Chapter 30
Two weeks later, I barely ate anything. Chicken broth was the only thing I had an appetite for. When my emotions were in disarray so were my eating habits. All I did was make brownie orders and send them out to be mailed. If they were local, I delivered them. I still didn’t tell Michelle about what had happened between Greg and me. I was too tired and too sad to bring it to her attention. Between Greg and Derrick calling me, my voice mail stayed full. When I would hear Greg’s voice, I would delete the voice mail without even listening to it. Two nights ago, he stood at the door for hours trying to explain. I didn’t want to hear that bullshit. Derrick was leaving voice mails ready for dinner and round two.
The orders from the chain stores kept Michelle and me up at night. We were strongly considering renting a commercial space.
Taking a break, I decided to write in my diary. When I opened it, a DVD disk with a cover was in my beloved diary. At first, I thought it was one of Greg’s stunts trying to win me back, but it couldn’t have been him because he didn’t know the security code on the alarm system. I have a tendency to change it. Ever since the break-in, I get an overwhelming feeling someone is watching me.
I quickly popped the disk in the DVD player. It was Dad. He recorded this a week before he died.
“Jackie, listen to me very carefully. I hope you listened to me and didn’t tell Greg that I truly was fired. The real reason his father fired me was because during my research an ingredient was added to the weight-loss drug Pozor. During my trial research, the mice were suffering severe liver damage and eventually died. I showed this information to Greg Sr. I urged him to pull the new ingredient out, which was an antidepressant. Not only did he want people to lose weight but he also wanted them to feel good emotionally. It was a disaster waiting to happen. He refused, wanting to have the goal of becoming the next billionaire. Greg Sr. could make people who did have liver damage go away with hush money. With every mouse I tested, each one died from severe liver damage,” he explained.
As Dad talked, he said he stumbled upon a news broadcast with a woman claiming the drug caused her liver damage. He simply thought it was an isolated incident, but Greg Sr. was killing people for a profit.
“Jackie, if you lose this copy, there’s another one in the safety deposit box. I put the set of keys in your black Baby Phat coat. My life is in danger. I’m planning to take this to the Food and Drug Administration. Greg Sr. is trying to kill me for what I stumbled upon. If anything happens to me, go to the police, FBI, the Food and Drug Administration or anyone else who is willing to listen to you about this vital information. On my last day at the lab, that’s what Greg was looking for. Jackie, your mom and I love you with all of our hearts. Be strong,” he urged and blew me a kiss.
“Daddy,” I cried out. How did I know Greg wasn’t behind this as well? Did he ask me to marry him and treat me so nice to keep tabs on me? I thought while dialing Detective Snyder’s phone number. It went to voice mail. I left a long message explaining the disk and that I was headed to the police station. Bella and I weren’t safe here anymore. Before leaving the house, I e-mailed the disk to Detective Snyder.
Chapter 31
Greg stood hovering over my door after I opened it.
“Jackie, we need to talk,” he insisted.
“I can’t talk right now. I need to go make deliveries,” I urged, trying to stay calm with Bella in my arms.
“I can barely remember anything. Mom came over. A strange woman was in my house. Then, you came and kicked me in my dick. I would never jeopardize our relationship. Jackie, please talk to me,” he pleaded, getting down on his knees, holding on tight to my waist. My strength was no match for his. He overpowered me. I quickly dialed 911.
“Nine-one-one,”, the dispatcher spoke.
“I have an intruder in my house. Please come to nine-forty-four Linden Street,” I replied, terrified of what Greg might do to me. With all of the commotion, Bella woke up from her nap, barking her head off.
“Ma’am, the police are on their way.”
“Damn it, listen to me. I’m not going to hurt you,” Greg demanded, smacking the phone out of my hand. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Liar, you killed my parents. I hate you. Greg, you were the only person who knew I was going to the storage unit that day,” I screamed.
“I didn’t kill your parents—”
“Jackie, he’s telling the truth. My son didn’t kill your parents,” a woman’s voice commented after walking in the door. She quickly closed the door. It was none other Greg’s mother, Sharon Bell.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Greg asked.
“I’m here to add the last piece of the puzzle, my dear,” she spoke in a subtle tone dressed in all black. Even the gloves she wore were black.
