by K. J. Dahlen
“For?” Matthias asked.
“I need to go get the evidence Stevie has hidden and turn it over to the Prosecutor before the trial. Stevie has to get into that trial and the defense is going to use the delay to try and put off the trial. This town needs to move forward, not be on hold forever, so we have to do this now.”
The other two men got to their feet and ambled off with Silas. They met up with some of Jackal’s men and together, they went to where Stevie had hidden the evidence. Everyone was surprised when they ended up in front of city hall.
“What the fuck are we doing here?” Boomer, one of Jackal’s men asked.
“What better place to hide evidence than right under their noses?” Silas asked. “That Stevie is a smart cookie. She knew the people involved would tear this town apart looking for it and it was right here the whole time.
Just then, a well-dressed man walked out of City Hall. He went directly to Silas and gazed at the group. Holding out his hand he said, “My name is Carlton Lemar. I believe I spoke to you earlier today. Something about evidence taken from the Harris houses a couple of months ago.”
Silas shook his hand. “Yes sir, you did. My name is Silas Newman and I’m here to turn the evidence over to you personally. Miss Stevie Grace can’t be here today to do it herself, so she asked me to.”
“Oh, and why isn’t Miss Grace here in person?” Carlton asked.
“Because one of the attorneys for Eugene Harris hired a hitman to stop her from testifying and he almost got her,” Silas flat out told him. “Her fiancé was able to stop him but the hitman was killed in the tussle.”
Carlton raised an eyebrow at that statement but didn’t say anything. “Can you turn over the evidence now?”
“Yes sir, I can.” Silas went into the building and went directly to the air vent just outside the door to the mayor’s office. Kneeling down, he unscrewed the mesh and reached inside for a small metal box. Taking a key from around his neck, he unlocked the box and handed the items inside to Carlton Lemar.
Carlton shook his head and smiled. “Ingenious.”
“Miss Stevie wanted this to be safe until it was needed. Eugene Harris was a poor excuse for a man and his wife was worse than he ever thought to be. She had three sons and she taught them well how to break the law. I have no idea where they ended up but I hope they all rot in hell for what they’ve done.” Silas nodded at the papers in the other man’s hands. “I hope you can nail the rest of those bastards for their part in all this. We helped some of those girls but there are more out there that need help too.”
“I promise to get them what they need. This is bigger than just this city. I didn’t realize that until a few days ago. There will be more arrests in the future days,” Carlton promised.
“You also need to look into Eugene’s death a little closer. Something isn’t right with the way he died.”
“I agree.” Carlton nodded. “It’s just too pat. I ordered an autopsy done right away. When I spoke to the guard that was in the room with Eugene and Nick at the time, he said Nick made sure to shake Eugene’s hand. He said that was a little odd as he’d never done it before.”
“Stevie said Eugene had a phobia about bees,” Silas replied remembering that other piece of information the Russian guy told him during the phone call. He was scratching his ear in thought. “Said he was allergic or something like that.”
“We’ll check that out.” Carlton assured him. “I’d better get back and have a look at this stuff.
“You do that. I hope to hell you can nail those bastards with that. Miss Stevie almost died because of it, so it better be important,” Matthias told him.
They all watched as Carlton Lemar walked back to the office he was using and closed the door.
“I hope to hell she got some good stuff in there,” Ricky said out loud. “This town needs to heal from what those people did to her and those other kids. The sick, twisted shit that went on at Harris house and nobody to know or help them.”
“And we can’t ever let it get that bad again.” Silas hit the wall with his fist. “We all need to step up and take care of our own, so this shit don’t get started up again.”
“You can count us in.” Boomer nodded. “We stayed out of the way before but we aren’t gonna do that anymore. We have just as much right to be here as anyone.”
“Then step up every once in a while,” Silas urged. “We will too. That’s the way we take back the streets and keep them safe for everyone.”
Nick laid down on his bed and smiled as his eyes closed. He was in the clear as far as Eugene was concerned. He could close up the case and go back home in the morning. No one would ever connect him to Eugene’s death. In his mind, there was no connection.
When his phone rang, he noted the caller and answered, “Hello mother. What can I do for you?”
“You can tell me that Eugene Harris did not die from bee venom.”
“I’m sorry but that’s exactly how he died.” Nick chuckled. “And no one even noticed. They thought it was a heart attack brought on by the stress of the trial.”
“You little fool.” She growled.
“What are you on about?” Nick swung his legs over the bed and sat up.
“Carlton Lemar is the special prosecutor assigned to the trial in Baton Rouge. He is all too familiar with the scandal of fifteen years ago. In fact, he was the only one who really listened to that dimwitted reported all those years ago. He would remember exactly how much the two cases resemble one another and call for an investigation into Eugene’s death or rather the cause of his death.”
“So what?” Nick scoffed. “All he has is speculation at this point. I got rid of the evidence and I washed my hands after I left the interrogation room.”
“And no one has been watching you while you’re there? Nothing has happened that you might see a problem with?”
Nick thought about the clippings he found pasted to his walls not once but twice in a matter of hours. “Nothing I didn’t already handle.”
