Chapter 7
When I stood in front of my house, several expletives left my lips. My neighbor had boarded up my window and door to be sure no one could get in it until I got back. I slowly shook my head as my mama stood there with her mouth wide open.
“Kyrie! What happened to your house?”
“Someone broke in while we were gone. Jeff called me yesterday.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to get into it while we were with Genesis and her family. I just wanted to enjoy time with her and then stay in that frame of mind until we got home. There was no need to stress about it prematurely. I couldn’t do a thing about it from New York. Jeff said the police came, and I called them while we were in transit here to meet us so they could document what was missing.”
She slowly shook her head. “I don’t like this, son. First the fire, now this. It makes me think that fire was them trying to kill you. You must have something they want. Who could it be?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I walked toward the porch.
Jeff must have heard us outside, because he came over before I could call him. He greeted my mother then me. “I’m so sorry about this, Judge. When I heard the commotion, I called the police. Your alarm didn’t go off. Did you forget to set it?”
“No. It was set.”
“Damn. Maybe it malfunctioned. Brinks would get an earful from me. Let me go and get my drill so we can get inside.”
He walked away, and my mama rubbed my back in a soothing manner as I took a deep breath. I had to calm down because I didn’t want anything I saw inside to set me off. I would be on a rampage and become reckless with the words I spoke. Just as I thought about it, the media van pulled up. I rolled my eyes as Jeff returned with his drill.
“Who summoned them?” he asked.
“Good question. I’m more than sure they probably came here yesterday looking for me.”
“They did, but I figured they would let it rest today since you weren’t here.”
I nodded as I watched him use his drill to remove the screws he’d used to put up the wood. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and when I saw Genesis’s number, I smiled slightly. I opened the message to read what she had to say. Good morning, handsome. We’re boarding. I want to see you as soon as I arrive in Beaumont. Is that possible?
Absolutely. Have a safe flight.
She sent back a kissy face emoji. Dinner was somewhat weird. Her brother was staring at me nearly half the time we were at STK Steakhouse. I didn’t know what his deal was. It seemed to catch Genesis off guard too. She kept asking him if he was okay. He’d only nod. Once he finally had a couple of drinks in him, he calmed down. Other than that, dinner had gone well. Our mothers seemed to have become fast friends and had promised to meet up for lunch occasionally. I couldn’t keep my hands to myself the entire time, and our mothers definitely noticed.
I didn’t want Genesis out of my sight. When she went to the restroom, I stared in that direction nearly the entire time she was gone. The woman had me losing it already. She’d shown me that I’d been subconsciously craving someone like her too. If I weren’t, there was no way I would have attached myself to her so quickly. My mama talked about her the entire flight.
I was too busy scoping out passengers, feeling paranoid because of the text I’d gotten. This ordeal should have made me want to ask to be recused from the case, but instead, it was making me want it even more. I was that much hungrier to uncover the corruption and who was involved. Being a detective would have been so much more beneficial at this point.
“Judge Patrick? Hi. I’m Thomas Schultz from Channel 6 News. Can we have a moment of your time?”
I glanced at Jeff to see he was about to be done taking the board off the door. “Yes, but it has to be quick. I have a lot to assess.”
He nodded at the camera man and responded, “Yes, sir.”
Once the cameraman was ready, he did his lil spiel about where he was and why, then turned to me. “Judge Patrick, this had to be a shock. You were in NYC speaking on behalf of everyone who’d lost someone in the nine-eleven terrorist attack on our country and paying tribute to those who lost their lives, while someone was here at your residence doing the opposite. They were destroying hope in humanity. Did you know about this before getting back to town?”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“I can imagine you felt shocked, but what was your initial response to the news?”
“I was quiet for a moment, because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.”
“Is there anything you want to say, if the person who did this is watching?”
“Everything that’s done in the dark comes to light. You won’t be able to hide forever.”
I nodded at him, letting him know that was all I had to say as I noticed a couple of cars of cops arriving. He cut the cameraman and said, “Thank you for your time, Judge Patrick. I hope this gets resolved quickly.”
I nodded, indicating my thanks, then made my way to the porch where Jeff had gotten the doorway cleared. I rolled my eyes when I saw the door hanging from the hinges. That irritated me. Most likely, they had gone through the window. Them tearing up the door served no purpose, other than to piss me off. It was so unnecessary. I waited for the police to meet us on the porch before going inside.
They all greeted me with head nods and handshakes then we went inside. I wanted to have a fit the minute we walked in. Shit was strewn all over the house. Papers were everywhere, and most of them looked torn in half. I took a deep breath, trying to contain my anger. My body was trembling because I was just that angry. This wasn’t random. It was extremely personal, and by the looks of it, this person couldn’t stand me for whatever reason.
“Kyrie, this is a mess. You won’t be able to stay here.”
