God Has Spoken

by Theresa A. Campbell

  Watching Aunt Madge, Eleanor wanted so badly to go up to her aunt and hug her. But she knew this was neither the time nor the place to lay this on the elderly woman. She would wait until Aunt Madge got home and surprise her.

  Eleanor finally decided to wait at the house for Dupree and Aunt Madge. Hopefully, Aunt Madge still kept the spare key hidden under the big stone by the hibiscus trees. Nervous but anxious to reunite with her aunt and daughter, Eleanor left the market and headed toward her old home.

  “Wow, nothing has changed,” Eleanor said as she was walking up the lonely, country road that would take her to the narrow, dirt track to her old home. The big hat and sunglasses still in place, she looked at the familiar, small houses along the street. Mr. Bone’s little zinc-fenced shoe-making shop was still standing. The Methodist church on the hill was still missing a few front windows. Miss Dorrett’s tiny grocery shop still needed a fresh coat of paint. It was as if nothing had changed over the last few years.

  Lost in memory lane, Eleanor walked with her head straight, greeting no one she passed. She got a few curious looks but ignored them. She just wanted to hurry and get off the main road to avoid contact with someone who might recognize her.

  As Eleanor took a deep turn around a corner, where big, tall bamboo trees blocked out the sunlight, casting dancing shadows on the road, a car came out of nowhere and screeched to a stop at her feet.

  Eleanor jumped back in fright. Her hand covering her mouth muffled the scream. Her eyes widened in alarm as she watched the car door open and a tall man in a stiff police uniform stepped out and walked up to her. Please, God, anyone but this devil.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “I knew it was you,” he growled. “The disguise is good and might have fooled a lot of people but not me.” He came and stood within a few inches of Eleanor, looking down at her with anger and hatred in his eyes. “Why did you come back here?”

  Eleanor quivered in fear. She glanced up and down the road to see if anyone was coming, but they were all alone.

  “Answer me!” he screamed and bent over so they were nose to nose.

  Eleanor took a small step back, her body shivering and her eyes dancing in her head like an owl. He grabbed the sunglasses off her face and tossed them over the wall that ran alongside the road, into the river below.

  “Please, I don’t want any trouble,” Eleanor pleaded, a pool of tears forming in her eyes. “I’m on my way to see my aunt and daughter, then I’m out of here.”

  “My, my, my. Just look at you.” He licked his lips as he looked her up and down from head to toe. “Girl, you have grown up.” He emphasized the word “grown.”

  “I’m leaving now,” Eleanor said quickly, backing away a few steps from him.

  “Get back here!” Officer Bailey yelled, causing Eleanor to scream this time, his hand on the gun holstered at his side. “Make one more move and you’ll regret it.” In three long strides he was once again invading Eleanor’s personal space. Officer Bailey was a huge man, approximately six feet four, weighing in at about 260 pounds.

  Eleanor wrapped her arms around her body, trembling like a leaf. It was as if the educated, sophisticated twenty-three-year-old Eleanor had converted back into the petrified fifteen-year-old Tiny. “Please let me go, Officer Bailey,” Eleanor whispered in deep distress. “I’ll just turn around, get on a bus, and leave. This time I won’t come back. I promise you, sir.”

  Officer Bailey threw his head back and laughed, his big potbelly jiggling in front of him. A real dirtbag in every sense of the word, Officer Bailey was the longtime friend of Officer Gregg. It was Officer Bailey that Officer Gregg had confided in and told of his affair with the minor, Tiny.

  “Man, age is just a number,” Officer Bailey had told Officer Gregg when he expressed concern about Tiny’s age. “She may be a teenager, but she has the body of a woman.” The slimeball laughed until tears ran down his face.

  It was no secret that Officer Bailey was a womanizer. He liked to joke that he loved fast cars, fast women, and a faster relationship. He never got married and rumor had it that he fathered over twenty children with more than seventeen different women, half of whom were underage. But, of course, he claimed none.

