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Authors: Tysha

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“Are you okay, babe?” Karl asked as he rubbed Shy's back.
“Cherise, everything you've ever done in your life has been self-serving. Your reason for telling me all of this is probably more to benefit yourself than to reconcile our friendship. Don't you see that karma has you by the ass?”
“Shy, I am sorry for everything. I was a coward.” Cherise began to cry again.
“Answer my question and tell me why, because it's not just that you wanted my life. There has to be more to it.” Shy spoke through clenched teeth.
“I was in love with Melvin and wanted him for myself. Like I said, Shy, I wanted to be you.” Tears continued to fall from her sad eyes.
Shy knew it. The idea that Cherise was in love with Melvin used to cross Shy's mind every so often. Shy was not surprised. It was a relief and gave Shy one more reason not to feel guilty for what she was about to say.
“Cherise, I want you to take this information with you when you walk out of my house for the last and final time. Raequan had you beaten in your own house because you never told him about his real father. It was Raequan who set you up to be robbed at the café. He needed your stash to get ahead.” Shy paused a few seconds to watch the pain set into Cherise's heart. Finding out that your son hated you so bad that he'd ruin your life had to hurt. That was Shy's intent. “That's between you and him. I know all about Raequan's alliance with Roberts and Dwayne. Did you think he'd face no consequences for fucking with my family? You got me fucked up. They all got what they deserved for trying to kill my boys. Raequan didn't deserve to die. Death would have been too weak and too good of a punishment for his level of betrayal. I want him to suffer with every miserable breath he takes. You know I always get what I want.”
Karl felt Shy was being too cruel but he understood where she was coming from. Wanting to hurt the person responsible for hurting your child is only natural. He thought Shy was creative to come up with what she'd put into Cherise's psyche. There was no way Shy was behind the deaths of two men and paralyzing another.
She's lying, right?
Karl thought.
Cherise was devastated. It never occurred to her that Raequan was behind the robbery. Could he really hate her that much? Had Shy's words been a lie? Was she just trying to hurt her by saying she had Raequan shot down? Cherise was stunned. Her soul had been crushed by Shy's words. She wanted to lie down and die. Only death would alleviate her pain.
Feeling satisfied with the outcome of their conversation, Shy stood from her seat and walked away from Cherise. On her way out, Shy turned and said to Karl, “Get that trash out of my house. I'll be waiting for you so we can get back to us.”
Chapter 37
Nothing From Nothing Leaves Nothing
Commissioner Martin was under the gun. City leaders and the mayor wanted answers and he wanted the pressure. Someone had to be held accountable for the deaths of a single mother and her children. The family was innocent victims caught in the middle of an all-out gunfight. Most accidents are unpreventable; this tragedy was one of them. The city was a powder keg about to explode. Detectives Iverson and Selma needed to close the open case one way or another.
“I want an arrest made in this case,” Commissioner Martin stated firmly.
“Yes, sir. We've been faced with more than a few undisputable facts. After gathering many witness statements and a recreation of the incident, the most we would be able to charge the shooter in the second car with is vehicular homicide at best. The occupants of the second car were not the aggressors. Dwayne Willis, driver of the first car, is responsible for those four deaths and that of his own,” Detective Iverson explained clearly.
“There was a shootout with bullets flying around people walking down the streets. Residents need a sense of security. I am ordering you to reinvestigate the case with fresh eyes. Go where the evidence takes you step by step. Keep me abreast of your findings.”
“Sir, how should we proceed if our investigation fails to result in bringing charges?” Detective Selma asked. She suspected that Commissioner Martin wanted them to file false charges.
“Like I said, Detective, follow the evidence. If an arrest should be made, do your job. If the case is closed without any arrest, do your job,” Commissioner Martin explained.
 
