MY FATHER'S KILLER: Kayla's Story

by Cassandra V. Wyatt

“A pleasure to see you again Detective Woods.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine.”

  “Have a seat and let’s talk.”

  Detective Woods sat down. Escobar’s piercing eyes never left Detective Wood’s face. For the first time since meeting him Detective Woods felt very uncomfortable. It was almost as if Escobar was sending him a message through his gaze. Detective Woods had the very strong feeling that there was something he was missing. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and that only happened when danger was imminent. It was one of those things that he believed had kept him alive throughout his career. He was starting to wonder if this was the one time it had failed him since disturbingly he was already in the demon’s lair with no easy way of escape.

  “Since the cat seems to have gotten your tongue Detective, I’ll start,” Escobar said with no hint of a smile on his face or in his voice. “I’m assuming you came to make some sort of plea on behalf of the Richards women, am I right?”

  “Something like that.”

  “And what would you have me do?”

  Detective Woods looked around. He had already committed to memory the location of each one of Escobar’s men as well as the exits. He also knew where there were potential areas of cover even though he wasn’t exactly sure how that would help him should a shootout occur. No doubt he’d be dead before he could get out of the chair.

  “I was thinking that maybe she could start paying you in installments. Like I said, I know she doesn’t have that kind of money on hand. Maybe I can press her to take out a mortgage on the properties and give that to you.”

  Escobar leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. He stared at the ceiling, quietly, thoughtfully.

  “And why should I do better by her than I did by her husband?

  “He stole from you with intent; she just exercised really poor judgement.”

  The silence in the room was deep and deafening. No one moved and no one said a word. All eyes were on Escobar. After several minutes, Escobar abruptly stood up and walked around the desk to stand across from Detective Woods.

  “You know what Detective? Today is your lucky day. I’m feeling quite magnanimous. I’ll tell you what. Bring the ladies to me and we will all have a sit down to discuss the new terms of this arrangement.”

  Detective Woods was uneasy.

  “I could always just relay the information to them. I have no problems acting as your go-between.”

  “Oh I’m sure you don’t Detective, but I do. This is one deal that I would much prefer not be done through a 3rd party. It is imperative that this woman understands the gravity of the situation as well as the urgency with which she will need to accept and comply. I need to be able to look into her eyes. I want to be able to see her body language. Sometimes mouths say yes but eyes and bodies say no.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good. Let them know I have considered and accepted your proposal and need to meet with them to make sure we are all on the same page. Then get back to me and we will set a date for the meeting.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Escobar moved back to his seat and then motioned to one of his men who quickly moved next to the chair where Detective Woods sat. Translation: “You’re dismissed.” Detective Woods got up and went back to his car. Once inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. He drove off and parked at the first available space he found; he wanted to call Kayla and tell her what happened. Even though he was no longer in the vicinity of the warehouse, the hairs on the back of his neck were still standing and he could not shake the sensation of menace that seemed to hang heavy in the air. He ignored the feeling and called Kayla.

  Kayla jumped up and reached for her phone when it rang; thinking it was her mother. When she saw that it was Detective Woods, she pulled her hand back and turned away, deciding not to answer.

  “Who is it?”

  “Woods,” she answered sullenly.

  “Well don’t just stand there, answer it.”

  Kayla hesitated. “Answer the phone Kayla!” Anita yelled.

  “Fine,” Kayla responded as annoyed as Anita sounded.

  “Yes, Detective Woods.”

  “Kayla, I have good news.”

  “You’re going to jail and the maniacs who killed my father are going to be your cellmates?”

  “No. I got the head guy to agree to a deal. He wants to meet with you and your mother.”

  “What kind of deal?”

  “Your mother has to mortgage the properties and give the loan money to him.”

  Kayla took the phone away from her ear and looked at it in disbelief. She put the phone back to her ear and all but screamed, “Are you crazy? You want my 62 year old mother to take on not one but two mortgages that she probably won’t live long enough to pay off? That’s insane!”

  “She doesn’t have a choice Kayla. This is the only option on the table. The fact that he agreed is nothing short of a miracle. Anything less and we will all probably turn up missing.”

  “My mother isn’t even here. I sent her away for her safety and now you want me to bring her back so she can meet with your thug friends? You have got to be kidding me!”

  Before Kayla could say another word, Anita snatched the phone out of her hand. When Kayla started to object, Anita scowled at her and told her to be quiet under her breath.

  “Detective Woods, this is Anita.”

  “How are you Anita?”

  “Fine. What do your people want?”

  Detective Woods bristled when Anita said “your people”. For a long time he had always been able to compartmentalize his association with Escobar. He always looked at it as something that was somehow independent of who he was and as a result, he was able to fool himself into believing that he wasn’t really part of it, that Escobar and his guys were the bad guys, not him. Even when he finally admitted to himself that he had gone left, it was never something that he had verbalized. Hearing Anita say out loud so casually ‘your people’ kind of drove the nail in the coffin.

  “A meeting. They want the house and store mortgaged, yet again and the proceeds of the loan to be turned over to them.”

