Epilogue
VONSHAE
“Detective Gunner, how is your office handling the rise of murders tied to Officer Raphael Chalmers?”
Raphael Chalmers was murdered long before I became a detective.
However, his murder was the first of my suspect’s bodies.
Chalmers killed his girlfriend, Cassidy, and would’ve likely walked had he faced a jury.
With that knowledge, I revisited every murder tied to my suspect.
What I uncovered unsettled me. So much so that I harbored feelings that no detective should’ve harbored.
I was on the side of the law, but what happened when the law wasn’t on the side of the people?
“Our office is handling the homicides as best as we can. This killer is very sophisticated, very methodical, and very intelligent. A killer like that is hard to apprehend.”
“Do you think these murders will remain cold forever?”
“Unless our killer makes a mistake, they’re likely to roam the free world for the rest of their lives.
The smell of Maja’s perfume, and the sound of her soft voice telling me she loved me brought me to.
My whole body felt like it had been hit by a train, but when I opened my eyes, I didn’t give a fuck about any of that shit.
The woman laying by my side and smiling down at me was my focus.
She kissed my lips, and her tears fell on my face. That feeling soothed me.
“I have a confession,” I stated. My voice was rough from lack of usage. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been out, but it was long enough for Maja’s eyes to wear the brunt of her sorrow.
She wiped her tears and said, “What’s that?”
“I wasn’t close to catching you.”
Her watery eyes searched mine, and she almost slipped away from me.
“Don’t do that,” I urged her. “I promised you that I would protect you forever, and I meant that. I love you. All of you. Past, present, and future.”
She licked her lips, then measured her words. “Then you won’t mind if I tell you…that they’re all dead? Jerell, his crew… I…”
Chuckling hurt my chest a little, but I did so anyway. “I expected nothing less, baby.” My smile faded, and I stared into her eyes. “You love me?”
“I do.” She sniffled and revealed, “We’re having a baby.”
“‘Bout time. Now lay down and rest. You safe, mama.”
Maja seemed to exhale a pent-up breath before laying her head on my chest. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep, too. I’d deal with my family and everyone else after I prayed and made some declarations with the man upstairs.
March…
“Congratulations on tying the knot.” I dapped Lewis and brought him in for a brotherly hug. “I’m proud of you, bruh.”
“Thanks, man. If it wasn’t for you and Maja runnin’ the play, I would’ve missed out on the biggest win of my life. Next month, I can’t wait to be at ya side while you watch ya bride come down the aisle.”
“Shit, it won’t come fast enough.” We both chuckled and dapped again.
“You know I love you like a brother, right?”
“Right,” I replied.
“And I love Maja like a sister.”
“No question.”
“I have something for you. I’ve been holding on to it for a while, simply because I wasn’t sure how you’d handle it.
Make no mistake, I want to protect you. However, Maja…
She’s different, bruh. I mean different like, don’t ever let another nigga get the opportunity to have her. Protecting her is paramount.”
“We agree on that.” As close as Lewis and I were, I wouldn’t dare share what I knew about Maja. My baby’s secrets were mine to take to the grave.
“Good,” he said. “I got something for you.”
He produced a cellphone and handed it to me. As he put it in my hand, he held on to my hand.
“Promise me you gon’ always protect her.”
Confused, I responded, “Of course.” Lewis never questioned me this much, leading me to be intrigued by what the hell was on this cellphone.
“Go to the last video recorded. Press play and just…listen. No judgement. Just listen wit’ ya heart, man. Aight?”
I chuckled. “Aight, bruh, damn.”
He chuckled too, then dapped me again before leaving me in the gazebo with the cellphone still tucked in my hand. Doing as he said, I opened the phone, surprised to see the picture on the screen.
“Jemell?” I mumbled it out loud. It was a picture of him and Iyana on the screen.
That nigga would be haunting me from the grave.
Immediately, everything I’d done over the last few months came to this moment.
From scrubbing the case files to accidently misplacing witness statements, I’d made sure nothing tied back to Maja.
Was there evidence hiding somewhere that I missed?
Obviously, so. It rested in my hand, the weight of it heavy.
Promise me you gon’ always protect her…
Lewis’s voice echoed in the recesses of my mind. Shit! Quickly, I went to the gallery to view the video. It was a black screen, and the recording time was nearly three hours. I turned the volume down, pressed play, then brought the phone to my ear.
“You the bitch that was at the burger joint. The fuck you doin’ in my shit, shawty?”
There was a brief moment of silence, then my heart stopped.
“Hi. I’m May.”
