Scandalous

by Ferguson, Torrian

  We all stood to the front door and watched as the police put Tracy in the police car and drive away. Eric turned to Brandon and I. “What did ya’ll tell the police!”

  “I told them the truth Eric,” I said, as I went into the kitchen to get some ice for my swollen jaw.

  Eric walked over to Brandon “You have to help her. Do you really believe that she killed Byron?”

  Brandon dropped his head. “I don’t know what to believe.” Eric paced around the house like a caged animal. After a while, watching him got on my nerves. “Eric what is your problem. Why are you walking around the house all upset when you were the one fucking her man first? Now you’re all upset ’cause she’s gone. What’s the deal with you?”

  Eric stopped and walked over to me. “Listen, I know I am just as wrong as anybody else for what I did, but she is up on murder charges. This is bigger than, why are you fucking my man, type shit. That girl could lose her life behind this.”

  “Then that’s, that girl business. She should have thought of that before she did what she did.”

  Eric’s face was filled with disgust. He went in his room and changed his clothes. When he came out, he put something on the entertainment center in the front room and walked out the house without saying a word to anybody.

  Brandon and I sat on the sofa. I still had the ice on my jaw. He looked at me and burst into laughter.

  “What’s funny?” I asked.

  “All she had to do was marry me, and this would have all been over. But she’s the stupid type that doesn’t know a good deal when they hear it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, to be honest with you. I killed Byron.”

  I sat there in disbelief. When I told the police Tracy had killed him, I just wanted to make her life a little more difficult. I had no idea what really went on. I never left from the last time I was up here. I killed him to get him out the way of me getting a hold of Tracy’s family’s money. When I asked her to marry me and she said no, there was no longer a need for me to try to win her over. So, I figured if she could turn me down, I’ll just pin the murder on her.”

  I didn’t know what to say or do. For the first time, I was actually scared of Brandon. He looked at me with a huge smile on his face. “I guess now, it can be just you and I together forever.” He grabbed my hand and led me to Tracy’s bedroom. I was wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and he had on just a pair of basketball shorts. He laid me on the bed and pulled off my shorts. I was finally going to get the man I wanted, but it just felt different. I felt like I didn’t know this person. He rubbed my vagina with his fingers and I didn’t get wet at all. Normally, I would have soaked the sheets with the first touch, but I was so scared, I couldn’t get into it.

  He stood in front of me and asked me to give him head. I opened my mouth and he almost choked me the way he shoved his dick in. My mind was racing one hundred miles a minute. I didn’t want to be here at this moment. I wanted to be anywhere else but here right now with him. I didn’t want to piss him off and have him try to kill me so I tried to calm down as much as possible. I tried to block everything out of my mind and just do it like I used to when I was to pay off my mothers’ debts.

  He pulled his dick out of my mouth and turned me around to enter me doggy style. I lay limp across the bed and let him have his way. I actually cried a little, I was so scared. Every now and then I would moan and “aaahh” a little to let him know he was hitting my spot. I had never wanted a man to be done so fast. He pulled my hair and I thought I was done for. I just knew the next thing I would feel would be a knife across mythroat. But he was just trying to get himself off.

  After a few minutes, he finally came. I was so happy that he was done. I stood up and went into the bathroomto clean up. I locked the door behind me. I stood in the mirror and hated the person that was looking back at me. I had told a bold face lie to the police that may have ended the life of an innocent person. I had no idea what Brandon had really done. But one thing was weighing heavy on my mind. I opened the bathroom door to ask Brandon a question. “Brandon, were you at the mall earlier?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “No reason. I was there and thought I saw somebody that looked just like you.”

  Chapter 20

  Eric Right about now, I feel horrible. I was caught in bed with my friends’ man and now she’s up on murder charges. I don’t know how to help her or where to begin if I wanted to help her. I could call her family and let them know what’s going on. But that will only get them in a panic. I know my girl is innocent, but I have no way of proving it right now. All I can do now is hope that somebody said something in the front room that I can use to get my girl out of jail. As I drove around trying to figure out a way to clear Tracy’s name, my cell phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Eric this is Michelle,” she said in a whisper.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you whispering?”

  “Brandon is in the shower right now. He killed Byron.” I almost ran off the road. I pulled over on the side of the

  street and put the car in park. “What did you just say?” “It was Brandon that killed Byron. He admitted it to me a

  few minutes ago.”

  “Are you sure that’s what he said?”

  “Damn man, yes, that’s what he said.”

  “I’m on my way home right now. Just chill till I get there.” I hung up the phone, made a u-turn in the middle of the

  street, and raced back home. I had to have run about ten red

  lights, but I could not leave another friend at home with Brandon,

  for him to do whatever to her. I didn’t know what I was going to

  do when I got to the house. All I knew is, that I didn’t want her

  alone with him.

