by D. Camille
“This one was no dummy. He may have been into some stuff that got him in trouble, but he wasn’t planning to go out like a punk.” The officer pointed to the wall inside the closet where there was writing on the wall.
She moved closer. “What is this?”
“The story of Patrice Dansby’s entire operation including the cops working with her,”
Mac looked at him. “He wrote all of this on the wall?”
“He probably knew his time was limited and it looks like he wanted to make sure his brother was cleared.”
Mac read the writing on the wall and felt relief, sadness and finally anger at what this young man had been coerced into doing. When she finished, she turned to the officer. “Get me photographs of this.”
“Already ordered ma’am.” He confirmed. “I didn’t want anyone else up here until you saw it for yourself.”
“Thank you officer.”
Mac hurried back downstairs to where the paramedics had the boy on a stretcher in the middle of the room. The EMT spotted her and called her over.
“He asked to speak to you before we take him,” she explained to Mac who rushed to his side.
“Hello Terrance,” Mac touched his arm softly looking down into his barely discernible face.
“My…brother,” he said breathlessly.
“He’s fine Terrance and we found your information upstairs.” Mac gave him a gentle pat. “Thank you.”
Mac could tell it was a struggle for him to talk. “Let them take you to the hospital,” she told him.
“Tell…him…I’m sorry.”
“I’ll tell him, but then when you’re better, you can tell him yourself, okay?” She assured him then looked at the paramedics. “Take him now!”
Mac stood as they rolled him out the door then turned as her name was called. The officers returning from upstairs walked over to her with a plastic bag containing what looked like a 9mm pistol.
“We think you’ve been looking for this.”
Mac nodded. “I think so. Get that over to ballistics.”
“Where’d you find it?” Mac asked.
The officer gave her a look. “Inside the air conditioner in the upstairs window.”
She looked around the room at the officers that had arrived on the scene and acted quickly enough to possibly save that young man’s life in addition to discovering much needed evidence.
“Thank you officers. Great job.” She told them emotionally. “I appreciate your hard work.”
“We appreciate you too Chief Green.”
Mac nodded and walked out to her car where she sat for a few moments taking deep breaths. She watched her officers finishing up the scene and smiled with pride. Starting her car, she called for two additional cars to follow her.
She had an arrest to make.
******
Patrice Dansby’s assistant’s eyes widened as she watched the chief walk through the door with four officers behind her. Aww shit…she thought.
“Hello Chief Green, “
Mac nodded. “Is Councilwoman Dansby in her office?”
“She’s on her way back here.”
Mac smiled. “I’ll wait.”
The assistant looked at the officers then back to Mac. “Do you want me to let her know that you’re here?”
“She’ll find out soon enough,” Mac answered.
Five minutes later, Patrice entered the lobby and looked surprised to see Mac and her officers.
“How can I help you Chief Green?” Patrice asked. “Or have you come back to threaten me again?”
Mac waited while she continued her tirade. “I may have to report you for harassment since you seem to have a problem with me. It really doesn’t look good for the chief to support one candidate and try to intimidate the other.”
“Are you done?” Mac asked.
Patrice folded her arms, holding on to her bag. “What do you want?”
“Please put your bag down, turn around and place your hands behind your back,” Mac instructed firmly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Patrice yelled.
Mac approached her and began speaking, “Patrice Dansby you are under arrest for drug and gun trafficking, attempted murder, bribery and corruption. You have the right to remain silent…”
Patrice’s mouth fell open and remained that way as Mac removed her bag and placed her in handcuffs as she finished reading her Miranda rights.
“I swear I’m going to have your badge for this!” Patrice screamed. “You can’t do this!”
Mac began to lead her out of the building while she continued to hurl accusations. At the vehicle, Mac placed a hand on top of Patrice’s head to help her inside.
“Get inside,” Mac ordered and Patrice slowly bent and sat inside the back of the squad car.
“I told you when I came back, I was coming with cuffs.” Mac slammed the door.
Over the next few hours, Mac made personal arrests of the all the officers implicated. In total there were eight including the two who were currently on administrative leave for the incident that had sent her to the hospital. One of the three officers who had visited her office offering their assistance was also arrested.
Mac felt a weight lifted off of her chest after those individuals had been apprehended. Now she walked down the hall to the interrogation room where Patrice had been waiting. Her lawyer had arrived and they were now ready to answer questions.
Entering the room, Mac looked at the woman who’d done so much damage to the city and shook her head.
“Hello Chief Green,” the attorney greeted her.
“Hello counselor,” Mac returned coldly. She decided that she didn’t like calling anyone that but Brandon so she changed her greeting. “Attorney Hamilton.”
“My client has nothing to say at this time and we’re going to ask for bail at her hearing,” he informed Mac.
She nodded. “That’s fine. My case is solid.”
The attorney looked at Patrice who just looked angry.