My baby’s voice. Although just above a whisper, flat, and void of emotion, Maja’s voice was unmistakable. I cut the video off and felt my chest caving in.
“You okay?”
I spun around and grilled Adir. His ass was standing right inside the gazebo, just a couple of steps from me.
“Say, mane. You gon’ have to put some fuckin’ bells on ya feet.”
He smirked and shook his head. “You good?” he questioned again. His eyes dipped to the cellphone still weighing down my hand.
I slipped it into my pocket and nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.
” My chest was tight, but it would calm down as soon as I figured out how the hell I was going to ensure nobody ever got a hold of this phone or anything else tying Maja to Jemell’s crime scene.
I was sure of tying up every loose end, and now I felt like everything was about to come crashing down.
“While you were recovering, Lewis and I had a conversation.” He motioned toward my pocket. “He showed me that cellphone. I told him to hold on to it and give it to you once you were ready.”
“What the hell?” Incensed, I glared at Adir. “Are you crazy? He could’ve taken this shit to the Feds.” If I was in my right mind, I would’ve known that Lewis would’ve never did any shit like that.
Adir shrugged. “He could’ve. However, I knew he wouldn’t. The only way to test a man’s loyalty is to put ya life into his hands.”
I chuckled indignantly. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“What if ya plan would’ve backfired?” I queried.
Adir stared back at me, the answer written in his black-ass eyes.
“You know what? Pretend like I never asked.” Again, I shook my head. Meanwhile, Adir stood there like a ghost, observing my every move. I wouldn’t have been surprised if his ass could read my thoughts. “How long have you known who she is?”
“Since she was sixteen.”
“How?”
“Because I trained her.”
“You never stopped her.”
Adir shrugged haphazardly. “Why would I?
“Because she… She’s…”
“Fragile?”
“No,” I stated. “Maja has never been fragile.”
“Once upon a time, she was. This world is cold, Von. We both know that. She faced a demon and survived. Can you imagine the terror a sixteen-year-old kid felt in that moment, or in the days, weeks, months, and even years after? I refused to let her feel that fear again. I refused to ever let her feel hopeless and helpless again.”
“So, you trained her to kill?”
“I trained her how to defend herself and the people she loves. I do whatever I have to, to protect my family.”
“She became a murderer, Adir! Don’t you fuckin’ get that?”
“I do. And I stand with my baby. What about you?”
“This goes against everything my badge stands for.”
“And yet you’ve covered up every single thing about Jemell’s murder. Something she said or did triggered you to suspect that she was ya killer. Am I right?”
Nodding, I couldn’t believe I was admitting to covering up a murder. Me. A lieutenant. A leader.
“What made you cover it up? Seems like you’re having second thoughts.”
“No, I’m not. I love Maja. I’d die for her.”
“This, we all know.”
“The second I suspected it was her, the only thing I could think about doing was protecting her.”
“Why?”
“I already said why.”
“Love, yes. What’s the other reason why?”
I couldn’t confront that truth. Confronting it would make me no better than those who broke the law. The same people I chased daily.
“When you’re ready to confront what you can’t speak, I’ll be around.” Adir turned to leave.
“Wait,” I called. He stopped and turned to me. “What made you become what you are?” All these years, I knew what the Bell family was capable of. I knew and still chose to be a part of their circle by way of Maja. Still, there was nothing I would change. Even if it meant going against my badge.
“Because people like me, needed people like him.”
My father’s voice sounded behind me. Turning, I was surprised to see him standing there. Lewis was next to him and both entered the gazebo. My father approached me and exhaled a deep breath.
“There’s so much to this life, Von. So much that I wish you didn’t have to see.
However, we’re here now. From the beginning, I told you how special Maja was to me.
This family has done a lot for us, more than can be spoken of.
They’re partly responsible for me making it home every night.
I wouldn’t be where I was if I didn’t have them. Do you understand?”
I understood all too well. This was what Lew had been preaching.
There were people out there who chose to do what those of us with a badge couldn’t.
These were the people keeping the streets in check.
Most importantly, they kept us safe in these streets.
That was how law enforcement officers like me, Lewis, and my father were able to do our jobs so well.
The streets looked out for us. For the most part, they even respected us.
“We can’t let anything be tied to her,” I said.
“You took care of Jemell. I took care of everything back in Atlanta,” Lewis informed me. “I told you, we have to protect her.”
As a sign of infinite loyalty to not only Maja, but to the entirety of the Bell family, I handed Jemell’s cellphone to Adir.
Finally, I revealed, “I covered up his murder because sometimes a cell is too lenient.”
Adir nodded. It was Maja and family over everything. Including my badge.