“Pop, you always taught us there could be no redemption for a thief,” Nick replied.
“Nicky is right, Pop, I still remember the beating I got for just sifting through yours and mom’s jewels at home,” Marcus barked harshly.
“Well go ahead boy, deal with him,” Robert ordered Marcus.
Marcus laughed as he turned and punched Charlie in the stomach, “Do you want some brother?”
Nick threw some punches into Charlie’s face and as Charlie fell to the floor, Nick and Marcus kicked him and punched him some more.
Robert turned to the woman standing there clad in black leather. “I want you and Clyde to take Charlie to the warehouse; I and the boys will join you shortly.”
Clyde and the leather-clad woman escorted Charlie out of the room as the others laughed.
“Call Joey and tell him to come to the warehouse.”
Justina’s body froze in fear. She realized she had just witnessed the side of Nick she had been warned was there. As she shoved the black circular object into her purse, she decided she had better go. She had just settled back into her seat, sipping on her beer when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She trembled.
“I’m sorry, babe; I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Justina looked into Nick’s eyes and hoped she could hide her fear. “I just thought you had abandoned me.” Justina forced a smile out as Nick sat down next to her, “Is everything all right Nick?”
“Yes, Justina everything is fine, but I’m tired and ready to go. I promise to make it up to you,” Nick gulped down a drink.
Justina took his hand and the two of them walked out of the cafe and stepped into the limo.
Nick remained silent on the way to Justina’s penthouse. “Wait for me here; I won’t be long,” Nick ordered the driver.
As they made their way to Justina’s private elevator, Justina saw a man standing in a shadowy area of the garage and she felt the panic rush through her, but remained silent.
“I have to take care of some business,” Nick said as they entered the elevator.
“I understand, but this is getting to be annoying.” Justina was surprised those words had just slipped out of her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was to begin an argument between them.
“Justina, I find you to be annoying right now. I told you, I have to go.”
“I’m not stopping you, but I’m just letting you know I’m beginning to get bored with the way you pop in and out, and how I have to change my schedule for you.”
“It might be a while before I see you again. I suggest you take that time to think about your future, and what’s best for it. I also suggest you don’t try to pin me in a corner.”
“Oh, as you have done to me,” she retorted as they stepped off the elevator into her penthouse foyer.
“Justina, I will call you when I find the time.”
Nick reached out to kiss Justina, but she backed away and huffed, “No,” she said as she opened the door separating her foyer from the front room of her penthouse.
“I’m leaving now before you say something that we’ll both regret later,” he commented as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button.
“I’m not going to be here waiting for you anymore Nick. I’m so over it,” Justina answered with agitation.
Nick stared at her with a bit of surprise but did not have time to respond before the doors closed. Justina could not believe she had been so bold with him and she wondered if that was such a good idea after what she had seen at the restaurant, but she did feel a little proud. She felt herself shiver as she thought about that man, Charlie. She wondered what they were going to do to him for stealing from the cafe. She also wondered what the object was that Charlie had given her.
She walked into her penthouse and sat down on her sofa, pulled out the object, and looked at it. She examined it closely and continued pushing on it until she heard a click. When the object opened, it revealed a tiny camera!
Justina wondered what was on the camera and why it was so important to Charlie to get it to the FBI. She played the scene again in her head and she felt her whole body tremble as she recalled his words, “Get out. You’re in danger. Take this to the FBI and give this to Fred Cummings.”
Taking deep breaths, she stood and walked over to her desk and sat down and copied the camera’s contents into a file on her computer. She closed the camera back up into its original position and put it back into her purse. She did not want anyone getting their hands on this. She turned back to her computer and looked at the pictures she just copied and was shocked at what she saw.
***
After the festivities of the day had been over, Matthew decided to visit the lodge’s club in hopes to lighten his mood after his argument with his brother, Michael. When he ran into Linda Jones, he did indeed find himself in a lighter mood and he turned his charm on. Soon they were at her home and entangled in each other’s arms.
Matthew awoke around midnight and looked over at the beautiful, naked brunette lying next to him and he smiled to himself. He had a way of charming women and used that charm to swoon them into bed. He had used his charm to its fullest and enjoyed the benefits.
On the way home, Justina popped into his mind. He blinked in hopes to erase her from his memory, but it was not working. He just did not understand it. Something was different about her. She was not falling for his charm as the others had, and that posed a challenge for him. He wanted to see her, and he usually got what he wanted. He was not giving up on her just yet for more reasons than just one.
The Lawton and Kingston families celebrated Easter in their usual custom. This year, the private family day was spent at the Kingston’s home. They shared breakfast and then afterwards, everyone gathered in the family room where the host of the day, which would be George this year, read the Easter story from the Holy Bible. They soon had the egg hunt in which James found the $50.00 egg and celebrated with his parents.
Matthew went through the day experiencing a booming headache from his wild romp the previous night with Linda. The aspirin he took eventually took effect and he had eventually survived the day. He tucked Katie into bed and together, they prayed their bedtime prayer. He could not imagine his life without her.
