by J Peach
“What’s going on? Where’s my mom?” The teenager asked. I didn’t answer.
“Pick her up and go before I shoot yo ass too.” I snapped at him because we were wasting time. Time I didn’t have. Dude looked hesitant at first but picked her up anyways. After directing him to the back door, King came and took them to the truck.
Grabbing the gasoline, I poured it all over the living room curtains and furniture, then struck a match setting the whole box on fire and tossing it.
The living room quickly set ablaze, spreading rapidly.
I set off the alarm and left out of the house, running back to my truck.
***
“Mr. Carter, I’m sorry about what happened to your girlfriend, but if you have any involvement in the fire that was started at Detective Poke’s place, I’d advise you to come clean about it.”
“I don’t know what you talkin’ ‘bout. But did you know because of yo punk ass detective’s obsession with me, my girl lost my baby? Because you don’t have control over your detectives or a better watch of what goes on in your cells, she’s in the hospital.” Flicking my cigarette at his feet, I lit another one. “You got family, Ross?” I asked, inhaling the smoke.
“I can assure you what happened to your girlfriend won’t go without action taking place. But if you know anything about the fire at Poke’s place or what happened to his family, it’s in your best interest to tell me now.” He pressed.
It took everything in me not to laugh at his ass. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re doing what you can to protect your officers and yo own ass for this slip. Ross, I don’t know what fire you’re talking about nor do I know shit about his family, but if I hear something, you’ll be the first to know. Speaking of these disappearances, if I was you, I’d kiss the wife and kids.” I got out of my seat and picked up the cigarette butt I tossed at his feet. “I don’t need y’all asses trying to plant my DNA on shit.”
Walking out of the office, I bumped into a stressful looking Poke. I almost couldn’t contain my smile at the dreadful look on his face.
“Shit was scorching wasn’t it?” I mumbled only so that he could hear me. Smiling at Poke the nigga hit my ass hard, making me stumble back. I shook that off.
“Cap, don’t tell me you’re letting this son of bitch go? He did this shit.” He walked up on me. “If you touch anyone of them, I’ll kill you. I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” A pissed off Poke threatened, pushing me back.
“Déjà vu. Don’t like when mothafuckas fuck with yours, do you? But I don’t know shit about what happened.” Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I sucked it into my mouth, swallowing the blood. As I did, I walked closer to him. “Yo bitch hit harder than that. I’ll be seeing you later, Poke.” I whispered low enough so only he heard.
Saying that pissed Poke off, he rushed me into a desk, which we both fell over. Poke hit me a few times before he was pulled off of me.
“Poke, take a walk.” Ross snapped at him while pushing Poke in the opposite direction from me.
“Don’t worry about this little thing right here. I get how you feeling about yo family, hope you find them. Oh and the cameras that’s supposed to be facing the women’s cell, we’ll be back to get them.” I shook my head. “Funny you ain’t say shit about having them in the first place.” I turned to Sam. “Don’t leave here until you have that tape.” Shaking up with Sam, I left out through the double doors.
“Hey, Blaze.”
My name was called and I looked back to see Le’Ron running toward me. “What’s up?”
He shook up with me. “I’m sorry about what happened to Peaches. That’s fuck’d up. It’s my fault I left her cuffed, that was my fuck up but I don’t see how she’s that bad. I mean the fight wasn’t even that long— from what I heard,” Le’Ron said, rubbing his head while letting out a stressful breath.
“Yeah, that’s fuck’d up you put her in there like that, but ain’t no bitch do that to her.”
He hummed in response as if in thought. “Poke was pressing her hard, calling her bitches, threatening to plant shit on her. When I took her to the bathroom, I told her to say what he wanted, I’m guessing she didn’t,” Le’Ron said.
N’all, she didn’t.” I left it at that and was about to walk off but Le’Ron grabbed my arm, stopping me. “She’s awake?” He asked seemingly surprised. “What she said happened?”
My eyes went to the hand that held my arm before I glared at his face. Seeing that, he let me go. But it had me looking closer at him as he let out a nervous laugh.
He quickly stopped laughing and cleared his throat. “I mean did she wake up and tell you what happened?” Le’Ron said nervously.
“N’all, she ain’t told me shit, she ain’t woke up yet.” From my word, his shoulders came down as he seemed to get more control over himself.
“Oh, I talked to some of the girls in the cell and they claimed they never saw her in there. I’m thinking somebody paid them to jump her and keep quiet. The fight broke out around the shift change. The girls are usually unattended for at least five minutes. Maybe Peaches got to talking shit. We know how she can get. But nobody really knows what happened but her. So, let’s hope she wakes up soon to tell us.”
Humming, I nodded my head. “Yeah, let’s hope. I knew Poke did it, though, but aye I need you to do me favor.” Once again that nervous look came back.
“Whatever you want. What’s up?”
“Find out who came to her crib that morning with Poke, I need names and addresses. When you get ’em, call me and we’ll meet up, bet?” His shoulders relaxed at that and he nodded his head.
“Yeah, I’ll have it by lunch. If they ass was with Poke, they ‘bout dirty. I heard she wasn’t even supposed to be arrested. I’ll call you around one/two o’clock.”
