Betrayal in Black

by Mark M Bello

  “Just doing my job.”

  “A cop who does his job and does it the right way is rare, in my experience.”

  “That’s not fair, Sarah. Cops are people too. Most cops are honest, hardworking, and caring. Good people. A couple of bad eggs can’t spoil the whole box now, can they?”

  “Until cops stop treating blacks differently than whites, we’re going to have problems.”

  “Police departments are working on solutions. I know for a fact Chief Brooks is working on solutions in Cedar Ridge. He’s a good man.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it. I don’t know the man. We’ll see how he handles this lawsuit.”

  “You’re still going through with it?”

  “Are you kidding me? After this, I’m more determined than ever. My husband’s memory has to count for something. I will not be deterred or intimidated. But we will need protection.”

  “I’ll talk to Blake and Love. We’ll all do our best to protect your family.”

  “Thanks, Detective.”

  “Billy. I told you to call me Billy.”

  “Thank you, Billy,” Sarah blushes.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  The unmarked squad car arrives at Nana’s Restaurant. Sarah and Billy jump out of the car and dash inside. A hostess greets Ellington as Steve emerges from the back room with Aisha.

  “Mama!” Aisha shouts as soon as she sees Sarah.

  The little girl runs, joyfully, to her mother. They hug each other tightly, sobbing. Restaurant patrons, who have refused to leave, stand and applaud the scene.

  Sarah looks up and thanks them for their kindness. When Sarah and Aisha finally terminate their embrace, Sarah turns to Steve.

  “I presume you are Mr. Steve?”

  Aisha walks up to Steve and presents him to her mother.

  “Mama? This is Mr. Steve. Mr. Steve? This is Mama.”

  “It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Steve. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for the unbelievable goodness and kindness you have extended to my daughter.”

  “I am so pleased to meet you, Sarah. Your ‘thank you’ is appreciated, but not necessary. He smiles down at Aisha, who smiles right back at him.

  “She’s a brave young lady; very grown up for her age.”

  “Yes, she is.” Sarah scoops up her daughter. She hugs her again, a big squeeze. “Thank you for taking such good care of her.”

  “I didn’t do anything. She chose to walk into my place. It could’ve been anyone. She just happened to choose me.”

  “Because you have a warm and welcoming place. She chose you for a reason. Right, Aisha?”

  Aisha nods her head up and down and smiles at Mr. Steve.

  “Okay, okay, I won’t argue. I’m a hero!” Steve laughs. The entire restaurant breaks out in spontaneous laughter. “I’m happy she chose me. Glad I could help. Would you guys like something to eat?”

  “I’m starving,” Ellington gasps, glancing around the restaurant. They’re the only black people in the place.

  “I could eat,” Sarah agrees.

  Sarah wants to get Aisha to a hospital and have her checked out. Ellington wants to first find out what happened, how Aisha got to the restaurant, where she’d been held, and how far she walked. Both of them want to locate and arrest the bastard who abducted her. Aisha needs nourishment but, otherwise, seems to be okay. They decide Billy can question her in the restaurant. Sarah is also very grateful to Steve and does not wish to seem rude.

  Ellington pulls out his cell phone and barks out orders to his fellow cops. After he hangs up, the three visitors sit down amidst staring restaurant patrons. Sarah introduces Aisha to Ellington. Ellington asks Sarah if he can talk to Aisha while things are still fresh in her mind. Sarah leaves it up to Aisha. Both adults turn to Aisha, who gives her nod of approval. Ellington sets his phone on record and places it on the table.

  “Aisha, do you remember what happened at KidCare?”

  “Yes, the bad man in blue came during nap time and took me away to the dark room. He put his hands on my nose and mouth. I couldn’t breathe.”

  Sarah gags. Aisha must have been terrified! My baby, my precious baby!

  Ellington continues, undaunted. “Where were the people who were supposed to be watching you?”

  “I don’t know.” Aisha frowns. “Are they in trouble?”

  “No, honey. They’re not in any trouble. Did the bad man hurt you? Did you bump your head or anything? Are you having any problems at all?”

