Justice Black: The Game Never Ends

by Gartia Bansah

  “Yes.” Justice’s answer was unforgiving. He wasn’t sugarcoating anything. “We need you to go on.” Her voice was fading. He needed her to finish before the medication rendered her useless.

  “Yes, I need to.” She described the abuse in detail.

  “Any police reports?” Caldwell guessed the answer but asked anyway.

  She looked bewildered. “No. You don’t know his friends; some of them were police officers. I couldn’t trust anyone. Ed had influential friends in the community who were upstanding and wealthy. Who’d believe me?”

  “What about family members? Couldn’t you have contacted them?” Caldwell asked.

  “When I got involved with him, my family, except my half sister, Tansy, dropped off. I found out Tansy deliberately set Ed up with me. You see, I was alone except for my daughter, Taylor. When Ed started looking at her, I had to get her away. I think he knew that and decided to take charge of my medications.

  “Ed has a friend who is prominent in the real-estate business, so getting a house in an upscale neighborhood was no problem. That’s what they do: buy homes and move their people in the neighborhood. It was a good front.” Eunice nervously laughed. “The real-estate money from his sale of homes financed the group. Some of the money we used for international shipping. He owns a small shipping business.” She turned her face toward the window, ashamed. “I am good with numbers and kept the books. I made duplicates. No one ever questioned me. They trusted me.”

  “Did Ed ever mention a Dr. Joseph?” Lane asked.

  “No. The only thing he was obsessed with was a cat he once lost, and he would go into rages talking about it. He said his life had never been the same without it. Then Tansy told him she’d found his cat and would send a picture. I found the newspaper folded in his pocket, but no picture. He’d written on it ‘my cat.’ It never occurred to me that Cat was a person. I was jealous. I’d seen Dr. Joseph at the hospital. The way Ed talked about her wasn’t right. I gave him everything—my life, my career. I never told Ed that I had followed Dr. Joseph home. I asked him about her, and he lied to me again. I told Ed she had someone else, and he choked me and said I would never replace her.” Her face sickened again. “Dr. Black, you’ve got to do something. Ed has sarin.”

  “Ms. Russell, did Ed ever talk about the chairman?”

  “No. He was very secretive.”

  The telephone startled her. Eunice jumped, staring at it. “That’s him. Don’t answer it, please,” she begged.

  Justice motioned to the nurse. “Ask who it is.” Ed wouldn’t be foolish enough to call, but he’d get someone else to do it.

  “Are you a family member?” The nurse asked.

  Eunice waited.

  “She said she’s your sister, Tansetta. It’s about Taylor.”

  Eunice nodded correct and nearly panicked.

  Justice motioned to take a message; that wasn’t Tansy.

  “Could I take a message? We’re taking her to—”

  She didn’t get a chance to finish and motioned Justice outside.

  “Sir, this time a man was on the line; he said, ‘Taylor’s dead.’”

  chapter

  FIFTY-SIX

  “I’ve lost my mind.” Ron adjusted his tie for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. He’d resigned from a prestigious TV station to accept a lower-paying job as correspondent for some little-known station. It had taken months to land that job with Gwen Marcus, but overnight he’d made the right decision to leave. It hadn’t mattered. Deep inside he knew he’d rather be able to look at himself in the mirror every day and be free of any guilt than destroy an innocent woman.

  He had no problem speaking with Dr. Black, but sitting here waiting while his secretary castigated him with killing looks was a problem. There was no ring on her finger. He wasn’t surprised. A man would have to be nuts to hang around her. It took two calls and a return visit to get through the door. The woman should be working for the Pentagon.

  He read her nameplate again. She was attractive enough, minus the sour attitude. Normally he was comfortable as can be in any circumstance, but not this time.

  “Excuse me, Ms. Davis. Do you know how much longer it will be before I see Dr. Black? It’s been fifteen minutes.”

  Jeri narrowed her eyes in his direction, annoyed, and turned back to her computer without an immediate response.

