Pastor James started to cry as he continued.
"I love my baby to death and I'll do anything to protect her, ANYTHING MARY!"
Mary looked backed up with an ever more angrier expression and calmly said, "James wheres my baby?"
James started praying out loud while steady over hearing his wife ask him about Ziah's where about. Mary asked again and again.
"JAMES WHERES MY CHILD, YOU DIRTY SON OF A BITCH?"
James instantly dropped the gun and walked towards their garage. Officer Malone led the three following him. He opened their abandoned car trunk and immediately Ziah jumped out.
She instantly ran to her mother and brother arms crying. Officer Malone put handcuffs on Pastor James right then and there. Ziah couldn't look her father in his eyes for nothing. She then blurted out before Officer Malone put him in the police car....
"I hate you ...I HATE YOU.... YOU MURDERER!"
Chapter 10 THE FINALE
"BOOM BOOM BOOM ORDER IN THE COURT ...BOOM BOOM BOOM... ORDER IN THE COURT!"
Two months later and the court room was live. Family members of Christine and her brother were furious. They felt like it was pointless of why they were murdered. Church members of Pastor Jame's were also there, along with the community. John and Mary stood alone on the other side of the courtroom.
Even though Ziah was also the victim, Christine family looked at them in rage. Ten minutes later, the defense attorney called Ziah in to take the stand.
She walked to the stand face full of tears and hollering. She was so scared to look in the eyes of her father, in that orange suit shackled down in hand cuffs. The church family alone with close relatives were also shocked by Pastor James actions.
The defense attorney started by asking, "Ziah what happened and where did you go the day allegedly when your father put you out?"
Ziah couldn't control the tears, she paused for a second and finally answered after the judge told her to calm down and take her time.
"Me and my father got into an argument about my future. He then slapped me after I snapped out and curse him. He then told me to get out, so I stormed out and ran to my friend Christine and her brother home."
Ziah started to cry again. The fact that her friends were murdered by her father made her heart so heavy.
The defense attorney continued. "So why you didn't mention your father killing your friends that night you called 911 ? I mean your exact response when you called was, (ma’am help me im in a basement, no wait a minute im in a trunk)"
Ziah heart dropped again. "Sir I was in total shock at the time, that I didn’t even think about them being murdered. Later that night I had Christine brother to call my dad's phone to teach him a lesson. I made it seem as if I were kidnapped and had been raped. We watch them on the news that night looking for me. He came in the middle of the night and all I heard was screams and gunshots. Next thing I knew, was a masked man grabbed me and threw me in the trunk. I later found out that it was my father because before we made it into our garage, he took the mask off and said it was for my own good, to stay in the trunk and that I didn't have to worry about my devil friends anymore because he sent them to hell."
It seemed as if the whole courtroom was shook up. John was still holding his mother Mary; she couldn't believe that her husband would do such a thing.
The defense attorney continued but before he did Pastor James stood up and announced. "Your Honor, I am a man of God and I believe in doing whatever it takes to protect my blood from evil. I take full responsibility of the murders of Christine and her brother. Yeah I did it, it’s no longer needed to proceed with this case."
The courtroom got rowdy again and police had to calm the families of the victims down. They immediately escorted Pastor James out after the judge announced him with life without parole.
Three weeks later and the families on both sides are still in shock. Ziah alone with her family moved from Mississippi to Florida to avoid confrontation of Christine's family.
Mary was still receiving continuous counseling, John was still pursuing being a pastor and prays for his family on a daily.
Ziah, well... she died of a heart attack from depression of thinking about what her father had done.
The story of this family was sad and it all could have been prevented if her father would have just understood her.
**THE END**
Book Five
Too Far Gone
Chpt-1
"Baaaby wake up....baby please, wake up...Nina...NINA?!" Cried out Malik as he rushed to the crime scene when he heard his house was on fire.
He broke through the detectives and rushed the body bag held the burned body that was carried out by the paramedics and the ambulance.
Refusing to let the crime scene detectives zip the body bag back up, the streets of south side Arizona was filled around Malik and Nina home.
Family members of Nina also cried out. Screams from everywhere closed in on the scene. News reporters already reported that the burned ash body was of Nina Franklin.
"WNLC breaking news! A tragic discovery here on St Ann Ave. seems to be a murder followed by a burned home and body confirmed to be of Nina Franklin."
Nina’s mom, Dorothy, was laid out in front of the yard yelling at Malik claiming it was his fault. Hell all Malik and Nina did was fight.
"My baby Lord knows my baby. You killed my baby... you killed my baby!"
Dorothy tried hard to break through Nina’s older sister Larissa arms to attempt to rush Malik! “Let me go...LET ME GO LARISSA!"
She quickly broke down again frim fatigued.
