by Kiki Swinson
“Listen, Agent Nelson, I wouldn’t have dared to tell my wife about this whole thing because for one, she would’ve talked me out of it, and if I wouldn’t have listened to her, she would’ve given me an ultimatum. Either her or that job.”
“Does she know that we called you in for an interview?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to stress her out about something I got myself into.”
“So, when will you tell her?”
“When I think the time is right.”
“Can you tell us where Brian Butler is?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t think anyone knows where he is.”
“Well, do you have any further words before we end this interview?” Agent Nelson asked, giving me the floor.
“Yeah,” I said, and then I paused and all eyes were on me. “Well, I’d like to start off by saying that I didn’t know that after I did this job with Edward and the other guys that it would turn out like this. All we were told to do was move the containers to the railcars. That’s it. And for doing that, we were supposed to be paid fifteen grand each. We were just guys trying to make a quick buck. And I know that our actions don’t minimize our role in it, because some of those people died and I feel really bad about it. But at the same time, we didn’t put a gun to those people’s heads and pull the trigger. I mean, if I could turn the clock back, I would. I also would’ve reported it to you guys as well. So, I’m sorry.”
Agent Nelson let out long sigh and then he said, “My name is Agent Nelson and my interview with Reese Spencer has just ended. The time is 3:02 and I’m signing out.”
After Agent Nelson stopped the recorder he looked at me and said, “I’m going to take this tape to my supervisor and have him to listen to it. But let me ask you, would you be willing to testify in front of a jury and help us build a case against Mr. Que Ming?”
“No question. Sure. I’ll do everything you want me to do,” I said willingly.
Agent Nelson and the other agents shook my hand and thanked me for coming in today. I couldn’t believe that this interview turned out the way it did. I know one thing, whatever they tell me to do, I’m going to do it, if it means that I stay on the streets. I can’t do a day in jail. Not while my wife is out here on the streets. No way! I refuse to let another nigga take my wife from me. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I guess now what I need to do is figure out how I am going to get her back before she files for divorce. It’s either now or never.
40
DAWN
When I heard the knock at my door and the words, “Dawn, open this door, it’s your sister out here,” I rose up from the living room sofa because I knew it was Alexia.
Immediately after I opened the front door she pulled me into her arms and held me tight. “Mama told me you’re filing for divorce.”
“Yep, that’s what I plan to do,” I replied after she released me from her embrace.
“So, what happened?” Alexia wanted to know while she watched me close the front door and lock it.
“What hasn’t he done?” I answered sarcastically as I walked back over to the sofa and took a seat.
Alexia sat next to me. “So, what made you come to this decision? I mean, I know he had to have done something as recent as today for you to call our mama.”
“Well, what happened was he gave me money to pay the fees for my fertility treatment and pay some bills with the rest of it. Well, as soon as I turned my back, he goes and takes most of the money back. And then on top of that he blew it up on a fucking card game. I swear, Alexia, I am done with him. This was the last straw for me.” I started sobbing. His behavior and lack of regard for me was starting to break me down, which is why I started crying.
“Sis, don’t cry. It’s that nigga’s loss. Not yours,” Alexia said, trying to make me feel better. She leaned forward to wipe the tears that were falling from my eyes.
I sniffled a bit and then I said, “I think now is the time that I cut all my losses and move on with my life, because if I allowed Reese to come back home so we could work this out, he’d go right back to doing the same shit again. And I can’t have that type of drama in my life. I’m not trying to go backwards, I’m trying to move forward.”
“Does he know that you’re gonna file for divorce?”
“Yeah, I told him right after I told him to get out the house.”
“Has he tried to call you?”
“No. And I’m glad too. I just wish he would go on about his life and leave me alone. I’m getting too old for this shit!”
“Think he might be staying with his grandmom?”
“I’m sure he is. But I couldn’t care less.”
“That’s right, sis, stand your ground and leave that nigga once and for all.” Alexia cheered me on and then she said, “You know Dad is happy as hell that you’re finally leaving Reese.”
“I’m sure he is,” I said while the tears continued to fall from my eyes. “Hand me a tissue from that box on the coffee table.”
She handed me the box, I took a tissue and began to wipe the tears away from my eyes and cheeks.
“Have you thought about what you’re gonna do with this house?” Alexia wanted to know.
“Damn, Lexi, I just put the nigga out of the house.”
“I know. But I know how you are, and if that nigga gets on his knees and starts begging, you will let him back in the house. And I can’t have that. It’s time for you to move on with your life and get with a man who will appreciate you.”
“I want that too. But I’m not gonna be able to fall out of love with Reese overnight, Alexia.”
“Well, if you start right now, then you’ll be well on your way,” she replied, giving me a snide look.
I ignored her comment and said, “You know what?”
“What?”
“I sat here earlier and wondered if that nigga is sitting around crying like I’m crying over him.”
“Girl, please, niggas don’t sit around and cry. They off to the next bitch! Trust me, I know.”