Mac continued. “However, your client is a flight risk so I’m sure the Prosecutor’s Office will request to deny bail due to the severity of the charges.”
Patrice’s eyes widened and she turned to her lawyer.
The attorney sighed and looked at Mac. “So what kind of deal are we looking at?”
Mac looked at Patrice. “That’s up to the Prosecutor’s office.”
“Brandon can’t prosecute me! We used to be in a relationship so I want him recused!” Patrice protested.
Mac stood and looked at the pair. “Well my work is done. Good luck with this.”
When Mac left the room, Patrice turned angry eyes on her lawyer. “Get me out of here!”
“What have you done?” he asked.
“They only have the word of the brother of some little young thug, who they have in protective custody. I’m the Councilwoman, my testimony holds weight.”
He looked at her. “What do they have on you Patrice? These are some serious charges.”
She folded her arms. “They have to prove them.”
“Well you better tell me what they are, before they do that,” he warned.
Patrice frowned. “Let them try.”
Chapter 19
Mac stood in full uniform next to Brandon, four days later at the Homegoing service for Beverly Evans. Residents from all over the city had attended to pay their respects to a mother who’d given her life saving her daughter’s. The little girl was now sitting on her father’s lap as slow tears streamed down his cheeks. Next to them was Tremaine, who was under intense police security until things were concluded. His brother Terrance was still hospitalized with severe injuries, but expected to make a full recovery.
Mac hadn’t even realized that she was crying too, until Brandon reached over with a handkerchief and gently wiped her face. She turned to him and saw his own pain reflected in green eyes. From the moment they’d awakened this morning, each had been quiet and lost in their own thoughts a
bout the day ahead.
At the end of the service, Mac and Brandon paid their respects to the family then watched from the parking lot as they departed for the cemetery. When the lot was emptied, the Negus gathered around Mac and Brandon, all with sadness on their faces.
Rion looked at his friend in concern. “You okay?”
Brandon nodded. “I’m fine.”
Mac took his hand and he turned to her with a soft smile. “Are you alright?”
“I’m just glad we have all the parties involved in custody,” Mac said quietly.
Brandon agreed. “The family was really thankful for all that you did.”
“That damn Patrice is responsible for all of this,” Khalil said angrily. “How the hell do you sell out your own damn people? This is what keeps us in oppression.”
“With all the connects that she has, I’m surprised she got put on house arrest,” Corvus commented. “I was sure she’d been with some judge who would pull some strings for her.”
Brandon shook his head. “No, my father was all over that.”
“She made bail though,” Tauri said shaking her head.
“She probably has money stashed all over this damn city,” Lance commented and they all agreed.
“What happens next?” Khayla asked Mac and Brandon.
The pair looked at one another before Mac answered. “Both Terrance and Tremaine have agreed to testify and a couple of the officers are tripping over one another to see who can get the best deal for their cooperation.”
Brandon picked up from there. “With a bevy of eyewitnesses plus the information that we got from the tracker that Ethan planted on her phone, Patrice has a steep hill to climb to get out of this one.”
Corvus smiled. “My dude came through. I knew he would.”
Brandon looked at him. “Where did you get that device from?”
“One of the guys from LA that came to help with Rion.” He glanced at Lance. “Not the one who was going to wife Khayla. The young one gave it to us. We didn’t need it before, but it came in handy now.”
Lance frowned at Corvus. “He wasn’t wifing Khayla. Let’s just get that straight right now.”
Khalil looked between the two. “Do I need to call Mr. Shaw?”
“Anyway,” Corvus continued, “He used the device to unlock her phone and upload an app that allowed us to record her calls and track her whereabouts.”
“What did you hear?” Khayla asked.
“She called her contacts in the Department and told them to meet her at the location where Terrance was found,” he answered.
Mac turned to Corvus. “You made the anonymous call…” she surmised looking at Brandon.
Corvus nodded. “I’m glad they got there in time to save him. Daddy warned us to stay away from any contact with the police because he didn’t want any confrontations that would add to your plate, Mac.”
“Thank you Mr. Shaw. I love you,” Mac said in relief not knowing what those officers would have been capable of doing.
“Hey, what?” Brandon asked looking at her.
Mac wrapped her arms around his waist. “Always second to you though.” She was given a sweet kiss as they all watched the couple display some public affection.
“I’m so glad you two are finally together,” Khayla said smiling. “And not just because I won the bet.”
Lance looked at his wife and shook his head as she continued. “But because I’ve never seen either of you look so happy.”
Mac glanced up at Brandon. “I am happy, even in the midst of all of this.”
Brandon smiled down at her. “I’m happy too Mackenzie.”
“Okay…so what’s the next step?” Corvus interrupted their moment and Brandon turned to him.
“Mackenzie and I are announcing our initiative at the end of the week. My office will be working on the cases against the teens, Patrice, the store owner and the officers. Terrance will probably get a deal for his testimony and Tremaine is cleared of all charges,” Brandon informed him.