  “I told you Dr. Black was busy when you insisted on an appointment this morning. He’ll be ready soon, unless you can’t wait.”

  “I’ll wait.” It would take a month to get another appointment. He’d been around a lot of women—mean ones, nice ones. He liked spirit in women, but this had to be the most stimulating woman he’d ever met. A real challenge.

  “Excuse me again.” Jeri stood like a formidable soldier and interrupted his musings. “If you’re done talking to yourself, please tell me the reason you wanted to see Dr. Black.” She’d asked him more than three times when he called. He would only say it was personal. She’d show him personal. This was the reason he sat and waited.

  The man looked like trouble. From the looks of his skin tone, he spent all his time worshipping the sun. Jeri mumbled, “He needn’t think he can start trouble in here. The last ‘personal’ that came in here Dr. Black had arrested for attacking one of the clerks.”

  Ron cleared his itchy throat. “I need to see him about Dr. Joseph; it’s a matter of urgency. Do you think I can have a drink of water?”

  “Why didn’t you say that the first time?” The report Gwen had run on the news had irritated her because it upset her boss. He’d never said so, but she knew he more than liked Dr. Joseph. She thought if Ron was here to help, maybe he wasn’t all that bad. She decided not to make any hasty judgments on the black-haired, brown-eyed, tanned man.

  “Yes, I can give you a drink.”

  She marched to the water cooler and never looked back.

  Ron was intrigued and gulped down the meager water she issued in the smallest cup she could find while she patiently waited for him to finish. “Thank you. That was plenty.” He smiled.

  “Come with me,” she ordered, and he obeyed.

  “Dr. Black, this is Ronald Benjamin Castleman. He wants to see you about Dr. Joseph. Should I leave the door open or closed?”

  Ron received the same kind of indifferent reception from Justice, but without so much hostility. He figured the two had a lot in common; no doubt it worked for them.

  “Sit down, Mr. Castleman, and tell me why it is so urgent that you see me.”

  Gwen’s story had dug up all sorts of noble souls who expressed their views about terrorists and how Dr. Joseph should be handled; a few suggested she be deported. For God’s sake, the woman was born in Atlanta, Georgia. If this man had come to destroy Dr. Joseph, he’d be shown the door.

  “You can close it, Jeri. Thank you.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Black,” Ron said. “Please call me Ron. I saw you with Dr. Joseph and assure you I have only the best intentions.”

  Justice stood and braced his hands on his desk, leaning toward Ron.

  “Get to the point,” he warned. “Don’t waste my time.”

  “If you just sit down, I can tell you. It makes me nervous when you stand like that.” He was no wimp, but he’d rather not tangle with an angry Justice Black.

  “Then tell me something I want to hear.”

  “You see, I knew Dr. Joseph as AnnaG.”

  That name. AnnaG? Suddenly it hit him. He was from Ed’s camp.

  “I know the hell she lived under with Ed Drayton. Dr. Black, if it hadn’t been for AnnaG, I wouldn’t be here today.

  “What do you mean?”

  Although Ron hated what he needed to say, he had no choice. “You see, Dr. Black, Ed Drayton is my birth father, and I’m sure he murdered my mother.”

  chapter

  FIFTY-SEVENr />
  Ed Drayton was in a panic and hemmed in. His picture was everywhere. No one would call him back, not even Tansy or Primrose. They had all deserted him. It didn’t matter; he would finish the job. With makeup and a few changes, he’d be able to move around. He’d placed his extra supply of clothing behind the Dumpster at Reb’s donut shop. The owner always left donuts for the homeless, and some good citizens always left clothing. No one paid any attention. It was also the perfect place to leave messages for his friend. It was time to bring him in again.

  “That idiot Slick will wish he was dead if he gets out of jail. How could he be so stupid and screw things up? Getting caught. All he had to do was go in, grab Cat, and leave. Justice Black will pay for that too.”

