by Iris Bolling
"I had it."
"When?" James asked.
Ericka sighed. "I was pissed the day I found out Singleton killed my mother. So I took Nick's gun and paid him a visit at his office. Things got physical and he took the gun from me."
"When?" Vernon shouted.
"The same day of Nick's accident."
"You had this information all this time and you are just telling us?" Vernon walked away in frustration.
"If I had known it was Nick's gun I would have told you."
"Calm down," Naverone said to him then turned back to Ericka. "Start from the beginning.”
Chapter Twenty
They all rushed back into the courtroom. Naverone had to remain outside.
"Your Honor, I would like to recall Ericka Kennedy to the stand," James pleaded.
"Objection. On what grounds? The witness has already testified," Murdock stated.
"May we approach, Your Honor?" James requested.
"Please." Judge Maggie motioned them to the bench.
"Your Honor, new evidence has surfaced regarding the weapon."
"We are not aware of any new evidence," Murdock objected.
"It's new..." James replied sarcastically. "This was just presented to me during the break, Your Honor. Mr. Murdock may question the witness on redirect."
"What is the witness going to testify to, Mr. Brooks?"
"The witness is going to testify to who was in possession of the weapon used to kill Constance. The witness will tell us who, when and how. We will finally have the truth on who killed Constance Brooks."
"I want to question this witness before she takes the stand," Murdock demanded.
"You can question her on the stand, Mr. Murdock." Judge Maggie sat back. "Step back. You may recall your witness, Mr. Brooks."
"The defense recalls Ericka Kennedy to the stand."
Isaac had been delayed by the attorneys, again, but he did not want to miss this day in court. He was certain he was about to finally get Vernon out of the will. Now all he had to do was deal with the Kennedy kid. The doors to the court were just closing when he eased inside. He had just taken his seat when he heard her name. He hesitated then remembered who she was. He also knew she would remember him taking the gun from her. Maybe she didn't remember. Either way he had no plans of hanging around for it. As Ericka walked to the witness seat, he stood and calmly walked out of the courthouse.
Naverone saw Isaac come out of the courtroom. He looked up and saw Genesis walking down the hallway and immediately recognized the man next to her. He turned his back on them and walked out the nearest exit.
Naverone looked at Genesis. "I'm going to follow Isaac. Let James know."
Genesis sat Parks on the bench. "Do not move."
She nodded to a sheriff’s deputy. "Keep an eye on him," she said as she entered the courtroom. Genesis touched James on the shoulder and whispered in his ear as he stood to begin his questions. He looked up to see Isaac Singleton was not in his regular seat behind the prosecutor.
"Your Honor, may I approach,” he asked while quickly walking toward the bench before the judge could object. Murdock had to take a double step to catch up. "Please ask the deputy at the door to follow and detain Isaac Singleton."
"Why?"
"My witness is about to testify Mr. Singleton had that gun on the day in question. In fact, only a few hours before it was used to kill my sister-in-law."
"Bailiff," Judge Maggie called out.
"Your Honor, the defense is grasping at straws here," Murdock said as the Bailiff approached.
"Get Mr. Singleton and detain him. I am curious as to why he suddenly left the proceedings, Mr. Murdock. Bailiff." She nodded. "Everyone step back." She turned to Ericka. "Ms. Kennedy, I want to remind you, you are under oath and are sworn to tell the truth. Continue with the witness, Mr. Brooks."
"Your Honor, I want it noted the prosecution objects to the action taken by Mr. Brooks."
"So noted. Mr. Brooks, please continue."
The Bailiff returned shaking his head indicating there was no sign of Isaac Singleton. Genesis saw the action, then walked out of the courthouse.
#
Genesis stood outside the courtroom as she pulled out her cell. She quickly dialed Naverone. "Where are you?"
Naverone was in her vehicle following Isaac. "I'm on him. He's going towards his office.”
“Keep your cell phone on. I'm en route to you.”
