“Did your friends tell you about a little thing called evidence?”
Red reached into her pocket and pulled out a small digital recorder. She pushed playback.
“Did your friends tell you about a little thing called evidence?” the recorder repeated.
“Like I said, you talk like a bitch,” Red told him.
Catfish’s eyes bugged out of his head.
“Yeah, I recorded you the last time I was here, too. They have you on tape threatening to kill me, and bragging about killing Sasha.”
“What the fuck did you do that for?” Catfish asked.
“Because you wanted to kill me. Having your ass on lockdown in Colorado 24-7 was the best way to save my own ass.”
“And you think that you are going to be safe now?”
“They’ll be putting you on lockdown soon.”
“You’re dead, Red.”
“I’m leaving town, Catfish. I’m going to go and say good-bye to my stepfather and spend the night with him, and then no one in Michigan will ever see me again.” Red stood.
“You’re dead, your stepfather is dead, everyone you fuckin’ associate with is dead. You can’t run and hide anywhere. I’ll find you if it takes every penny I have.”
“Leave my stepfather out of this,” Red told him.
“He’s dead!”
“Good luck, Scavenger.” Red walked away from the table. She knew that Catfish was fuming. Now, she just had to disappear and let her plan work. She knew that the first place Catfish was going to send his henchmen was to her mother and stepfather’s house. May they rest in peace.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Red stood outside the hospital waiting for her attorney. She had hired one of Ohio’s best real estate attorneys to represent her in the closing on Bacon’s house. Red was determined that nothing go wrong this time. She needed the money to pay for her new house in Scottsdale.
Joel Weinstein pulled up in his black Lexus LS 460 and illegally parked. He climbed out and rushed up to the front entrance of the hospital.
“Hi, Raven,” Weinstein said, hugging Red. “How are you, young lady?”
“I’m fine.” Red smiled.
Weinstein looked around, taking in his environment. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, why?”
“Why’d you want to meet at the hospital?”
“Oh, because I needed to come here and visit a friend,” Red explained. “I figured I may as well kill two birds with one stone.”
“Oh, I was worried that you may have gotten sick or something.”
Red shook her head. “I’m better than ever.”
“That’s a relief,” Weinstein told her. “Well, we got really lucky that the couple didn’t change their minds about the place.”
“I know.”
“They were really patient about the entire thing.”
“I’ll have to send them a nice card or something.”
“That would be nice, I’m sure they would appreciate that,” Weinstein told her. He reached into his briefcase. “Well, here is your check.”
“Let’s hope that I can cash it this time.” Red laughed.
“No, this time it’s good. All of the closing documents were in order, I made sure of it myself. Your check is as good as gold.”
“Whew, that’s a relief to hear,” Red said, exhaling. “The Realtor in Scottsdale will be happy.”
“What are you going to do with Gomez Realty?”
Red shrugged.
“Gloria and I were friends for a long time,” Weinstein told her. He sighed. “I drive by that place and I can’t believe that Schottenstein Realty is no longer. She thought of you like a daughter.”
Red nodded. “I miss her.”
“Honor her by continuing her legacy. Honor her by continuing to be successful.”
“I will.” Red leaned forward and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Joel.”
“You’re welcome, young lady. Well, I’ve got to go, I’m double-parked.”
Red waved, turned and walked into the hospital, where she rode the elevator up to the third floor. She entered Q’s room and found him watching television.
“What the hell are you doing here, Red?” Q asked angrily.
“I’m here to see you.”
“Well, I don’t want to see you!”
“Q, don’t say that.”
“Red, are you fucking crazy?”
“Q . . .”
“You shot me!”
“I was scared! Q, Bacon had kidnapped me, he was going to kill me!”
“Bullshit, Red! You could have shot that nigga! But you made your choice, so now stick with it.”
“I’m not here to beg you to take me back, Q.”
“Then what are you here for?”
“To say good-bye.”
“Good-bye, Red,” he said nastily.
“I want you to know that I really loved you. I still love you. Out of all the men in my life, I can really say that I loved you.”
Q waved his hand around the hospital room. “And this is the way you show it?”
“I regret the way things turned out.”
“I don’t.”
“But I don’t regret ever loving you and having you in my life.”
“I wish that I could say the same.”
“Q, you can’t say that you never loved me.”
“Why can’t I?”
“Because I’m not in jail.”
“I’m not a snitch.”
“You didn’t tell the police, because you love me.”
“I didn’t tell the police because I’m going to kill you and your little boyfriend myself when I get out of here.”
Q’s words struck her to her core. “Don’t say that, Q. Please don’t say that you want me dead. You’re the only one I ever felt really loved me.”
“If you felt like that, then why did you shoot me, Red? Why?”
“I wasn’t aiming for you. I was trying to shoot his ass!”
Q shook his head. “I don’t believe that shit.”
Red exhaled. “Well, it’s the truth. Even if you don’t believe me, Q, at least find it in your heart to forgive me.”
“You’re asking a lot, Red.”
“I know. But trust me, Q. You mean so much to me.”
Q shook his head and looked out the window.
“I’m leaving, Q. And I won’t be back.”
“Good luck to you and that bum.”
