruce followed the man back to his hotel and called Nick.

  "‘Nick, the old man is staying at The Fish Bone Hotel of New Orleans. I am in the lobby. Do you want me to stay here until you get to the hotel?’ asked Bruce.

  "‘Yes, I will come now. How did you find him?’ asked Nick.

  "‘He was at the bank, trying to withdraw the money and found out it was gone,’ responded Bruce.

  "‘Oh, Nick, he is in the lobby with his suitcase. It looks like he is getting out of town,’ said Bruce.

  "‘Follow him. Do not let him out of your sight,’ responded Nick.

  "The old man went to the airport where he had a ticket for going back to the Bahamas, and Bruce called Nick. ‘He is on his way home. The Harrisons name must have scared him, especially since all the money was gone. Maybe he figured he should get out now before he loses not only the money but also his life,’ said Bruce.

  “Nick was happy to hear the news but he did not know that Bruce had murdered the accountant. He did know that murder was part of his duties when he worked for Zola’s parents,” said Lola.

  "‘Thank goodness that’s over. Maybe now we can plan our wedding,’ said Eva.

  "Nate knew something was wrong with Zola but could not figure it out. She was drinking very heavily and working longs hours at the track. My father did not want her to have any more pregnancies, so he went and got fixed. He did not tell Zola. He thought it would upset her.

  "My father made sure that she got her dream home. He was hoping this would bring her back to the woman he knew, who loved life and was happy to be alive. The new home did nothing for my mother.

  "Nick always wanted to have a wife and children, and now he had the perfect woman who wanted to be called Mrs. Nicholas Young Harrison. He had waited a long time for Eva. Eva no longer worked for the FBI. With money not being an issue, she planned the wedding with very little help from a wedding planner.

  "It was a beautiful spring night as Eva and Nick sat on the deck of his boathouse making plans for the future.
She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. ‘Nothing will ever come between us; our marriage will be blessed by God. I would like to get married in a church,’ said Nick.

  "‘Oh, I was hoping that we would get married in my church. I pay my ties every month. My mother will be looking down on us with her blessings. God knows your goodness and so do I,’ said Eva.

  "Just then, there was a loud knocking at the front door. It was Zola. ‘Can I stay with you because Nate might kill me?!’ yelled Zola.

  "‘What’s going on?’ asked Eva.

  "‘I am pregnant,’ she responded.

  "‘That is wonderful,’ responded Nick and Eva.

  "‘No, it’s not!’ said Zola, yelling and screaming like a wild woman.

  "‘Tonight I told Nate I was pregnant and he flipped out and was calling me all kinds of names. He said I was a fucking bitch. He said I was just like my mother and maybe I should do all of us a favor and commit suicide like my mother. I ran out of the house and came straight here,’ said Zola.

  "‘I don’t understand. Why was he so upset to that point?’ asked Nick.

  "‘He had himself fixed about a year ago and did not tell me. This baby is not his,’ said Zola.

  "‘Oh no, I think it is time for a drink,’ said Nick.

  "‘A drink, I need more than a drink. I need an abortion,’ said Zola.

  "‘Come with me and I am going to run the water so that you can take a hot bath. We will figure all of this out tomorrow,’ said Eva.

  "The next morning, Zola got up early and appeared to be ready to leave. ‘Good morning, family. I had a good night’s sleep, the best I have had in years. I thought about my past and what I need to do for my future. The first thing is to look at the truth. I will never be happy if I do not accept the truth about my parents and how I have been living my life,’ said Zola.

  "’My parents lived a life as professional criminals. They loved me but provided their type of lifestyle for me. To begin with, my grandmother was a black woman who was a performer in France and she married a Frenchman and had six children, two boys and four girls. She was also talented. She was an entertainer and that is how she met my father. He was selling moonshine in the parking lot of the club she was performing in. My father had big ideas for his future. It did not include working for an honest day’s pay. He wanted to be in charge of any criminal activity in the area. He was twenty-two and my mother was twenty. As time went on, they got married shortly after they met. They both wanted the same things and one thing was to make big money.

  "’My father was a good card player and won a lot of money playing poker. In fact, that is how he got his first juke joint. He won it in a card game from one of the local businessmen. He called it the Pico’s Junction. He turned it into a place where you could, drink, eat, smoke Cuban cigars, enjoy the company of fast women, and purchase whatever type of drugs your heart desired. That was Pico Junction and that was my parents.

  "’At some point, they became the major players in the drug culture of New Orleans. With law enforcement on their payroll, they became the go-to people. My mother was a very pretty, talented lady. She always carried herself like a lady. But she was vicious on the inside. She was far more dangerous than my father. There is no way of determining how many people she killed or had killed but no one crossed her. She did not believe in second chances.

  "’My father followed her lead and was a willing partner in all her decisions. He killed his share of violators. My mother did not get pregnant with me until later in life. I was delivered by Cesarean Section and the doctor told her she needed to have an operation in order to stop the bleeding. Because of the operation, she would not be able to have any more children. That is when she allowed my father to start seeing and visiting the fast women of the club.

  "‘My next confession is about me. I have decided to change my ways and become a different person. How I will accomplish this, I do not know at this point. But it will happen. Eva has a law enforcement background and I am asking her not to report what I am about to say to the law. I will spend the rest of my life helping others and want a second chance,’ said Zola.