Naverone ended the call then watched as Isaac made a series of turns. When he reached the office, she did not turn into the driveway. She pulled across the street and parked, then watched from her vehicle. A few minutes passed, but Isaac never emerged from the parking deck to enter the building. She pulled her weapon from the glove compartment where she’d placed it while in court. She checked to ensure it was fully loaded, then placed it in her jacket pocket.
Stepping out of the vehicle she looked both ways then crossed the street to the parking deck. Walking through, she looked around but did not see Isaac's car in its normal parking space. Increasing her speed, she walked, peeking around every car and corner, until she reached the back. His vehicle was parked at a building in the back of the office complex about fifty feet from the main building.
Naverone pulled her weapon as she walked up on the car. She checked the back seat and then the front. He wasn't in the car. The building was a typical warehouse. From the front there was a single door, with a small window in the center, that led inside. She walked up to the door, her body flush to the building, with her weapon down by her side. She waited a beat then quickly peeked inside. It looked like an open space with desks, chairs and packed boxes towards the back. The area towards the front was wide open and clear of items. There was a door on the back end of the structure. Naverone’s gut told her to wait. But her heart wanted answers for Vernon. There was no time to wait.
She took a deep breath, put her hand on the doorknob and turned. It wasn't locked and thank goodness it did not make a sound. She wasn't as lucky when she swung the door open. Light flooded the warehouse. If Isaac was inside, and she was certain he was, he now knew he had company. Naverone now held her weapon in front of her with both hands, her back flush against the wall as her eyes and weapon moved rapidly, covering all immediate areas around her. She took two tentative steps into the warehouse.
"Isaac, I know you're in here."
"Me too," he said as a desk lamp hit Naverone in the head causing her to fall to the floor and her weapon to scatter.
Isaac threw the lamp aside, then closed the door. He'd entered from his hiding place on the side of the building. He glanced out the window to ensure no one was around. He then grabbed a stunned Naverone by the hair and dragged her across the room. When he reached a stack of chairs, he pulled one down, placed her limp body in the chair. He looked at the tape on the boxes, but decided that would not do. He grinned when he remembered what was in some of the boxes. He took the box cutter that was lying to the side, cut open a box and pulled out a box containing basketball nets that were part of a donation to one of the children’s centers. He opened the box, pulled out the net and cut it for his purpose.
While tying Naverone's hands behind her back, he could not help taunting the half conscious woman. "You think I didn't see you following me. For a while there I thought Vernon had made significant improvement in his taste in women. But if you thought for one moment you could capture me, you are as dumb as Connie."
He bent down, pulled her legs together and tied them in front of the chair. He stood back to take a look at his handy work. Suddenly, he slapped her with the back of his hand.
Naverone awakened, startled. She looked around until her eyes focused on Isaac.
"You're a dead man."
"Who's going to kill me--Vernon?" he laughed. "I don't think so."
Naverone could feel the burn on her butt and back. She wasn't sure what caused it, but damn it hurt. Her wrists were screaming from whatever he tied them with and her feet were
immobile. The last bit of pain she noticed was her head. It felt as if blood was running down her neck, which meant she probably had a head wound.
"Vernon is going to be the least of your worries if I have to cut my hair from whatever you hit me with."
The statement caused Isaac to pause. "Your hair. I'm about to take your ass out and you are worried about your hair."
"A girl has to look good, Isaac, even around assholes like you. Is this how you killed Connie? You had to tie her up too?"
"I'm not a killer. People keep trying to blame me for their own doings. Constance was just stupid. I could not figure out why in the hell Vernon married her in the first place. Then I understood." He pointed the box cutter at her. "He fell for the pretty face, big butt and a smile.” He huffed. “I suppose I'm to blame for that too. I should have been there to school him on skeezers like Constance. Brooks wouldn't know a skeezer from a saint. As for Constance, she wasn't supposed to die. She was supposed to live through the humiliation of Vernon's demise. She was so weak, then all of a sudden she grew a backbone and refused to call Vernon when I told her to."