“What are you talking about?”
“I grew up in Diggs Park. To feed my mother’s habit, she would give my little sister and me to men and let them have their way with us. We were poor and starved many nights. My mother didn’t care anything about us or my brother. I made a vow to never ever go back to sugar water and ketchup sandwiches. Jackie, if your father would have revealed the truth to the police, my life of luxury would have end,” she explained, taking a gun out of her purse and pointing it at Greg and me.
“People would have eventually found out. Thirty people have already died. Their families were given modest settlements. In return, they were instructed not to go to the media at all. Your father refused to follow the rules. If only he had decided to keep his mouth shut, none of this would have happened and your life wouldn’t have been turned upside down. Don’t worry, Jackie, your parents didn’t feel a thing. I shot them from behind.”
“Mom, how could you do that to her father? Jackie’s mother was considered to be your best friend,” Greg asked.
“The only friends I’ve ever had were my sister, who died of a drug overdose, your father, and most importantly, money. Greg Sr. doubted it, but I knew your father had recorded his findings about the liver damage. I ransacked the storage unit and tried to find it in this place; but Jackie, you got smart and got that security system. If I would have found that disk or any kind of paperwork and you didn’t get that security system installed, you certainly would have been dead by now.”
“Mom, put the gun down,” Greg pleaded.
“Boy, do you want to die now or later?” she asked, pointing the gun at his temples. “Yes, my dear son. I did come over that day and drugged you with roofies. That woman was an associate of mine. I knew Jackie was coming over because you mentioned it to me. The plan was set in motion. Ever since you told your father and me about the marriage proposal, I had to do something drastic to break you two lovebirds up. I couldn’t let you marry the woman whose parents I took the lives of,” she giggled in a devilish tone.
Little did Mrs. Bell know, this was all being recorded on the 911 dispatcher’s phone line.
“Let us go,” I demanded, holding onto Bella tight. She was so scared.
“Jackie, you’re scheduled to die tonight, including you too, son,” she told us with vicious, cold eyes.
“Mom, you would kill your only son?” he questioned.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to preserve my lifestyle,” she confessed. Greg’s heart looked to be crushed right before my eyes.
“Mrs. Bell, put the gun down,” Detective Snyder demanded, coming into the town house. By this time, other police officers had surrounded the house. During her ranting, she failed to lock the door.
“I’m not going back to the projects. Jackie and her parents were trying to take my life away from me. I can’t let that happen,” she declared while pointing the gun at my chest.
Detective Snyder was left with no choice but to shoot her in the foot.
The gun fell out of her hand and Greg quickly grabbed it.
Mrs. Bell was arrested and taken into custody.
“Jackie, I got your message and the e-mail. I’m taking this information
to the FBI. Because of sheer greed, people have died,” he proclaimed.
Chapter 32
It turned out Greg’s father didn’t know about his wife killing my parents. Until people started dying, he didn’t realize the seriousness of it. It was way too late to get a conscience, now. Greg Jr. was distraught over the way his mother treated him. Every family has secrets. He didn’t know how deep theirs truly were.
His mother was sentenced to life without the chance of parole at my request. Death was too good for her. I wanted Sharon Bell to remember the life she had were only distorted memories that danced in her head. I wanted her to never forget what she did to my parents. This case got Derrick Harkman reelected for another term of district attorney for the city of Virginia Beach.
Ever since the trial ended, Greg and his father have been estranged. Right now, Greg doesn’t want him in his life. As far as his mother, he completely disowned her.
He and I decided to get married at the justice of the peace. I assured him we could make our own family together and shower our kids with love.
After the FBI ripped the Colstice drug empire apart, lawyers’ fees were paid and the victims who suffered liver damage were paid for pain and suffering. I sued the company for a billion dollars and won. Over the years, the drug company earned twelve billion dollars. Once everything got paid, Greg Sr. had a mere hundred dollars left to his name.
Michelle and I took a step out on faith and pursued our brownie company on a full-time basis. We rented a commercial unit and business profits were at a hundred thousand dollars and counting.
Urban Books, LLC
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Got Me Twisted Copyright © 2011 Tina Brooks McKinney
Arrested Development Copyright © 2011 B.L.U.N.T.
Greed Copyright © 2011 Meisha Camm
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