  “I couldn’t breathe with his hand on my mouth. I think I fell asleep and woke up in the dark room. He didn’t hurt me after that, but he wouldn’t let me go potty.” She turned to her mother and whispered. “Mama, I peed my pants.”

  “That’s okay, sweetness. It’s not your fault. We’ll get you checked out and cleaned up soon.”

  “Anything else you remember, Aisha?”

  “He was big and strong and . . . and mean, Mama. He locked me in the dark room. The floor was cold. He gave me peanut butter and jelly and water. It’s dark and cold in there. Did I say that? When he took me to pee, I saw his face.” She scowls.

  “You saw his face?” Ellington is buoyed by the revelation.

  “Yes. He was white.”

  “Aisha, this is very important,” Ellington coaxes. “Do you think you would remember the bad man’s face if you saw it again?”

  “Yes, I th-think so.” Aisha appears to be trying to reconstruct his face in her mind.

  “Wonderful.” Ellington turns to Sarah.

  “Sarah, is it okay if I set Aisha up with a sketch artist? I can probably get pictures of the entire Cedar Ridge police force, too, but we have to start somewhere.”

  “If you think this artist can coax a good sketch out of a six-year-old, knock yourself out. Not today, though. She’s been through enough for today.”

  “No, we’ll get you guys out of here, do it later. Soon, though, while it’s fresh in her mind, alright?”

  “That’s fine, Billy.”

  Ellington turned back to Aisha. “Aisha, is there anything else you remember? Did the bad man tell you why he took you?”

  “He told me Mama did a bad thing, so he was punishing her. That’s so silly!” She grinned.

  “Why is it silly, precious?

  “Mommies don’t get punished; little kids do!” Aisha folds both arms across her chest.

  Ellington stifles a smile. Sarah giggles.

  Aisha looks confused. What did I say?

  “That is silly honey, but sometimes, adults do bad things and are punished by other adults,” Sarah explains. “When we find this bad man, we’re going to punish him. Do you understand?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Aisha? How did you get away from the bad man?” Ellington wonders.

  “I had to go, like all the time. The bad man in blue got real mad ‘cause I had to go too much, but I was so scared. He carried me to the potty. He wanted to watch while I peed. Mama says that it’s not ‘propriate.’

  “I told him. He left and locked the door every time. When I was done, he came back in and picked me up and took me back to the dark room. It was cold and scary. He locked the door—I heard the click.

  “The last time I had to go, he was very mad. He took me back after I peed and slammed the door. I didn’t hear the click! I waited and waited. I didn’t hear anything. I went to the door and it wasn’t locked! I guess the bad man got so mad at me he forgot to lock it.

  “I opened the door and looked out. I didn’t see anyone. I went down the hall and saw other doors. One of the doors took me outside. When I opened it, it made a loud squeak. I was soooooo scared, but no one heard, I guess. I went outside and ran here and met Mr. Steve.”

  Aisha again nods and folds her arms across her chest in triumph.

  “Wow, Aisha! What a story! What a brave little girl you are! Say, do you think that you could take me back there and show me the dark room?”

  “I don’t know.”
r />   She’s thinking about it.

  “Could we try?”

  “I-I guess,” she stammers.

  “We need to get her to a hospital,” Sarah whispers to Ellington.

  “I know, Sarah. I’ll take her to Children’s myself, but it’ll be dark soon. This is too important to delay.”

  “Mama? Is that okay?”

  “Whatever you want to do honey. You won’t be too scared?”

  “Will Mr. Billy be with me?”

  “Every step of the way, precious,” Ellington promises.

  Aisha’s mood lightens. “Okay. After I eat.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Steve’s special guests finish their meals and thank their host for everything. Aisha gives him a big hug. She pulls back her head, then looks up at him and smiles.

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Steve.”

  “You are so welcome, sweetheart,” he beams.

  Sarah is pleased to see Aisha isn’t avoiding contact with adults who demonstrate goodness. Sarah silently prays that Aisha is vigilant and selective in the future. Aisha has shown guts and moxie well beyond her years.

