Chapter 30
Detective Burks and his colleague Andrew Durden discussed following up on leads derived from the statement given by Nancy Givens. Burks stated, “The owner of the cabin next to Ms. Givens’ home according to our title search is Janet L. Myers. She was willed the property by her deceased father.”
Durden replied, “We have to gather enough evidence to search it.”
“Ms. Givens said she saw the male suspect throw something into the huge retention pond across the street from the cabin.”
“I know it’s a long shot, but there may be a way to use Ms. Givens’ statement to have the pond searched. The idea about having it searched has already come up due to a missing young woman in the area. By interjecting the hopes of solving both cases we may garner enough community support to pressure the authorities to get it done.”
Vincent was relaxing at home when his doorbell rang. Upon opening the door, he noticed Lucinda crying profusely.
“What’s wrong lady?”
“Vince, we have got to talk.”
“Okay.”
After being invited into the house, she took a seat.
“You are going to be a father.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m having your baby.”
“We never discussed you having a baby! What ever happened to people planning to be parents? I’m a high profile attorney with hopes of running for a U.S. Senate seat! Why should I have to kiss my political ambitions goodbye?”
“I know your position on abortion. You believe life begins at conception.”
“That has been my view.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have changed my position! I have worked too hard to achieve my current status in life for you to destroy it with a baby. I’ll arrange for the procedure. All you have to do is cooperate to put an end to this nightmare before it gets any worse. What does your husband think about you being pregnant by another man?”
“I haven’t told him yet. I was thinking maybe we could have a future together?”
“You have killed any chance of us ever having that kind of relationship. You told me you were on the pill. This never should have happened. We both work in the same office. My law partners will never understand. Maybe you should quit!”
“I am not quitting. I’m going to have our baby. You need time to make the right decision. I’ll check back with you in a few days. For your information, I have already discussed our predicament with some of the girls at work. Your law buddies may already know I’m caring your baby.” Vincent looked as if his world had suddenly crashed down around him as she departed his estate.”
Mrs. Titanimum was now undergoing regular scheduled chemotherapy. She only had a few patches of hair left on her head. At the urging of Sarah, she decided to go shopping for wigs. They made a shopping date for the coming Saturday.
Burks convinced authorities the large retention pond might hold the weapon to solve Jared’s murder. After hearing Ms. Givens statement, a date to drain the pond was set.
Sarah’s new Dallas Satellite office clerk found her first day at work busy. Their advertisement targeting new customers was really paying off.
Lucinda called Sarah at work. “Hi Lucinda, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. If you can pull yourself away from your work, I would like to talk.”
“You go right ahead. Talk, I’m listening.”
“First of all I would like to apologize for the way my husband treated you. I think he had a bad night at work.”
“I never knew him to be that way.”
“His attitude deteriorated once I told him of my law aspiration. Matters got worst when I started working at the firm with Vincent.”
“I guess his worst fear has come to past.”
“I stopped by Vincent’s house the other day.”
“You told him I guess.”
“Yes.”
“And…”
“He feels I am destroying his life. The man wants me to kill our baby.”
“Now that you have his opinion it should be easy for you to make the right decision. If he doesn’t want the baby maybe you shouldn’t bring the child into the world.”
“I never intended to get pregnant. I was on the pill. I made a big mistake.”
“Try to think of the big picture and not just yourself. A baby should not be thought of as a mistake. If he is offering to help you abort the fetus then you should listen to him. It is time for my next appointment. I’ll have to call you back.”
That night David took Lucinda out to dinner. During the course of their meal he mentioned that she appeared to be glowing. “A woman has a special glow about her when she is pregnant. We haven’t begun fertility treatments, however, anything is possible.”
“David, we are not going to have a baby.”
After they got home, she ran straight to the bathroom then started throwing up in the commode. He allowed her a chance to regain her composure before he firmly asserted, “I wasn’t born yesterday. You are not sick and you haven’t been drinking. I believe you are going to have a baby. However, you said we are not having a baby.”
“David, please leave me alone! Why do we have to talk about this now?”
“Oh no, I know you did not confirm my worst fear. Woman I ought to kill you and your bastard child!”
“Legally the child is yours because we are still married.”
“Stop fucking with me!”
“Go to hell David! If you had been taking care of your business at home, I would not be pregnant! Attorney Vincent James is going to take care of his baby and me!” Before Lucinda could finish speaking, David had fastened his hands tightly around her neck strangling her when he suddenly relinquished his grip. She fell down to the floor as she sobbed uncontrollably. At that moment, he decided to leave with only the clothes on his back.
An hour later the phone rang, “Hello.”
“Hi Lucinda, this is Sarah. I’m sorry it took me so long to call you back.”
