“You’ll be okay, kiddo. Just remember not to make rash decisions. Always trust your gut.”
Later that evening, Amber came by for some much-needed girl time. “You actually live here?” she asked when she arrived.
Ramona gave her a tour of the home, she could tell by her expression she was in awe. “This is a freakin’ castle!” she exclaimed when they entered the game room.
“I wouldn’t call it a castle.” Ramona shrugged. “Maybe I’m just used to it.”
Amber shifted her eyes around the room. “This is definitely a major come up from where we lived.”
Ramona led her out the room into the hall, she recalled when she first stepped foot into the house. It was a day before her father’s funeral. A house filled with unfamiliar faces offering condolences. Everyone knew she was his daughter, but they were all strangers before her. “What’s in there?”
Ramona swallowed hard. “My aunt’s room. I haven’t been in there since…”
“I get it. No need to explain.” Amber placed her hand on Ramona’s shoulder. “Ready for a margarita?”
The ladies spent the rest of the night laughing and telling stories about their shenanigans from back in the day. As Ramona listened to her friend talk about her husband and kids, she felt a tinge of jealous. Although they both had rough beginnings Amber made something of her life. Evidently, they moved to a middle-class suburb because her father had a better job opportunity. “What I’m about to ask you may sound weird but there’s a reason behind it,” said Ramona.
“Okay, you've piqued my curiosity.”
“Do you ever recall seeing me on the news?”
Amber had a confused expression on her face. “The news? Why would you’ve been on there?”
Ramona walked over to the bar and pour herself another drink.
“Well, are you going to tell me?” she asked, following Ramona.
“I've spent time in prison and was released not long ago.”
Her eyes widened at the same time her mouth fell open. “No, shit!”
Ramona calmly took a sip of her lime margarita.
“You’re serious?”
Ramona nodded yes.
“What did you do?”
“I tried to kill the one person I hated most in the world.”
“You tried to kill someone?” asked Amber in a whisper.
“No need to whisper. Everyone on staff knows what I’ve done.”
“You said tried, so you didn’t succeed?”
“No. I’ll give you the short version. I held this person responsible for my father’s death. I wanted revenge by trying to take her life.” Ramona place her empty glass on the bar and sat on the sofa. “Do I regret what I did? I don’t.”
“So you’re still angry with this person?”
“No. I don't think about her,” she frowned. “I can't allow myself to think of that time because I'm no longer that person.”
“And you have no regrets?”
“Not at all.”
Amber looked puzzled. It was apparent that was not the answer she hoped to hear. "I can't have any regrets because prison changed me for the better. I learned how to handle my anger and make better choices. That time brought my aunt and me closer. If I was the person I am now, I wouldn’t have done that. I would’ve thought about what I had to lose and handled her differently.”
Ramona watched as she sat quietly staring into her drink. She had a straw in the glass that she swirled around in a circle. “That’s why I didn’t want to tell you,” she said. “You’ve changed your life. You’re married with kids, you have a college degree and live in a neighborhood with families just like yours. You can’t possibly relate to who I am.”
Amber placed her glass on the table and shifted her body towards Ramona. “You know what I’m thinking? I wished I was there for you when you first learned of your father’s death. I wish I was the person you confided your plan of revenge because we were like sisters and I believe I could’ve been your voice of reason.”
“I was in a bad place no one could help me. I had a friend, one I met when I was in detention that tried to talk me out of it. I didn’t listen to her, instead, she got wrapped up in my plan and she’s serving time for it. That is my one regret.”
“Have you spoken to her since?”
Ramona shook her head no. “I’m restricted from having any contact with her. I promised her mom I would do whatever I could to help her. Nick is working on it for me.”
“So, Nick knows all this?”
“He was there when it all happened. He jumped in and tried to prevent me from stabbing the person.”
Amber took a long sip of her drink. “This sounds like one of those crazy Lifetime movies.”
Ramona let out a loud laugh. “Well, when you think about it, it sounds like it could be.”
“So, what do you have planned for this Xavier guy?”
“No revenge. Just justice. Nick and I are getting closer to nailing him. So, while the investigator continues to help us I thought I would focus on my family’s charity.”
“Do you need any help?”
Ramona smiled. “Sure. How long can you stay?”
“Andrew is at the movies with the girls and they’re having ice cream afterward. I can offer my services for another two hours.”
“Great.” Ramona ran to what was Lisa’s home office. She retrieved her laptop and the cell phone that had been charging overnight. She handed the laptop to Amber. “Follow me into the dining room,” she instructed. “First, I need you to promise not to reveal anything you may read on this computer.”
Amber held up her right hand. “You have my word. You can trust me.”
“I need you to print off every email concerning the charity for the past six months.”
“That’s a lot of paper, Ramona.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those people all about saving the trees.”
“I’m not. Okay, maybe a little.”