  Steve and Ellington walk Sarah and Aisha out the door. Steve’s customers observed Aisha coming from east to west. They begin to walk east on Cedar until they come to First Street. Ellington asks Aisha whether she crossed a street; the child shakes her head ‘no.’

  “I’m not allowed to cross the street without Mama or Grandma,” she explains.

  Sarah puts her hand to her mouth and stifles a smile.

  The group makes a left turn on First. When they reach the alley, Aisha stops. She recoils into her mother’s arms and buries her head in Sarah’s chest. Ellington orders all to stay where they are.

  He calls his backup team. The correct protocol is to contact the local police department, but in this case, one or more of the locals may be the perp. Backup is minutes away.

  The team, made up of mostly black Detroit cops, arrives. The men walk into the alley with guns drawn, a strange scene in Cedar Ridge. Ellington looks back to Aisha, who motions him to keep going.

  About halfway down, the officers come upon a door. It’s unlocked. Two officers venture inside. A few minutes later, they return with an all-clear sign. Ellington returns to Sarah and Aisha and asks if Aisha is up to going back into what appears to be an abandoned janitorial suite to confirm this is the place of her captivity.

  Sarah shrugs. Looking at Aisha, she nods her head toward the door. Are you willing to go in, sweetness?

  Part of her hopes Aisha will decline. She’s afraid to expose her to additional trauma. But Aisha isn’t the average six-year-old. She’s scared to enter her former prison but agrees, only if her mom and Mr. Billy go with her. The officers have cleared the place. There is no immediate danger.

  Ellington leads them inside. Sarah carries her daughter. They’re in an old maintenance area. Aisha points to the hall and tells them this is where she made her escape. She tells Sarah to put her down. The minute her feet hit the ground, this brave little girl walks down the hallway. She ignores several empty rooms and arrives at the last door on the left.

  “Here,” she peeps.

  “You sure? Billy probes.

  “Yes.”

  “This is where he kept you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where’s the potty, honey?”

  She looks past him and back into the hallway. She begins to walk down the hall again. She looks into a few rooms, but they don’t have a toilet. She makes a right, passes two more doors, and points to a tiny bathroom on the other side of the hall.

  Billy instructs the officers to seal off the room and calls in a tech team. He’s looking for DNA belonging to Aisha and anyone other than Aisha. One officer opens a case, retrieves a DNA evidence collection kit. He asks Aisha to spit into a tube.

  “That’s gross!” Aisha cries. “Mama says not to spit.”

  “It’s okay, precious. This one time, it is important,” Sarah assures.

  “Okay, Mama.” She spits into the tube and observes the saliva running down the sides. She crinkles her nose and utters, “Eeww.”

  Ellington instructs Sarah and Aisha to wait in the police cruiser with another officer. Sarah protests, but Ellington explains he wants to explore the building beyond these old maintenance offices. He wants to determine whether there are other means of entry and exit. Ellington feels this part of the investigation is too dangerous for civilians.

  Sarah immediately drops her protest, and she and Aisha return to the car with a uniformed officer. Ellington and the others return to the back of the hallway and try the last door, the one directly opposite and about twenty feet away from the alley door. The door opens and the hall continues.

  They follow it to its end at an old steel door. They push the door open and find themselves in a large, ornate, multilevel atrium, surrounded by retail stores on the bottom floor, and professional offices on the upper floors. The building appears to be three stories high. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants, architects, and one private investigator‘s office populate the upper floors. A florist, diner, UPS store, and tailor shop occupy the first floor.

  Ellington huddles with the team. He instructs them to question and clear from wrongdoing anyone they can find. He orders them to pay special attention to the law offices and the private investigator’s office. He wants to know if any of these people have any connection to the Cedar Ridge Police or the Hayes litigation. Understanding their charge and respecting their boss, the men go to work.

  Ellington returns to his unmarked police cruiser for the ride home. There is no car seat, so Mr. Billy and Sarah must endure an Aisha lecture about six-year-olds being required to sit only in the back seat, only in a car seat, and only with appropriate safety belts tightly fastened.