  He thought of Eunice lying in the hospital puking her guts out. She’d disobeyed him, and she would be punished. Ed imagined the fear in her face when she got that call. The lamp shattered into pieces when he threw it at Taylor’s drawings. Eunice left a whole hour before she was scheduled. It was a good thing he had time to mix her medication with the tea. After seeing few people on the streets, he realized she’d set the clocks one hour early.

  Through the curtains’ opening he saw Avery poking around and lifting the top of the grill. He felt like shooting her. People had no respect for others’ property. He rubbed his bad leg. He’d been injured again when he jumped from the car. She’ll pay for this too.

  Avery peered through the curtains, saw no movement, and finally left.

  “I am glad to be rid of this neighborhood,” Ed said

  Ed scrambled to make alternate plans of escape. He had to forget about Eunice. He knew the house would be under surveillance. He expected that much and had quickly put a For Sale sign in the front lawn that morning. The number listed was in one of his sons’ names. The RV was in one of his daughters’ names, and all utilities were in Eunice’s name. His last count of his children was twenty-five. He’d never have to put anything in his name. He’d covered everything.

  His disguise as a shade-wearing deliveryman was common enough to anyone in the neighborhood. After all, the apartment was in the business district of downtown. It was perfect to go in and out of the place. He’d also become a pro at cross-dressing. All he needed to do was get to the apartment, pick up the package, and get out of town with his good-luck charm.

  He hated the room he was forced to temporarily live in. It was cramped and smelled of mildew. He was near panic. He hated germs and had bleached the room trying to get rid of the smell. Stacks and stacks of shipping crates were set and ready to go to the next location. The extra phone from his sister lay on one crate; he’d wait to use it. The chairman had betrayed him, and word was out; he was a liability.

  The chairman would be surprised to learn he wasn’t as stupid as they thought he was. He’d finish the job, and as for his concern, then they’ll all burn in hell for turning their backs on him. Ed looked into the mirror and no longer recognized himself. What had he become? His brown beard was now gray.

  With makeup, a wig, and a muffler around his face, he made his way to the shipping yard and made arrangements for the crates to be picked up.

  Every noise made him edgy; he thought it was Legion coming to kill him. The rule of the organization lulled in his head. He was out of the fold; death was certain,

  He made it safely back to the apartment without any glitches. His breathing was short and erratic as he frantically searched the duffel bag. His throat constricted, his chest tightened when he came up empty-handed.

  “Where are they?” The books held the accounts of every activity and moneymaking profits from yard and real-estate sales, including names of transactions and payroll. Those books were his only hold against the chairman for his safety. “Eunice!” he shouted. There was no way he could get to the hospital. Suddenly he smelled his own fear and death. The little cash he had on hand wouldn’t get him far. He needed cash.

  Disguised this time as a sharply dressed elderly man with a cane and wearing a surgical mask, Ed carefully looked around the ATM in the shopping center; it was too open and decided to use the machine inside the grocery store. The line was long. People packed the machines for the big lottery jackpot this weekend. He didn’t panic. He had no choice but to wait his turn.

  It took ten minutes for the line to finally shorten. Impatient, he inserted his card. Instead of cash, a message to contact his bank displayed, and the machine kept the card.

  Furious, he hit the machine with his cane. Some of the customers ran out of fear. Get a hold of yourself, he silently admonished himself. Don’t lose your head. Sheepishly he adjusted his fedora and shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. He made a very stupid mistake. That was sloppy. He had to think better than that. They’ll track him through the card, but he didn’t worry. The card is issued in the name Horace James. He had a couple more with other names. They should work unless Eunice told that too.

  An older woman stepped up to Ed as he was leaving the store and said, “I saw you inside. You seem so upset. Can I be of help?”

  Ed sized her up. Her eyes were kind. She wore diamond rings on several fingers and a cream silk suit. Her Versace boots alone cost at least two thousand. He shook his head.

  “I’m afraid I took the wrong card and I really need to get my heart medications.”

  “At our age, forgetfulness happens. Let me help you out.” She smiled as she opened her purse and reached inside. Ed saw the wad of cash in an envelope and nearly laughed. This was too easy. He quickly grabbed the purse and knocked her to the ground. Before she could scream, Ed was gone with everything.