“Thank you God for allowing me to have this special little girl,” Matthew whispered his own prayer to God and somehow knew that in his mercy, God was listening even to him.
***
Sunday was a bad day for Justina. She stayed in her penthouse, afraid to go anywhere. She kept hearing strange noises in the penthouse and she jumped at every little noise, her imagination was running rampant. She tried working on some papers she brought from work, but she just could not concentrate. Charlie kept crossing her mind and she wondered what Nick and Marcus had done to him. Justina knew there would be no way she could find out without causing herself the trouble.
She looked over at her computer and thought of those dreadful pictures she saw last night. Why would anyone take pictures of dead people? She asked herself as she walked over, clicked the pictures back up, and looked at them again.
There were pictures of several dead people with the same type of wounds. The most dreadful pictures that haunted Justina were the ones of the family being tormented before being killed.
Justina felt her body tremble as tears fell down her face. What happened to the baby? Justina wondered. Did they kill the baby? Was the baby in the car with its parents or taken out of the car with the boy? Justina felt sadness for this family and hostility for Nick and his family. They were responsible for these people’s deaths and Justina feared Nick was even crueler than she or her friends even realized.
Charlie asked her to turn this over to Fred Cummings. Justina knew it would mean certain trouble for Nick, but she had to do the right thing. What happened to these people were beyond criminal. Justina took another deep breath, “How did I find myself here? What do I do now?” Justina k
new one thing for sure. It was going to be another sleepless night.
***
Jim spent the first hour of Monday morning filling Reynolds Johnson in on the things he had learned about his family’s involvement with the Cabara family. “I promise you, we can help you and your family, but you must tell us the truth about the night Elizabeth Carr died.”
“I didn’t kill her, but I was there when she died. I know who killed her and I have pictures and recordings to prove I’m telling you the truth,” Reynolds finally broke down and spilled it.
“Where is the proof?” Matthew asked.
“They’re in my sister’s basement. There were other witnesses there and one of them still works for the old man, Reynolds shifted in his chair nervously. “I won’t say another word until you move my sister to safety.”
“After we have the recordings and pictures in our possession, we will help you and your sister as we have promised you,” Roger replied.
Reynolds hesitantly agreed and wrote something on a piece of paper. Matthew motioned for the guards to enter the room. As Reynolds was escorted out of the small room, he nervously glanced over at Jim.
“I told you to trust me. I promise everything will be fine,” Jim reassured Reynolds.
After Reynolds had left the room, Jim picked up his cell and made a call to Fred Cummings.
“I have a job for you and I need for you to do it as quickly as possible.”
***
Filming the first commercial at Caroline’s clothing shop was huge success. All the women were astonished when Jim presented Caroline with roses, champagne, and a card, particularly Caroline who gave her husband a kiss and an adoring smile. Jim glanced over at Roger and Matthew, flashing his big goofy smile at them. They playfully rolled their eyes.
Justina was about to leave when she bumped into Matthew.
“Hi,” Matthew spoke softly.
“Hello, Matthew.”
They stared at each other.
“It’s good to see you again,” he whispered.
“You too, it looks like your sister is very happy today.”
“You had something to do with that I think,” Matthew scrunched his lips.
“This was Joyce’s project and as always, it was a good job,” Justina bit her lip nervously.
Silence fell between the two as they stared at each other; Matthew sensed something was bothering her. He reached out and touched her on her shoulder. “You seem distracted almost worried, are you all right?”
Justina put forth her best smile, “Yes, but thank you for asking,” She whispered. “It was good to see you again, Matthew.” Justina rushed out without giving him time to respond.
Justina and Matthew spent the rest of the week thinking of each other. They both had picked up the phone to call the other, but would immediately change their minds with excuses of why the call would be a bad idea. The days were long for each of them and the nights restless; even the nights Matthew spent with Linda and Jennifer could not take Justina off his mind.
Justina spent her nights in bed feeling worried and lonely. She would fall asleep in the late night wondering if things would ever change for her.
On Thursday morning, when Justina stepped into her office, her secretary informed her that Warden Bennett from the state prison had requested she return his call.
What has that monster done now? Justina thought of Reynolds immediately and frowned. As she picked up the phone, Christopher popped his head in and she waved at him as he entered. Once patched through to Warden Bennett, she put the telephone on speaker. “I need to inform you that inmate Reynolds Johnson was killed last evening,” Warden Bennett, informed Justina and Christopher. Justina felt no sorrow as the warden continued, “He was beaten, stabbed, and then set on fire while in his cell.”
“Are you sure that it was him?” Christopher asked as Roger and Joyce walked into the office.
“Yes, I assigned him to protective custody. I over-saw the move personally.”
“Warden Bennett, this is Roger Lawton; have you identified the body?”
“The body was severely burnt so an autopsy is being conducted for official identification,” Warden Bennett answered.