  Anita’s eyes narrowed, “And this was your idea I assume?”

  “It was the only thing I could think of. I wasn’t trying to get Mrs. Richards in more of a bind, I just didn’t want things to go the way that they definitely would have otherwise. I had to try something; I’m just surprised he agreed.”

  “Who’s he?”

  “I can’t tell you that. But what I can tell you is that this needs to happen. If Mrs. Richards doesn’t agree and make it back for the meeting, there’s nothing else I can do.”

  Anita understood perfectly. “When does he want to meet?”

  “Once Mrs. Richards arrives back in town, we can set a date.”

  “Good enough.”

  Then she hung up.

  “If you think I’m going to let my mother go meet with those hoodlums, you better think again.”

  “Kayla, if you don’t then the only one your mother is going to end up meeting is her maker. Call her.”

  Kayla gave Anita a steely-eyed glare. Anita’s glare was steelier. Finally she relented. “Okay I’ll call her, but I don’t like this one bit.”

  “I know you don’t but right now this isn’t about you or what you like. Look where you are Kayla. You’re not at my house because we’re having some grown-up girl time and your mother isn’t with my family because she’s on vacation. This is serious business. If she doesn’t agree, they will kill her; plain and simple. And maybe you too; or have you already forgotten what they did to your father?”

  Kayla looked at Anita, momentarily horrified. “Of course I didn’t forget. How could you even ask something like that?

  “I’ll say whatever is necessary to get you to see that this is no joke. If your feelings are hurt, then they’re just going to have to be hurt. Just get your mother on the phone and explain the situation to her so she can get back he
re ASAP.”

  Anita waited while Kayla’s resistance faded. She made the call and explained everything to her mother. Anita then spoke to her aunt and explained the change of plans. Aunt Nat understood and so did her cousin Lawrence. They promised to have Mama Ann back the next day.

  Anita folded her arms and looked at Kayla. “Don’t think for one minute that I don’t understand why you don’t want to have this sit down, I do, but if this is what has to be done to move one step closer to not having to cower and hide in the shadows, then that’s what needs to be done.”

  “What if my mom agrees and they get the money and then come after us anyway? What if they decide she’s not paying the balance owed fast enough and they change the terms of the agreement? What then?”

  “There’s always going to be more questions than answers. But with guys like this, there’s only one answer and one possible solution if Mama Ann doesn’t go along with this deal. At least by going along with it we can buy some time.”

  “Buy time to do what Anita?” Kayla asked, exasperated. “These guys have been operating a huge drug ring out of Lambert, Winbush and who knows where else, quite successfully with no interference. Law enforcement hasn’t touched them and on top of that, these are the same people who are responsible for my father’s murder!”

  “You’re absolutely right about everything you just said. That doesn’t change the fact that barring a miracle, we’re fresh out of alternatives. Unless of course, you have a better plan in mind that is?” Anita said a bit cynically.

  “You know I don’t.”

  “So then why are we even sitting here debating this back and forth? We know what needs to be done, so let’s do it. We can figure out the rest later. I’m not trying to fight with you Kayla; I’m on your side.”

  Kayla plopped down in the chair. She had never felt so defeated and helpless. She leaned forward and rested her arms on her thighs. Looking down at the floor she quietly said, “I know.”

  Anita walked over and put her arm around her shoulder. “Look, Detective Woods may not be the good guy he should have been but at least he’s trying to help now. Maybe he can be instrumental in helping us figure out our next steps. Right now, he’s the only ‘in’ we have with this group. He knows way more about them than we do.”

  “He’s no better than they are. He may not have physically committed the murder but he’s just as guilty because he knew about it and only helped them cover it up.”

  “I get it and I agree. I’m not exactly his number one fan either but, I’m not suggesting we be his buddies and sit around the campfire singing Kumbaya either. All I’m trying to say is that we can use him for any information he may have to help finally put this mess behind us.”

  “So not only does my mother have to make a deal with the devils that killed her husband, she has to rely on a cop who has already proven to be anything but trustworthy and who is also culpable in his murder.”

  Kayla turned her head slightly and looked at Anita. “You have no idea how much I hate this.”

  “I know you do and so do I. The last thing I want is for either you or Mama Ann to be hurt any more than you already have been. If there were any other way, I would be the first one to suggest it but like I said before, we are fresh out of alternatives.

  Our only goal at this point is to get through this in one piece and come out on the other side so we can get back to some semblance of a normal life.”

  Kayla smiled a sickly half-smile.

  “Let’s eat and try to get some sleep. Unless you have some objections, I think it might be a good idea for you to take some time off tomorrow. Go in for a half day or something if you feel you have to and I’ll stay for the rest of the day. You should be there when your mom gets home.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  “I’ll call mom now.”

  Chapter 15

  Mama Ann hung up the phone and told Aunt Nat and Lawrence what Kayla had said. Aunt Nat said they should be back in Lambert no later than 10:00 am. She looked at Lawrence, who nodded, for confirmation. Mama Ann went to the room and began to repack her things. Aunt Nat followed closely behind her.