“I’m leaving alone. I’m starting my life over again.”
“Well, best of luck to you, Red. You don’t have to worry about me snitching. And if I ever find it in my heart to forgive you, then I won’t come after you. If I don’t forgive you, I’m going to hunt you down, Red.”
“Good luck, Q.” Red tried to lean forward and kiss him. He lifted his hand, stopping her.
“Just go, Red.”
Red walked out of the room, and walked out of the hospital and climbed into Bacon’s blue Bentley Continental GT convertible. She was taking the car with her to Arizona. Scottsdale, Arizona, to be exact. There, she was going to reopen Gomez Realty, and sell multimillion-dollar desert real estate to wealthy golfers and retirees. She was going to start her life anew in a desert paradise. Her only regret was that Q wouldn’t be coming with her.
Red cranked up the Bentley and headed for the highway. Arizona was a long drive away.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The doorbell rang and instantly Jerome began cursing.
“Goddamn people disturbing my fucking dinner!” he shouted, pushing away from the table. “A man can’t even have a peaceful dinner. If it ain’t the damn telemarketers calling, it’s somebody selling something at the damn door!”
Jerome stormed to the door and threw it open.
“What the fuck do you want?” he shouted.
“Are you Red’s dad?” Poocus asked.
“No, I’m her stepfather!” Jerome told him. “What’s the little slut done now?”
“She
got you killed,” Black told him, standing behind Poocus.
Poocus pulled a sawed-off shotgun from beneath his oversize shirt and aimed it at Jerome’s stomach. Jerome tried to run, but Poocus pulled the trigger and blasted him off his feet.
Struggling to say something, Jerome lay on the ground, holding his stomach, his intestines spilling out. He knew that his time had come. He knew that these goons were not going to let him live. He just thanked God that his wife worked at night and that she wasn’t home right now. Despite all his faults, all his actions, all his proclamations, he truly loved her.
Poocus stepped inside, stood over Jerome and squeezed the trigger once again.
“Check the rest of the house!” Black ordered. He and Poocus raced through the apartment, searching to see if anyone else was home. Black looked beneath the master bed, while Poocus checked the closet. Black searched the pantry; Poocus turned his attention toward the bathroom. They found no one.
“C’mon, let’s get out of here,” Poocus said.
He and Black retreated to the street and climbed into their hooptie and drove away.
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Detective Thomas strolled into the police department and quickly found himself cornered by three plainclothes detectives.
“Detective Thomas?” one of the men inquired.
“Yeah?” Thomas answered suspiciously.
“Your weapon please, Detective,” another gentleman asked.
“What’s going on here?” Thomas demanded. “What’s the meaning of this?”
Another officer patted him down, looking for his gun.
“Hey, get your fucking hands off of me!” Thomas said, pushing the man away.
Two of the men grabbed Thomas and slammed him against a nearby wall.
“We can do this the polite way, or the rough way,” one of the men told him. “I’m Detective Robinson, this is Detective Johnson, that’s Detective Lynn, we’re IAD.”
“Okay, but what the fuck is going on here?” Thomas asked.
Detective Marquez Nuñez strolled from around the corner. “What’s going on is that I finally got your ass.”
“Man, get a fucking hobby!” Thomas demanded.
“I got a hobby, and a job, too.” Nuñez smiled. “It’s busting crooked cops like you.”
“You’ve gone too far now,” Thomas told him. “The lieutenant is going to have your shield!”
“I doubt that,” Nuñez said. “The lieutenant ain’t touching this one with a ten-foot pole.”
“When he finds out that you’ve taken my gun . . .”
“And your shield,” Nuñez said, unclipping Thomas’s badge from his waist.
“You don’t have the authority to do that!” Thomas shouted. “You can’t put me on administrative leave!”
“Admin leave?” Nuñez threw his head back in laughter. “You wish you were going on leave. You’re going to prison, buddy.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Thomas asked.
“Detective Thomas, you’re under arrest for rape,” Detective Nuñez told him.
“Rape? What the fuck are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”
“No, but you must have.”
“Rape? Rape who? When? Where?”
“Does the name Raven Gomez sound familiar?”
“Raven Gomez!” Thomas exclaimed. “I didn’t rape no Raven Gomez!”
“Do you deny knowing her?” Detective Lynn asked.
“No, I know her,” Thomas told them.
“How do you know her?” Detective Johnson questioned.
“I was investigating a case.”
“The Ezekiel Morrison case,” Nuñez confirmed.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“She was a suspect?” Detective Johnson asked.
“Think carefully before you answer that question, Detective,” Robinson told him.
Thomas shrugged. “You could say that.”
“That’s all I needed to hear,” Nuñez said.
“What are you talking about?” Thomas demanded.
“I have a sworn affidavit from Ms. Gomez stating that you raped her,” Nuñez explained. “You forced her to have sex with you in exchange for dropping her as a suspect in the Ezekiel Morrison case.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Thomas shouted, his face turning red with anger.
“You deny having sex with her?” Detective Lynn asked.
“This is bullshit!” Thomas told him.
“Did you have sex with her?” Detective Robinson repeated.
“I want a lawyer,” Thomas said.
