by Tyora Moody
“No, I didn’t. He’s arrogant. Whether he was my brother or not, I’d have issues with him.”
Vanessa shook her head. “You two are more alike than you know. He’s the way he is because he’s been left out. His mother wanted your dad to be a part of his life, but she didn’t want us in it. If she had her way, she’d prefer your dad left us all behind.”
“I know. She was an evil woman. You don’t think Jax doesn’t have any of that in him?”
“Asia, we all have our not so nice sides. Nobody is all good. Jax wants and has always wanted a family. You know when his mother was getting chemo treatments in this same hospital, she didn’t have anyone to bring her back and forth. Jax couldn’t keep driving from Atlanta. Guess who chauffeured her?”
Asia frowned, “Are you serious? I didn’t know you did that.”
“When you profess Jesus Christ as Lord, you can’t choose who you forgive. God forgives us. When God places something in your heart to do, you can either do it or not.”
“You decided it was better to do it?”
Her mother nodded, “I needed to do it. Before that woman left this world, we needed to have a long talk. She asked me to look after Jax.”
Asia scoffed. “The nerve.”
Her mother touched her shoulder, “Jax didn’t ask to be here. He only has his dad …and us. You’re both valuable to each other more than you know. Learn to love each other. You’ve been closer to people who you don’t even share blood with, so why not give him a chance? There is nothing for you to lose.”
Asia thought about Adam for some reason. She’d let herself get close to him. He really was the most arrogant person she’d ever met. She’d enjoyed their almost seven months together, until it went downhill.
“I need to go meet with someone.”
Vanessa raised her eyebrow. “Now? Certainly not a date. I thought you were too busy for dating these days.”
“It’s not a date, but… Momma, are you throwing shade?”
Her mother threw up her hands. “What does that even mean? Look, all I know is your most consistent relationship is with your work. And that phone stays glued to your hand.”
Asia looked down at her phone which she hadn’t returned to her pocketbook. “Funny. True, but funny. I’ll see you later. Tell Jo to get some rest. That cutie in there is probably going to snatch all her beauty sleep.”
Asia marched down the hall, her heels tapping on the floor. The fact that she was meeting with Adam Locklear meant she did have the capacity to forgive.
As she rode down the hospital elevator, she thought about the time she entered Adam’s office to surprise him. The surprise was on her when she saw his assistant straddled across him in a chair. Needless to say, their whirlwind of romantic evenings became a distant memory.
Then again, maybe she really didn’t forgive him. More like over the past three years, she’d asserted her own sweet revenge. Asia relished her court victories against Adam. That she did well. Every single time. Adam Locklear was a very good defense attorney.
She was a better prosecutor. The best.
Asia didn’t let much, if anything slip by her. She was reminded of Adam’s nervousness on the phone. Adam liked to win, so she needed to learn what had brought about the urgency she sensed earlier. Whatever the repercussions, she wanted to be on top of it now. After today, she needed justice to prevail.
Chapter 3
Wednesday, November 16 at 7:13 p.m.
The night air had dipped rapidly into the fifties. Her suede blazer felt fine earlier, but now she could feel the chilly air slicing through to the short sleeve shirt she wore underneath. Asia clicked the button on her key fob to unlock the car door and start the engine. As she climbed in, the smooth sounds of Gregory Porter pulsated from the speakers. She sat for a minute, knowing she needed to get moving if she wanted to get to Adam’s office in time.
Today, she’d seen one mother’s agony of receiving no justice for her son. Her sister’s pain and joy delivering a beautiful baby girl. Her own mother’s peaceful face and complete acceptance of a man, born out of an affair years ago. She had no idea her mother had been inviting Jax to join the family for Thanksgiving or any event. She really just thought he showed up when he wanted to as a reminder of his existence. Jax lived in Atlanta, separated by a four-hour drive, yet he rarely came to Charlotte. He seemed to stop coming after his mom died. Maybe too many memories. Asia hated to admit she was curious why he would come this year.
