“Look, Tony’s brother Mario wanted me dead because he thought I took some money from him.”

  “Okay, now we’re getting somewhere,” Pratt said.

  “Yeah, he had me count some money one night along with another man, Dino, I believe his name was. Well, anyway, Dino took the money from me at gunpoint and ran away, and when Mario caught up with Dino, Dino said that I still had some of the money, which was simply not true.”

  Pratt removed a picture of Dino and showed it to Ava. “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “DeAngelo Walker,” Pratt said. “Did you know he’s dead?”

  Ava said, “Yeah, I’d heard.”

  Pratt said, “I need you to tell me why Mario wanted you dead. I need you to tell me the truth.”

  “I just told you, he thinks I took some money from him.”

  Pratt opened his briefcase and produced a yellow legal pad and asked Ava to tell him everything she knew about Mario. He wanted to know the cars she’d seen him in, the money she’d counted, and if she had seen him with drugs. Plus, he wanted to know if she had ever trafficked drugs for him.

  “I’m not in the drug business,” she said.

  “But you hang around drug dealers.”

  “Look, I’ve been shopping with this man.”

  “And you got money from the millionaire. Damn, you live quite a life,” Donnelley said.

  Ava said, “Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”

  Pratt said, “Well, you won’t mind helping us bring Mario down.”

  “Hey, I’m not snitching so I can get killed.” “He’s already trying to kill you.”

  Ava put her elbows on the table and leaned forward but avoided the cops’ eyes. “I don’t know about this.”

  “Look, those two men that killed Edwards are going to sing like Beyonce.”

  “So what do you need me for?”

  “We might not need you, but just in case,” Pratt said. “Just in case what?”

  “Just in case Mario wants to go to trial, we’re going to need all the witnesses we can get to bring him down.”

  “Listen, I’ll have to talk with my father about this and my lawyer.”

  “Okay, fine,” Pratt said. He stood, and so did Donnelley and Hernandez. He crammed the yellow legal pad back in his briefcase and said, “Oh, yeah, where is the money?”

  “I don’t have no money.”

  “Sure you don’t,” Pratt said. The three cops left the room. The deputy escorted Ava back to her cell.

  #

  Back to top.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  Later that evening, they released her, and when Ava arrived home, her father hugged her and then said, “We gotta get outta here.”

  Ava said, “I know.”

  Treasure Hunter”What happened? How did they know you were telling the truth?”

  Ava looked her father in the eyes and said, “Well, I don’t know, you know the police never tell you these things,” Ava said, pacing, and then she said, “but I will tell you that one of Jack’s friends had spoken to him before he was murdered, and I had long gone by then.”

  “Who do they think did it?”

  She stopped pacing. “They have a couple of Mario’s goons in custody.”

  David brandished a shiny, stainless-steel, Taurus 9 millimeter. “Well, I got this while you were in jail. I bought it off the street.”

  She stared at him and said, “You told me I needed to get my gun legally.”

  “But that’s your gun. I need one now, and getting it off the street is the only way I can get one.”

  “Dad, we have a gun already.”

  “No, you have a gun, now I have me one too.”

  She didn’t say anything to him. She really didn’t want him to carry a handgun since he was an ex-felon, but she couldn’t talk him out of it. She felt bad that it had come to this.

  He put the gun back on his waist and then hugged her again. “Nothing is going to happen to you, not if I can help it.”

  When he released her from his grip, Ava said, “The Feds came to see me.”

  “What the hell did the Feds come see you for?”

  “Well, apparently the DEA is already watching Mario and his boys, and they’re about to bring them down. They asked me questions about why he wanted me dead and what my involvement was with him.”

  “What did you tell them?” David said. He looked more frustrated than ever. This story was not getting any better for him.

  “I told them that I used to kick with him, and he tricked some dough on me.”

  “Did they buy it?”

  “No, they wanted to know why he wanted me dead.” David’s face read: I sure as hell hope you didn’t go running your mouth to the cops.

  Ava sighed. She didn’t want to tell her father that she had told the police the truth, but she couldn’t lie to him. She never could. “I told them everything, Dad.”

  “Now them bastards are going to want you to testify.”

  “I know, but at least we will be safe once Mario is off the street.”

  “Baby, as connected as this Mario dude is, do you really think we will be safe? I mean this dude sounds like cartel-connected.”

  “I didn’t think about it.”

  He looked at her, “There is no way I can let you testify in a Federal trial against some big drug dealers.”

  “Well, I don’t think it’s going to come to that, they have two guys in custody for Jack’s murder, and the police seems to think they will sing,” Ava said, but then added,

  “But I don’t understand why you are so concerned about me testifying. They are going to try to kill me either way.” He looked her straight in the eye. “Ava, you got yourself into this shit, and I just don’t believe in telling the police shit.”

  Ava didn’t remember her father being like this, but she had to remind herself that he’d done so much time in prison. It had hardened him.

  He’d fried some chicken and baked some potatoes, so she walked into the kitchen, grabbed a drumstick and a bottle of water, and he followed her. When she finished the chicken, she asked, “Where do you think we should go?”