  "‘We agree,’ said Eva and Nick.

  "’When I was nineteen, I killed a cop who was trying to rape me and my parents sent me out of town and I landed in Harrisonville, N.C. That is where I met Nick and Nate. My accountant who stole my life’s saving was murdered on my orders. I have sold all kinds of drugs, was a madam in my own house of prostitution, and a few other things like gaming and loan sharking in my own private bank. In order to survive with all my baggage, I started drinking very heavily. I did not do drugs but it was not easy with my guilt about Janet, my baby, dying in the fire that was my fault. I abused my body by getting pregnant every year only to lose the baby at the end of nine months. Some of these babies did not belong to Nate but he never knew. Please do not tell him. I have been to hell and know I need to find a way to get to heaven one day.

  "’This is my confession. I will be leaving shortly to go stay with my great aunt who is my grandmother’s sister. She is seventy-six years old but in good health. She will help me sort things out and help me find myself. She is a devoted Christian woman. She lives in Lynnville, Alabama, and is waiting for my arrival. She told me to leave the kids with their father because he needed to learn how to be a real man.

  "‘Please give Nate this note and maybe someday our paths will meet again under better circumstances. I wish you two the very best for your upcoming marriage. Take a look at the criminal history of this family and raise your future children to lead and live a Christian life. I’ve got to go but my children will always be in my heart and mind,’ said Zola.

  "As Nate read the note, tears ran down his eyes. The tears fell on the note and faded out some of Zola’s words but they were now etched in his mind forever.

  "Nate wanted Nick to know what was in the note. ‘Dear love, I have let you down many times throughout the years. It is time that I leave and allow you and the children to live a life that is without a lost soul like me. Hopefully, I will be able to find myself and become a better person. Please do not attempt to look for me. I need to be able to rest my corrupt soul and reclaim my life. I have given it to the devil. I will always love you and the kids. I have to leave in order to save us all and with love in my heart, Zola,’ said Nate.

  "Nate slowly tore up the note, turned, and walked out of the house. It appeared he was in a daze. Nick caught up with him. ‘Nick, how did all this happen to me and my family?’ asked Nate.

  ‘Well, Nate, do not blame yourself. It all started long before we were born. Criminal activity started with our grandparents or maybe great-grandparent. We were introduced to it at an early age, but at some point, we made our own decisions as to what we wanted,’ said Nick.

  "‘I am leaving, Nick. Years ago when the babies were born, you and Eva became the godparents. At that time, we asked the two of you to take care of our children if we’re not able. Well, I am leaving and giving them to you. I will sign a paper giving you custody of Toto and Lola. I am not worthy of raising children. I have a criminal mind. These children need someone they can depend on every day. I am going to get in my car and take off. Everything I have here, I want it put in trust for them. I will send you a P.O. Box address to mail the paper. Please do this for me. They deserve a chance in life. With me as their father, it might not happen,’ said Nate.

  "The next day, Nate gave both children a big hug and told them that their mother was gone away to get well. ‘She will be back someday, but until then your Uncle Nick is going to take care of you because I have to leave. Today you do not understand but one day you will understand. Your mother and I love you today, tomorrow, and forever,’ said Nate.

  “Nick got up early the next morning to try to convince Nate not to go, but he was gone. The kids were now thirteen and Nick did not know that they were young criminals. This was the beginning of the third generation of criminals,” said Lol
a.

  “How did you feel without a mother or father?” asked Ted.

  "It was a very low period in my brother’s life and my life. Because of our parents’ lack of supervision, we were raising ourselves. I recall when Toto was about three years old and our parents were having a party at our home and he got into my mother’s jug of homemade cough syrup. I can’t say for sure but I believe Toto was born an alcoholic. Even I love to drink. My mother loved wine and beer, and she must have been drinking when she was pregnant with us.

  “That night, Toto had passed out. Mom came into the room to check on us. Toto was shooting a stream of pee straight up in the air. She took one look at him and knew what had happened. I had a few sips and was very dizzy but not out. Toto was out. I told her that we were coughing and needed the syrup. She was not happy. She did not know that Toto was stealing sips of her wine and beer whenever she left it unattended. Sometimes he would steal the drinks of their guests. Toto didn’t care whose drink it was. He wanted it and he got it,” said Lola.

  “Drinking, to him, was like having a bottle of milk. Toto was very smart, good-looking, a great athlete, and tall for his age, with light brown skin and bedroom eyes. That was my brother and I love him. As he got older, he was very popular among his circle of friends. I remember, in fourth grade, seeing him on the playground selling cigarettes, which he stole from my father, to the older kids or anyone with money. He did not need money but it was the excitement of doing it that was pleasing to him. He smoked and drank and wanted company,” said Lola.

  “Toto loved sports and started playing little league, running track, basketball, and tennis. He was good at all of them. He was the only kid on any of these teams that was drunk the night before and was the most valuable player the next day,” said Lola.

  "Eva started planning her wedding and it was to take place in the fall of the next year. Meanwhile, I was having my problems. I saw what Toto was doing and decided to stay straight and not drink or smoke. I needed to watch out for Toto. Uncle Nick believed that we were good kids. After Eva and Uncle Nick got married, they purchased a big, nice home in New Orleans and we all moved from the boathouse to the new home. In the new home, we had our own living quarters. It consisted of two bedrooms, an activity room, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen.