“We found Samantha Jackson dead in her home yesterday. Homicide. She was drowned in her bathtub. Forensics confirmed it.”
“Oh my god.”
“Do you know anyone who would have done this?” Tammy shook her head and looked down. Where was Ty? Why hasn’t he shown up yet? Did he have something to do with this? “Tammy are you alright?”
“Yes...um I’m fine just shocked.”
“I understand. We are still looking for Ty Carpenter to get his statement from the original incident and we have a couple questions about Samantha as well. If you see him, please give him my card.” Detective Thompson said, handing a card over to Tammy. Silently she took it.
“I will.” He nodded and left the room.
“Wow. Esta loca huh?”
“Yeah it is momma. Momma?’
“Yes baby?”
“Could you get me Ajonjoli?”
“No problem. I’ll grab two with some buñuelos de viento.”
“Mmh sounds good.” Esperanza kissed her forehead and left her room. Tammy reached across and grabbed the hospital telephone. She punched in Ty’s cell.
“Hello?” He answered in a low voice.
“Ty where are you? Are you okay?”
“Tammy? Yeah I’m fine.”
“Good. The police want to talk to you about what happen to me and about Sam.”
“What about Sam?”
“Ty she’s dead. Someone killed her.” She told him.
“Oh...I don’t think that is a good idea for me.”
“Why not? She’s in the wrong. She hurt me. You can tell them how she got pissed that you broke up with her and-”
“Tammy.”
‘What?”
“It’s not a good idea for me.”
“It’s not a good idea for you. Why not unless…” She pulled the phone away and stared at it in disbelief. “Ty you didn’t?” She whispered into the phone.
“I’ll be seeing you soon Tammy.” The phone went dead in her ear and she let it fall on the bed. She got the message loud and clear. Ty was the one who killed Sam and he would be coming for her. She was released ten days later. Detective Thompson and a uniformed cop was escorting her and her mother back to San Diego. Tammy had kept Ty’s involvement to herself, but Detective Thompson let her know that his fingerprint was lifted from Sam’s window and he was now the main suspect. They all rode in silence to Tammy’s townhouse. Detective Thompson helped her out the van.
“What is your real name? I’m getting tired calling you Detective.”
“Oh really. I always thought women got off on the whole Detective thing.” He teased.
“Really? What kind of line was that?” She smiled.
“My name is Greg.”
“Wow. Don’t come across too many brothas with the name Greg.”
“I’m going to ignore that last comment. Do you need some help inside?”
“No. I’m good. I just need to grab my important documents folders then I’ll be back.” Using her crutch like her doctor showed her, she went into her house. She closed the door behind her and walk over to her hallway closet. She pulled her folder from a overhear shelf and checked inside to make sure everything was there. She felt someone behind her and she turned around, swinging her crutch. Ty caught it before it could hit his face. “What are you doing here?”
“My face is all over the news. Who’d you tell?”
“I didn’t tell anybody.”
“What is it with you lyin’ ass females?”
“I swear I didn’t. They found your fingerprints on her window. That’s what Gre-Detective Thompson told me. How you get in here? What do you want?”
“I told you I would be seein’ you soon. Come with me.”
“No Ty. You killed someone. How could you?”
“Once you get over the initial shock it’s not that hard. Now I’m only gonna ask you again. Come with me.” He said with a straight face.
“No.” Ty snatched the crutch completely out her hand and slapped her aside the head with it. The fall had dazed her. She could feel his hands on her throat, but she refused to be his second victim. She kneed him with her good leg and pulled herself away from him. He pulled a gun out his waistband, waving it in her face.
“No come quietly or I will shoot you.” Tammy forced the gun up and a shot went off. Pieces of the ceiling fell towards them.
“Tammy!” Greg and her mother rushed in. The uniformed cop right behind them, grabbing Esperanza. Ty turned the gun back on Tammy, who covered her face. Esperanza let out a scream, shoving the cop back and ran to Tammy. Greg pulled out his gun.
“Mrs. Morrison! NO!” Ty pulled the trigger, taking Esperanza down.
“MOM!” Greg fired at Ty, who ducked and scooped Tammy off the floor. He shoved the still hot gun to her head. “Let me go! You shot my mom. Let go!” She screamed.
“Don’t move Detective and don’t think about it.” Ty ordered causing the cop to stop reaching for his gun. “The bitch should have just came with me. I didn’t want to hurt anybody else just Sam.”
“She’s not a bitch and are you confessing to killing Samantha Jackson?”
“Oh my bad! Did’ja fuck this bitch already? She was a virgin when I had her.” Tammy felt like throwing up.
“Why you kill Samantha?”
