The Plan (18 page)
Authors: Apryl Summers
Harvey staggered his way to the hallway of
the lobby area, looking for security. I heard someone say,
“
Is that him?
”
at which point I turned, looked and saw
him. He had no shoes and was wearing just his socks. He was unshaven, his
hair
ruffled; dirt and slime coated his
expensive
suit
and his white shirt was saturated with
blood which had run down from his face. His watch was gone from his wrist and
his cufflinks were also missing. Harvey saw the police standing in the lobby,
so he assumed that someone had called 911 on his behalf. He hurriedly shuffled
his way towards Robert and Larry, who were wearing bullet proof vests and black
jackets emblazoned with
“
FBI
”
and
“
SEC
”
on the back.
When Harvey walked up to them, he was in
shock.
“
Uncle
Pete?
”
he
said. Then he looked at Robert and said,
“
Steve? What are you guys doing here?
”
Without hesitation, Harvey was handcuffed
and read his Miranda rights.
10
The Letter
Transported
back to New York City, Harvey was arraigned in court and sent to county jail
whilst he awaited a trial date. Considered a flight risk with possible funds
from other embezzlements, Harvey
’
s
passport was confiscated and he was denied bail. Legacy Investments, Inc. was
raided the next day, confiscating all computers, files, legal documents,
investment contracts and bank account records.
Three months and six days after his
arrest, a trial date was set. Studying law for over a year did not make me an
expert, but I was familiar with the legal system, so when I found out it would
take nine months or longer before jury selection and the trial would begin, I
was not shocked.
Emotionally and financially devastated,
and confined to an eight-by-ten cell, Harvey was finally going to answer for
his fraudulent activities. He was looking at the possibility of 10 to 20 years
in prison, the prosecutor offered him a plea deal of five to eight years if he
cooperated, but Harvey turned it down claiming he was innocent. When
questioned, he refused to discuss any details, hiding behind his corporate
attorney.
***
I tried to get on with my life. I enrolled
in online classes, trying to finish my law degree. Every Friday I went to the
cemetery to visit Mom, Dad and Penny. It was difficult at first, but talking to
Penny at her gravesite brought me comfort, relief and peace. I told Penny
everything that had happened and how it had turned out. Each time I left the graveyard,
I would look at her tombstone and say,
“
Love you to the moon and back.
”
That afternoon, I went to the grocery
store and returned to Penny
’
s
flat. Entering the apartment complex, I stopped to retrieve my mail. Sorting
through the envelopes in the elevator, my heart stopped; I dropped the
groceries to the floor when I saw a letter from the Otisville Correctional
Facility. It was a medium security state prison 70 miles northwest of New York
City, near the Pennsylvania and New Jersey borders.
Even though the identity with the return
address was an inmate number, #768990931-OFC, I knew it was Harvey. Holding it
in my hand, I started shaking uncontrollably. The elevator door opened and I
did not move. The door started to close, but quickly reopened. A tenant on my
floor stood at the entry staring at me. I looked up to hear him say,
“
Are you getting off or going down?
”
I did not answer him.
Instead, I walked out, leaving my
groceries on the elevator floor.
“
Hey,
lady,
”
the
man said when he saw my belongings,
“
You
forgot your bags.
”
I just kept walking down the hall to my
apartment, the whole time staring at
the letter
. I set the letter on the
kitchen table, sat down and lit a cigarette.
What should I do?
I looked at my lighter and considered
burning the letter, but curiosity got the best of me and I opened it.
Dear Kelly,
I wanted to write you sooner, but it took
me this long to find out where you lived. If you are reading this letter,
please read it in its entirety.
Let me begin by saying how sorry I am. I
am not proud of my actions or the bad decisions I have made. I cannot write
everything because it is too dangerous. My life is at risk, and if anyone
involved finds out your identity, you will be in danger too.
So, for your safety, I will not reveal
certain information.
What I will tell you is that I did not
kill Penny. I cared about her a lot. That night I did go to her apartment, but
I went there to warn her not hurt her. I told her the truth and I agreed to
help her get out of town. I was supposed to meet her the next day and take her
to the airport, but someone, who I cannot name in this letter, took her life
and framed me. I can prove everything, but I need your help.
When I met you, you looked so much like
Penny it was freaky. I never told Penny, but I was in love with her. We did not
date, but we talked many times and kissed once in the parking garage. She was
an amazing person. When she became a target, I didn
’
t want anything bad to
happen to her so I tried to force her to quit by making advances at work. I
didn
’
t
know what else to do, she was getting too close and some powerful people were
onto her. So, when I found out, I tried to warn her. But I was too late.
When I met you, not knowing your true
identity, I fell in love. That
’
s why I never wanted you like the other girls; I wanted to get
you out of that lifestyle.
Kelly, it is too dangerous for you to stay
where you are. You need to go in hiding
–
tonight! I
’
m serious. The people who killed Penny,
killed my father and have held my mother in captivity for ten years. I know
what pain you are feeling. For my mom
’
s release, I have had to do many bad
things, but I only did it with the promise of her freedom. That never happened.
If you want to find who killed Penny, you
need to come and talk with me in person, but if you do, bring an attorney. It
is the only way we can talk in private without being recorded. I will tell you
everything you need to know.
Even if you never want to be with me
again, I want to make the person who is responsible pay for what they did.
Until now, I have lived in fear for my life. But now, I guess I will spend it
in prison anyway, so I have nothing to lose.
In closing, I will take a risk, I want to
tell you I love you. Please, please, please believe me. I am not who people say
I am. I am sorry for hurting you and if you let me, I will make it up to you.
The best way to do that is to catch the real killer.
If you choose not to do anything because
you don
’
t trust me, I understand. So
, if
I never see or hear from you again, know two things: I know who killed Penny
and I love you.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Harvey Goldman
One Last Thing
…
This is Part
I of a III Series:
Part II
of the Shamed Billionaire, is out on the 31
st
May 2014.
Newsletter
for the Part II in the series:
W
hen you turn the page you will give you the
opportunity to rate the book and share your thoughts through Facebook and
Twitter. If you believe your friends would enjoy this book, I
’
d be honored if you
could
post your thoughts, and if you enjoyed it, I
would be grateful if you could post a review.
Take care,
Apryl