“As you print, just tell yourself it’s for a good cause. Meanwhile, I’ll be in the study going through Lisa’s text messages.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Not sure. I’ll know it when I see it.” Ramona signed into the computer for Amber and began her search on the cell phone. First, she scrolled through her contact list. Nothing stood out. Next were text messages. Most were about business, a few were personal. One contact stood out only because of the assigned name. Little Matters. Ramona clicked on the name, it was Kelsey’s number. It wasn't surprising Kelsey was in Lisa’s contact list, she was both an employee and friend. It’s the threads and threads of text messages between them that surprised her. The last one was a week before she died. Ramona scrolled up to the first message. It’s dated four years ago. It was a generic text to Kelsey from Lisa thanking her for stepping up and showing initiative. Kelsey responds by asking Lisa if she would consider mentoring her. Lisa respond by telling her yes. Ramona recalled what Kelsey had said at the board meeting. She’d said Lisa had mentored her to fill her shoes. “Amber, put what you’re doing to the side. I need you to print any and every email from Kelsey Matters.”
Thirty minutes later Amber entered the study with a distress look upon her face. “What is it, Amber?”
“It may be nothing, but I think I found some discrepancies.” She held two sheets of paper in her hand.
“In the emails?” Ramona asked, confused.
“I’m sorry. I’m not making any sense.” She took a breath before continuing and sat across from Ramona. “Let me start over. I was printing out the emails like you asked and I came across one Lisa had sent Kelsey questioning an accounting error. In the email she had an attached file. I opened it, I hope you don’t mind.”
“No. What did you find?”
“Okay, if you look at this printout it shows the total funds collected from a fundraiser.” She placed a paper on the desk and slid it towards Ramona. “Lisa had requested an accounting audit of a restricted fund from
the treasurer and she received this.” She slid the second printout in Ramona’s view. “Do you see the problem?”
“What we received is much less than what's recorded.”
“Yep, exactly fifty-thousand-dollars.”
Ramona sat back in the chair and rubbed her forehead. “I’m confused. Why was this sent to Kelsey? She doesn’t handle the funds.”
“According to some emails I’ve printed, at the time Kelsey had worked closely with the treasurer. This was about a year ago and it’s not the only discrepancy Lisa questioned.”
“Are you serious?”
Amber slowly shook her head yes.
“Can you continue printing the rest of the emails?”
“No way will I stop now, this is intriguing. Do you know who worked as the treasurer at that time?”
“The same person who handles the funds now, Cynthia Price.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The aroma of baked pastries and freshly brewed coffee engulfed Ramona’s senses as she paid for her order in the nearby doughnut shop. She needed a quick pick me up after the late night with Amber. A strawberry filled doughnut and a strong cup of coffee should do the trick. Ramona retrieved the white paper bag from the counter and took a long-awaited sip of her coffee. As soon as she entered her car, she heard her cell phone buzzing. She purposely turned off her ringer until she was fully awake. She glanced at the screen of her phone and it was the last person she expected. Xavier. She almost hit the decline button but out of curiosity, she answered. “What do you want?” she asked calmly.
“I only want to talk.”
“I think we said all we needed to say or you don’t recall threatening me?”
“And you pulled a gun on me!”
“Xavier, what is it you want?”
“I need to talk to you about the night your aunt died.”
Ramona placed her half-empty coffee cup in the cup holder and turned the volume up on her phone. If he was about to confess she wanted to hear every word clearly. “Are you ready to confess?”
“I know you think it was me but it wasn’t.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word for it?”
“No. But, if we meet I can explain everything. This time I’ll lay it all on the line. No holding back.”
“After everything that has happened, I’m supposed to take your word?”
“Yeah.”
Ramona paused for a moment to weigh her options. Either tell him to go to hell and she’ll find proof of his guilt on her own or hear him out and try to get the truth out of him. “Where would you like to meet?”
“You can come to my house.”
“No. It have to be somewhere public and very busy.” Ramona looked out her car window. She’s on a busy street, parked in a crowded parking lot. “I’m at Dozen Donut Shop on the West side. Meet me here.”
“What are you doing on that side of town?”
“None of your business. How long before you can get here?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Ramona thought about sending Nick a text but changed her mind. He’s out of town and won’t return until tonight so there wasn’t any need upsetting him while he’s handling business. This time won’t be like before. She’ll be ready with her recorder. Keep her cool and bide her time until he slipped up. He’s guilty and if she’s patient, he’ll say something incriminating. Forty minutes later, Ramona saw his white Jeep turn into the parking lot. It was surprising to see him driving since he prefers to use a ride share service. She stepped out of the car and waved him down. As he walked towards her she no longer saw the handsome face she fell for. Instead, were the eyes and the smile of the devil. “I’m glad to see that I’ll have you all to myself,” he said.
“Let’s go inside.” Ramona walked ahead towards the door of the coffee shop, but Xavier stopped her before she got too far. “Let’s sit inside the car. So we can have privacy.” She hesitated but then agreed. It would be easier to hear their voices on the recording without the noise of the doughnut shop. “Okay, but not yours.”