“Another time. I’ll be back for you.” He kissed the side of her neck then flung her toward Greg. He caught her and they fell to the floor.
“Detective you alright?”
“Yes.”
“Shit he’s gone.” Tammy looked up and the cop was right. She pushed away from Greg and crawled over to her mom.
“Momma?” The cop was checking her.
“She’s gone ma’am.” Tammy placed her head on her mom’s lifeless body and silently cried. Greg called in back up.
“Tammy it’s all my fault. I’m sorry. I’ve should have done a perimeter check.” She lifted her head, pushing her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t blame you. I blame Ty. He did this.”
“Here.” The cop found a sheet and covered the body while Greg helped her up.
“He’s not going to stop. He threatened to come back for you.” Greg whispered. Tammy shuddered. He helped her to a chair and went outside. The EMTs arrived and loaded her mother’s body out the house. Tammy couldn’t help bursting into tears as they took the body out passed her. Greg came back in. “Tammy are you alright?”
“No.” she replied weakly.
“Your place is a crime scene. We have to leave immediately.”
“Fine. Take me to my cousin, Miguel Pena. He’s in San Diego as well. He’ll make sure I get to my mother’s house safely.
“Well for tonight. You’re coming home with me.”
“Can you do that? Isn’t there some rule?”
“Fuck the rules. This guy was seriously trying to kill you. He wouldn’t dare step on my property I would blow him away in a minute.” Tammy smiled.
“Thanks Greg.”
“Come on.” He led her out and to a waiting squad car. The car dropped them off at his house in a quiet neighborhood.
“You want us to sit?”
“No just ride by in forty-five minute intervals to be safe.”
“Yes Detective.” Tammy followed him up the stairs to the quiet house. The jingling of the keys was loud against the wind. The door open and they walked into the warm smell soul food. Tammy’s stomach grumbled, reminding that all she had the last ten days was hospital food.
“It smells so good.”
“That’s Mrs. Garcia’s cooking.”
“Ah senor Thompson. Caitlyn is asleep.” Tammy turned to see an older woman approached them.
“Thanks Mrs. Garcia.”
“Food is in the warmer. Goodnight.”
“Night.” She threw on her shawl and left.
“Caitlyn?”
“My four year old daughter.” He said.
“You don’t seem like the family type. Where’s her mother
?”
“Around. We’re divorced.”
“Oh sorry.”
“Don’t be. Eat. Calm your nerves and I’ll show you to a room. I’ll be back.” He disappeared down the hall and Tammy slowly ate a plate of the waiting food. Although she was hungry, she didn’t have an appetite. She had so many unshed tears for her mother that she was holding inside. The fact Ty tried to kill her scared her beyond repair. She continued to push the food around the plate. “Tammy?” She looked up. “You doing okay?”
“I think I’m ready for bed.” She said quietly. He gestured for her to follow him. She got up and followed him to a room at the end of the hall. “Thanks. Goodnight.” She went inside and closed the door behind her. Greg sighed and walked away from the door.
********************************
Greg laid awake in his bed. He couldn’t sleep and he felt bad that he could hear Tammy crying down the hall. She was trying her best to be quiet, but he could still hear her. He got out of bed and stopped at her door. He knocked softly on the door and went inside.
“Tammy?”
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” He came closer to the bed.
“It’s all my fault...my momma….she’s gone. I can’t do this anymore. It’s too much.” She cried. He climbed into bed to hug her.
“It okay Tammy. It’ll be okay.”
“No it won’t Greg.”
“Shh.” He held her, laying down. She kept on crying in his arms and he didn’t know what he could do to calm her down. He started to kiss her on the back of her neck along the spine. Her cries started to subside. He put his face close to her and nuzzled the side of her neck. “I’m really sorry.” He slipped into her body and moved slowly against her until her sobs turned into moans. Moving her arms around her body, he massaged her breast through the thin shirt. Inhaling her scent, he became intoxicated and intrigued by Tamela Morrison.
Chapter 14
Tammy sat quietly in the front of the church with her cousin, Miguel and his family. The service for Esperanza Anita Pilar Reyes Morrison was slow and quiet. Tammy wrapped it up with a beloved speech for her mother in Spanish. There she stood while members of the family and church stopped by to pay their condolences. The line moved quickly something she was thankful for. Miguel stood next to her, supporting her bad leg. She almost panicked when she saw Greg in line. She had nothing to say to him. Her mind jumped back to their last encounter. She was crying at his place and he climbed into bed with her to calm her down. Somehow they winded up sleeping together. He did help whether she wanted to admit it or not. He took her mind off things. When she woke in the middle of the night, she had Miguel come get her and she didn’t look back. Now he was here. Why?