He’s alone. He’s your brother.
“Okay, that’s enough of this,” she thought out loud. She hated her emotions being all over the place. She didn’t like it, not one bit. It felt like a bubble was growing bigger and bigger inside of her until she would explode. Losing it meant she wasn’t in control. She had to be in control which was why she needed to get to Adam and find out what he knew.
His timing after the press conference today was rather ominous.
She still secretly hoped it had to do with Danye Lester. Is that wrong of me? Asia truly hunted for any piece of evidence to build a case against Office Roddy Lane. She wanted the slain young man to not become yet another victim of no justice received. But she couldn’t, not inside the confines of the law. Coasting along the expressway, she tried humming to the song to keep her thoughts from the looming failure she’d conjured in her mind.
Asia’s mind shifted back to Adam, not about what information he’d have for her in a few minutes, but their short-lived romance. Adam was definitely not husband material. Plus, he’d been married once and had two kids. The divorce was brutal. It wasn’t long after he officially divorced that he started dating Asia. She used to tease him, saying she was rebound material, but he’d promised he was over his wife. Asia almost believed him. Right up until she found him with his legal assistant, Candie Parker. Asia liked to think she would’ve connected the dots sooner if she hadn’t been so love-struck. Candie was beautiful. How could a man resist someone like her being in his office day in and day out?
“We would’ve made some pretty children though,” she said out loud. Then she laughed at herself. It had indeed been a long day for her to ponder these desperate thoughts. She would listen to what Adam had to tell her and take the information back to her boss in the morning. She’d made many mistakes, and now she was just too old and too tired to be making anymore. Asia had been celibate the past three years thanks to Adam. She intended to keep it that way.
Asia took the downtown exit towards Adam’s office. She passed the tower and turned into the adjacent parking garage. She nodded at the nightshift guard, an older African American man who’d been there a long time. He recognized her, smiled, and then lifted the gate for her to drive into the garage. Adam’s office was on the fifth floor so she circled the parking garage, finding an empty spot close to the entrance door.
She grabbed her purse off the seat and glanced around as she stepped out of her car. There were only a few cars. Adam’s white Mercedes beamed against the wall near the entrance. She wasn’t a fan of being in a parking garage this late. Her heels tapped sharply as she quickly made her way towards the doors ahead. Once inside the building entrance from the garage, she pressed the elevator. A humming noise, like a nearby generator, filled the foyer where she stood. Its loudness gave her the creeps.
She leaped inside as soon as the elevator doors opened and stabbed the number five. Her heart was beating as she thought about her earlier conversation with Adam.
Just in case anything goes down.
She had a feeling sleep wouldn’t elude her again tonight. Asia couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this exhausted. Strangely, she felt wired too as though she’d gulped down a large cup of strong black coffee. She watched the numbers rise on the elevator, wondering if this was even a good idea. Maybe she should’ve told Adam she’d meet him in the morning when she was rested and fresh.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, she looked out into the hallway. Only when the doors started to close
did she jump forward with her body. She leaped into the hallway, and the door shut behind her.
It was quiet in the hallway, which shouldn’t have been out of the ordinary since it was after hours. Adam’s law office was on one side with another set of offices on the opposite side. She turned to look at the double doors to her right. The office was dark and the colored title on the door said, Advantage Data Systems. She didn’t remember that company being there before.
She turned back to the left and approached the double glass doors of Locklear Law Firm. Asia took a deep breath and held her knuckles up to knock, but then decided to pull on one of the doors. This was a professional visit. Like old times, the door swung open. Past history, Adam would leave the door open for her.
She stepped inside. The Locklear Law Firm was a sleek set of offices fitted with modern furniture, not at all like the traditional look and feel of her state-owned office building.
She called out, “Adam?”