"Could it be she knew what you had planned for him?" Naverone asked.
He snickered. "My plan was ingenious you have to admit. Most people would have just had Vernon killed and be done with it, but what is the fun in that. There has to be a little finesse when it comes to a man like Vernon. I need to experience the destruction of my enemies."
"No one cares enough about you to waste time being your enemy. Vernon is your son and he doesn't give a damn about you."
"Gwen gave a damn!" He pointed the box cutter he held at her. "She gave a damn before that choir boy started turning her head towards him. I warned people about turning their backs on me," he snarled.
Naverone could see he was losing control. His eyes were wide as he rambled on. His conversation was no longer directed at her. It was as if he was talking to himself.
"I warned them. I told Bell if he showed me up on the court on a live broadcast again I'd take his ass out. Did he listen...noooo. He cried, it's all about the team, man. Yeah, well I showed him teamwork."
"So you killed him because he had better game than you?"
"I didn't kill him," he snarled. "I'm not a killer." He continued to motion the box cutter in front of her face. "It was a charge of voluntary manslaughter. He died from an action I took that happened to take his life. Same thing with that Bobby kid's mother. I never touched her, she simply died from an action I took. Now my mom, that was a completely different situation. She fell down the stairs and I didn't take her hand when she reached out. So in effect, she died from an action I did not take. Now, that's funny as hell."
Naverone was shocked by the confessions she was hearing. She knew he killed the Bell kid and was fairly certain he killed Constance, but Bobby's mother and his own mother? Over Isaac's shoulder, she saw Genesis looking through the window. She knew she had to keep him occupied. "What about the plane Nicolas Brooks was on? You knew Drummond gave him the file from the Bell case. Did you have anything to do with the plane coming down?”
"I didn't crash the plane." He laughed. "That was just dumb luck. Catching you, well that was genius. See you are going to be my ace in the hole."
"You have it twisted. I'm your worst nightmare."
She saw when his eyes traveled up her legs. A chuckle escaped her throat. "Come near me and that thing you call a dick will be shorter than your thumb when I finish."
“You think you're a bad bitch. Don't you?"
With her hands tied behind the chair and her feet bound in front, Rene knew he had made a fatal mistake. He’d underestimated her.
She waited until he was less than two steps away. Both feet came up full force between his legs. Isaac bent over in pain. Rene grabbed the back of the chair, swung it from behind her and slammed it against Isaac's head. She quickly sat on the floor, bringing her bound hands under her butt, behind her knees, then slipped her legs through. She began untying the rope with her mouth as Isaac stood and ran towards the door.
Genesis walked into the warehouse just as he reached the backdoor. She cracked her whip, tangling his legs, which caused him to hit the floor hard.
Isaac pulled out his knife, cut the rope then ran out the door.
Genesis grabbed Naverone's gun and fired in his direction, but missed.
"Go after him, I got this."
Genesis ran out the door following Isaac, but he was gone. She returned to the warehouse just as Naverone had untied her legs.
"What happened?"
"He's gone."
"Damn it." Naverone grabbed her gun from Genesis. "Target practice--target practice!"
"You're welcome." Genesis glared.
Naverone sighed. "What took you so long?" Naverone asked as they began walking out the warehouse.
"I had to wait until he confessed."
Naverone stopped suddenly. "Tell me you recorded that."
Genesis grinned.
Naverone smiled. "You are redeemed for your lousy aim."
"Where to now?"
"Back to the courthouse. We need the judge to hear that recording. I'm ready for this episode to be over."
