[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
“A Mother’s Tale”

~Chapter Nine-He Said, She Said

He turns off the television, frustrated with the lack of information he had gathered earlier. Annoyed, he decided to take matters into his own hands and seek out the answers himself. Grabbing his car keys, he flies out of his apartment and decides to take a drive around to at least clear his head for a few hours until word gets back to him.

Howie blows out a puff of air, sliding into the driver’s seat of his red sedan turning on the air conditioner. Feeling the rush of cold air blast his skin, he slides down the soft cushioned seat to enjoy the breeze as his thoughts go back to the case he was assigned to. He couldn’t figure out why Winterland assigned him to a task if he couldn’t even see the actual body. Not that it mattered, the body was immediately disposed and burned, cremated for the man’s funeral so all the evidence Howie needed was gone along with the body. Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he decided to head back down IS26 passing the large green sign saying Westchester on the roadside. The early morning fog in the air seemed to have the sky darken, the dreary humid day blocking out the sunlight that morning as he pushes down on the pedal to accelerate, quickly passing down familiar streets.

He rubs the back of his hand against his forehead thinking through the case, trying to envision why a man fully capable of driving could have road off the side of the road yet there seemed to be no form of alcohol or any cause of mild illnesses in the body. He enters the highway driving quickly to the scene to scan over and perhaps study out the crime scene more to understand the cause of the crime. The only solution he could conclude from the man’s death was the weather, but he himself had driven safely to and fro from the police station, so he wasn’t sure if the accident was really what it was. Reaching a small gap off the side of the road a few feet ahead, he slows down and stops, pulling over to the side to look to the left of him to see the broken metal railing, dents and punctured as if a car was rammed and succeeded in going through. He drums his fingers against the steering wheel, he flings open the car door stepping out, making his way over to the large gaping hole off the side of the road. His dark eyes survey the drop and frowns, seeing yellow police tape twenty feet down around the ruined red sports car, Howie decides to check out the area below him and gets back in his car, turning around and takes a small lane turning down to the plot of land where the ruined vehicle was found. Curiosity getting to him, he stops the car suddenly, jumping out to run over to the taped off car.

Pulling out a small pen light, he shines it down on the flipped over car on the front seat to see a few stray what seemed to him blood drops splattered across the dashboard and front window. Dropping down on his knees, he crawls under the tape line and scans the pen light over a small bundle in the corner of the car, laying on the inside of the car, lying on the ceiling.

“Heh well, look at that.” He whispers out, taking off his jacket and wraps his hands around it so as not to add more stains across the new evidence he found. He sticks his hand through the shattered open window on the driver’s side, seeing the large crack on the side of the door where the body must have been taken out. He grabs the black polo wallet in his hand, pulling it out and opens it quickly frowning. Besides seeing a few fifty dollar bills and a scribbled out number of a woman, he found nothing else. No form of ID, driver’s license, bills or receipts. Unzipping a small pocket off the side of the wallet, he sees a tiny photo fall out of Eliez and Jasmine yet no sign of the man’s physical appearance or anything.

‘What the hell?’ He sits there pondering. How was it possible to have a wallet with no proof. ‘It’s like someone already searched through his wallet and took all forms of his identity out. Yet the money was still here.’ He snorts and stuffs the wallet in the jacket pocket, walking back to his car to drop off the new evidence at the station.
~*~

She gulps, tears staining her face as the tombstone was erected before her, watching the vase lowered into the dark hole feet below them all. Her husband felt it better that Nick should be buried properly and allowed the large vase to be buried.

Jasmine sees the gravediggers begin spraying dirt over the lowered closed vase quickly as she backs away sitting down seeing the assortment of flowers and wreaths ready to decorate the tombstone once the digging was done. She looks around to see her family consoling Eliez and her husband as her mother sits besides her frowning.

“Oh honey.” Her mother cries out, hugging her close to her, kissing the top of her head as she shakes her head, “I can’t believe this happened. That you have to deal with this horrible thing. He was too young. Why couldn’t God let him live? What did that man do to anybody?”

Jasmine gulps and all tired out of crying croaks out: “Nothing. He didn’t cause trouble. He never asked for it. But some people aren’t so lucky.” Whispers out: feeling her mother’s hand brush over her frazzled golden locks.

