Chapter One
"Okay, Nick, you’re free to go," Detective Kirkland said.
I stood up and looked at my watch. For the last seven hours I had been in the interrogation room with Wanda, answering all of the questions that Detectives Kirkland and Richards had to offer. Kirk opened the door for Wanda and they walked out of the interrogation room together. I followed them.
Thinking.
"It’s really not necessary for you to walk me out detective," Wanda said, and looked back at me.
"These halls are filled with dangerous criminals." Kirk always did have a thing for Wanda, so he had to escort her out the building.
Dealing with Kirk was nothing new to her. "I’ve played this game with Kirk before," Wanda said once we were out of the building. "So don’t worry, I got this."
I wasn’t worried. I’ve known Wanda Moore since I was eleven. She’s a good lawyer, and like she said, she’s played this game with Kirk plenty of times during his attempts to make a case against Mike Black. Ten years ago I was an enforcer for Black. He controlled a profitable gambling, prostitution and number running business. But that was then, now Black is semi-retired and living the good life in the Bahamas. "Thanks for hanging in there with me," I said, as I started to walk away.
There were still too many unanswered questions that I had to have answers to. The most pressing of which, is how I got to be the only suspect in four murders.
I needed to think, retrace my steps; do something, anything to get myself out of this. Or maybe I’ll just go straight to the airport and catch a plane to the Bahamas to become Black’s new permanent houseguest.
"Not so fast, Nick." Wanda grabbed me by the arm. "You’re coming with me. You need to tell me everything. Not those covert army, need to know, bullshit answers you just fed Kirk. The whole story."
I looked at Wanda, thinking about giving her some covert army, need to know, bullshit answer, and hailing a cab.
But I knew she was right.
Wanda led me to her car and she drove me to her house in the old neighborhood. It had been ten years since I’d driven through these streets. A strange kinda chill came over me that started me thinking about the old days.
"Black know about this?" I asked Wanda, but I already knew the answer.
"Of course he does. Who do you think put up your bail? You know anybody else with a million dollars? He wouldn’t turn his back on you when you need him. Even though you ran out on him when he needed you. First Jamaica, then you."
"Lighten up on me, Wanda. I’ve been draggin’ around that burden for the last ten years."
"I’m sorry, Nick. I didn’t mean to go there. I just—"
"It’s okay, Wanda."
"What happened, Nick?" Wanda asked as soon as we got in the house.
"There must be something I missed," I said and sat down in the first chair I got to.
"What is it?" Wanda sat across from me.
"I don’t know."
"Start at the beginning, Nick. Don’t leave anything out. Even if you didn’t think it was important at the time."
"It started when Mrs. Gabrielle Childers sat down in front of me. No. That’s not right, it really began two weeks before when Uncle Felix called and said he had a job that required our talents. ‘A simple job,’ he called it, and it was.
"You see, Wanda, until about a year ago, I’d been a part of a special operations unit. Things went wrong on our last assignment and only three of the members of our unit got out alive. Jett Bronson, Monika Wynn, and me. We were flown back to Fort Brag, where we were promptly debriefed and processed out. Uncle Felix approached us the day after. He recruited us to do jobs for him that required our skills. Jett’s specialty is electronic surveillance, computers, and all that high tech stuff. Monika’s specialty is munitions. The girl really gets a rush out of watchin’ things blow up. Me, my specialty is weapons, commando tactics."
"Commando tactics?"
"You know, Wanda, the killer."
Wanda smiled. "Oh. Go on, Nick."