His office was probably less than ten yards away directly to her left. She expected him to step out like he usually would. His thick hair would tell her what kind of day he’d had. If it was smoothed back, he’d obviously had a big win that day. If his salt and pepper mane was tousled, Adam had spent most of the day about to pull his hair out over a case. He didn’t like when things were messy, but he enjoyed the challenge.
That was the other thing she liked about him. He presented this persona in the courtroom and with clients, but she’d seen his “real” human side.
Asia frowned. Maybe he was on the phone. As she moved closer towards his office, she would have heard his booming voice. He wasn’t the kind of person with an inside voice.
Something was wrong. It was way too quiet. Adam expected her so he wouldn’t have stepped out.
Before she stepped inside Adam’s door, her senses heightened. There was a metallic smell in the air. She gripped her bag and compelled her legs to move inside Adam’s office. There were two lamps on, one on the desk and a tall lamp in the back corner across from his desk. She could see the buildings across the street through the two large windowpanes on either side of the desk.
Whether her mind was preparing her for the scene, she didn’t know, but her eyes focused on Adam’s thick hair first. It was tousled. Then she saw his face. She stared in disbelief as her already wearied brain tried to process. Somewhere she heard a screeching noise.
It was coming from her. She was screaming.
Her eyes watered as she observed the blood-spattered wall behind Adam’s desk. His head was leaned back against his beloved black leather chair, eyes vacant.
She covered her mouth and stumbled backwards. Tears ran down her eyes as she fumbled for her phone. She had to get help.
Oh, Adam. What happened? Who did this?
Chapter 4
Wednesday, November 16 at 9:02 p.m.
Asia answered questions from the officers after they arrived. They knew who she was. Most cops did because her dad was the former chief of police. Most cops in the department watched her and her siblings grow up, and in the past few years, many law enforcement were called in by her to sit on the witness stand. She knew the routine and told the attending officers, she would sit in the coffee shop downstairs.
She was surprised she remembered it. When she first started meeting Adam, it’s where they met in the evenings. The first time they met, Adam saw the writing on the wall and laid out a possible deal for his client. Asia tended to not do deals unless the defendant had something to offer in another case. She’d told him she would think about it overnight, but instead of leaving, she sat for another hour indulging in a slice of strawberry shortcake. She was surprised to learn the super fit defense attorney had a sweet tooth he struggled with like she did. After that, they gradually started going to dinner, attending events and hanging out on the weekend. She’d shoved her history with Adam to the back corners of her mind.
Now sitting in the same booth they sat in years ago, Asia sipped coffee. She kept thinking to herself, what if she’d left the hospital sooner. How ironic she was running late and not really caring about punctuality.
Would she have passed Adam’s killer? Would she still be alive now?
She jumped when she saw a shadow pass by her on the right. Asia looked up to see a man. He was actually quite handsome, though she couldn’t tell his ethnicity. He could be a very light-skinned black man or Hispanic.
He held out a badge, “Detective Isaac Coleman. I’m with homicide. You found Adam Locklear?”
She nodded. “I’m Asia Reed.”
Detective Coleman nodded, “Yes, I know. You’re an assistant district attorney.”
“You’ve done your homework.”
“I’m sorry. I know all of this must be a huge shock. Do you mind if I sit down?”
“Sure.”
The detective slid into the booth in front of her. His eyes were warm and friendly. She was surprised she hadn’t met him before. Asia headed up the District Attorney Homicide Team and worked with most of the homicide detectives in Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Asia took a breath. “I have had quite the day you know. I led the team who delivered bad news to Danye Lester’s family this morning. Though I’m sure Officer Lane and his family are elated. My sister had a baby girl. I’m an aunt again.” Her voice shook, “Now this.”
Detective Coleman lifted his eyebrow. “Wow, you have had quite the day. Here I thought my day was bad. I’ve had a few cases trickle in over the past few weeks, but I have a feeling this will be my first big case.”