  It was a little over fifteen years ago when Officer Bailey transferred from the Tivoli Police Station in Kingston to Falmouth, Trelawny. Full of attitude, street swagger, and very trigger-happy, he quickly earned the name, Officer “Rude Boy” Bailey. Most of the country folk were scared of him, small-time criminals respected and obeyed him, and his colleagues at the police station admired him. Officer Bailey walked around Falmouth as if he was king of the town and he owned everything and everyone that dwelled therein.

  A flashy dresser when not in uniform, Officer Bailey wore the finest and best clothes. He adorned his body with a lot of thick, expensive gold chains, watches, and rings. He changed his cars as he did his women and had a few vehicles parked up at his huge house in Clarks Town, Trelawny.

  It was a mystery to many of how Officer Bailey lived that well on a meager police officer salary. Even though it was suspected, only his few trusted “lieutenants,” as he like to call his workers, knew for sure that he was a dirty cop. Officer Bailey was one of the biggest drug dealers in Jamaica, specializing in high-grade marijuana.

  “I’m pulling a double again tonight,” Officer Bailey often informed Officer Gregg.

  “Man, you did a double shift last night,” Officer Gregg pointed out. “In fact, you have been doing double shifts for the last few weeks.”

  “Remember, I’m free, single, and disengaged,” Officer Bailey laughed. “Plus, I need the extra money to maintain my celebrity lifestyle.”

  Officer Gregg chuckled. He too had heard the rumors about Officer Bailey but chose to believe his friend instead. He had never seen the man doing anything illegal. Quite frankly, it was the other way around. Officer Bailey enforced the law, not broke it. People were just jealous that Officer Bailey was successful. But if only Officer Gregg knew that the “night shift” had nothing to do with the law . . .

  Months into the affair with Tiny, Officer Gregg cornered Officer Bailey in the squad room one morning with another confession. He informed him that Tiny was pregnant.

  “You know you have to take care of that, right?” Officer Bailey asked. “You have a good wife. You don’t want to disgrace her or your family.”

  “I already took care of it,” Officer Gregg said above a whisper, looking around as if someone was lurking close by.

  “You did, huh? How?”

  “I roughed her up a little,” Officer Gregg said in a low voice, minimizing his assault on Tiny. “I told her if she ever calls my name to anyone, I’ll kill her and her aunt.”

  “And you think she’ll listen to you?” Officer Bailey asked skeptically as he stared pointedly at Officer Gregg.

  “Oh, she’ll listen,” Officer Gregg remarked with confidence. “She was scared as heck when I was finished with her.”

  Officer Bailey shook his head, tsk-tsking him. “That won’t work for long, man,” he said. “You should have killed her.”

  “Ki . . . kill her?” Officer Gregg stared at his friend in shock. “Kill her?”

  “Listen, if this girl tells her aunt and she reports it to ‘Sup,’ there is going to be an investigation,” Officer Bailey explained. “My brother, they are going to send you to prison for a very long time.”

  Officer Gregg began pacing the floor, nibbling on his bottom lip nervously. He did have a lot to lose. His wife had recently informed him that they were expecting their first child. He couldn’t afford to lose his family now. He was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a murderer. He attended church regularly with his wife, and even though he wasn’t living a Holy Ghost-filled, sanctimonious life as many believed, he still had some principles. He was a police officer, for Christ’s sake, not a murderer.

  “This will come back to haunt us,” Officer Bailey egged on. “It’s the only way out. Trust me, I know.”r />
  Officer Gregg paused and looked at his fellow officer funny. “Haunt us? You know? Have you been in this situation too?”

  “No no no. I’m just speaking in general,” Officer Bailey lied quickly. He had been in this situation many, many times. Although he never had to kill any of the girls, he made sure they would never, ever call his name. He was confident of his power over them but unsure of Officer Gregg’s over Tiny. If there was an investigation, chances were they would start looking at the entire police department. He could not afford to let that happen. He would go to prison for the rest of his life.

  “I’m not going to kill her,” Officer Gregg stated in a firm voice. “I made a big mistake when I got involved with her but taking the life of an innocent girl is not the way to go about it.”

  “Okay. Fine.” Officer Bailey held up his hand as if surrendering. “But make sure you keep a close eye on her. She could be trouble.”