Xavier sighed. “You lost all trust in me, huh?”
Ramona entered the driver's side and turned on her recorder. Placing it faced down on the dashboard. Her stomach turned into a pit of nerves as Xavier sauntered to the passenger side door. She had to keep it together. This is for Lisa. Is what she repeated in her mind. She continued to watch his every move as he opened the car door. “You said you wanted to talk about that night and this time you’ll give me the truth.”
“You look pretty today,” he said, eyeing her body. “I love that shade of pink lipstick.”
Ramona turned her head away and peered out the window. He’s playing games, and she’s ready to bail. But, she had to suck it up and play along. “Can we talk about that night?”
“You were right when you accused me of watching the house. I’ll tell you exactly what happened. Lisa come down the stairs dressed in a nightgown and walked to the front door. She checked the lock but then she realized someone was on the porch.”
Was he confessing? Ramona felt her heart race in anticipation of what he would say next.
“Seconds later she opened the door, and the person from the porch walked in,” he continued.
“So, you saw this person, right?” Ramona swallowed hard before continuing. “What were they wearing?”
“Black. Black sweats and hoodie.”
She could now feel her heartbeat pounding in her throat. “Like the same black sweats and hoodie, you wore earlier that day when you choked me?”
Xavier placed his hand on his forehead and steady rubbed it. “I know what you’re thinking but you’re wrong. I had just left the gym before I saw you.”
“Get out!” yelled Ramona.
“Just listen. You’ve got this wrong,” Xavier pleaded.
“Get the fuck out of my car!”
“No! Not until you let me finish!”
“I’ve heard enough.” Ramona grabbed her phone and bolted out the car. She walked over to the passenger’s side and opened the door. “Get out now or I’ll call the police!”
“Ramona, baby, listen to me.”
“I’ve heard enough. NOW GET OUT OF MY CAR!” Her shouting caused the customers in the parking lot to stop and take notice. Some pulled out their cell phones to record, others ignored her and continued about their business.
Xavier reluctantly exited and Ramona slammed the door behind him. She ran over to the driver’s side and within seconds she sped straight to the police station. This time Detective Yancey would have to listen to her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ramona could hardly contain her excitement as she paced back and forth in the foyer of her home. Nick had called, he was five minutes away. He’d been out of the town for a week on business and she had plenty to tell him. Through the glass doors, she saw a black sports car turn onto the circular driveway. Before he could park his car, she ran to the driver’s side. As soon as he exited she placed her arms around him like a death grip. You would have thought he was away longer than a mere seven days. “I missed you. I’m glad you stopped by.”
Nick leaned forward to kiss her. “You know I can’t go home without seeing my girl.”
Ramona smiled and took his hand. She led him inside to the dining room where Ritz had prepared lunch. “We didn’t speak much while you were away. I assume you were busy,” said Ramona, stuffing a forkful of salmon in her mouth.
“I wanted to call more, but I had back-to-back meetings. By the time I returned to the hotel I was beat.”
Ramona narrowed her eyes slightly. “Just meetings, nothing else?”
Nick sipped from his bottle of sparkling water and placed it down before answering. “Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “You usually call more and lately there have been more out-of-town trips.”
The corners of Nick’s mouth turned downward and his
eyes revealed disappointment. “When we reconciled everything in my world came to a halt so I could support you. Now that most of the crisis is over I have to work which includes overnight trips.”
“Maybe there’s a part of me that can’t get past how it used to be. My brain says to believe you because you’ve changed, but my heart wants to hold on to old wounds. I guess it’ll take a minute for my heart to catch up to my brain.”
“Haven’t I shown you that I’m faithful?”
“You have, but I’ll be a fool if I didn’t doubt it from time to time.”
“I understand. All I can do is continue to show you that it’s only you.” He brushed the back of her hand with his lips before placing a single kiss on it. His touch made her spine tingle. All she could think of was her body wrapped up with his. “Before we become distracted, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Am I going to like this? Your tone is telling me I won’t.”
“Depends. As you listen just know the end result was worth it.”
“Oh boy, just lay it on me.”
Ramona cleared her throat and sat up straight in her chair. “I saw Xavier.” She could read Nick’s face and he wasn’t happy. He had a bulging vein on the side of his forehead that only appeared when he’s furious.
“Did I hear you right? You said you saw Xavier.”
“I did. But, I had a good reason.”
“And what would that be?”
“He told me he wanted to unburden his soul with the truth about that night. I agreed to hear him out and met him in a public place. I was completely safe.” Ramona peered at the side of his face, the vein was still there. “He confessed, Nick. I recorded him admitting to being at the house.”
“Wait. He admitted what he did to Lisa?”
“Not exactly. He admitted he was at the house. He came up with a bullshit story about someone dressed in black. But, he wore all black earlier that day. I drove straight to the police station and played the recording for Detective Yancey. He said it was circumstantial, but he would try to get an arrest warrant.”
Shattered Hearts (Shattered Series Book 2) Page 15