Asia sat up. The coffee was helping her senses. “I thought you were new. Your instincts are right. Adam Locklear is … was a big-time attorney. He had a very interesting clientele. I can promise you, the DA is going to be all over this, if not already, definitely in the morning.”
Detective Coleman smiled. “Hey, I’m up for the challenge. I moved up to being a detective a few weeks ago. My partner is Detective Barry Lamb.”
“Ole Barry is your partner?” Asia shook her head. “He’s close to retirement. Kind of a curmudgeon too. So, he sent you down here to interview me? Figures. He doesn’t like me, mainly because I’m a Reed.”
Detective Coleman cleared his throat and gave a slight grin. “That makes two of us. He doesn’t like me either. He’s not here. A family thing going on.”
Asia narrowed her eyes. “Really? He’s letting you, no offense, a rookie, take this on yourself?”
Coleman’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t respond.
Asia held up her hands. “Like I said, no offense. You should know your partner wasn’t a fan of Adam. A jury found a guy not guilty, Ethan Consentino who Lamb worked really hard to arrest for murder. Adam claimed your partner planted the murder weapon. That wasn’t my case, but I remember the DA being so upset because it was a pretty critical piece of evidence. It really messed up the credibility of the case. Ethan walked, might still be walking around.”
Coleman nodded, “So you’re saying my partner isn’t going to miss Mr. Locklear?”
“Truth be told, Adam won’t be missed by a lot of people. My sister wasn’t a fan of his either.”
“Your sister, she was a detective?”
Asia nodded. “Yeah, Detective Jo Reed-Powell. We didn’t get to work together often, but about a year ago we both worked the Jeffrey Maddock case. She took some time off to make a baby.”
“She’s the sister who delivered tonight?”
“Yep.”
“You have children?”
Odd question. Or maybe just a sore point for her. Asia shook her head. “I’m married to my work. I enjoy being an auntie though.”
Detective Coleman cleared his throat.
Seeing his discomfort, Asia spoke. “I appreciate the small talk, Detective Coleman. You want to know why I was at Adam Locklear’s office, right?”
He flipped his notepad. “I’m sorry. I wanted to give you some time.”
Asia looked at him and smiled. “You�
�re going to be a great detective.” She leaned back in the booth. “Mr. Locklear called me earlier today. He said he had some information to tell me. I assumed it was from one of his clients. He didn’t want to talk on the phone and felt it was best to meet in person. Locklear was one of the best defense attorneys money could buy, but in recent years, he hadn’t won a case against me.”
“Really?”
Asia nodded. “He was good. He didn’t like to lose. For him to share information with me, it must have been big. I also sensed he was apprehensive. So I agreed to meet with him even though it’d been a long day. I didn’t know someone else would be meeting with him first.”
They sat in silence for a minute.
Asia continued, “The night shift guard let me through the garage. Maybe there was someone before me. I’m sure cameras are in various areas of the building. Your team is looking into who entered the building?”
He nodded. “Yes, we’re gathering all footage. The office door was not locked as you know. I guess because Mr. Locklear was expecting you.” Detective Coleman, flipped through his notes. “He didn’t have anything on his assistant’s calendar that I could see about your meeting.”
Asia frowned. “He didn’t tell his assistant I was coming? That’s weird. He had to tell her to leave the door unlocked. Maybe the meeting was at the last minute and he just forgot. He’d probably have our meeting on his phone though. He was a fanatic about his phone.”
Her mind drifted to the past, recalling how Adam would get lost in his email as they sat over coffee. She didn’t mind at the time, she did the same thing.
Coleman interrupted her memories. “Did you go to his office often? I mean you’re a prosecutor and he’s a defense attorney.”
Asia thought for a moment before answering. It probably appeared strange that she would know Adam’s habits about his phone and calendar. She sighed. It was best to be transparent so Coleman knew her history with Adam. “We met outside the courtroom on friendly terms for a few months. This was years ago.”