  Sarah assures Aisha that Mr. Billy is a great driver, the flashing lights will be on the whole time, and all other cars will be forced to get out of their way. They assure Aisha that it’s just this one time. Reluctantly, Aisha consents to the trip.

  With flashing lights on and siren blaring, they soon head north on I-75 toward Detroit. Aisha falls asleep, and Sarah is immediately concerned about the possibility of a head injury. Perhaps she’s more traumatized than any of us know.

  Sarah gently shakes the child awake and asks Ellington how far they are from Children’s Hospital.

  “Not far, Sarah. I’ve called and prearranged our visit as a special favor to the Detroit Police. No muss, no fuss, no waiting. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds wonderful, Billy. I appreciate it.”

  Aisha is not pleased about going to a hospital. She pouts, moans, pleads, and even cries. But none of it has any effect on Sarah. Mama’s much tougher than the big bad man in the blue suit.

  Because the visit to Children’s is prearranged, they’re in and out of the hospital in less than two hours. Aisha’s clothes are bagged and tagged for foreign DNA testing, with a note to swab Ellington, Sarah, Steve, and others for elimination purposes. Aisha endures a thorough examination. All tests results were negative except for a slight bladder infection. Fortunately, there were no signs of head trauma or physical abuse.

  Finally, Aisha is released with a recommendation to visit her pediatrician’s office and a referral to a child psychologist. The child is sent home in a pair of way-too-large surgical scrubs and warm hospital stockings. She loves her outfit and vows never to take it off.

  When the weary travelers arrive at the Hayes home, Sarah takes a sleeping Aisha up to her room, tucks her into bed, and kisses her on the forehead. Returning to the living room, Sarah thanks Billy Ellington for Aisha’s safe return. Sarah has found her one good cop, and Aisha’s horrible Detroit to Cedar Ridge experience is now officially over.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “What the fuck, Micah? How could you let this happen?” Zack Blake is livid.

  “She received one or two hours of threatening phone calls, Zack. Complete radio silence from that time f
orward. The guy never called or bothered them again until the abduction, assuming we’re dealing with the same guy who called.

  “Whoever the caller was, he left no digital footprint and went completely off the grid. We’ve been tailing Sarah and her kids for almost two months without a scent of danger.

  “She was at work. Her kids were in a licensed daycare center being watched by a director and three aides. There isn’t much more I can say. I’d hardly call this our fuck-up or something we let happen.” Love’s very defensive.

  “Yet, it happened. And it happened on your watch.”

  “If it makes you feel better to blame me, I’ll take the heat.”

  Blake’s silent for a few beats, thinking things over. He softens. “Nah. I’m out of line. But, this is so fucking frightening! If we agree that the Detroit cops and Sarah are correct in their thinking and Aisha didn’t imagine things, then a Cedar Ridge cop is responsible for this!”

  “And that should be our focus, Zack. I’m on this. The Detroit guys are developing leads and suspects as we speak. We may have foreign DNA on the kid’s clothes. My people are sharing manpower and equipment with Detroit PD. We’ll find this guy and break this whole thing wide open.”

  “I’m counting on you, Micah.”

  The phone rings, startling both men. Blake checks the number, cringes, and turns the screen to Love.

  “Want to explain things to Sarah Hayes?”

  Love looks down at his Apple Watch and heads for the door. “I just remembered. I’ve got an important meeting to attend to. Good luck with your client, Zack. Say hello for me.”

  Blake rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, tough guy. Thanks for all your help,” Blake grumbles.

  “Always here for you, man. We’ll get this guy. Better answer your phone,” Love points, rushing out the door.

  Blake turns back to his cellphone and slides his finger across the screen bar. He takes a deep breath.

  “Zack Blake,” he whispers into the receiver.

  “Zack, this is Sarah Hayes.”

  “Sarah, so nice to hear from you. I heard about Aisha from Micah. That must’ve been awful, but I hear she’s in pretty good shape. Is that true?”