“I wonder what his grandmother is saying about all of this.”
“She’s probably not saying anything. You know how old people are, they couldn’t care less about what young folks like us do.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I replied nonchalantly.
“Thought about who you’re gonna hire to rep you in your divorce?”
“Damn, Lexi, I just decided today that I’m going to file for divorce.”
“Well, if you want me to help you, I’ll be more than glad to find one for you.”
“I’ll let you know.” I turned my focus to the television because I noticed that my favorite movie, Shawshank Redemption, was on. I wasn’t fully engaged in the movie, but it was enough that it took my mind off Reese for a few minutes at a time.
When Alexia realized that I’d rather look at TV than talk about Reese’s no-good ass, she left me alone so I could watch the movie. During commercial breaks, she would say little things like, I can’t believe that you’re gonna be in this house all by yourself. And then she said, I’m glad that Dad helped you get this house instead of Reese, because if he did, Reese would try to take half of what you’d sell the house for.
Without saying one word, I just nodded my head like I agreed with her. I knew my sister all too well. If I would’ve fed into her comments, we’d be having a full-fledged conversation right now. This was her way of getting information out of me without seeming to be nosy.
Surprisingly, she watched the entire movie with me and then she watched a few of my taped reality shows too. She cooked a pot of spaghetti for us. But I only ate a few forkfuls while Alexia ate two plates of it. And before we knew it, time had flown by and it was dark outside. “I’m so tired,” I announced while I was lying down on the sofa.
“You ready to go to bed?” she asked me.
“Y
eah, I think it’s time. Maybe after I get up in the morning, I’ll feel better than what I feel like now.”
“If you want me to stay with you tonight, I will.”
“No, you don’t have to, Lexi. I’ll be all right,” I assured her.
“Are you sure? Because you know I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure,” I told her as I stood up from the couch. A few seconds later, I escorted her to the front door and opened it. I followed her out.
“Where you going?” she asked me.
“I’m walking you to your car, silly.”
“You don’t have to. I’m a big girl.”
“Lexi, I’m already out here, so come on.” I grabbed her by her arm. As soon as we walked off the porch, I stopped in my tracks when I noticed the same car from all the other times was parked on the opposite side of the street again. “Oh my God!” I said, staying completely still.
“What’s wrong?” Alexia asked.
“You see that black car parked on the other side of the street?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Whoever it is keeps parking there, but as soon as they figure out that I’m on to him or her, they drive away.”
“The windows are tinted really black. Are you sure someone is in the car?” Alexia said, squinting her eyes.
“Yes, I am. You don’t see that head in the driver seat?” I raised my hands a bit and pointed toward the car.
“Fuck that! We’re walking over there to see who it is,” Alexia said and took off, holding on to my arm.
“Are you crazy? I’m not going over there with you.” I rebelled and snatched my arm away from her. That didn’t stop Alexia though. She raced across the lawn and headed directly toward the car. But before she stepped onto the street, the engine started up and whoever was behind the wheel sped off. Alexia’s crazy ass started running behind the car.
“Where the fuck you think you’re going? Bring your ass back down here and show your face like a man!” she roared.
I was both shocked at Alexia’s reaction and scared that someone was really there to watch me, and that also made me feel uneasy. “Lexi, come back before they turn around,” I yelled.
“That’s what I want them to do. Bring that ass back!” she yelled back at me.
Instead of going back and forth with Alexia, I ran into my house, grabbed a duffel bag from my closet, and started packing any- and everything within reach. I didn’t care if it matched or not. I knew I had to get out of my house and that was what I did.
By the time Alexia walked back into the house, I already had my bags at the front door. She looked down at the floor and said, “Whatcha doing?”
“I’m getting the hell out of this house. I’m not staying here by myself, so let’s go,” I told her as I picked my things up from the floor.
Alexia helped me with my bags as we exited my house. I closed the front door, locked it, and made my way off my front porch.
“Are you riding with me or no?” she asked me.
“I’m not leaving my car here. I’m taking it with me,” I replied as I approached it. I opened up the back door and threw all of my things on one side of the back seat, while Alexia threw the things she was carrying onto the other side.
“I’m gonna let you pull out first,” she told me.
“All right,” I said, and hopped in my car. I started up the engine, put my car in reverse, sped out of the driveway, and headed in the direction of my parents’ house.
41
REESE
Leaving the terminal after talking to those agents, I developed mixed feelings. One part of me was glad that I got all this shit off my shoulders. But the other side of me is kind of scared that everything I told them could backfire on me. I needed to stay a free man, so whatever I needed to do to make that happen, I would do it.
When I returned to my grandmother’s house earlier with another order of fried fish, I gave her the food and then I retreated to my childhood bedroom and tried to get a nap in, but it didn’t happen. What happened was that I binged on old episodes of Good Times and Sanford and Son. This took my mind off Dawn for a little while, that is until the last episode ended.