“Wise choice.” Detective Lynn smirked.
“Your lawyer ain’t gonna be able to help you out of this one,” Nuñez leaned in and told Thomas. “I got DNA evidence, I have you on video having sex with her and I have her statement. Your ass is through.”
“Having sex with a material witness?” Detective Johnson shook his head. He grabbed Thomas’s hands and handcuffed his wrist. “Your goose is cooked.”
“You Internal Affairs muthafuckas are some real pieces of shit!” Thomas said.
“We don’t rape witnesses,” Detective Lynn commented.
“I told your ass that I was going to get you.” Nuñez smiled. “I knew that your punk ass was dirty.”
Detective Thomas lunged at Nuñez, and the others grabbed him.
“I saw Ms. Gomez,” Nuñez told him. “She’s fine as hell. I wouldn’t mind hitting that pussy. But rape? Giving up my career for it? You’re more desperate and pathetic than I thought.”
“Fuck you!” Thomas spat.
“No, you just fucked yourself, Detective,” Nuñez replied.
“Actually, I think Ms. Gomez fucked him,” Detective Lynn said, laughing. “You thought you had some free pussy, and she set your stupid ass up.”
Detective Thomas shook his head and looked down. She had set him up. She had used him to do her dirty work. He had gotten rid of everyone who had done her dirty, then she threw him to the wolves. She truly was a dirty bitch.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Saguaro Estates was one of Scottsdale’s premier communities. It sat among the gentle rolling hills of the desert, surrounded by luxury golf resorts and decadent shopping malls. It was a community for Scottsdale’s rich and famous.
Red’s new mansion was a $2 million, 7,000-square-foot, adobe-style hacienda, nestled on two acres of landscaped desert. The home boasted six bedrooms, five and a half baths, a five-car garage, a home theater, a formal and informal dining area, two living areas, a game room, a hot tub with luxury pool and vanishing edges and separate casita. Imported Italian marble floors ran throughout the home, while European granite kitchen countertops, a luxurious master bath containing a sauna and a barrel tile roof finished up the home’s luxury.
Red strolled across the marble floor of her family room and headed outdoors to her swimming area. She unwrapped the towel around her waist and slid into her steaming hot tub and relaxed.
A bowl of fruit sat next to the hot tub, as well as a bottle of Cristal. Red lifted the bottle and poured herself a full crystal flute of the golden, bubbly champagne. She was already enjoying her new life in Scottsdale. The malls were like nothing she had seen before. Most of them were high end, brimming with luxury shops. It was going to take her a year to hit all of the shops and the malls in Scottsdale. She had already hit up one and had been hit on by two Black physicians during the course of her brief shopping excursion. Rich men were falling out of the sky.
Red sipped at her champagne and thought about her life, about what had happened to her. She didn’t want to think about her mother, and whether or not Catfish had sent his boys to her house yet. She had hardened her heart and accepted the fact that her mother wasn’t going to be in her life anymore, so she might as well take a chance on hitmen getting her in order for them to get that bastard Jerome. Deep down, Red hoped that they would strike at night, when her mother was at work and Jerome was there by himself. That would be the best scenario
. Briefly she thought about one day driving to Las Vegas, grabbing a burn-out cell phone and calling. Hopefully her mother would answer and tell her that Jerome was dead, but that was in the future. Right now, she just wanted to relax and get settled.
Red also thought about Detective Thomas. She had enjoyed his company when he was around. I wouldn’t have fucked with him if he didn’t keep questioning me about Ezekiel, she convinced herself. He was a good man.
By now, Internal Affairs would have made their move on him. She had set him up perfectly by recording their lovemaking, and screwing raw dog. He would have a hard time explaining why she had his DNA inside her and the report from the doctors from the hospital definitely sealed the case. She could just see his face when he read it. Red threw her head back in laughter. Bruised pelvic area, rough abrasion signaling forced entrance. Too bad you had a big dick, she thought. It was good but they’re not always a good thing to have, especially when a bitch is accusing you of rape. Red laughed again.
And then there was Bacon and Blue. Two assholes for the price of one. She could just see the look on Bacon’s face when the police searched the dope truck. He probably shitted himself. Yeah, he had better get himself a prison girlfriend this time, because there will be no coming out of this one. This time, he was caught red-handed. He and Blue should try to be cellmates; maybe they could fuck each other. She emitted another wicked laugh.
And then there was Terry and Kera. Kera was going to be going away for a long time. She had set her up cold. The stupid, greedy bitch, Red thought. She couldn’t just leave well enough alone. Acting all religious and high and mighty, and then stealing seven days a week. Hopefully they’ll put her in a cell full of big-ass dykes. And she could just see Terry’s face when Child Protective Services showed up at her door. That bitch is probably in shock therapy by now.
Red took another sip of her champagne and laughed again. She still had the recording of Terry admitting to shooting up her house and trying to kill Kera. She would wait a couple of months, and then send that recording to the police as well. That way, just when that bitch thought her troubles were over, she would get hit with the biggie. Mekel would probably leave that bitch just to keep from paying any more of her legal fees! Red broke into laughter at the thought of it.
The Dirty Red Series Page 60