Chapter Twenty-One
His ankles were burning from that damn rope, but Isaac knew what he had to do. Pain or no pain he had to get out of the country. He ran into the back entrance and up the stairs. The main things that he needed were in the safe in his father's bedroom. He went straight into the room, walked into the closet and opened the safe. He pulled out a bag from the back of the closet that held his passport additional identification and cash. He had 20 million stashed away in the offshore accounts but this was traveling cash. He had a private plane waiting to take off with a false flight itinerary in place. His plans were to hit Jamaica, then the Cayman Islands. From there, who knows? Life was full of surprises. He may even settle down, find a wife and live happily ever after. He grabbed the overnight bag he kept packed in the closet and walked out of the room.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
A startled Isaac looked up to see the last person in the world he wanted to see right now. "What in the hell are you doing in my house?"
"Mr. Wentworth gave me the keys, so I thought I would come check it out. I thought you would be in court."
"Well, I'm not and I don't have time to talk."
"What happened to your face? I believe one third of this house is mine. Oh, let me correct that, as of today two-thirds is mine. You see my nephew Vernon signed his portion of the house and the businesses and the estate over to me."
"You are welcome to what is left. If you get those businesses up and running again, more power to you. I have no need for them."
"Oh, you think the money in the offshore accounts can keep you happy for the rest of your life? I have news for you."
Isaac looked up at his brother, Bobby, for the first time since they’d been talking. "What do you know about those accounts?"
Bobby leaned against the railing at the top of the stairs. He folded his arms and smiled at his big brother. "The magnitude of what I know would surprise you. The offshore accounts that people think are untouchable, are only so to those who don't know what they're doing. But you know I have friends. The type of friends that know how to reverse transactions." He shifted his position. "You see, since you made the transactions from the business account, the business can reverse the transaction." Seeing the surprised look on Isaac's face he nodded. "I know. It surprised me too. All we had to do was pull back the funds. And that's exactly what we did, for all three companies that you took the funds from. Now I'm not a heartless person. But I can’t help thinking about all of those employees in the companies who would have been without their pensions because of your actions. I just could not allow you to keep all that money. So here's what I did. I took a look at all that you had taken and divided it by three and I gave you one third. Because I could only put back what you had transferred in the last three months, you only have about
2 million to live off. I think that's fair."
"There is no way you could've done that."
"Check your account. I'll wait." He reached in his back pocket. "Better yet I'll show you, I have it up." Bobby turned on his cell phone, waited a few seconds and turned it to face Isaac. "Take a look. Isaac Singleton's account $2,110,000.00." He pointed to the phone. "See it's all right there."
"You son of a bitch."
"That's right, the bitch you killed. I am her son. If I wasn't a Christian man, I would do the same to you. But here's what I know. You will reap what you sow. It will all come back on you some day, somehow. I may not be there to see it, but I know God will take care of you."
Isaac lunged at him, but Bobby quickly stepped out of his way. The weight of his body propelled him across the bannister. The bag filled with money, and his passport fell to the floor beneath him as he held onto the bannister.
Bobby looked down at Isaac. "You need some help there, big brother?"
Isaac’s grip was slipping. "Bobby, help me."
"Why should I? Did you help my mother? Did you help Constance Brooks? Did you help Terrell Bell? Have you helped anyone in your pathetic life?"
"You're not me, Bobby. You're a Christian. Help me."
Reluctantly Bobby reached down and pulled Isaac up with one hand. As soon as Isaac was on solid footing, he swung at Bobby, missed and went tumbling down the stairs. Bobby rushed down the stairs to help his brother. He checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one. He pulled out his cell phone and called 911. Not wanting to stay near Isaac, Bobby stepped outside to wait for emergency services.
Patrice stood in the shadows of the kitchen. She had come through the back as Isaac instructed. She heard the argument going on upstairs and thought it would be a bad time to appear. She watched as Isaac's body dangled from the bannister. Then she cursed, but was not surprised when Bobby pulled him up. It's the kind of man he was, forgiving to a fault. She knew as soon as Isaac had the opportunity he was going to try to take Bobby out. Then she watched as he came tumbling down the stairs.