Something Just Ain't Right 3

by Sheena Binkley

  I shook my head to erase the thoughts I was having and got up. I promised Shantel I would do what I could to seek revenge on Morgan and Hayley and that's what I will do; if I really wanted to. The only reason I was doing this was because of the money. I think my father got what he deserved from all of the bullshit he has caused to others. I know that’s harsh, but karma came back on him and now, he’s six feet under because of his selfish and vindictive ways.

  Shantel wanted me to turn Hayley in to the cops, but of course, we need evidence to do so. The only thing I wanted to do was to finish college so I could have a good job and not have to worry about crazy people and revenge. After all Shantel has been through, I wasn’t quite sure why she would continue on with this plan. From what I know, Morgan’s cousin, or step cousin, Will, killed her cousin, Paula. If I was her, I would wash my hands of all of this and move on; but from the time I have known Shantel, she has always been a weak one.

  I met her before the summer session started, as she had tracked me down through Travis. Since him and my dad were good friends, he knew who I was and that I attended Thompson. She approached me one night when I was moving my items into my dorm room. At first, I wasn’t going to go through with the plan, but when she presented a check for $20,000, I knew I had to take it. I wasn’t working and bills were stacking up, so I had no choice. I told her I would do what I could to get what she needed. After going through various sources, I was able to find out what classes Hayley enrolled in and decided to do the same for one- Principles of Management. I have to admit, Hayley is a cool chick. The time we have spent together for our project, she was nice. I’d noticed she doesn’t talk about her past too much, but I could understand since she has been through a lot. The only reason I knew anything about her was from Shantel.

  So now I have a huge dilemma to face. I really don’t want to hurt anyone because frankly, the ones I’m supposed to hurt has been through enough. Maybe it has to take someone to break the pattern. Maybe that person should be me.

  I was about to leave Kyle’s room when the front door open. I looked down the hall and saw it was Hayley. She gave a surprised smile when she saw me.

  “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you here. Is Kyle here?”

  “No, he went to the club. I guess he didn’t want to wake me when he left.”

  “Oh, okay. Well, since you’re here, did you want to work on our project? I know we have a couple of things we need to finish.”

  “Sure, just give me a sec.”

  “No problem.” Hayley said and went into her room.

  I gave a deep breath before sitting back on the bed. I was this close to going into her room to snoop. Now, I realized that I needed to get out of this plan.

  ***

  I stayed with Hayley for two hours before realizing I needed to leave. I was meeting up with a friend before going back to the dorms. I thought Kyle would had been back, but I guess he had stuff he needed to do.

  Twenty minutes later and I was walking into the campus coffeehouse. For some reason, Leslie wanted to meet me here. I went further to the center when I spotted her jet black hair. She looked up from her phone and smiled.

  “Hey. How are you?” She asked as she stood up to hug me.

  “I’m great. How about yourself?”

  “Good. Thanks for meeting me.”

  “No problem. So, what’s up?”

  Leslie sighed as she tucked some hair behind her ear. She quickly looked around before talking.

  “How are things going with Shantel? She tried contacting me earlier, in which I told her to fuck off.”

  “Leslie…”

  “Demetria, what you’re doing can backfire on you. I understand it’s to seek revenge on the people that interfered in our lives, but it can get much worse once they know what you’re doing.”

  “You don’t think I know that? That’s why I didn’t want to do it. Not only that, but I really like Kyle. This will hurt him if he ever finds out.”

  “I know why you’re doing it and I told you I would had loaned you the money.”

  “You know I don’t take handouts, Leslie.”

  “Please, this is just as much your money as it is mine. We both deserve it, especially since it’s from the so-called men that were in our lives.”

  I stared at Leslie as she gave a smirk. “How are you holding up with everything?”

  She sighed. “I’m fine. I knew eventually my dad would be in prison for the things he’s done. If it wasn’t for hurting someone it would had been for something else.”

  “You don’t blame Hayley or Morgan for what happened?”

  She smiled. “You know me; it’s not anyone’s fault for what happened with my dad. He tried to control so much in people’s lives and all it did was kicked him in the ass. He knew I wouldn’t go along with his stupid plan, that’s why he got his son to do it; now, look where it got him. In a prison cell beside my dad.”

  “I’m really sorry, Leslie.”

  “Why are you apologizing? It’s their fault, so they should be punished for it. The only thing I’m concerned about is you.”

  “You don’t have to be. You know me, I can take care of myself.”

  “I really hope so, because you don’t know what anyone of them is capable of.”

  I glanced at the counter, knowing Leslie was right. Since she was Travis’ daughter, I would had thought she would be involved in this plan too; especially since he was in prison due to what happened. But she was just like me. She didn’t want revenge, especially for someone that wasn’t worth fighting for.

  Morgan

  “How is everything, Morgan?” Kimbella asked when she walked into the cabin. It was later that day and I was having my weekly session with her. The only difference with this meeting was that Hayley was present. Although it was against policy to have another person attending, I already mentioned to Kimbella that I wanted her there, no matter what her policies or rules specified.