Policemen finally obtained Malik from the dead body and held him away from the flammable home. Nina was six months pregnant.
One week later....
"Let’s not mourn over Ms. Nina’s death. Instead, let's celebrate! God has called another angel home.”
Malik sat on different sides of the church knowing Nina's mom and family would try to spazz out on him. Family members along with Malik cried out tears like never before.
The body was cremated as it sat in the front, with a beautiful picture of her and their unborn name.
All of a sudden, Dorothy got up and rushed over to Malik at the funeral. Other friends and family grabbed her.
Malik instantly got up and yelled. "I didn't kill your daughter. I DIDN'T KILL YOUR DAUGHTER!"
Malik then rushed to cremated casket, kissed it, and rushed out the church crying in disbelief.
Chpt-2
"Hell I wouldn't dare kill my baby!"
Screamed Malik as he drove off from the funeral in tears. Leaving his mother and brother at the funeral and not even realizing it.
Slamming his hands on the steering wheel, as he drove down the interstate in devastation. He then decided to take an exit to go the liquor store.
Parked in front of the liquor store, he put his head on the steering wheel crying out loud. The overwhelming murder and death was sitting in on him. From police visits, to interviews with homicide detectives, there were still no leads to Nina's murder case.
Malik finally got out the car and walked in the liquor store. Mr. Sonny l, which was the owner of it, knew something was wrong because Malik usually didn't come to right before he closed at night.
"What's wrong son? You a little early today ain't it? They ran out of alcohol at the reception or something?"
Mr. Sonny assumed by Malik's suit that he had just left a wedding. Malik looked at Mr. Sonny with a mean look but kept his cool.
"No sir I just left my wife funeral."
Malik looked back down at his wallet, tears blocking his vision from seeing what bills he were pulling out.
"Aw son, noooo! I'm sorry to hear that man. What happen to her?"
Malik paused for a second shaking his head but finally responded. "A long story... I really just want a fifth of Jack Daniel and to be on my way sir."
Destination of nowhere, Malik grabbed the bottle that Mr. Sonny gave on the house and walked ou
t the store.
Malik got in his car, popped the bottle, and took a big gulp.
Driving down the interstate, he started to remember the night of Nina's death. The arguing and fighting over the phone three hours before he got the call. He was over his friend Ted house, playing poker and drinking as usually do on Saturday nights.
Going in deep thought. "Man why I had to argue with my baby man? All she wanted me to do was to come home....damn.....why I couldn't just go home?"
Malik filled with rage decided to pull over to a rest stop. He grabbed his gun out his gloved department, cocked it, and put it in his mouth.
Chpt-3
Malik closed his eyes while still holding the gun. He instantly started to pray out loud while the gun was in his mouth.
"Lord forgive me for what I'm about to do...Lord...Lord...LORRRRD!" Screaming to the top of his lungs.
Immediately, his train of thought change from feeling his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at his phone and could see his momma calling. He quickly picked it up crying.
"Momma...momma...she gone momma..she gone"
Malik's mother quickly tried to calm him down. "Baby come home. We gone get through this baby. Baby where are you? Come home!"
Malik mom and brother caught a ride home from one of the ushers.
"Momma what I'm gone do? MOMMA WHAT IM GONE DO? They killed my baby and sot our fucking house on fire. Ima kill that motherfucker if I find out!"
Malik instantly hung up the phone and thought process quickly shifted. From wanting to kill himself, to now finding and killing who killed Nina.
Malik drove down the interstate fast and thought about Nina's best friend Shelby. The only thing he could think of, was Nina affair with Derrick two years prior, when the two separated.
See Malik knew something by the way Shelby starred at him funny at the funeral. Emotions were so high, that he didn't think nothing of it at the time.
Malik took the exit to Landry Lane; Shelby's apartment exit. He drove in front of her apartment and could see that Shelby's car wasn't around. He looked at his watch.
"Now I know her ass ain't still at the funeral, hell it’s been over with."
Malik then decided to back in another complex section and just keep an eye out for her.
Two hours later...
The night was setting, Malik was drunk, and noticed Shelby pulling up. He waited to make sure and could see somebody else with her. Shocking to his blurry intoxicated vision, it was Nina wearing a hoodie.
Chpt-4
Malik cleared his eyes once again, just to make sure he was seeing what he was seeing.
"Nina?" Saying to himself.
He jumped out his car and ran towards Shelby, as the two got out the car. Running with the Jack Daniel bottle in his hands, he screamed Shelby and Nina's name.
"NINA....SHELBY...NINA... SHELBY!"
Shelby looked around and could see Malik running towards them.
"What's wrong Malik?"
Instead of Malik answering, he focused on trying to see who was under the hoodie. He grabbed the lady shoulder and could see that it was not Nina.