Nodding my head, I shook up with him again before leaving out of the precinct. I hopped on my motorcycle, started it up and quickly pulled off.
***
I pulled up to the all too familiar house. I cut off my bike and walked to the front door, ringing the bell. After knocking a few times, I heard the locks click before the door came open.
Krystal’s head peeked out of the door before she opened it fully. Her brows furrowed when she saw me. “Blaze, what are you doing here?” Krystal asked before pushing the door open.
“Can I come in or you gon’ have me stand out here and talk through the door?”
“Come in,” she waved me inside. I followed her to the living room. “Why are you here? I thought you didn’t want to have shit else to do with me.”
“I ain’t here on no bullshit like that. I just want to know why ou tried calling Detective Poke?” I asked, trying to keep calm.
She let out a laugh. “That’s why you’re here? To make sure I didn’t talk to him?”
“Krystal, don’t start no bullshit, just answer the fuckin’ question.”
She sighed before rolling her eyes. “I didn’t talk to him. He called my job the other day. But I was out on lunch. When I got back, I returned his call but he was walking through my office door after I left a message for him. He was just asking questions about our relationship. I told him we were just friends and nothing more. Then he told me that was it for now and he’ll be in touch.”
That didn’t make no sense. Why would he even come to her? “That’s all he said to you? He ain’t ask you shit else?”
“No, he didn’t. Besides asking about our relationship, umm he asked about your business, but I don’t know nothing about them. He was asking about your hustle or you selling drugs but I told him nothing because I don’t know anything about that. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell him anything.” She sat by me, rubbing her hand up my arm. I pulled away from her. “Wow.”
“That’s it, nothing else?” I didn’t have to worry about her talking because she didn’t know anything about me. I was more worried about what he told her. I had to make sure he didn’t drop pictures and show her Blake.
“Yeah, that’s it.” A heavy
sigh left her mouth as she reached for my hand again.
Like before, I moved it from her.
She laughed. “So, you’re really not fuckin’ with me no more?”
“N’all, I can’t even fuck with you. Shid, we can’t even be cool. I just stopped by to see what Poke wanted with you. I’m takin’ yo word on this. If I find out you’re lying, you better hide and pray I don’t find you.” I made a move to sit up but she pushed me down.
“Blaze, why would I want to hurt you? What part of I love you don’t you get? But you’re so stuck on that girl, you don’t see what we could’ve had. B, you don’t ever have to worry about me saying anything to no one about you.” She stopped talking for a second to let out a laugh.
“Do you not know that I’ll do anything for you? Blaze, have you ever thought about why I kept trying to make us something? Even though you seriously treated me like shit? Have you ever sat back and wondered why I continued to try?”
“Man, I’m not here for all that—”
“Just listen to me. You can’t answer because you don’t care to know. B, I wanted to make this work because of what you did for me.” A stressful sigh left her mouth.
But that got my attention and my brow raised. “What the fuck I do for you?” Shid, I couldn’t remember doing nothing beside letting her drive my car and throwing her a couple of bills, but nothing serious.
“You remember Blue?”
I sat up at the mention of his name. How the fuck she even knew him? How the fuck she knew I knew him. “Who the fuck is Blue?” I stood.
Krystal jumped back, moving away from me. “Wait, Blaze, it’s not what you think, please let me explain before you start assuming anything. I never told what you did—”
“What the fuck you mean what I did? What I do? Who the fuck you’ve been talkin’ to?” I grabbed my gun from my side.
Krystal held her arms up, moving back. “No one, I swear I told nobody about what happened. I know because I was there that night. I was talking to Blue at the time. I knew nothing about what he did to you until after you were arrested. I followed your case, that’s how I learned more about you and what Leslie had done—Ah!” A loud scream left her mouth as I snatched her up.
Before I could think I had Krystal pinned to the wall. “Wait, what you know about Leslie? And why the fuck have you been following me?” I was about to empty my whole clip into her head.
“I was only trying to help you because you helped me when you killed Blue. Just listen to me, please. Don’t kill me, please just listen,” she pleaded as tears ran down her face.
I wanted to hear what she had to say, so I stepped back. Krystal let out a relieved breath before she started to explain.
“I was talking to Blue at the time, we had only been together for a few months. The night before you came there I had caught him cheating.” Her head shook and she let out a laugh. “Come to find out he was only using me to get information about First Midwest. He wanted to know the lay out of the bank, the hours and the security shift change. I wouldn’t tell him and he beat the hell out of me. Blue and the girl he was with beat me all night long. And now because I knew their plans, they had no intentions on letting me go.”
She wiped her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. “I was going to bargain and tell them I’ll help with whatever plan they had if they just let me go, but the girl didn’t trust me and told him to just kill me.
“It was that night they hit your spot. The woman had just left with whatever money they took. When she was leaving, she told him to kill me. Blue was a sick ass nigga. He had beat me again then untied me and tossed me on the floor. He told me straight up, I’m about to get some of this pussy before I kill you. Stupid bitch had me chasing you for months.” Krystal just broke down crying as she thought back to that time.