“He’s gone. He walked out on me.”
“You told him.”
“No he found out by observing how I look and my morning sickness. I couldn’t lie to him. When I admitted to being pregnant by Vincent, he tried to kill me.”
“You should have reported his ass to the cops.”
“I probably have hurt him enough. What am I going to do? I don’t have Vincent any longer nor do I have David.”
“Pull yourself together; you have got to be strong.”
Chapter 31
Several divers searched the retention pond as a crowd of onlookers including the news media observed. Detectives Burks and Durden pulled up as the search continued. They joined the gathering as divers looked for the body of the missing woman hoping that they would find the weapon, which could be linked to Jared’s death.
A local television station reporter knocked on the door of Ms. Givens. “Good Afternoon, Ms. Givens the huge pond across the street is being searched for a missing woman. We were wondering if you had given the authorities information to prompt this search.”
“The only information I have is that she was a nurse that disappeared a few months ago shortly after ending her late night shift at the nearby hospital. The only reason I know of this information is because it was reported on your competitor’s television news.”
“An anonymous source has come forth stating that you may have witnessed an African American male disposing of a murder weapon in the pond, which may have been used in the murder of Jared Jones.”
“I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation.”
“When did you report your finding to the authorities?”
“As stated, I cannot provide any information at this time.”
When the divers finished scouring the water, their efforts did not produce bodily remains or a weapon.
“Durden stated, “I believe the weapon may still be in the water.”
“I agree. It’s not hard to overlook a small han
d gun imbedded in the dirt at the bottom of a murky pond.”
“Our next step is to make sure the authorities follow through in draining it.”
Later that evening, Lucinda received a call from Sarah. “I was checking the Dallas news via the internet and it mentioned that divers would be searching a pond in a remote area today for the murder weapon, which may have been used to kill Jared.”
“Their searched wrapped up about an hour ago.”
“Were they able to find the weapon?”
“No.”
“So there still isn’t any evidence pointing to the murderer of my husband. The information I read said a woman that lives in the area may have tipped off the police.”
After a brief silence Lucinda stated, “She might be the perpetrator.”
“It wouldn’t make since for her to bring up something to implicate herself. Until she came forth, there probably wasn’t any other viable lead.”
“So let us change the subject, my fine, beautiful, black, and independent sister. How are you fairing in resurrecting your shambled life?”
“My current perils should not be taken lightly.”
“I take that to mean your rich lover and trifling husband, they’re still angry with you.”
“I don’t know how much longer I can stomach working at the law firm.
“Why?”
“I used to be well liked there.”
“And now …?”
“No one wants to be associated with me.”
“Well Lucinda, it’s an awkward situation for them knowing you are caring an illegitimate child for one of their partners.”
“However, I still would like to get on with my life.”
“You know it’s not going to be that easy.”
“If they feel I’m a distraction at the office, they’re going to try to find a legal reason to fire me.”
“You are probably right.”
“I need my job. I haven’t seen David since he left me hanging.”
“I may be able to hire you to work at my new office in Dallas. The young woman that works there is good with paperwork but lacks people skills. Some of my potential clients have complained about her attitude. In two weeks, I may be able to hire you as her replacement.”
“I am lucky to have you as a friend. I don’t deserve your kindness.”
“If the tables were turned, you would do the same for me.”
“Vincent has accepted the fact that I am going to carry the baby to term. He has agreed to take care of all of my medical bills resulting from my pregnancy. He wants shared custody of the child.”
“You may not understand his sudden change of heart; however, it’s a great gesture on his behalf. At least he wants to be a part of the child’s life, that’s commendable.”
Chapter 32
Bridget went shopping with Sarah. She wore a scarf to hide her balding scalp. The chemo treatment kept her feeling mentally and physically drained. Sometimes she would refer to Sarah as being her daughter. She said, “Daughter, see if the lady behind the counter can find me a chair. I need to rest.” Sarah explained the situation to the store clerk. After she sat for awhile, they proceeded to pick out a couple of hairpieces. Bridget promptly paid for them. During the drive back she said, “Woodrow would like to go out again on the yacht. I may never get to go again. We would like for you to join us.”
“I’d be delighted to go. Actually, it was my idea. I asked him if we could go yachting.”
“Good. I’ll give you a call when we set the date.”
Once they got back to the house, Bridget stumbled and almost fell. Sarah assisted her in walking the remainder of the way into the house.
David after giving himself considerable time to cool off telephoned Lucinda. He informed her that he would be coming over to retrieve his clothing and other personal belongings.
“I am on my way out. Do you really need to come over today?”