I didn’t respond to my mother because I couldn’t say what I really wanted to say in front of the cops that were here. I walked over to my desk and called one of the cops over to me. “My computer and laptop are both gone.”
He started a report and had me give him details about both items. Once he was done with that, I had him write down the television. There were two files gone that were on my desk. I wasn’t sure if they had been taken or if they were amongst the destroyed papers all over the place. Walking throughout the house, we took note of everything else that was missing. I truly believed that they only took the other things to cover up the specific things they were actually there for.
I felt like the computers and files were what they were after. Everything else was just collateral damage. I just wanted this all to be done so I could move on with my life. If this continued, I would probably have a nervous breakdown simply from trying to contain my outrage. Whoever was doing this was either trying to protect Darlene or to keep others from being implicated in her trial.
After going through the house and making note of everything that was missing, he left. The other cops were simply walking around. I supposed they were looking for clues that they may have missed yesterday. I was doing my own investigation though. This, again, only propelled me forward. There must have been a lot of incriminating evidence that would implicate the involvement of some pretty powerful people for them to be going out of their way to protect themselves.
Once everyone had left, I called my insurance company so they could send an adjuster. They’d smashed my cabinets. It looked like they’d taken a sledgehammer and just went to work. Broken glass was all over the place, and food was poured out on the floor. This was someone acting out their hatred toward me. I hoped whenever they found them, they didn’t come through my courtroom.
Who was I kidding? They would never have me presiding over a case that close to home. I wouldn’t be able to focus on the trial. I would end up getting arrested for strangling the hell out of them. However, if they were to allow something like that, I’d bury their asses under the jail. By the time they got out, there would be flying cars.
My mama came over to me and asked, “Son, what are you going to do?”
“Once the insurance adjuster lets me know when he can come, I’m gonna pack a bag and stay with you tonight, as you suggested. As you can see, this is personal. I have to meet with the detectives to possibly answer some questions they have. They don’t have any leads yet. I’m also going to call the security company to get cameras put inside the house. They sprayed something on the cameras outside.”
“I don’t like this, son. They are after you, and I feel like it may include people you know and interact with. Keep your eyes open at all times. I cannot lose you. It would kill me.”
I pulled her in my embrace and held her tightly. Hell, I didn’t want her to lose me either. However, I couldn’t let fear keep me from doing what was right. Darlene shouldn’t go down by herself if she had help, and I truly believed someone else was the mastermind. My gut didn’t steer me wrong, and I took an oath that I planned to live by. I would always seek justice, no matter who was involved. I’d sentence my damn mother if she messed up.
“I’m not going anywhere, Mama. I’m going to be careful, and I’m sure the city is going to provide me with protection in light of these occurrences. It’s obviously personal.”
She still had no clue about the blatant death threats. Whenever I spoke to the detectives, I would update them on the messages I received by text while I was gone. She didn’t need to know all that information. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I held her, so I pulled away slightly to see a text message from Genesis. I opened it to see a picture of her and her mom, smiling with the sky as their background.
How are you sending me pictures while you’re flying?
She was one of the rebels that refused to do what they were told. She responded immediately. I took it off airplane mode to send you the picture. We have another hour before we land. Talk to you soon.
I slowly shook my head as my mama smiled at me. “The two of you look good together. I can tell that y’all both thought so, too, since you had to go explore even more at your hotel room.”
My eyebrows lifted slightly as she chuckled. “Umm…”
“Don’t ‘umm’ me. We could all tell. You both had that after-sex glow going on. We aren’t idiots, Kyrie. I’m pretty sure that was why Samuel was mean mugging you when the two of you arrived at the restaurant. Although he’s younger than Genesis, I can tell he’s extremely protective of her.”
I rolled my eyes. “Genesis is a grown woman and very capable of making her own decisions. It was her decision for us to go there. Hold on! I will not discuss my sex life with you, woman!”
She chuckled as I slightly rolled my eyes at how I let her bait me. She knew she would get me. It seemed I was on guard for that type of behavior from everyone else but her. One would think I would have learned my lesson by now. This wasn’t the first time she’d done that to get me to talk, and I was more than sure it wouldn’t be the last.
“Well, do you at least see a future with her, baby?”
I looked away from her for a moment, analyzing my thoughts like I didn’t already know. Turning back to my mother, I said, “I really do, but time will tell. We are still getting to know each other. We will see for sure once the newness wears off.”
“Newness? So you’re a couple?”
“Yes, we are.”
She squealed like a little piglet as she grabbed my arm, leaning into me. I chuckled, knowing she was ready for me to start a family. I just hoped I was as ready as she was.
“My God. This was definitely personal,” Genesis said as she looked around my house.