  “Everything is good. And thank you for having Hayley here at the session.”

  Kimbella smiled. “It’s my pleasure. Besides, you were the one who wanted her here, so I didn’t have a problem with it.”

  Hayley walked into the living room and smiled. For some reason, she was a little nervous about this meeting. I guess she think other issues would be exposed.

  “Hi Kimbella, it’s really nice to meet you.” She said while shaking her hand.

  “Likewise. In fact, I’m glad to finally meet the love of Morgan’s life.”

  She blushed as I wrapped an arm around her.

  “Let’s take a seat.” I suggested and we all sat down. Hayley took my hand into hers and looked at Kimbella.

  “So, do you think this is a good idea for me to be here? I know the information expressed in the session is supposed to be confidential.”

  “It is, but if the patient actually wants someone to be present, then we can make arrangements.”

  Hayley nodded and squeezed my hand.

  “Shall we begin? You mentioned during our phone conversation that you have some new revelations you would like to talk about.”

  I took a deep breath and looked at Kimbella. “Yes. It’s about my mom.”

  I began to talk to her about everything Ms. Baxter said during our visit. Kimbella were taking notes as I continued, when a thought hit me. Hayley looked at me while Kimbella put down her pen.

  “Is everything okay, Morgan?”

  I began to think about the time when I was five and my dad was still alive. I remembered when he said he was sick and would probably be going away soon. That was the last time I saw him. Two months later, my mom informed me that he has passed from cancer. Although I was a little kid, it kind of struck me that he was sick all of a sudden and died immediately. From the time I had known him, he was healthy as a horse. When I tried to ask my mom questions about his health, she just said he was sick and didn’t tell anyone until the last few months. Now, I realized that she lied about that to cover up whatever that was ac
tually going on.

  “I think my mom lied about my dad having cancer.”

  Hayley sighed while Kimbella gave a sincere look. “Why do you think your mom lied?”

  “Because of the time frame. I just remembered a time when my mom stretched the truth about my dad leaving and he never returned.”

  “Do you think it has to do with your brother? He did visit him before he suddenly died.”

  “Maybe, but something doesn’t add up. A lot of things doesn’t add up, especially from the conversation I had with Kyle’s mom.”

  “What you should do is try to piece everything together. Go back to your childhood to see what really happened between the time you interacted with your father to when you met Craig.”

  “I wish I could, but I don’t really remember a lot. Only bits and pieces. You think I could be hypnotized?”

  “Unfortunately, I’m not able to do that; you would have to talk with a psychologist in order to do hypnosis.”

  “If possible, I will consider it. But I really think my mom is covering up some things. What if my dad never had cancer? What if she said that so it wouldn’t look as if he vanished?”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “That my mom may have killed my dad to be with Craig.”

  Hayley gave me a crazed look while Kimbella gave me a worried one.

  “Don’t you think you’re being a little far-fetched? I know we heard a couple of things about your mom lately, but I don’t think she would had killed your father.” Hayley said.

  “Why not? Based on Ms. Baxter, my mom is capable of doing anything.”

  “I really think you have been through so much that you believe everyone can’t be trusted.”

  I rolled my eyes at Hayley and sighed. “So you just think I’m being crazy now? You saw my mom lately. She has completely changed. Now, she’s always on edge as if she’s hiding something and someone will expose it. I understand this is my mom, but at this point, even she’s a suspect to me.”

  “Wow.” Hayley muttered.

  “Morgan, if you would like to do hypnosis, then I can contact a couple of people who would be willing to do it.” Kimbella offered.

  “I’ll think about it. Right now, I just need to get my answers from the source.”

  “Your mom?” Kimbella asked.

  “No, not yet. I think I need to talk to my uncle and see what else he has been hiding.”

  ***

  Once my session was over, I called Uncle Rick to see if I could meet up with him. Luckily, he was in Houston, so I figured I’ll meet him halfway at a diner in Beaumont. Although I told Hayley not to come, she wouldn’t listen, so she rode with me. I swear, sometimes that girl can be so damn stubborn, but I still love her.

  We arrived an hour and an half later and saw him seated at a table near the window. I went over to him and hugged him.

  “Hey. It’s really good to see you.” He said.

  “Same with you. How are things going? Caroline haven’t contacted you, have she?”

  Uncle Rick shook his head. “No. It wouldn’t had mattered anyway. How are you, Hayley?”

  “I’m fine, Rick.”

  “That’s really good to hear. The offer still stands about having security for you on campus.”

  “I’m fine, Rick. There’s plenty of campus security there, so it’s not a problem. Besides, I have Lamar and Morgan is with me 24/7, so I’m fine.”

  He nodded his head and looked at me. “So, what made you call me? Is everything okay?”

  I gave my uncle a serious look while playing with my menu. “You can tell me why you lied about my dad.”