  Eight years later, here Officer Bailey was looking at trouble. Tiny was back. This time he was going to make sure she never came back again.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “Walk to the car,” Officer Bailey barked at Eleanor. “Now!”

  “No.” Eleanor shook her head from side to side. “I am not getting in your car.” Next thing she felt was the gun pressing hard against her temple. Her eyes bugged, her knees quivered. “Please. Please don’t, Officer Bailey.”

  “You are not going to come back here and cause trouble for us,” he growled, his mouth brushing against Eleanor’s ear. He looked around to see if anyone was coming up or down the street, but they were still alone. In a flash he threw Eleanor over his shoulder and walked toward his car. Her hat fell to the road.

  Eleanor screamed loudly, kicking and pounding on his back, to no avail.

  Officer Bailey used one hand to open the back door of the car and tossed Eleanor on the backseat, faceup.

  Eleanor jumped up and hurled herself at him, yelling loudly, but he roughly shoved her back in the car and slammed the door shut.

  Officer Bailey looked around before he opened the driver’s door and slid into the car. He quickly started it and sped off, ignoring Eleanor screaming and banging on the back doors.

  Eleanor was thrown back against the seat after the car moved off. Quickly recovering, she moved over to the closed window, banging on it, shrieking in fright. Tears and mucus ran down her face, her terrified eyes watching the trees zip by as the car zoomed up the road, hugging the corners almost on its side. Think, girl, think. You have to get out of this situation.

  “Help! Somebody help me!” Eleanor shouted, kicking the driver’s seat in front, still pounding on the closed window, hoping to draw attention from the one or two people they passed along the road or even to break the window. She needed to get away from this lunatic.

  The car swerved off the main road unto a little track, gravel flying in every direction as it headed further down the lonely lane. Eleanor rocked to and fro, side to side as they drove over the rough, unpaved path.

  Soon the car came to a screeching halt. Eleanor stopped yelling and looked around her in alarm. Her eyes bounced around her head like a pin ball. Surrounding them were gigantic trees and thick, unkempt bushes. The uncut grass was as tall as a basketball player. There was not a person or house in sight. She was alone with a dirty, angry cop.

  Officer Bailey jumped out of the car and ran around to Eleanor’s side, his gun held tight in his hand. He pulled the back door open and stuck his head inside. “Get out!” he shouted, the gun now pointed at Eleanor.

  “No, I’m not getting out.” Eleanor shook her head rapidly, backing away from Officer Bailey, further into the car. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

  “Okay. That’s cool.” Officer Bailey gave her a nasty Joker grin and stood up straight.

  Eleanor watched in horror as he raised the gun in the air and fired a shot. The blast sounded like the rolling of thunder to Eleanor’s ears. She screamed, covering her ears with her hands, shaking like she was about to have a seizure.

  Suddenly rough hands were hauling her out of the car. Weak, disoriented, and scared into a lifeless form, she was unable to fight back. She watched everything moving in slow motion as she was thrown up against the car.

  Eleanor felt the heavy weight of Officer Bailey on her as they stood face-to-face, the gun now resting on her forehead. With her eyes tightly closed, she took deep breaths, unsure of what to expect next.

  Just then, Eleanor felt a hand running up her bare thigh. She tried to push at the hard body on her, but she was unable to move. Officer Bailey had pinned her slim frame to the car.

  “Please,” Eleanor whispered through tight lips. “Please let me go.”

  “Why did you come back here to cause trouble?” Officer Bailey asked in her ear.

  Eleanor pushed against him and tried to turn her face the other way, but he grasped her face in his big hand and held it firm.

  “I told Gregg you would come back and haunt him,” Officer Bailey said, spit spraying on Eleanor’s face. “See, if you create problems for him that will create problems for me. We can’t have that.”

  Things had changed in the police force over the last few years. A new police commissioner came in and was following up on the public’s outrage against police brutality and corruption. Investigations into dirty cops were being carried out all over the country by special investigators assigned out of the police headquarters in Kingston.