I had been here for a couple of hours, then went to eat breakfast with my mom. After taking her home, I’d come back to meet the insurance adjuster. As he surveyed the damage, Genesis had asked for my address. She got here a few minutes later.
“It was. I have to meet with the detectives in a little while. They are supposed to be meeting me here. You won’t be able to sit in on that, but you’re welcome to sit out by the pool.”
“Okay. So the police that came earlier?”
“They were just doing preliminary investigating since the detectives have been all over the Darlene Doll case.”
“I wonder why this person is targeting you instead of the DA. It just seems weird.”
“Genesis, I don’t have a lot of friends, but I surely have a lot of enemies. When I was a cop, I testified in a trial that put three officers in prison for murder. I didn’t back the blue. I was about right and wrong. They wrongly killed two young boys in Beaumont’s north end because they ‘fit’ the profile of two black guys that had robbed a convenience store. Those boys didn’t have a weapon. The reason I was able to testify was because the boys were from a neighborhood I patrolled regularly. I had just left from playing basketball with them. There was no way they could have robbed a store.”
She grabbed my hand and gently caressed it between hers. “My God. Do you remember if anyone was excessively angry with you about it?”
I shook my head, not wanting to have the conversation. I’d spent years in that neighborhood, getting to know the people and the kids, trying to get them to trust the police. With that incident, all my time and hard work had gone down the drain. It didn’t help that those teenagers’ mothers blamed me at first, saying I should have made sure they made it home safely. My mental took a severe hit.
I had to go to therapy sessions weekly for nearly a year. I lost my love for being a cop after that. It felt like I was fighting a losing battle. How could I convince people to trust the police when the police didn’t trust them? After the cops got sentenced, they were only given a couple of years each. That was the main reason I wanted to be a judge. That wasn’t good cop work. Hell, that wasn’t good common sense work.
I pulled Genesis outside to the patio and sat on a lounger, pulling her in my lap. She giggled softly. “You know… if you wanna stay with me until your house is put back together, I won’t mind.”
“Damn. I already told my mother I would stay with her. She’s cooking dinner as we speak. I’m sure she won’t mind if you come over for dinner,” I replied as I wrapped my arms around her.
I rested my chin on her head and soaked up as much of her spirit as I possibly could. She put my soul at ease. I took a deep breath, inhaling peace and doing my best to exhale the turmoil. “How was your flight?”
“It was okay. Samuel was on my last nerve, but other than that, it was fine. After a while, I put my earbuds in and let him talk to himself. When he got close enough to me and heard what was going on in the audiobook I was listening to, he quickly found him some other business to tend to.”
“What was he doing?” I asked, like I didn’t already know.
“He seems to think I’m being used. Somehow, he knows that we had sex. Since I didn’t deny it, he went in on me full throttle. Last time I checked, I’ve been grown for a long time and didn’t need anyone’s input or advice on how I should live my life.”
“That’s good to know, baby. I’m glad he doesn’t get to check you and force you into doing what he wants you to do.”
She twisted her body to look up at me and puckered her lips. I kissed them, then she said, “I’d throw myself in some flames before I let Samuel control me.”
I chuckled slightly as she lay back against me.
“My mama asked if I was sure about what I was doing. She has never seen me so carefree. I had to question myself. It feels so good to not be worried about if I’m doing too much, too early. I just want to live my life for me. If it blows up in my face, then that’s on me. You know what I mean?”
“I do. I’m just glad you chose me to be carefree with. I usually don’t move this quickly with someone I’m trying to pursue something meaningful with either. I couldn’t tell you no. There is something about you that won’t allow me to let you go,” I said.
I wrapped my arms tighter around her, causing her to release air. She faked a cough and squirmed, trying to get me to release my hold on her. When I started to tickle her, that was it. She was flailing her arms and contorting her body like a person in water that couldn’t swim. When I finally released her, she was gasping for air.
I couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to compose herself. However, she surprised me when she straddled me and started tickling me. Her ass had distracted me from what she had planned, because when she straddled me, my mind was in one place and one place only. I left my body wide open for her to take advantage.
I quickly grabbed her arms and held them at her sides while she struggled to get loose. “Fine! I give up!” she said as she laughed.
I lifted my eyebrows as if questioning her statement.
“I promise,” she whined. “You can trust me.”
“Mm hmm. If I let you go, you’re gonna chill out?”
“Well, what do you mean by chill out?” she asked as she began rolling her hips against me.
“You don’t play fair, Genesis. I can feel the heat coming from that thang.”
She gave me a smirk as I loosened my grip and slid my hands to her ass. I loved squeezing it. It was so thick. Everything about it screamed my name. It was the part of her body I loved the most besides her face. Genesis was the complete package, and like I’d told her, I couldn’t let go. I had to see where we would end up. Hopefully, we would end up married and eventually starting a family. This issue with this trial couldn’t be over soon enough.