  He’d thrown the purse into a nearby Dumpster. Luckily, now that he was in another part of town, there was a pay phone. It still worked. His kids owed him. On the third ring, someone answered.

  “I need at least fifty thousand now.” He counted the money from the woman’s purse again. There was over four thousand. “Meet me at the corner of Third and Conner. It’s time to show your loyalty.”

  “I can’t possibly get away now. We are—”

  “I don’t give a damn about what you’re doing. I’m telling you both to meet me, and you’d better do it.” He slammed the phone down. “I’ll kill them if they don’t meet me,” he promised aloud. “They know I’ll do it.”

  chapter

  FIFTY-EIGHT

  “What makes you think Ed killed your mother, Ron?” The raven hair, brown eyes—this guy was Swimmer.

  “It would be easier if I started from the beginning.” Ron felt he needed redemption. From what, he didn’t know. Maybe for being born into that. “You can record what I tell you in case.” He wasn’t fooling himself. Ed was capable of murder, and so were the others.

  Jeri set up the equipment, barely acknowledging Ron, although to her credit, she gave a brief smile.

  Ron breathed deeply. It was now or never.

  “I was five years old when Ed tried to beat me again for spilling a glass of water on his pants. AnnaG pushed me out of the way. Ed turned on her. My mother, Julie, barely twenty-one, jumped in the way and begged him not to hit us anymore. AnnaG was always caught in his rages. She’d put herself in front of him whenever he came at one of us and took whatever hell he gave. She was a fighter.” He glanced toward the door. “I’d never met anyone like her before. Ed said AnnaG had bad blood, that she needed to be purified. He despised her race.”

  Justice didn’t like hearing that about Kaitlyn. At that moment, Jeri brought coffee. Her interruption helped Justice bring his temper down a level.

  “Thank, you Jeri. Mr. Castleman, would you like tea or coffee, cream or sugar or black?

  Ron looked at Jeri before he spoke. “Coffee, please, and I take mine black.” He paused. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Jeri, call Dr. Joseph for me, and tell her I’d like to see her later this evening at her convenience, please.”

  Satisfied Justice w
as all right, Jeri placed the cups on the desk and closed the door.

  “She’s pretty protective of you, I see,” Ron commented.

  “Jeri’s careful, as she should always be. Ed Drayton may have visited this office in disguise.”

  “I don’t blame her.” Ron stared out of the window to gather his thoughts. “I’m not like him.”

  “Please go on.”

  Ron wrestled with believing his own father could do such a thing to his mother. His voice cracked now and then as he spoke.

  Justice thought, What a birthright to carry.

  “I avoided Ed like AnnaG and her mother told us. Whenever he wanted to see me alone, either my mother or Sancia would make an excuse to be with me. You see, I was asthmatic and wasn’t strong. I was a disappointment to my father.” He frowned at the word “father.” “He’d make me fight the other kids. Of course I lost most of the fights. BenBen would take me out into the woods alone and show me some boxing moves to protect myself. As much as he could, he stopped the kids from messing with me but often, like AnnaG did, found himself on the receiving end of Ed’s fists for doing that.

  “Ed complained I was babied too much, that I needed to toughen up. To prove his point, when I was having an attack, he took me to the lake and threw me in. I nearly drowned. AnnaG jumped in and saved me. She called me Swimmer after that. From that day on, she secretly taught me how to swim and made me run miles with her and Clermont. Her trick was that she’d yell, ‘Run. Outrun Ed. Faster, Swimmer. Ed’s coming.’” He laughed. “Swimming and track scholarships got me through college. I was that fast.”

  Justice wasn’t surprised; there were many layers to Dr. Joseph to be discovered.

  “How many other kids were there?”

  “There were twenty-two where I lived, including AnnaG and her brother. Ed had fathered other children, but they lived in other camps. I never met many of them, except for some of the older girls he’d choose.”