I sat on the couch just watching and listening to what she was saying. Her emotions were too strong as she replayed the memory, so I knew she wasn’t lying. Or she was one hell of an actress.
“I didn’t have any more fight left in me so I just laid there. He had just managed to get my pants off when we heard the commotion coming from upstairs. When he left, it took me a minute to get my breathing under control but once I heard the shots, adrenaline just rushed through my body and I knew I had to get out of there. Then I smelled the smoke. I saw a window in the basement and some crates I was able to stack up and reach the window with. I opened it and climbed out of it.” She was staring at her hands when a small smile came to her face and she looked up at me.
“That was when I saw you standing on the street, you stood there for a few seconds watching the fire grow before you took off running into the woods. Once you disappeared from my sights, I left through the back yard. I didn’t get too far before I fainted.
“The next morning I woke up at St. Mary’s Hospital. Blaze, if it wasn’t for you, I would’ve died that night. So, I made it a mission to get to know you and find some kind of way to thank you. But by the time I got out the hospital, you were being arrested for the fire. It was then I knew I had to help you, like you done me.”
That confused the fuck out of me. “What you mean, you helped me? How the hell did you help me?”
At that question, Krystal laughed. “B, how do you think you’re out? Baby, you were suppose too do twenty-five to life.” After those words left her mouth, she left out the living room for a few minutes.
I thought on everything she was telling me. To know what she went through and how I was just fuckin’ with her had me feeling kind of bad about treating her that way, especially if she did in some way help with my early release.
Krystal returned with a black garbage bag. She handed it to me. “This is one of the reason you got out early. In the bag are the clothes you wore that night. When I learned about everything that happened and how you got caught up with the charge because of Leslie, I found her and we became friends. She was a cool girl when she wanted to be, but a spiteful bitch no less.
“Once we became real cool, she told me about y’all relationship and how she was mad about you calling it quits. Apparently she followed you to Blue’s house, well wherever you left your truck at that night. Leslie saw the smoke from the fire and fire trucks passing when she followed you back to your place. It wasn’t until she smelled the gasoline on your clothes that she figured out you did it.
“After y’all had sex that night, she took your clothes. The following day she got in touch with Poke and did what she did. Later on, Leslie felt bad once she found out she was pregnant. Even so, Leslie felt it was too late and she couldn’t make it right. She knew you would kill her for what she did.” Krystal head shook as she looked at me.
“You have to understand I did what I had to, she wouldn’t have just let you go. B, she was going to make sure you never got out. So, I had to do everything to get you out. I attended every trial you had and learned everything I could.
“That’s when I met Pete and David. On one particular day, I saw y’all taking and that’s when I learned Pete’s dad was the judge and I think David’s father was your lawyer or vice versa. I met up with them one night and I told them everything that happened to me that night and how you helped me and I wanted to return the favor. I never told them what you did, I even tried to convince them I started the fire. Later on during the week, I got a call from Pete and he told me about the guard that sat in the evidence room.
“I did what I had to. We started talking and once he got comfortable with me. He started sneaking me in the evidence room, we never had sex, it was just head—”
“Damn, you fuck’d his head up. I can see that shit now. Shid, I know how you had my ass.” I could just imagine how gon’ that nigga was over her head game.
Krystal laughed at that. “Blaze, shut up. That’s how I got the evidence from your case. Once I had it, I got in touch with Pete and everything fell into place from there. I never talked to Pete or David again after that. But I knew when you were released they would have to inform Leslie.<
br />
“Blaze, I couldn’t let her ruin you or let you kill her and get yourself thrown back in jail. So, I called her for a girl’s night out. I had her meet me out at Michigan City Beach. When she pulled up, I got in her car and I shot her then left her there. That was that, you were going to be good once you got out.
“I planned it in my head over and over again on how I was going to approach you. What I didn’t expect was Peaches to come along. I thought she was just another girl that you would eventually leave alone. But she wasn’t. B, I get it and I see it now. She can make you better. She’s the only one who can tame that beast in you, I get it. You were never for me anyways, I know that now.
“I was dumb for you and for the past few weeks of not being with you, I realized how stupid I was. It’s like I wanted to let go be at the same time I didn’t. But you’ll never look at me or feel for me the way you do her. And I’m cool with that now. Regardless of how we fell off, I’ll always be here if you need me. Yo are so fuckin’ tiring, Peaches can deal with you but I can’t no more.”
As she was talking, I untied the bag and sure enough my shit was in there. “Damn, you did all this for me because you assumed I killed Blue?” I asked her.
She smiled. “Yeah because of an assumption, I got rid of Leslie for you. You have no idea how good it feels to finally tell you everything and not have you thinking I was just some stupid desperate female on top of the stupid lies I’ve told.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“So, you know about Blake?”
Her head nodded, “Yeah, Blaze. Leslie wasn’t fit to be a mother. She barely had the kid. He was always at the sitter around the block from where she lived. That woman practically raised him and her mother was no better. She hated that Leslie kept him. I wanted to tell you so bad about him but I didn’t know how to do it without you thinking I was some crazy ass stalker. And then I would’ve had to explain all this. But it was too soon for all that, I just had to wait until the time was right, you know? But it never felt like the right time until now.”