  “I thought you wanted to go to New York.”

  “Well, I did, but I might just want to go to Atlanta. I just want to get this shit behind me.” “I know what you mean.”

  She gulped down some water and sat on a bar stool near a counter, and he sat beside her with a bottle of water in front of him. They sat in the dark, thinking about what they would do next, and then he said, “You know, your mother has been worried about you.”

  She looked like she didn’t believe him. “You’ve been in touch with her.”

  “She came over, and I told her that you got into a little trouble while you were in jail.”

  Ava wondered how that meeting went. She remembered before he’d gone to prison, they couldn’t stand each other. He sipped his water and then said, “You know, I’ve forgiven her for what happened.”

  Ava smiled. “What did she want?”

  “She needed some money, said something about her rent being due, so I gave her a thousand dollars.” He took another swig of water and then stared at her, “I know that that was your money, but I can’t have your mother living on the street.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  He grinned. “It was really good seeing her after all these years. She looked as beautiful as the first day I laid eyes on her.”

  Ava didn’t respond; her mind was on Jack Edwards. She couldn’t believe Mario’s boys had actually killed that man. She felt really bad that had happened to Jack. She wanted to help put Mario away, not just because he was responsible for Jack’s death, but he’d killed Donavan as well. But her dad was adamantly against it.

  “So what are we going to do about your mother?”

  Ava turned to him. “What do you mean?” “We can’t leave her here.”

  “And we can’t take her with us,” Ava said. She was happy her dad had found a soft spot in his heart to forgive, but she knew that woman would be nothing but trouble.

  David frowned and then stood and tossed the bottle into the trash before digging it out and putting it into the recycling container. Ava had chastised him before about not throwing the empty bottles into the recycling bin.

  “We gotta leave her some money, then.”

  “We can’t give that woman too much money. She will spend it all, and then we will have to give her some more.”

  He strolled toward his bedroom. “You know your mother better than I do.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  He grinned and said, “Well, on that note, I’m going to bed.”

  “Goodnight,” Ava said.

  #

  Back to top.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  Ava woke to the sound of her vibrating cell phone. It was Shakira.

  “Hello.”

  “Hey, I’m glad you’re out.”

  “Yeah, how did you know I was out?” Ava said, hopping up out of bed, stretching and yawning before looking at the clock. It was eight-eighteen.

  “I was looking at the county jail website and saw that they had released you.”

  “Yeah, they didn’t have shit on me; they knew I didn’t kill that man.”

  “Hey, I know it’s kind of a fucked-up time for you, but can we still get together? We need to get the money you promised.”

  Ava said, “Shakira, I’m not giving you shit.” “What?”

  “You heard me. I’m not giving you shit.” “Where did this come from?”

  “Hey, the police already know that Mario is a drug dealer, and I told them that we stole the money, so if you want to run to them, go right ahead.”

  “Ava, that’s really fucked up. Now we ain’t got shit.” “You better sell that fucking Range Rover,” Ava said, and terminated the call. The phone rang again. Ava thought, “I’m about to curse this bitch out,” but when she looked at the caller ID, it was a number she hadn’t seen before. She started not to answer it, but decided that she would.

  “Hello.”

  “I hope you rot in hell.”

  “Who is this?” Ava said. The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it. She thought maybe it was Brittany. Maybe she had found out that she’d had something to do with Donavan’s murder. It wasn’t Shakira. She knew her voice.

  “You had my husband murdered, and I intend to prove it if it’s the last thing I do.”

  “Fuck you, Joan.”

  “You black bitch, I hope you don’t think you’re getting away with murder.”

  “I didn’t have anything to do with your husband getting murdered.”

  “Well, we’re going to the news, and I am going to make sure your name is slandered.”

  Ava laughed. “You sound like a fucking fool, do you know how that will make your old ass look?” Ava stood and stepped into her bathroom, sat on the toilet, and began to pee. “You will be the laughingstock of your little social circle.”

  “I hate you.”

  Ava giggled, and then said, “You go right ahead and slander my name, and I swear everybody will know about how I fucked your husband and you stood there and watched. Who do you think will look bad then?”

  There was a long pause. Ava heard some heavy breathing. “You’re gonna be just like your jailbird father.”

  She hung up the phone.

  She got up from the toilet, sat her cell phone by the sink, and jumped into the shower. After she had showered, she got dressed. She peeked in the bedroom to see if her dad was awake. He had gone. He was probably taking a walk. The phone rang again, again from a number she didn’t recognize.

  “Hello.”

  “It’s Detective Donnelley.”

  She wanted to hang up. “What can I do for you, detective?”

  “I need to speak with you again.” “For what?”

  “Come downtown, ask for Detective Donnelley, and we will talk when you get here.”

  “I’m bringing my lawyer.”

  “That’s up to you.” He ended the call before she could say anything else.

  Before Ava left for the detective’s office, she scribbled a note to her father to let him know where she was. She’d called several attorneys but couldn’t get one to represent her on such short notice.