  My heart raced as I turned on our street. I didn’t know what

  I was going to see when I opened the front door. My keys hit the lock and I heard a little movement. I swung open the door and Brandon was on the sofa and Michelle was sitting across from him in the recliner. I walked over to the entertainment center and tossed my car keys on top and grabbed what I had put

  up there earlier. I turned to Brandon. “Can we talk in my room?” “Sure.”

  He got up and followed me in the bedroom. He grabbed

  me around my waist as the door closed behind him. He pressed

  his growing manhood into my jean-covered butt.

  “Before you get yourself all worked up Mr. Man. Tell me

  again what you told the police about Tracy.”

  He kissed me on my neck and rubbed my stomach.

  “Come on, tell me boo. Do you really think Tracy had anything

  to do with Byron’s death?”

  “To be honest, no. But your girl Michelle did tell me that

  she had a lot to do with it.”

  I turned and looked at him, eye to eye. “What did she

  have to do with it?”

  “Everything, she helped Tracy do it.”

  I was thrown for a loop. I didn’t expect him to say that. I

  know Michelle has her ways, but I didn’t think she was a

  murderer. Somebody was lying. Michelle said Brandon did it,

  and Brandon said Michelle did it. To be honest, neither can be

  trusted. Brandon continued. “You know what else she told me,”

  he said, as he unbuttoned my shirt and rubbed my chest. “What?”

  “She said the knife she stabbed him with is under her

  bed. In a plastic bag.”

  I pulled away from Brandon. And just stared at him for a

  second.

  “Are you sure that’s what she said to you?”

  “Yes baby, why would I lie to you?”

  As soon as he said that I started thinking that Michelle

  was the one telling the truth. One thing I know is that when a

  person says why would I lie or, trust me, right then, you know

 
some funny stuff is going on.

  I walked away from Brandon and went to the bedroom

  door. “Where are you going? I thought we were gonna get

  something going here?”

  I turned and looked at him. “Naw, I want to go talk to

  Michelle about this situation.”

  “Are you crazy. All she’s gonna do is deny it and blame

  it on somebody else.”

  “So what do you think we should do?” I really wanted to

  know what was on his mind.

  “I think we should call the police, get them over here, show

  them where the murder weapon is, and get her locked up too.” I had no idea Brandon was this kind of person. It’s hard

  to believe that I gave myself to him, wanted to be with him, hurt

  a friend for him. But then something hit me.

  “You really don’t seem too upset that Tracy is locked up.” “Well, I’m kinda hurt that she moved all the way up here

  and moved Caldwell up here with her. She was still sleeping with

  him. That hurt.”

  I do see his point. I’ve also seen how Michelle and Tracy

  started getting along right before all this went down. “Eric, we need to call the police and have them come get

  Michelle. She helped Tracy kill Byron. We both know that. The

  murder weapon is in her room. We need to get them over here

  before she moves the knife.”

  I didn’t want to believe him but he was making good

  sense to me. I walked to the other side of the room where the

  phone was. I stared at it for a second them reached for it. As soon

  as my hand touched the phone it rang.

  “Hello?”

  “You have a collect call from the Pitt County Jail,” an

  automated voice said.

  Then I heard a very sad and scared voice say, “Tracy.” My hands started to shake. I didn’t want to let on that

  Tracy was on the phone to Brandon, so I calmed myself down

  and tried to talk normal.

  “Will you accept the charges?”

  Calmly, I answered, “Yes.”

  I felt Brandon pulling at my shirtsleeve “Who is that?” “A friend! Damn, chill out.”

  I focused back on the phone call, “Hey wuz up man?” “Eric, I know I said some hateful stuff to you today, but

  you know I didn’t kill anybody.” Tracy’s voice sounded like a beaten woman. Her voice was tired and lazy.

  “So what you need me to do playa?” “Brandon

  must be in the room with you huh?”

  “Yeah, so what else you need?” I looked back at Brandon and he seemed to be okay, thinking that I was on the phone with a friend.

  “Brandon killed Byron. I know that may be hard to believe, but he did. I need you to believe me.”

  “I do. You’re not the first person to say that.”

  “He must have told you or Michelle too, then. He’s a big mouth. He likes to brag about anything he does.”

  “I feel you.”

  “I told the police he did it, so they might be around there to question ya’ll.”

  In the background, I heard someone yell, “Time!”

  “Eric, I gotta go, but get him to confess!”

  After that the phone went dead, I hung up and went and sat next to Brandon on the bed. I wrapped my arm around him and asked, “Have you ever done something and just had to tell somebody.”

  He looked at me with a confused squint on his

  face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I just want you to know that you can tell me anything. I love you and I want to be with you.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  I had to say something to get him to confess. “Feel free to tell me anything your heart desires,” I said, as I rubbed his back, running my finger up and down his spine.

  “Well, there is something.”

  I sat up straight. He had my full attention

  “I slept with Byron a few weeks before he and Tracy met.”

  I just sat there looking dumb. I didn’t know what to say. That was the last thing I thought I’d hear him

  say. “You slept with Byron?”

  “Yes. He was my teacher back home. He tutored me after class. Eventually, one thing led to another, and before you know it, we were at his house in bed.”