  Even though it had been years since Officer Gregg had slept with Tiny, a minor, Officer Bailey was still doing his dirt. An investigation into Falmouth police station would mean big trouble for him. He had chosen to be stationed in Falmouth for a reason. It was a small community in the country and away from the spotlight. It was a perfect cover for him all these years. Tiny coming back now had the potential of shaking up the hornets’ nest.

  “But I’m going to make sure this time you never come back.” Officer Bailey’s warm, smelly breath fanned Eleanor’s face.

  With her eyes still tightly closed, Eleanor began to pray under her breath. Even though she often felt unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness, she knew the power of His mercy and protection. She had experienced it firsthand and was a living testimony.

  “Please, Lord, help me,” Eleanor’s teeth rattled as she prayed. Despite the humid Jamaican air that washed over her body, it felt like she was standing in an ice rain. “All I wanted to do was to see my aunt and daughter. Please get me out of this situation, dear Lord.” Her crying sounded like groans from the depth of her belly.

  Officer Bailey threw his head back and laughed out loud. His booming voice echoed through the dense woods, causing the hair to stand up on Eleanor’s head. “Oh, you are a church girl again, huh? Praying and stuff.”

  “Lord, I’m begging you,” Eleanor continued to pray, ignoring Officer Bailey.

  “I remember back in the days you used to leave church to meet Gregg by the high school,” he laughed mockingly.

  “Lord—”

  “Shut up!” Officer Bailey barked as he pulled back slightly from Eleanor. “Enough of this prayer rubbish.” He slapped Eleanor so hard across the face, she fell to the ground. Her back hit the unpaved track that had lots of loose gravel and sharp stones.

  Eleanor howled out in pain as she looked up at the monster wearing the police uniform standing over her. This was the second time her life was being threatened by a police officer. All because of her mistake. Was she going to pay for this all her life?

  “Your daughter is growing up nicely.” Officer Bailey grinned as he looked down on her lying on the ground. “She is a little younger than I normally do but there is always a first.”

  It was as if Officer Bailey turned on the insanity switch in Eleanor’s head. She jumped to her feet and leaped at him like an angry leopard. Kicking him hard in his crotch, her teeth sank into his jaw as she clawed at his eyes, growling and gnawing away at his face.

  A stunned Officer Bailey stumbled back a f
ew steps, his gun flying out of his hand into some bushes nearby. His eyes burned, his face stung, and his testicles felt like they were on fire. Eleanor had him by the balls, literally, as she kicked and swung at him like a madwoman.

  “You are not going anywhere near my daughter!” Eleanor shouted as she fought him. It was like a Chihuahua fighting Godzilla. But Eleanor was too far gone to care. She had already failed her daughter in so many ways, and the thought of her at the hands of this lunatic was unbearable.

  Officer Bailey quickly recovered from the unexpected attack and plucked Eleanor off of him by her hair. He then angrily flung her away from him in disgust.

  Luckily, Eleanor landed in the thick, unruly grass this time around, on her back. The wind knocked out of her, she breathed deeply through her mouth, her chest rising and falling, filling her lungs with air.

  Furious, Officer Gregg frantically searched in the thick grass for his gun. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for him to find it. “You are going to pay for that,” he uttered as he walked over to Eleanor, his red eyes blazing in anger, blood running down his bitten up cheeks.

  Eleanor tried to move, but she had no strength left. With a sigh of defeat, she looked up into the blue sky, tears leaking from her eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t get to see you, Dupree. I know Aunt Madge will continue to take good care of you.”

  Officer Bailey stood over Eleanor, his big size twelve shoe raised high above her head. Eleanor closed her eyes tight, bracing for impact, mumbling a prayer under her breath. Suddenly, a ruffling came through the trees up ahead. Officer Bailey paused, straining his eyes to see what it was. The tall grass parted like the Red Sea, and a donkey with a farmer on its back came out of the trees onto the track. They were headed straight toward Officer Bailey and Eleanor.

  Officer Bailey hurriedly fell to his knee and whispered harshly in Eleanor’s ear. “You make one sound or say a word and I swear I will kill both of you. This old man’s blood will be on your shoulder. You got that?” He put the gun to her face so she could see that he had it.