  When she entered the detective’s office, Hernandez and Donnelley both seemed a bit more pleasant than before. They both greeted her warmly, and Donnelley asked, “Where is your lawyer?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  He smiled. “I don’t think you will be needing one.” She sat down and surveyed the office. She wanted some water, but unlike before, there was no water in the cooler and no coffee. Donnelly said, “Sorry we don’t have anything for you to drink.”

  “Okay, what do you wanna know?”

  “I want you to think hard, Ava, did Jack Edwards ever say that he was having problems with his wife? Did he ever say that he was going to leave her?”

  “Jack and I never discussed his wife.”

  “But you knew his wife.”

  “I’d met her once or twice.”

  “Did she know that you slept with Jack?” “She did.” Ava stared at Donnelly.

  Hernandez scribbled on a legal pad until the pen went dry. He rolled the tip on the paper until it started writing again, and then he asked, “Did you ever sleep with both of them?”

  “What kind of question is that?” Ava said. Her leg was shaking, and she couldn’t stop it. “No.”

  Hernandez, still having problems with his pen, said, “Come on, Ava, we knew Mr. Edwards liked to have wild sex, but you never got down with him and the wife?”

  Donnelley handed Hernandez a ballpoint. He scribbled it on the paper. It worked fine.

  “Listen, me and the wife was okay at first, and I even had sex with him in front of her, but we never had a threesome. I’ve never had sex with a woman. This bitch ain’t even hot, and she’s old as fuck!”

  “But Jack was old, actually older than she was,” Donnelly said.

  Ava toyed with her hair and then said, “Yeah, but with men, it’s different. I’m used to dealing with older men.”

  “So, no threesome?”

  “I don’t understand the point of this question.” Hernandez said, “You wouldn’t believe the number of cases we’ve had in here where it started out as a little fun among friends, then the next thing you know somebody gets jealous. “Threesomes gone wrong” is what I always call them.”

  Donnelley grinned, thinking about Ava having sex with a hot blonde. His dick got a quick rise. He could see why these men were going crazy over her. Hell, if he had the money to get a woman like Ava, he would make a pass at her himself.

  Hernandez said, “So, you never had a problem with Mrs. Edwards?”

  “Well, I started out seeing them as a couple, and then Jack started wanting to see me alone.”

  Donnelley, leaving his dream, said, “Did he ever say why he wanted to see you alone?”

  “Hey, I don’t ask questions. I just show up to get paid.”

  “And how much was he paying you?” Donnelley asked. “Seven thousand, at first. It had gone up to ten thousand dollars.”

  “Wow,” Donnelley said.

  Ava smiled, showing her perfect teeth. There was no denying this woman was fucking gorgeous, and to a man like Jack Edwards, ten grand was a drop in the bucket, but that would be two months’ salary for Donnelley. This was the kind of pussy that would be off-limits to him for life.

  Ava leaned forward, placing her elbow on the table, and then said, “Wait a minute, are you thinking that Joan had her husband murdered?”

  “We’re asking the questions, not you,” Donnelley said, then took a quick peek at her thighs.

  Ava sighed. “That bitch called me this morning and said she hoped I rotted in jail.”

  “What else did she say?”

  “She said that she knew I had something to do with Jack being murdered,” Ava said, then she eased back from the table, looked at both of them, tried her best to read them, but she couldn’t. They both were stone-faced.

  When the officer’s faces gave no indication regarding what was going on, Ava said, “Now wait a minute, are you going to let those two dudes out?”

  Confused, Donnelley asked, “What dudes?”

  “The suspects, you know, Mario’s boys?”

  “You don’t have to worry about those two clowns because ATF raided a house and found those two with a house full of machine guns and ammo.”

  Ava’s face became serious. “But they are no longer the suspects?”

  “No.”

  “It’s Joan, isn’t it? You think Joan had Jack killed.” “Well, Ava, I’m going to tell you this much. The Crime Lab swept the room, and they didn’t find any DNA evidence from either of the suspects, and a valet guy said that they left the hotel before Jack was murdered. The valet had stamped the tickets for them.”

  Ava was happy she wasn’t responsible for Jack’s murder, or was she? Did that crazy bitch Joan have her husband murdered?

  Donnelley said, “You can go now.”

  She stood and walked away, and he got one more glimpse of Ava’s ass. Hernandez scribbled on the legal pad again. “The ink has gone out again on another cheap-assed ink pen.”

  #

  Back to top.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

  When Ava got back home, she checked her mailbox, and a huge manila envelope filled it. She opened it, and it was stuffed with gift-wrap tissue. She dumped the contents of the envelope on the kitchen counter: the tissue, a piece of paper, and a huge bullet.

  Scrawled on the paper was one sentence: I hope you don’t think you’re going to get away with that fucking money, bitch.

  ‘Damn, Mario knows where I live for sure now,’ she thought, and she would have to make her move now. She had waited long enough. She examined the bullet. She wasn’t really familiar with bullets, but it was pretty big, and it looked like it had come from some type of machine gun.

  She wondered what they had shot Donavan with. She pictured them blind-folding him, tying him up, and then unloading on Donavan. She would never be able to forget about him or his death. It would always be on her conscience.