“You listen, I want you to come stay with me till you’re ready.” Her mother whispers out: “I know Roger is here and all, but I’m not much fond of that man as I should be to be honest. And I know before you say anything on that, you know I always felt that way, but I wanted to see you happy cause you love him and have a beautiful child. But I don’t want Eliez around him too much. I just think he hasn’t been around her enough and I want Eli to be around people she really knows and care for.”

Jasmine sits up straight eyeing her mother: “I’m not walking out on Roger at the moment. We’re a family, he’s my husband and I love him. We need each other to deal with Nick’s death together. He’s the father, he has feelings as well.”

“Jasmine when you going to realize that man seems more in love with his job than you.”

“How can you say that?!” Jasmine bolts up from her seat, backing away from her mother as she runs back to her car upset. Frowning, Jasmine’s mother tilts her black large fancy hat to the side, glowering at Roger’s site holding Eliez’s in his arms.

Roger feeling as if being watched, walks to the side over to the young people standing near the gravesite. Putting Eliez down, she smiles sadly and clutches his hand tightly watching the others.

Makenzie looks over seeing at Roger looking over at them and pokes A.J. on the side: “Is he ok? Maybe you should talk to him.”

A.J. yawns and shakes his head: “I don’t think he needs to talk to me. I don’t have anything to say that will help him out considering the cause of it.”

“Doesn’t matter Alex, be nice and go talk to him. He needs support.” Makenzie growls out, her emerald eyes darken, startling A.J. as he nods and goes over to talk to the man.

Sighing, she leans against the tree seeing Arianna console Jasmine as Damien turns over to her and glares at her.

Rolling her eyes, she keeps her eyes on the man trying to find out what was his deal. He didn’t seem too upset about Nick’s lost. In fact, A.J. and Arianna seemed to have brushed off the fact that their own friend died like it wasn’t a matter to worry about. She didn’t know if this was a new way to deal with the loss of someone but she never seen anything like it. Something in the back of her mind keeps nagging at her to find out more, but she didn’t even know where to start.

She sees a dark haired beauty, console Jasmine, embracing the grieving mother. Makenzie watches them closely, sighing as she rest her head against the tree.

“Are you ok?” She hears her friend ask her.

Makenzie looks over at Arianna and nods slowly: “I think so.”

“Ohh ok. I was worried about you that’s all.”

“Yeah…I’m good… not really a fan of funerals.” Makenzie clears her throat seeing A.J. approach her.

“I hear you, same here. Yeah…listen…I… its time you should know something.” Arianna whispers out. “It’s about Nick.”

Makenzie raises her eyebrows and leans against the tree: “What…do you know something about his death?”

“I…” Arianna begins, but stops the moment A.J. reaches them. “I have to get something from the car. Be right back.” She whispers out, rushing off to her car.

Makenzie raises her eyebrows and sighs, resting her head on his chest to feel his arms around her waist cuddling her.

Arianna slides into the driver’s seat of her black Saturn gulping. She sees the passenger’s side door open as Damien slides in closing the door behind him.

“What’s going on?” he whispers out.

“About what?”

He narrows his eyes at her, “Did you tell her?” He whispers out.

“No! Noo… no.” She gulps, sliding down the seat.

“Good. We don’t need more people in on this. I don’t trust a lot of people to know about what we did. And I trust you can stay quiet Ari.” Damien brushes a hand down her neck, pulling her close to him. “Because if she knew…it would just more messy and we can’t afford that right?”

“Yeah…I know.” She whispers out, slightly trembling in his arms.

He smirks and holds her, “I’m not upset with you. You didn’t do anything to piss me off…yet.”

Arianna sniffs and smiles: “I know baby. She was asking a lot of questions. She’s really curious about things. I just keep thinking that if A.J. had told her maybe it would be easier for us to not hide the truth.”

Damien snorts, holding her roughly, whispering in her ear: “I swear to God if she finds out and it was you that told her I might have to take matters in my own hands.”

Arianna snorts, pushing away from him: “Is that a threat?”

“Call it how you see it.” He pushes away from her and sits back annoyed.

“Dammit Damien, what the hell do you want me to do?! I’m getting tired of hiding and holding this in. Its not easy you know. You think I sleep well at nights too? I see when you haven’t slept a night at all. When you were all paranoid about the police finding out. But don’t you think I feel the same way? I helped out! I saw everything that happened and made it happen as much as you did. So don’t tell me what I need to do. I love you but so help me God I’ll leave your ass if the cops are coming.”

“You bitch. You just leave me with all the mess I see.” Damien scoffs, glaring at her.

“Look I’m not talking about this anymore. I just want to move on now ok?”