“Lucinda, I only want to get my things. My attorney is working on our divorce. We should both be alright.”
“David, I still love you.”
“What did you say?”
“I still love you.”
“Even if you do love me, I could never trust or love you again.”
“I made a mistake. You have to understand. I made a terrible error.”
“In my heart I have forgiven you. What more do you want?”
“I want you to give us another chance.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided to have a child by another man. I’m not a fool. After our divorce is settled, I’m moving away, to never have to see you again.”
“I really messed up our lives. A part of me has died.”
“I don’t want to hear that shit. You always wanted more than I could give you. You and Vincent may grow to love each other eventually.”
The following week the big pond was drained exposing the fully decomposed corpse of the woman that had been missing. Detective Burks also watched intensely as crime scene investigators packaged and then marked as evidence a small caliber weapon retrieved by divers. Forensic testing would try to link the weapon to bullets found lodged in the skeletal torso of Jared. The registry of the weapon was checked, it was owned by David Stallings. David had reported the gun missing around the time of Jared’s disappearance. However, the police could not find any sign of forced entry into his dwelling. They theorized the burglar entered through a window they found open in the master bedroom. The police detective division was now stepping up their own investigation. They called David into their office for questioning. David only reiterated information that he provided to them when he reported the gun stolen.
Lucinda hit Sarah up on her cell phone. During their conversation she mentioned, “David came by and got his stuff.”
“Now you can get on with your life?”
“I thought I was ready to put him out of my life until he walked back through the door.”
“What did you do?”
“I poured my heart out to him. I asked him to give us another chance.”
“That is crazy. The man tried to kill you.”
“I still love him.”
“I don’t want to sound harsh, but you need to see a shrink.”
“You are right. The man I love is gone for good.”
“Perhaps I have some news to make your day. The young lady working in my new Dallas office will be quitting at the end of the week. She is returning to New York to take care of her sick mother.”
“If you need me to start next week, I will turn in my letter of resignation with the firm tomorrow. It’s not like I ever plan on working there again.”
“Good. The job is yours. I will notify Deloris Williams at my main office in Dallas to expect you on Monday. She will help you to complete your paperwork for the position and will get you up to speed.”
The next day, she turned in her resignation. Vincent stopped by her desk to question her leaving the firm. “You didn’t have to quit. You have a right to work here.”
“I know. It is time for me to move on. I will feel better not working for the firm.”
“Do you have another job?”
“Yes.”
“What would you be doing? Where …?”
“You are asking too many questions. I need to get back to my task at hand.”
Lucinda started work for Sarah the following week. Her new supervisor Deloris took a liking to her right away. At the end of Lucinda’s first week at work, Deloris phoned Sarah, “She is doing remarkably well. It’s as if the job was made for Lucinda.”
“She is probably over qualified for the position. But we are lucky to have her onboard.”
The moment Sarah disconnected from her call with Deloris, Kristy walked into her office.
“Excuse me, Sarah; I want to remind you that I’m leaving early.”
“That’s really sweet of you. I was reminiscing about the yachting outing we had with the Titanimums.”
“I remem
ber you jokingly made a bet that you would be the next Mrs. Titanimum.”
“It’s no longer a joke.”
“What do you mean?”
“The old lady has been diagnosed with cancer. She is not expected to live much longer. I have been having an affair with Woodrow. Bridget has taking a liking to me as a friend.”
“I am sorry to hear of her impending death. Are you in love with her husband?”
“I’m in love with his money. I guess that would make me in love with him.”
“I don’t agree with that analogy. However, his mind is so blown by having a young woman to satisfy his sexual urges that love doesn’t even figure into the equation.”
“You are right Kristy. I am going to be the next Mrs. Titanimum. I hope she will be able to stand the heat when we are miles away from the shore.”
“Jared’s death has transformed you into someone else.”
“I am the same woman.”
“No Sarah, the way you look at men has changed. You seem to look at them as ponds on a chess board.”
“Are you trying to tell me something? Are you insinuating I’m a high class gold digger? You think I’m a whore.”
“I’m not going to answer you. I’m leaving. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter 33
Detective Burks tried to reach David by phone, Lucinda answered, “Hello.”
“How are you?”
“I’m doing fine. Who are you? Why are you calling me?
“I would like to speak with David. My name is Detective Burks.”
“He no longer lives here. This is his wife. We are in the process of getting a divorce. How may I help you, detective?”
“I need to speak with him. Do you have his phone number?”
She quickly provided his phone number. “May I help you with any other information?”
“No, thank you.”
“Bye!”
After disconnecting from Lucinda, he dialed David. “We would like to pay you a visit. We have questions regarding your gun that is undergoing forensic testing.”
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