  Uncle Rick glanced at me as if he didn’t know what I was saying. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about when he died. I know what really happened between him and Kyle’s mom and how my mom went ballistic about the affair. So, I need to know whether he really died from cancer, or was that a cover-up?”

  “I’m not sure what you think you know, but your dad was sick, he just didn’t mention it to anyone.”

  “Was he really, or did he say that to get my mom off of his back? I know she threatened Kyle and his mom because my dad kept seeing them, but she started all of the shit since she was having an affair with Craig first.”

  Uncle Rick looked out the window and shook his head.

  “Now that I think about it, I really don’t think my mom gave you our house from the goodness of her heart, as she claimed. I think it was more of a hush present. Am I right?”

  “Don’t start making assumptions, Morgan! We all know Sophia had a few issues, especially when she associated herself with Craig.”

  “Just tell me the truth. Did she give you the house because she was trying to buy you off?”

  “Morgan…”

  “You better tell me the truth. If not, I will go see Caroline in prison. I bet she’ll tell me.”

  Uncle Rick shook his head. “You’re making a huge mistake dredging up old wounds. All of this need to stay in the past.”

  “How can it when I’m fucking living in it!”

  “Fine, you want to know the truth, then you got it; but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  I leaned back in my seat while Hayley put her arm around me.

  “I knew about the affair she was having with Craig. I was the one who told your father about it.”

  “How did you know? Was it from Caroline?”

  “No. I didn’t even know she was related to him until recently. I found out through a mutual friend of ours. He saw the two leaving a hotel in the early morning, so he called and told me. When I told your dad, he was hurt, but he was also kind of relieved. The two were having problems. Your mom blamed him for everything, which eventually, he got fed up. He started taking more business trips so he wouldn’t be around her. When he found out about the affair, he did confront her, but instead of doing anything further, he packed a bag and said he was going on another trip. That was when he met Kyle’s mom.

  “When he started his affair, your mom hated it; I guess it was the fact that he found someone that he could actually be in love with. Although she was the one having an affair, she wanted your dad to be her one and only. When she found out who he was having an affair with, she went ballistic, especially when she found out she was pregnant.”

  “Was it because she was trying to have a child?”

  “Partly. She wanted to be the woman to carry his first child. But that wasn’t the real reason. It was the idea that your father completely changed when he met Kyle’s mom. He was more relaxed and free-spirited. She realized then that he probably loved Kyle’s mom more than her.

  “After that, the threats started to become more frequent, so he tried to get Kyle’s mom to move; she wouldn’t budge. Although she was going to move at one point for him, she figured she wasn’t going to run scared because of some threats. Instead, she pushed him away and told him to be with his wife, especially since she was pregnant with you.”

  “I know about everything that happened with Kyle’s mom. I need to know about the house. What did you have on my mom to make her give it to you?”

  “Your mom had no choice but to give me the house because it was under your dad’s orders. After everything that happened, he didn’t want your mom to have majority of his assets, so he turned them over to me, including the house. He knew she was having an affair, so he figured she didn’t deserve anything.”

  “That make sense, right Morgan?” Hayley asked. I knew she was saying that to try to make everything seem okay, but it wasn’t.

  “Why he just didn’t give it to Kyle’s mom since he was born then?”

  “Why would he? Not only would it look bad to the court that he gave his mistress a house, but he knew Sophia would have a problem with it and would do something to both Tracy and Kyle. He couldn’t give you any type of property since you were underage at the time, so it was safer to turn his assets over to his next of kin, which was me.”


  “You had something else on her, didn’t you?”

  “Can you just let this go?”

  “Not until I know the truth. I’ve been lied to practically all of my life, so I need to know what the fuck you have on my mom.”

  He took a deep breath and sighed. “When you were five and your mom got heavily involved with Craig, there was a time when he didn’t want you around. He didn’t really like you and he wanted to have Sophia all to himself.”

  “No shock there.” I mumbled.

  “Without your mom knowing, he brought you to my job and left you there so I could take care of you. When I took you back to your mom, I asked her point blank did she know what happened. After denying it for ten minutes, she finally admitted that she knew about it. They were trying to get rid of you, Morgan.”

  I closed my eyes. I didn’t know what to do at that moment. So much information was coming at me at once that I didn’t know if I would lose it.

  “Are you saying that my mom didn’t want me?”

  “I didn’t want to tell you this because I know how much you love her. Your mom is a nice woman and she meant well with a lot of her decisions, but she just let herself go when she met Craig.”

  I could tell Hayley was trying not to cry as she held me tighter. This was all starting to become too much.

  “I could had pressed charges on the two since you were brought into my precinct, but I didn’t. That was when I told her about what your father did about the house. She tried to contest it, but after I told her what I could do, she didn’t fight it.”

  “Is that it, or is there more?”

  “There is one other thing.”

  I scoffed as Uncle Rick played with his water glass.

  “I already knew that you killed Craig, Morgan, even before you told me. I found out through Sophia what happened and what you and Lamar had done.”