“No, what the hell was all that you were just saying?!” Damien sits up grabbing her arms roughly. “If you go to the police and tell them just remember I’ll sell you out just as fast. Cause I’m tired of all this shit I have to deal from everyone. I’m the nice guy here yet I get called out on everything but you Miss I’m so fucking hot I’ll get over looked, gets off nice and clean isn’t happening.”

She growls out, slapping him across his face: “If you ever talk to me that way again, I’ll leave you. You respect me and then we’ll talk.”

“When I see respect, you’ll get it.” He seethes out as she gasps and pushes him away, hitting him on the arm as she flings open the driver’s side door, storming out.

Damien leans over the open door and smirks: “I’m not apologizing, you’re still a bitch for what you just did.”

“Well this bitch has better things to do then deal with you.” Arianna flips him off and heads over to A.J. and Makenzie still standing by a tree in the cemetery.

Damien slams the driver’s side door, touching his cheek and checks the car mirror above on the top near the dashboard, rolling his eyes and steps out of the car heading back to the group.
~*~

She hums softly, kneeling down on the newly fresh plotted land eyeing the tombstone before her. Eliez’s little hands brush the fresh dirt with her hands as she hears her father talking to some of the relatives. She traces her fingers over the letters on the tombstone as she feels her mother behind her.

“Sweetie you ok?” Jasmine kneels down, sniffing and brushing a hand through her daughter’s golden locks.

Eliez smiles and nods, crawling on her lap kissing her cheek: “Mommy why are you sad for Nick? He’s ok. I know he is. He’s not sleeping. I know, I talk to him. I know he’s ok.”

Jasmine gulps and shakes her head: “Oh honey is that how you deal with it? It’s ok. I’m sure he’s ok if he’s with you.”

Eliez didn’t seem sure on her mother’s answer and whispers out: “Mommy…I know. Molly knows. Daddy told me.” She smiles, patting her mother’s cheek softly.

Jasmine frowns: “What did daddy tell you?” She cradles her child in her arms, waiting to see if Eliez would answer her.

Eliez simply smiles and gets distracted watching a small butterfly flutter around her mother’s hair.

“Sugar plum what did daddy tell you?” Jasmine whispers out watching Eliez look at her frowning.

“Mommy soon…soon I say.” Eliez scrambles out of her mother’s arms running after the little butterfly fluttering around near her.

Jasmine gulps and frowns, not liking the idea of what her husband is doing to influence Eliez’s way of thinking. She doesn’t understand that Nick is gone, that he is indeed sleeping as she understands it, but Eliez keeps denying it. She knew part of the mourning process was denial that maybe Eliez was doing that or that maybe she still was too young to fully take in the whole process of death in at her age. Whatever the case, Jasmine didn’t like the idea of Eliez holding this little secret in as if it was valuable to her. She assumed when Eliez was ready to share that she’ll be ready to listen, until then she can only see her daughter deal with this strangely.
~*~

He taps his fingers on the table top, looking out of the kitchen window to the night sky, hearing the front door. He steps out of the kitchen to see Arianna storm to the bedroom slamming the door behind her.

Damien goes to the bedroom door, sighing knocking on the door. A second later, he sees the door open and blinks as a pillow and bed sheet was thrown at his direction before getting the door slammed in his face. He frowns and gathers the blanket and pillow cursing softly under his breath as he sits on a sofa looking around.

Arianna gulps, sinking to the edge of the bed quietly crying, tear after tear. What was she doing in this mess? Why did she agree to it along with the others? Did she honestly think it was to help out: cause never was helping out suppose to make one feel horrible. She gulps and doesn’t see the door open, her eyes staring straight ahead, her vision too blurry to focus on anything around her. Feeling a hand softly touch her shoulder, she leans into Damien crying freely as he holds her feeling horrible.

“How long? Can’t we just tell her already?” She whispers out.

Damien gulps and pulls away, rubbing his eyes choking out: “I don’t know. He said we’re on our own now. That whatever happens its our neck on the line now.”

“No one knows anything.”

“I was questioned yesterday…”

“What, why would a cop go to you unless…”

Damien blinks as realization struck him: “Shit…Roger set us up…we’re going to jail for him.”

“No! No we can’t! He wanted that to happen. I’m not going! I can’t!” Arianna cries out, pushing away from him, wiping the tears away. “He’s the sick bastard that set this all up. He should be the one to suffer, not us. Did you see him? He was all cocky about the whole thing yet I have to wonder if he’s just waiting to rat us out.” She brushes a strand of golden hair behind her. “Why were we so stupid to listen to him?”