"What's wrong with him?" asked Shelby's cousin Marie.
Malik eyes got even bigger ad he broke down, wishing that it was Nina.
"Malik its gone be alright baby I promise." said Shelby.
Shelby insisted on convincing Malik to come in her house, to avoid him being in public crying. The three walked in the house as Malik sat the kitchen table drunk and confused. Shelby and Marie stood over him trying to calm him down.
"Malik I miss my best friend just as much as you miss her. But we got to be strong for her and find justice."
Malik finally raised his head up, as he took another sip out his bottle. He started laughing with frustration.
"Justice?....Man them bitches ain't go find who killed my baby man...all they want is another nigga off the street anyway. Please tell me if Nina was cheating on me Shelby, please tell me!"
Shelby looked in disbelief.
"Nina would never cheat on you boy. And if you talking about that lame Derrick, you already know why she was doing that, just to make you jealous."
Malik stood up as he heard Derrick's name.
"Derrick? Well how you know about him? Shiiiid....he must of meant some to her if she told you about him?"
Shelby shook her head. "Hell nall Malik, she told me you knew a long time ago when y'all separated back here, come on now."
Malik took another sip out his bottle again and responded calmly.
"Derrick huh? Oh he finna get dealt with."
Malik quickly rushed out Shelby's apartment but before he could get out Marie blurted out. "Derrick didn't do it!"
Chpt-5
Malik rushed out the house but quickly turned around when heard Marie yelled out.
"Derrick didn't do it!"
Malik stood in the doorway, at a loss for words, as he turned his attention to Shelby and back on Marie.
"What the hell you just say?"
Marie could see Shelby body gesturing her not to say anything else. She quickly backed off from the doorway, realizing she had said too much. See the thing was that Derrick was Marie cousin and she was only trying to protect him.
"What the fuck you just say girl?"
Shelby stood in between the two trying to calm Malik down as he demanded an answer.
"Calm down Malik, Derrick's her cousin!"
Malik instantly snapped. "Cousin or no mafukin cousin...how the hell she just gon say that nigga didn't do it? Hell Nina wasn't known for being in no bullshit with anybody else but that nigga when we were separated!"
Marie were almost at a hundred feet away across the room scared for her life.
"Derrick didn't do it...hell he been stop talking to Nina crazy ass anyway. He wouldn't dare do no shit like that!"
"Bitch!"
Attempting to rush through Shelby, Marie ran in the bathroom with the phone the threatening to call the police of he didn't leave.
Shelby continued to hold him as Marie hid in the bathroom.
"Malik just leave...please just leave okay...let the detectives deal with it. Like I said before Nina was my best friend and I know damn well Derrick wouldn't do no shit like that."
Malik snatched away from Shelby. "You need to check that bitch!"
"Malik please just leave...!"
"So now you taking up for the nigga now? Huh?"
"Hell nall Malik come on now...we just need to keep calm about this, take a breath, and find who really did this?"
Suddenly....Boom Boom Boom
"Who is it?"
"Open the door bae this Derrick!"
Chpt-6
Shelby eyes got big as she heard the knock, followed by Derrick's voice.
Malik had a confused expression on his face, of hearing him call Shelby bae. Malik gritted his teeth, as he watched Shelby panic. Marie still stood in the bathroom door, peeping like she knew something was about to go down.
Boom Boom Boom...
"Shelby open the damn door bae , damn!"
Shelby whispered to Malik in impatience. "Please leave out the back door Malik..please!"
Malik shook his head in disbelief but just smiled, as if Shelby wasn’t hitting on shit to him.
"Bitch you fucking that nigga now?"
Malik quickly pulled his gun out and aimed it to Shelby's head...
"Open that got damn door...RIGHT FUCKING NOW! Somebody about to tell me something"
Derrick could hear the two arguing so he pulled his gun out also.
Shelby stood there crying and scared for her life. She then opened the door and Malik immediately pushed her on the floor.
The two stood in front of each other, pointing guns at each other.
"So this the nigga who use to fuck my girl huh? Now you fucking her supposed to be fake as friend?"
Derrick started laughing and replied, "So you must be Nina's nigga. Its finally nice to meet you. And nall...me and ya
girl use to just cool it mane, it wasn't like that bruh."
Malik could see Derrick started laughing sarcastically and..
**BOOM**
Twenty minutes later....
"Hello this Rachel Hernandez with WNL NEWS...BREAKING NEWS..."We have just discovered a fatality shooting in Landry Lane apartments. Allegedly, 28-year old Malik Tyson has shot and killed 33-year old Derrick Freison. Malik Tyson is on the loose and is armed and dangerous. He was last seen wearing a black and white suit, driving a maroon Chevy Caprice! If you have any information.
Royalty K.I.N.G McCall's Book of Epic Tales Page 8