  I couldn’t close my mouth. I was floored by what I was hearing. This entire situation got stranger and stranger by the second. “So you think Tracy and Michelle killed him because…?” I asked, hoping to pull more information out of him.

  “Because, neither of them could have him. He was mine. He was only sleeping with Tracy to get at me for breaking it off with him. We all know Michelle is a slut. Look what she did with us. She even told me that she had a thing for Byron last time I was here.”

  I stood up and walked to the door.

  “Then we need to go to the police station, tell them what we know, and get both of them locked up for a very long time.”

  Brandon stood up and hugged me. He pressed against my pocket and we heard a loud click noise. Brandon stood back from me. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know. Sounds like my leg popped,” I said, shaking my leg like it had slipped out of place. I had completely forgotten I had a mini voice recorder in my pocket that I had put on the entertainment center before I left, just to see if somebody would say anything that might clear Tracy.

  Brandon and I walked to the front door. Michelle looked at us and asked, “Where are ya’ll going?”

  “We’ll be right back,” I said as I opened the door. Brandon went out the door in front of me. I looked back at Michelle and winked at her. She just dropped her head.

  On the way over to the police station, Brandon told me all about his encounters with Byron. I was sure he had killed Byron at this point. He thought I was buying into all his bullshit he was tossing around. The only thing he said I believed was that he slept with Byron.

  Once at the station, we walked in and saw several people that looked like they needed a bath desperately. The smell in the station was an old shoe type smell. I tried to breathe as little as possible, hoping not to poison my insides with the smell. We walked up to the front desk where a heavy set lady that looked like a man with a beard raised her head from the newspaper and asked us what we were there for.

  “We’re here because we have information about the Byron Caldwell murder,” I said.

  In a very deep husky voice she said, “Ya’ll sit right there. I’ll get the detective to see you in a minute.”

  The bearded lady picked up the phone and Brandon leaned over to me. “Look, we have to be on the samepage. Just tell them that the murder weapon is in the house and that Tracy and Michelle killed Byron. Tell them that Michelle confessed to us while they took Tracy and put her in the policecar. Tell them that all the crying that Michelle was doing at thehouse was all phony. She helped kill Professor Caldwell.”

  I wanted to jump up and knock his head off. This bastard was trying to get me to go along with turning in two innocent people for something he did. But in front of him, I played along.

  “You know Eric, when we walk out of here, it will just be you and I together forever. I love you.”

  It took everything in me not to throw up. I looked him square in the eyes. “I love you too baby.”

  Two gentlemen in nice black suits walked over and introduced themselves as the detectives on the case. One asked me to go with him and the other asked Brandon to follow him. I walked into this small room and sat to a table. The detective walked in. “Would you like something to drink sir?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “So I hear you have some information about a murder that I’m investigating?”

  “Yes I do.”

  “Tell me what you know.”

  I took a deep breath and began telling everything I knew about the case.


  “Well I have been told three different stories. I was told that Tracy killed Byron. Then I was told Michelle killed Byron.” “Who told you Michelle killed him?”

  “Brandon, the guy I walked in here

  with.” “How does he know?”

  “He said Michelle told him.”

  “Have you talked to Michelle?”

  “Yes, and she told me Brandon killed Byron.”

  The detective seemed like he was more confused listening to me, than I was telling it to him.

  “Well son, let me tell you. We went over to Mr. Caldwell’s house and did a little digging over there and it seems like your friend Tracy was over there the night before he was murdered. We also talked to an eye witness that said they saw Tracy running from his house, jumping in her car, and speeding off down the street.”

  I didn’t know all of this had happened. Maybe Tracy really did have something to do with his murder. “Sir, I don’t know anything about all that. But, what I do know is that the murder weapon is said to be in our house.”

  “Really, where?”

  “In Michelle’s room. I don’t know who killed Mr. Caldwell, but I don’t think it was Tracy.”

  “So you think it was Michelle

  then?” “No, I didn’t say that.”

  The detective got really upset and started yelling at me. “You said the murder weapon is in Michelle’s room. You also said that Brandon told you that Michelle confessed to the killing. These are your words, correct?”

  “Yes but…”

  “So you are saying that Michelle is the murderer!”

  “No!” I jumped up out of my seat, and my pocket with the recorder in it hit the table.

  Then it dawned on me that I had something recorded. I didn’t know what it was, but we were going to listen to it right now. Either this tape is gonna prove that Tracy really did it or somebody else is going down for the murder.

  “Can I reach in my pocket

  sir?” “For what?”

  “I forgot I have a recorder that I set up in the house earlier today to record if someone confessed.”

  “Give it to me.” The detective’s eyes widened and a smile shot across his face for a split second. He rewound the tape and pressed play. The detective and I both sat still as we listened to Brandon confess to Michelle that he was the one that killed Byron. I’m not sure if I was surprised or not because Brandon had already showed me the kind of person he really was. We also heard the conversation that Brandon and I had where he was telling me about how he and Byron were ex-lovers.