“Then why are reporters, as in more than one, calling our home with questions about the possibility of Eugene being a Bennett? The story has grabbed national attention if it’s reached here already. It’s only been a day since he died.”
Nick could almost hear the rage in his mother’s voice through the phone lines. “What?”
“That’s right bright boy, our attorney is on his way over here to get rid of the reporters that are beginning to accumulate on my front lawn. This is a major problem now and it’s all your fault.” His mother screamed and slammed the phone down.
Nick was shaking as he hung up his phone. “This can’t be happening,” he muttered. He got up, walked over to the window and looked down at the streets. He searched for several minutes before he noticed the group of men standing in the shadows. Ducking back, he allowed the shade to fall. Someone had been following him and he hadn’t been aware of it until now.
Sliding down the wall, he sat on his ass and stared at the edge of the bed. He had to get out of this damn town and fast. He crawled over to the end of the bed and grabbed his suitcase. Getting to his feet, he grabbed his clothes and shoved them inside without caring what he was doing.
He was sweating by the time he finished. He grabbed his jacket and put it on as his eyes swept the room one more time. Not seeing anything he might have left behind, he went to the door. Opening it carefully, he spied the hall one way then the other. Seeing no one around, he slipped out closing the door quietly as if anyone could hear him. Then he went over to the stairs and snuck down the steps to the first floor. Then instead of going out the front door, he slipped out through the back door by way of the restaurant.
Once he was in the alley, he ran for blocks before he slowed down enough to get his bearings. Noticing a bus station two blocks away, he headed off in that direction. He squinted as the lights of the bus station hit his eyes and was reaching for the handle of the door when he heard the blip of the cop car pulling in behind him.
He turned and found himself staring at the barrel of a weapon in the hands of a man in a blue uniform. Nick slowly dropped his suitcase and raised his hands in the air.
Another officer came up behind him and pulled his hands behind his back.
“What is the meaning of this?” Nick growled. “Why are you arresting me? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“We’re arresting you on suspicion of murder,” the officer told him. The officer reached down, grabbed Nick’s suitcase and led him over to the vehicle. Where another cop stood. “Camera rolling? he asked.
The other cop nodded. “All set.”
“Good,” the arresting officer replied.” He stopped Nick right at the car door. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. If you cannot secure an attorney one will be—”
“I know the Miranda! I am an attorney!” Nick shouted.
The officer ignored his interruption and continued, “….a defense attorney will be appointed to you by the court.” Putting Nick in the back seat.
Nick looked around and saw three men staring at him from the shadows. One of the men he’d seen before. More than once actually in the past few days. He always stood in the shadows but Nick knew his face. The man nodded as the vehicle drove away.
When Nick got to the police station, he saw Carlton Lemar standing on the front steps. As they drew near the other man Nick sneered, “What the hell is going on here? Why am I under arrest? I haven’t done anything wrong.” He protested his innocence.
“It seems that statement is wrong Mr. Bennett. You see we double checked your story and we found Eugene Harris was actually murdered. Would you like to know what we found was actually his cause of death or would you just rather wait until it all comes out in the paper?”
“Just tell me.” Nick growled.
“Well, it seems Eugene was highly allergic to bee venom. Funny enough, that’s the same thing that killed your father fifteen years ago. My office did a little digging and we were surprised to find out you nixed that story before it ever got told. We did manage to dig up the autopsy report. Imagine our surprise when it wasn’t with the file on your father’s death. We had to search the data base at the morgue to find it but we did.” Carlton leaned forward. “Now tell me something, was Eugene Harris your brother or what? A simple blood test would tell us that much anyway. I mean come on, if you share a parent you would have similar DNA.” He nodded at the other man. “We could even get a court order if we had to. That wouldn’t be a problem at all.”
Nick spit in his face and got a fist in the back from the officer for his troubles. “Fuck you! You’re nothing more than a parasite and I’m not giving you jack shit, court order or not.”
“My dear boy, you don’t have a choice.” Shrugging he said, “I’ll get what I want from you one way or the other. We’re searching your hotel room even as we speak so I hope you cleaned up before you left. We might not find anything but then again, we might find evidence that will nail your hide right along with everyone else involved in this case. I already have the evidence from Stevie Grace, so I really don’t need anything else to go to trial. Your brother was guilty as sin and his crimes were against little girls, girls who told him no but he kept on pushing them into submission. He ruined so many lives and got away with it for too long. He got off easy but you, you will not get off so easy. I’ll make it my mission in life to make sure you have a nice long stay in a prison of my choice. I’ll even drag your mother into the mix. I have a feeling she’s as guilty as you are.”
“You leave my mother out of this!” Nick warned.
Carlton shook his head. “I suspected her in your father’s death fifteen years ago. She got away with her crimes back then, only because we couldn’t prove it but now I think we can and I’m willing to make sure she pays for what she did. As miserable a man as your father was, he didn’t deserve to die for finding pleasure in another woman’s arms.” He smiled and reminded the counselor, “There is no statute of limitation on murder. So, it might as well as happened yesterday for all the law cares. And your crime did happen yesterday, so we do care.”