“The charges have been filed and we’re building our cases,” Tauri added. “I’ll be the lead on the case against Patrice and the teens. Brandon will prosecute the store owner and the officers.”
“That way we have no conflicts of interest,” Brandon confirmed.
Mac looked at him with pride. “Thank you for recusing yourself.”
“I know that Tauri will handle everything.”
Rion smiled at his wife. “She’s the best prosecutor and mother.” Tauri hugged him tightly.
“Damn, all this lovey dovey is making me ill…” Corvus commented and they all turned to him.
“Just wait, your time is coming,” Rion told him.
“She better be practicing in that damn kitchen then,” Corvus cracked.
Tauri smirked at him. “I hope she can’t boil water.”
Corvus shook his head. “She can’t even get through the door then. I ain’t leaving my Momma’s cooking for somebody that can’t turn on the stove.”
Khalil looked at his watch. “I have to pick up Kyros from the Banquet Hall. He wanted to help our families set up for the dinner.”
Mac smiled. “It was really nice of all your parents and grandparents to offer to help out.”
“We need to get little Rion too,” Tauri commented.
They all said their goodbyes, with some headed to the family dinner. Mac and Brandon however had other duties to tend to this afternoon. He walked her to her car and stood looking down at her.
“So, will you go out with me next week Mackenzie?”
“Are we going on a date?”
He nodded holding her gaze. “It’s about time.”
“I’d love to go out with you Brandon.”
“Then it’s a date.” He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you later at the press conference.”
Mac sighed. “It seems like we’ve been having these damn things every day.”
“I know, but the city deserves transparency and we have to let them know what we’re doing,” he informed her.
Mac grabbed his lapel. “Kiss me now because I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”
“You call and I come…” he said lowering his mouth to hers in a smoldering kiss.
When they separated, Mac opened her eyes slowly to stared into beautiful green ones. “I’ll see you later.”
“Be safe out there,” Brandon told her.
“I always am.”
******
The afternoon press conference ended and Brandon rushed off to perform his campaign duties. He was scheduled to appear at several venues and with Patrice now officially out of the race, he was clearly the frontrunner. Brandon didn’t want to win by default, but because the citizens truly believed he was the right man for the job so he continued his campaigning as though he wasn’t primarily the only one in contention.
His campaign manager, Derek was impressed with his stance and continued to work diligently to run an impressive campaign focused on the issues of the city. Brandon completed his rounds and went to visit his father who had requested his presence.
Letting himself inside the home, Brandon found his father in his usual spot inside his study. Walking in, he sat down and greeted him.
“Hey Dad,”
Benjamin smiled at his son. “Hello Brandon.”
“You wanted to see me?” Brandon asked.
His father nodded. “I wanted to discuss a few things with you.”
“Okay,” Brandon sat back in his seat.
“First off, how are you? I know you attended the funeral today.”
Brandon sighed. “It was difficult and brought back a lot of memories but Mackenzie and the Negus were there, so I managed.”
“Watching that little girl and her father was the hardest part,” he finished.
“I’m glad they were there for you since my docket was filled.”
Brandon smiled. “It’s okay Dad. I didn’t need you there holding my hand.”
“I know, but you also know that I’m here whenever you need me...no matter what.”
“You always have been,” Brandon agreed.
Benjamin blew out a breath.
“What’s up Dad?” Brandon asked concerned. “What do you have to tell me?”
“it’s a long story son,”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t have anywhere else to be.”
Benjamin looked away. “How are things with you and Mac?” he asked.
“Fine, please don’t change the subject,” Brandon answered then watched as his father toyed with a card on his desk.
“Do you remember when I went to Africa?” Benjamin questioned.
Brandon nodded. “Yes, you went there for a month around ten years ago to work on getting the government to assist in providing adequate health care in the villages.”
Benjamin agreed. “Yes,”
“Did something happen while you were there?” Brandon asked in anticipation.
“Yes it did,” Benjamin paused. “I lost my heart again.”
Brandon looked confused for a moment. “I’m going to need you to explain that.”
Benjamin locked eyes with matching ones. “I met a woman…a woman that I haven’t stopped thinking about for ten years.”
Brandon sat back relieved. “Dad, you scared me to death. I thought you’d contracted some type of terminal disease or something.”
Benjamin frowned. “You do know that Africa is not the only place you can contract a life threatening disease right? The U.S. has more than a few epidemics going on right now.”
Putting his hands up, Brandon responded, “That’s not what I was saying Dad and you know it.”
“Fine, no I’m not dying Brandon.”
Brandon was confused again. “Why didn’t you want to tell me this? You’ve been alone for a long time.”
“There are some issues…” Benjamin supplied.
“The fact that she lives in Africa and you live here?”
Benjamin shook his head. “No, she doesn’t live in Africa. She was working in the villages as a volunteer.”
“Where does she live then?”
“Currently she lives in Paris, but I want her to come here,” his father told him.