Chapter 1
She stopped quick as the cup tilted toward the edge of the table. With her memory in a hazy daze, her mind drifted to a place far away with the smell of fresh lavender and yellow window shades blowing in the wind. In the short distance of the kitchen to the breakfast nook, she heard the faint voice of her grandmother over a boiling pot, asking, “lil girl, you listenin’ to me?” Oh, how she desperately wished she could be that little girl sitting at the table swirling her Malt O’ Meal and running her hand against the solid oak table to feel the struggle and triumph her grandfather always talked about. It was that moment that brought her comfort and the next moment that brought her back to reality.
As Brian’s hand reached for the cup, she stretched her fingers to feel the warmth of a human touch. It was his touch, his voice, his body that gave her the strength to speak. She took a deep breath and looked Brian deep in his eyes. With lots of hesitation, she finally released the words she never thought she would have to speak.
“She’s dead.”
Those words were so powerful it took everything in Sasha to not sink to the floor in agony. Her heart pounded and her blood began to pump faster. She knew Brian was looking for answers but she couldn’t find them quick enough. As he slowly slipped his hand away, his face changed from concern to anger. His eyes grew smaller as he focused in on Sasha and his face turned flush. With all of his might, he pushed his chair back sending it across the floor landing against the wall behind him. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as he wondered how he ever trusted Sasha in the first place. He balled his fists and lunged at Sasha across the table. Her small, frail body collapsed on the hard cement floor taking a hard blow to the chest. A couple of patrons in the coffee shop raced to Sasha’s rescue without hesitation. They pinned Brian to the floor demanding that he remain there until his nerves were steady.
As Sasha returned to her feet feeling the full weight of the blow in her lungs, she ran out the front door and into the middle of the street searching for her next move. As her upper body slapped the top of a car that stopped to avoid hitting her, she weighed her options. If she took a right she could lose Brian in the busy suburban park filled with birthday parties, skateboarders and families. Or, she could turn left and head 2 blocks up to to Mimi’s cafe. Mimi’s was a quiet neighborhood establishment, familiar with all the locals. The only problem is that it was owned by her brother. And, if he knew the mess she was in, she would be as good as dead. Glancing back and seeing Brian stumble to his feet, she ran as fast as she could into the park with the Saturday crowds. She passed a fifth birthday party full of balloons to hide behind a group of skateboarders taking a break. She easily slipped behind them taking a shortcut onto Eclipse Ave. Just one more block and she would be free of Brian’s view. If only she could explain the who, what, when, where and why, he would understand. He would know that it was never her intention to get caught or allow Tiana to be brutally murdered in front of her.
Sasha continued down Eclipse Ave. as fast as she could toward the brick building at the end of the second block. As she reached the top of the stoop, she banged the door with all the adrenaline left from her wild goose chase with Brian. Luckily it was still early enough on a Saturday afternoon to catch her friend Jay lounging on the couch smoking a bong and watching cartoons. Jay opened the door in sweats and a t-shirt, along with a bowl of cereal in hand. He didn’t think twice about seeing Sasha at the door and with his head so high in the clouds he hardly noticed her sweating and panting in horror. She pushed through the doorway and slammed the door shut. With a big gasp for breath she fell against the door and slid down. With her head in her hands and knees pulled tight to her chest, all she could do was scream in agony.
In a panic, Jay dropped to the floor placing his bowl at his side, he grabbed Sasha as if he were wrapping her in a blanket of comfort and ease. And for the next five minutes they sat on the floor exchanging eye contact, waiting for each other to say something, anything.
Sasha caught her breath and stumbled to her feet. Although she was still numb inside, she felt a sense of calm come over her. She made her way across the room, stopping just before the dining area. She turned to Jay and yet again, spoke those same dreadful words.
“She’s dead.”
In terror, Jay replied, “Wait...NO...NO, NO, NO, NO. That was not part of the plan Sasha! You told us they couldn’t trace anything back to us. For Christ’s sake, this is your step father were talking about!”