Nick knew the law and knew he had a point. He simply glared at the man and allowed the officer to haul him away. He pushed him roughly down the hall and into a holding cell when three other men were in there waiting. When the cell door slammed shut, Nick turned and watched the other three.
They seemed to know him and that concerned him.
“So who might you be now?” one of the men asked.
“My name is none of your business. I won’t be here very long.” Nick sneered.
“Oh, will you look at that now, lads.” Another chuckled. “This bastard thinks he’s too good for the likes of us.”
“Maybe we should teach him differently.” The third man growled as he flexed his hands.
The first man laughed out loud. “Well now, we don’t mean to be so pushy but all we wanted was to know your name.”
“My name is Nick Bennett.” Nick swallowed hard.
“Ya see there boys. This here is Nick Bennett. Now that we know his name, we can get down to business.”
“Yeah, he’s the one we’ve been waiting for.” The third man growled.
Nick took a step backward and gazing at the three men facing him he asked, “And what were you waiting for me for?”
“You have to answer for a crime you committed.”
“And what crime would that be?”
“You hired a hitman to kill a friend of ours.” The men moved in closer. “Now that wasn’t very nice of you was it?”
“What are you talking about?” Nick bluffed. “I didn’t hire a hitman to take out anyone.”
“Now that we know… is a lie.”
“And how do you know that?” Nick began to sweat.
“Because the hitman admitted who you were just before the Russians made him pay for what he tried to do to our Miss Stevie.” The biggest man of the three moved in with his hands curled into fists. “He tried to shoot her twice and then he stuck a knife in her belly. She’s fighting for her life and the life of her baby. So you’d better pray she and the baby make it or you’re going to die just like she did.”
“As it is, she’s hurt pretty bad and now you will too,” the larger man added.
All three moved in and Nick began to shout for the guard. When the first punch hit his face, he dropped to the floor. Pain exploded in his head but the hits kept coming. After the third hit, he could feel the blood flowing down his face and he puked as a fist hit his belly. Laying on the floor, he felt a rib crack when one of them stomped his belly. Nick tied to suck in enough air to breath but couldn’t. Finally, all three men backed off and he was left on the floor gasping for breath.
The guard strolled by but didn’t stop to help.
Nick closed his eyes and prayed the men wouldn’t come back. He couldn’t seem to move just yet and that was fine with him. The pain wasn’t so bad when he laid still.
His whole world had crashed and he was still reeling from it. He curled up into a ball and waited for the pain to abide.
When he woke up hours later, he was still laying on the floor but the three men who shared his cell before were gone. Nick struggled to get up off the floor. His head was pounding and his ribs were killing him but he managed to get up on the bench. He reached up and tenderly touched his face. His right eye was swollen and he couldn’t see out of it. His fingers lingered on a sore spot on his jaw. He didn’t know if his jaw was broken or simply bruised but he knew better than to complain about his injuries. No one here would care anyway.
Looking down at his shirt, he noticed the dried blood all over him. He glanced over at the outside window and noted the sun was coming up. It was a brand new day and Nick couldn’t help but wonder what else could be coming his way.
Now he was in jail, about to be arranged on a murder charge and his family was all but ruined. All because of his father. For the first time since this
all began, he almost felt sorry for his old man. He, of all people knew exactly what kind of woman his mother was… cold and very unforgiving. When she found out he strayed, she cut him off completely. She told him she would ruin him in every way possible if he caused a scandal with his wandering ways. As long as he was discreet, she would maintain his home. Then the scandal of fifteen years ago began to happen and she snapped. Before it was done, Seth Bennett was dead and buried and it was left to Nick to maintain the family name.
It was all working until now.
Nick heard footsteps coming down the hall toward his cell and when he looked up, he saw Carlton Lemar standing on the other side of the bars. “Well, don’t you look a sight this morning.” The man’s southern accent was thick with this statement.
“Shut the fuck up.” Nick growled.
Carlton chuckled. “I just thought I should tell you that your mother was taken into custody last night. She’s been accused of first degree murder in the death of your father fifteen years ago, apparently the initial reporter dug deeper into the story and found proof that Regina Bennett purchased a vial of bee venom. She had it mailed to her home on Nantucket. I spoke to the DA in Maine and he assured me he would keep her in jail until the trial. She’s sitting in solitary because she’s a troublemaker and the jail warden fears for her safety.”
“You are a true bastard do you know that? She’s an old woman.”
Carlton nodded. “Yeah, but every once in a while, I manage to catch a real bad guy and I did that when I had you arrested. Both you and your mommy belong behind bars and now ya are. I can’t say that I’m not happy about that.” He chuckled then added, “And you will just never believe what we found in your little ole hotel room last night….A receipt from a health food store. You purchased only one item. Care to guess what that one item was?” He paused and tilted his head at Nick as if to wait for an answer he knew wasn’t coming. “Yup, it was bee venom and we checked the receipt for fingerprints and only yours and the clerk’s were found there. We got you fool and with that, we’re going to hang your dumb ass out to dry. One word of advice, don’t drop the soap in the shower, boy. Might not be too smart. Then again, you proved already that you got shit for brains.” Carlton turned and walked away whistling.