“Tamela.”
“Hi Greg. Thanks for coming.”
“Had to. Wanted to make sure you were safe and Ty wasn’t on the premises.” She bit her bottom lip.
“I am. I’m with my cousin. Miguel this is Detective Thompson.”
“Hello. Thank you so much for what you have done.”
“It’s part of the job.” Miguel nodded and Greg moved on.
“That’s you detective boyfriend.” Miguel teased.
“Shut up Miguel.” She smiled and nodded at another person passing.
“Seriously and when are you gonna explain why I had to come get you in the dead of night from that man’s house?”
“None of your business.”
“Come. I’m sure Carmen has everything ready for the gathering.” He helped her to the car and drove to his house. Tammy looked out the window. Her mother would be cremated then shipped to her. When she got to the house, she hid in the kitchen with Carmen, who was finishing up the last dishes.
“Hey Tam. How are you holding up?”
“Better now that she’s been laid to rest.”
“Still that creep fucker ..killing Tia..I can’t imagine how you felt.”
“You need any help with something?”
“Those tortillas.” Tammy busied herself.
“So..about that detective?”
“What about him?”
“He seems nice.”
“He is. He’s been very good to me and been there when I needed.”
“Oh he has?”
“Oh my god not you too Carmen. Bad enough I get it from your husband. Besides don’t go there. He has a daughter and a wife.”
“Ex-wife.”
“What differences does it makes?” Tammy asked.
“Well the way Layana talks it wouldn’t be good to get involved with him. She makes herself stay in the picture.”
“You know her?”
“Yes. We went to the same Mommy and me classes.”
“Carmen don’t tell anybody but I’m not a virgin anymore and I’m not ready to deal with sexual relationships. Granted I’ve dated in the past, but I swore to myself that I would be married and give myself to my husband. Have children and didn’t have to worry about all the drama.”
“Ay dios mio. To who?” She sat down quickly. “The cop?” Tammy shook her head.
“To the pendejo that tried to kill me but this was before I knew he was crazy. It was an ‘it just happened’ moment. I regret doing it now it’s like he’s become obsessed. This man killed his last girlfriend.”
“You’re not talking about this guy?!” Carmen grabbed the paper behind her and opened it. Front page was an article about Sam’s murder with Ty’s picture.
“Oh my god. How long has he been in the papers?”
“Two weeks.” Tammy placed her head in her hands.
“Two weeks and they still haven’t caught him and he was able to kill two people. This doesn’t make me feel safe. What if he finds me here and you guys get hurt?”
“Tammy calm down. I’m sure he doesn’t know where we live and we have law enforcement doing ride by all day. Shh...we are familia and this is what we do.” Carmen said, reaching across the table to hold Tammy’s hand.
“Thanks. I think I’m going to lay down. I don’t feel good all of the sudden.”
“Alright.” Tammy grabbed her crutch and walked to her room. She closed the door and laid on the bed. She was glad to be alone. Her head was pounding. A few hours of sleep should make her feel better.
**********************************
There the bitch was. Standing there surrounded by two small girls and another female. Since going on the run, he was trying his hardest to track Tammy down. She was all he had left since his own family cut ties with him. She gave herself to him and she now belong to him. The voice in his head told him this on many occasions when he started to have doubts about the things he’s done. It was the voice who made him do things. It was this voice who didn’t show itself until Madison died, when he had his breakdown. He parked the car and hid in the bushes behind the bench they sat at. The little girls ran around with a small dog.
“Girls stay where I can see you.”
“Si mama.”
“Tammy what’s been eating at you? You’ve been like this for the past week.” Tammy toss her hair behind her. It grew out and it looked nice on her.
“It’s nothing.”
“Tamela.” She sighed.
“Fine. I went to my follow up for my leg.”
“Yeah..which I’m glad you did cause that whole leg cast was nasty. The boot looks nice.” Tammy made a face. “What? I’m telling the truth.” Tammy wiggled the boot.
“Yeah it gives me more freedom.”
“And..”
“Oh yeah..gave me a physical and found out I’m pregnant.”
“Really?!” She gasped. “Greg?” Tammy shook her head.
“Too far along for that.”
“Ty?!”
“Yes.” She lowered her head.
“Jesus Tammy.”
“Mama ayudame!” Carmen stood up.
“Be right back.” She ran across the field to her daughters while Tammy stayed behind on the bench. Quick! Grab her. Grab her
now! She’s pregnant with your baby. Now she has no choice. Ty pulled out his gun and emerged from the bushes. He nudged the back of her head with it.
“Get up and come quietly or I’ll shoot her along with the kids.”
Every Bitch Has A Secret Page 9