Lying there on that small-ass bed was making me feel very uncomfortable. So I got up, grabbed my cell phone from the bed, and walked outside to my truck. I hopped on the back of it and sat on the hood. I played with my In-stagram page for a while, looking at old photos of me and Dawn. I knew seeing her smiling in those pictures was going to persuade me to call her. And what do you know, that’s what I did. “Dawn, please answer the phone,” I begged while I anxiously listened to her phone ringing. I started thinking all kinds of things. Maybe she was looking at the caller ID and refused to answer my call. I even thought about her leaving her phone in another part of the house so she wouldn’t be able to hear my call.
The line rang exactly seven times before it went to voicemail. I was pissed off, so I disconnected the line and redialed her number. This time her phone went straight to voicemail. “Hi, you’ve reached Dawn. I’m not available right now. So, leave me a brief message and your number and I will call you back,” it said and then the voicemail bell chimed. But once again, I didn’t leave a message. I wanted to talk to my wife, not a fucking machine. So, for the third time I redialed her number, with no luck. My call went straight to voicemail. This time I had no other choice but to leave her a message. “Dawn, I know I’ve done a lot of fucked up shit and you should’ve left me a long time ago. But, baby, please give me another chance. I swear, I will change. I will be that husband you always wanted me to be. I will stop gambling. And I will start going to church like you always wanted me to do. I will do anything you ask me to do. I promise. I love you, baby, so please call me back,” I said, and then I ended my voicemail message.
I tried calling Brian’s number again, but for some reason his phone line wouldn’t ring. It also didn’t go to voicemail either. “What the fuck!” I mumbled. “I know this nigga did not block my number,” I said aloud as I cleared the line and redialed his number. But once again, it wouldn’t ring, and that’s when I knew for sure that he blocked me. “Fucking loser!” I cursed out loud. I was beyond pissed off at this point. But there wasn’t anything I could do. I guess all I could do now was play the waiting game.
I went back into my grandmother’s house and joined her in her bedroom. Like always, she was sitting in her chair, watching TV. She smiled at me as soon as I walked into her bedroom. “You were in your room for a very long time. Did you get some sleep?” she wanted to know.
“Nope. I sure didn’t. But I would’ve loved to get some.”
“Have you talked to your wife?”
“No, ma’am. I tried to call her a couple of times, but she wouldn’t answer her phone.”
“Well, that’s just because she’s hurting right now, baby. Just give her some more time, she may come around.”
“But what if she doesn’t?”
“I already gave you the answer to that question. And I also told you to give this situation to God too. Have you done it?”
I sighed heavily. “Yes, Grandma,” I lied.
“Well, then I don’t need to say another word,” she told me, and then she smiled.
When I was about to say something else, a breaking news segment popped onto the television. “This just in, a black male named Brian Butler was found dead in his home earlier today. The cause of death was two gunshots to the back of his head. The victim was found by his girlfriend when she came home several hours ago. The girlfriend asked that we withhold her name while she and his family mourn. So far, we know that Brian Butler was a father of two. He worked as a longshoreman at the Norfolk International Terminal for over a decade. He was loved by everyone that came in contact with him, so people are baffled at the fact that he was killed execution style. I spoke with one of the homicide detectives with the Norfolk division and he said that they don’t know who murdered Mr. Butler, but that they will do everything possible to bring his killer to jus
tice. If you have any information concerning this unfortunate tragedy, please call the tip line at 888-LOC-KUUP.”
“What is going on down at that terminal you working at? It seems like everybody is getting killed. You might wanna start working somewhere else. Because I would hate if someone called me and told me that someone killed you.”
“Grandma, no one is going to kill me.”
“Why you so sure? They’re killing everybody else that works with you.”
“Grandma, no, they aren’t,” I assured her, with the idea of making her less nervous. But she was right. Everyone around me was getting murdered. Was I next? If I was, then when was it going to happen? But more importantly, who was going to do it? I swear, I couldn’t walk around not knowing what was going to happen next. It was obvious that whoever killed Edward and Brian killed them because they had to have done something wrong or screwed someone over. And if that was true, I needed to find out what was going on.
After finding out that Brian had just gotten murdered, I knew I needed to get Todd on the line. “Grandma, hold that thought, I’ll be right back,” I told her.
“You leaving the house?”
“No, ma’am, I’m going to my room to make a call,” I replied, and then I made my exit.
As soon as I walked into my bedroom, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Todd’s cell phone number. “Todd, you better answer this damn phone,” I said, thinking about what I was going to say. But as fate would have it, he didn’t answer his phone either. “Damn!” I barked, hoping that his fate hadn’t been sealed by Que Ming’s hitmen. But then what if he wasn’t answering my call because the cops got to him? That would be some fucked up shit. I mean, am I the nigga they don’t fuck with anymore? Or was I a lame-ass chump because I was given a job to do and I screwed it up? Whatever the reason was, that shit was foul.