“I don’t understand either.” She said as she wiped the tears racing down her cheek. Her mind moving at a million miles per second.
“Where is she? There has to be...”
“Listen. Tiana was caught and they killed her right in front of me. That means they’re coming after me next and I suggest you hide out for a while until things settle down.”
“What are you saying? They know I’m involved? There is no way they could have known I played a part in this. All I did was drop off a stupid package for you!”
“Sasha, what was in that package?”
Silence
“Sasha! What the fuck was in that package?”
“The more you know, the worse things will be. Please Jay, no more questions. I just really need a friend right now. Someone I can trust with a place to lay low. I’m begging you. Please let me use your basement. I promise this will be the last thing I ever ask of you.”
“Please.”
Without hesitation, Jay agreed and led her down the hall and through the kitchen. Before saying his last goodbye, he kissed Sasha on the forehead and shut the door behind her. Sasha was always his best friend who would help him get out of any trouble he stumbled upon. And now that the tables have turned, he refused to turn his back on her. So, he took her advise and packed a bag. Within an hour, he was gone.
In the basement, Sasha was hard at work on the computer Jay built from scratch. Just the same as Brian, she couldn’t handle the pressure of knowing a secret and not having the strength to keep it. So, she tapped away at the keyboard, and continued her search for answers and began brainstorming findings.
1. Threat letter demanding a total of $20,000 or Michael will be “exposed” and destroyed
·Bribed - didn’t follow through
·Extortion
·Pregnant hooker/dead hooker
2. Scarf lady at lunch with file???
·Love affair documented – PI?
·Farmington money statements
·Death file of dead hooker
·Agreement to pay for services received
·You got served! Why?
Sasha was well-aware of Michael’s “need for love” and she gagged at the thought of his old ass trying to climb on top of anyone...which brought the taste of bile in her throat as she thought of her mother and this man she married. Michael was no show stopper and if it wasn’t for money, mom would have been long gone! Hell, if it wasn’t for money, Sasha would have disappeared without a trace before meeting the jerk. The only reason she returned is to care for her mother. She was the only family Sasha had left and that was fading away because of her mother’s health. Without a new kidney, Grace could only survive a couple of months.
And then it hit her. How in the hell did that kidney find her mother? Based on the doctor’s initial gut feeling, Grace would be out of time before they could find a kidney. And then, another thought came to her. While visiting her mother in the hospital, it was always a strange interaction between Michael and the doctor.
“Hey Mama, how you feelin’?”
“Hi Sweetheart. You know, I’m hangin’ in there, doin’ what us old folks do best!”
“Excuse me Mrs. Crawford, oh, hello Sasha!” Opening his binder of notes, the doctor continued, “I have some paperwork that...”
“What did I miss?”
“Michael! Just the man I was looking for! I have some paperwork...”
“Dr. Jenson, do you mind if we take this in the hall. No reason to stress out these lovely ladies anymore than need be.”
“Absolutely, follow me!”
With a look of confusion, Sasha and Grace stared at each other for a moment. Then, after the conversation completely drained out of the room, they broke out in laughter.
Sasha also remembered the following week after the surgery when again, Dr. Jenson had more paperwork he needed to discuss. This time, Sasha offered her help and was immediately denied!
“No Sasha! You stay with your Mama and I’ll take care of this. It might even require my credit card, right Dr. Jenson?”
He let out a roar of nervous laughter that you could see as his belly rippled. But at the time, no one thought twice about the encounter. But, this was hardly enough to link everything together.
Then, as Sasha reached for her brainstorming notepad, she noticed a newspaper beneath her chicken scratch. The headline read "Two dead and entrails missing." The story was about a couple of people within 100 miles of each other missing their organs. The police suspect a serial killer because of the similarities in the deaths and the area of impact located on the skull. In disbelief, Sasha grabbed everything and headed to the police station.