Damien lies back on the bed, his eyes focused on the ceiling above him as he gulps: “I don’t know…it sounded good when we heard it. I wanted to help her so she can move on but…when that offer was made I thought it was ok. I thought that if I do it, I’ll get something out of it. But I didn’t…I can’t live with myself for what I did…” He trails off, breathing softly.

Arianna glares at him, sitting in front of her vanity drawer, her back to him.

“I’m sorry…I’m sorry I called you that. I was upset. I can’t handle all this anymore. I wanted out the moment we were going to go through with it. But he said to stick it out. That I’ll get over it…but I can’t.” He whispers out, sitting up propped on one elbow leaning on his side to face her back.

Arianna picks up a brush combing her beautiful flaxen locks, her make up a mess as the mascara had already washed down her cheeks. Sniffing, she looks through the vanity mirror to see him as he sits up slowly getting off the bed. He runs a hand down his cheek as he breaks down dropping to his knees, tears crashing out his light eyes.

“I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to get caught. And I can’t run away. But no one will believe me.” Damien whispers, watching his own tears crash silently on his hands.

Arianna puts the brush down and goes over to him kneeling down eyeing him: “I say we rat his ass out before he turns it around and does it to us. The four of us can do it. They’ll listen to us.”

“No…it doesn’t work that way. We went along with it willingly so it doesn’t matter. None of this matters anymore.” He whispers out, looking down to the floor.
~*~

Jasmine dries her eyes as she sinks down on the sofa in the living room, watching the flashing images before her on the television. Muting the television, she sits back not bothering to hear of anything going on the screen. Her baby boy was gone, taken from her and she can never let this pain go. How does she move on with her life knowing her child was dead and act like nothing ever happened? It’s impossible, she can never forget him or think it’ll be fine to enjoy life again. She didn’t feel she felt like living, her son was gone, yet Eliez kept her hope alive. Seeing her bright eyes and her hunger for life, she was the one that spurred her to continue living no matter what. It’s already been two days since Nick left her. She hated herself for it, that if she had held him back all together so he would stay a while longer, that he wouldn’t be caught up in the storm and that he would be calling her right now talking about the dinner he attempted making or a new recipe of his own style. She begins sobbing, the memories striking her more each time like knife tips prodding her soul.

She can see herself a year ago driving as Nick sits besides her waving what seemed like Eliez’s Barbie panty in the air, spinning it around as Eliez claps and waves her hands like her brother’s to imitate him. She can see herself laughing as Nick stands up from the passenger seat, the wind blowing through their hair as they taken Roger’s Chrysler convertible down the highway.

Jasmine closes her eyes, letting the memory play out to a time when she was happy again, where the minor worries were just there and nothing more. She watches the memory seeing herself laugh at her son’s antics as he waves to the people riding besides them. Putting on the panties over his head, he sits down singing along to “Welcome To My life” from the Simple Plan CD he put in. Jasmine smiles: stopping at a red light as she gets off the highway. She watches Nick lean over to a blue mustang pulling up besides them as he leans over and grins at a beautiful woman at the stop sign. The woman with her window down, sees Nick with the child panties on him and breaks into a laugh as Nick frowns not getting what’s so funny.

She points to the panties as he smirks and pulls it off his head with a cheesy smile winking at her. “I like to explore and try new things.” He calls out to the woman causing her to laugh.

Leaning over the car, he eyes her: “I’m Nick, I’m single and I’m looking for a woman, know any of them around here?” He smiles, eyeing her.

Giggling the flaxen hair beauty leans over the window and smiles: “Sounds like I might fit that bill then and my name is Arianna.”

“Oh really now?” Nick replies, licking his lower lip: “Well Arianna you might just have to call me then.” He grins as the light changes to green.

“I think I might just have to, too.” The woman smiles, her bright gray eyes glitter in mischief.

“Sounds like a date.” He laughs as Jasmine drives down the street taking them to a park.

Nick yells back to the car with the woman behind him: “Hey Arianna, if you want a man that can sing and play the drums all at the same time, let me know! I’m multi-talented!”

Jasmine smiles as she opens her eyes to see Eliez crawl on her lap and nod off to sleep clutching her little arms around her mother’s neck. “Night pumpkin.”

Eliez simply nods off to sleep, her little body curled close to her mother for security.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**