“Please contact us when you have the identification verified,” Christopher stated as he gave Justina a wry look and then spoke again, “I don’t understand how anyone could have gotten to him.”
“The officer assigned to that block last night has been suspended, pending an investigation,” Warden Bennett said.
“Thank you, Warden, goodbye.”
Justina looked up at her friends. “Do you think I’m going to be accused of being involved?”
“Why would you be questioned?” Roger asked.
“Nick.”
“Oh, because Reynolds was employed by the Cabaras and you’re dating Nick,” Roger deduced. He shook his head. “No, I don’t think they will suspect you of anything. You will be questioned, but it will be routine questions,” Roger sympathetically stepped over to Justina. He patted her hand gently. “Now don’t worry Jus, it will be alright; trust me.”
Joyce smiled as she watched her husband try to console her friend.
“Why don’t you come over to Caroline’s and Jim’s with us tonight? I don’t think you need to be alone,” Roger suggested.
Joyce nodded, “Yes, Jus, come with us.”
Justina assured her friends, “I’ll be fine, but thanks for your concern.”
Joyce and Roger said their goodbyes and left Christopher with Justina.
“Are you going to be all right, Justina? I know you’re still having a bad time without Elizabeth and I’m not much of a consoler, for that I’m sorry.”
“I’m just fine and you’re great at consoling me when I need it.”
“I love you kiddo; you’re like a little sister to me and I’m always here for you.”
Justina hugged Christopher and cried in his arms for a while. He took a tissue and wiped her eyes. “I’m going to take the rest of the day off and go spend it with my wife and kids. Why don’t you come along with me, they’d love to see you.”
Justina kissed him sweetly on the cheek, “I’m all right, but you go to your family.”
He picked up his jacket and as he walked out, he gave her a wink. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
Justina drove to the orphanage and spent a few hours there. She and the manager, Sally, worked until midnight on some paperwork that needed attending. Justina drove home and when she got into bed, she found sleep came easy that night.
Chapter Twenty-One
The following morning, Justina received a phone call from the police department, requesting she come in to answer some questions for them. She agreed and promised to be there within an hour. Detectives Zelker and Kelly greeted her and then escorted her to a small interrogation room. Justina took a seat at the end of the table while the two detectives sat across from her. The stares from the two detectives made Justina nervous.
“Miss Lindsey, let me begin by thanking you for coming down today,” Detective Zellers said.
“Do you have a problem with being recorded today?” Detective Kelly asked Justina as he pulled out a recording device and turned it on to record.
“No,” Justina answered nervously, wishing she had called Roger before coming here.
“Miss Lindsey, did you have a good relationship with your Aunt Elizabeth?” Kelly asked.
“Yes, she was the mother to me that my real mother never was.”
“I imagine you were upset when she died,” Zelker commented.
“She was robbed, raped, and murdered; you’re right, I was upset.”
“Did you want revenge for her death?” Zelker blurted out.
She closed her eyes and recalled hearing the horrible news. Elizabeth is dead Justina. She was raped, robbed, and murdered. Those words were as heavy on her heart today as they were almost a year ago and she felt the tears flowing.
> “I want the person responsible, to pay for his crime, but I wouldn’t call it a desire for revenge.”
“Did you ever tell your lover, Nick Cabara, you wanted Elizabeth’s killer to pay?” Kelly questioned.
Justina looked suspiciously at the detectives as they were asking the questions.
“Lovers say all kinds of things to each other after sex; it’s called pillow talk. Did you and Nick engage in pillow talk about wishing Reynolds would die?” Zelker threw the question at Justina with an accusing look.
Justina realized she was being accused of having something to do with the death of Reynolds and her head ached at the thought.
“I did not talk to Nick about any such thing.”
“Did you ask Nick to hasten Johnson’s death and to burn his sister and her two small children to death while sleeping in their home?” Kelly asked.
Justina shook her head wildly and protested, “No, god no I did not do that.” Justina felt tears falling down her face as she was told Reynolds Johnson’s sister and her two children were killed in a house fire the previous night. “Oh my god, I did not even know his sister and her children. I’d only seen her in the courtroom during his trial,” Justina wrung her hands nervously. “I had no malice toward her.”
The two detectives paused briefly to allow Justina to pull herself together.
“Miss Lindsey, did you hire someone to kill Reynolds Johnson?” Kelly finally asked the question outright.
Justina shook her head, “No, I did not.”
“Did you hire someone to burn his sister’s home down with her and her children in it?” Zelker posed the question with accusation.
Justina shook her head again more strongly, “Absolutely not.” She realized she was in trouble and needed help. These questions were not routine. Her head spun with all the questions thrown at her and she felt as though she was going to pass out. “I need some air and I won’t answer any more questions without an attorney present.”
The detectives stood and gathered their papers together and as they were leaving, Detective Zelker asked, “Do you want to use a phone or do you have a cell phone?”
“I have a cell phone, thank you,” Justina said as she began walking out of the room.
Detective Kelly blocked the exit. “Where do you think you’re going?”