  “Are you all right?”

  Mama Ann sat heavily on the bed. “No, I’m not. It feels like my life isn’t my own. I just feel like a puppet and some sick and twisted puppet master is jerking my strings making me do whatever they want me to do.” She looked so dejected as she hung her head. Aunt Nat sat down beside her and placed her hand on her arm.

  “Look at me Ann.”

  Mama Ann looked up.

  “Listen. There’s no denying this is a tough spot you’re in but you’re going to do what you have to do to fix this. Then once you do, you can put it all behind you and get on with your life. This is just a temporary glitch, a little hurdle you have to jump. Yes, right now someone else is calling the shots, but that’s what you have to deal with in order to fix this. This is not your whole life Ann. Besides, you’re not alone. You’ve got Kayla, Anita, Lawrence and me to help you through it all. That’s why we’re here.”

  Mama Ann smiled a small smile. “I’ve only just met you and I feel like I’ve known you forever. You feel like the best friend I’ve been missing all my life.”

  “I feel the same way. Look, I have an idea. Since this little visit got cut short, once this is all over, maybe you can come back to Roseport and stay for a little while. It could just be for a weekend if you want. At least then you’ll be here of your own choosing and not because of circumstances.”

  “I think I’d like that.”

  For the first time since this whole mess started, Mama Ann genuinely felt as though things were actually going to go right. With a huge smile on her face, she went back to finish packing.

  ***

  Detective Woods knocked on the Chief’s door and waited. When no response came, just as he turned to head back to his desk a voice called through the door, “Come in.”

  Detective Woods turned back around and entered the office. He noticed right away that the Chief looked more irritable than usual.

  “Can I speak to you for a moment Chief?”

  Never one to hide his displeasure, the Chief glowered at Detective Woods for a full ten seconds before telling him to come in.

  The Chief took great pride in his department and had always been consistently pleased with the performance and dedication of his men, and this included the women officers also. He liked to believe that one of the reasons that Lambert was the relatively crime-free area that it was known to be was due largely because of the activities of the Police Department. Once he found out that there was a renegade in the mix, he was filled with anger. Right under his nose, he had an officer, a Detective no less, who was helping a drug cartel operate within his jurisdiction. To be honest, he wasn’t just angry, he was livid; so much so he often had to resist the urge to shoot Detective Woods on sight. It wasn’t that the Chief was a violent man or one to take the law into his own hands; it was just that a dirty cop was one of the things that was guaranteed to make his blood boil.

  The other reason he was so angry was the fact that he tended to feel directly responsible when things didn’t go quite right. Even though logically it wasn’t his fault, he felt as though he should have known that Woods wasn’t the cop he pretended to be. His experience should have warned him that there was a shark in the pool and it didn’t. To make matters worse, he now found himself looking at all of his staff a little bit differently. He knew that it was not unusual for a cartel to have more than one cop on their payroll. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was anyone else on staff that harbored the same secret that Woods did.

  “What do you want now?”

  The detective filled the Chief in on the recent events involving Kayla, her mother and Escobar Valentino. If it was humanly possible for one human being to swell to twice their normal size that is exactly what the Chief did before verbally blasting Detective Woods for interfering in business that was not his concern.

 
“Sir, I know you were supposed to speak to the DEA and I respect that but a lot of this mess is on my hands and I felt like I needed to do something. I know how federal agencies can sometimes drag their feet and I didn’t want to be responsible for any other mishaps.”

  “How did you ever make Detective being this stupid? You are literally leading the sheep into the lion’s den and you thought that you were fixing something?”

  “I had to try. I also felt like I needed to do something to redeem myself.”

  “Detective Woods, at this point redemption for you is not possible. Do you realize that once again you have done something that is tantamount to interference with a federal investigation? If I told you I was going to speak to the DEA, why didn’t you at least speak to me before going off half-cocked and trying to save a world that you had a big hand in destroying?”

  Detective Woods put his head down. The Chief couldn’t begin to know the amount of guilt he felt. He was weighted down by it. Thinking back he couldn’t even really remember the exact moment when he crossed the moral line and made the decision to go from good cop to bad cop. It dawned on him with sudden clarity that not only had he brought dishonor to the police force; he had shamed his father and his grandfather’s legacy.

  “The only reason I didn’t arrest you on the spot when you first came to me was because I thought maybe you would be of more use to me as a free man than a jailed one. You are seriously starting to make me regret my decision.”

  “I screwed up yet again.”

  “Yes you did. If anything happens to either of those women, it’s going to be totally on your head. Now if there’s nothing else, get out of my office.”

  ***

  Kayla spent a sleepless night tossing and turning from one side of the bed to the other. She was so tempted to go into Anita’s room but she didn’t want to wake her. She rolled over onto her back and squeezed her eyes shut. The longer she was awake, the more time she had to think. Her thoughts crisscrossed between the last time she saw her father, the photo at the Medical Examiner’s office and her mother’s face. Her mind was a jumble of images, misdirected thoughts and bad feelings. Morning couldn’t come soon enough for her.