 
C-Lok was relieved to see his sister looking well. He'd been worried about Shy. Anyone could easily break under all the stress Shy had going on in her life but she faced every issue like a champ. Bossy had tried to reassure C-Lok that Shy would be fine but he was always skeptical. Now, C-Lok would be able to rest easily knowing his sister had walked through hell and survived.
“This meeting is long overdue,” C-Lok said as he rolled a blunt.
“My first priority was the twins. They've both healed well and are out and about so I can tend to my own business now,” Shy explained.
“It's no big deal. We just have to get this out of the way,” Bossy added.
“I was surprised you went ahead with Rae. I just knew you'd leave that one to me. The results are perfect so I'm not complaining.” Shy smiled. She'd wanted to punish Raequan for his sins against her boys. Her disappointment faded away when she found out Raequan was paralyzed. It was exactly what he deserved. Death would have been too kind.
“What are you talking about?” Bossy asked, confused.
“I didn't order that hit,” C-Lok assured Shy.
“Yes, you did. I didn't put that order in either. What's going on?” Shy wondered.
“Shy, you had a lot going on these last few months. You could have assigned it and just forgotten about it,” C-Lok said.
“I'd remember putting that nigga down, C; don't even play me like that.” Shy sounded annoyed.
“Before you two get into an argument, let's figure this out,” Bossy calmly suggested. “Since the order didn't come from us, we have to figure out who did it.”
Being the bosses, C-Lok, Bossy, and Shy were the only ones powerful enough to order a hit. They were clueless as to who would go over their heads and shoot Raequan. Not that they weren't pleased with the results, but there was a method to their madness and it had to stay in place.
“What about Big Black?”
“Shy, he's been back in North Carolina for a while now. There's business he needed to attend to. Anyway, Black would've come to one of us before he took things into his own hands,” Bossy rationalized.
“Somebody's off the beaten path and needs to be pulled back. We need to find out who it is,” C-Lok said.
“Maybe it was just a drug deal gone badly. Raequan is known for ripping people off,” Shy reasoned. Beside the fact that someone had broken the order of the game, Shy was thankful to whoever put Raequan on his back. That's exactly where she wanted him to be for the rest of his miserable life. She wanted to shake the hand of Raequan's shooter and give him a medal.
“What do you want to do about Cherise?” Bossy inquired.
“I'll take care of that bitch. Cherise is going through it as we speak. I told her about Raequan's betrayal. Her ass is probably going crazy.” Shy smiled.
“You are letting her live?” C-Lok was surprised.
“Hell no! I'm letting her live with the pain of knowing her only child hates her so much that he'd put her life at risk. The same child that needs someone to wipe his ass for him. Having a child deprived of a life and still be alive has to be the second most devastating pain for a mother. Let the bitch marinate for a minute,” said Shy with disgust.
 
 
Just like the initial witness interviews, people had been clear that Dwayne Willis's car was the aggressor. Had it not been for his actions, the mother and her children would be alive. The final step in putting the matter away was to re-interview Monica, Prince, Brianna, and Jayden. Detective Iverson hated to make the kids relive the tragic situation but he had a job to do.
The detectives had called ahead so Shy was expecting their visit. Detective Iverson had explained why they needed to talk with the kids again. Shy wasn't happy about it but reluctantly agreed to the meeting. To help things move along, she'd made sure Brianna and Monica would be at her house. She wanted the entire situation put to rest. All of the kids had enough to deal with and they wanted to forget about what happened. Prince was the only one who'd been in the car who was accustomed to bullets flying over his head.
“Come on in.” Shy welcomed the detectives.
“Thank you again for agreeing to this, we know it's an inconvenience,” Detective Selma said.
“My only stipulation is that I sit in on each interview. You can speak to them individually back here in our family room. Who do you want to talk with first?”
“The order doesn't matter,” Detective Iverson replied.
Brianna looked scared to death. Her facial expression reminded Detective Selma of a child startled awake by a nightmare. That was exactly how Brianna felt. She'd been having nightmares about the incident regularly. Brianna tried relentlessly not to think about that life-threatening day. Having Shy hold her hand during the police interview helped Brianna tremendously. She was pleased when Detective Iverson said they were finished with her.
“Brianna, we're sorry you had to relive that day. I know something like this can be traumatizing, so you may want to consider talking to a professional. It can be very helpful,” Detective Selma said sincerely.
Jayden gave Brianna a tight hug. He had done his best to comfort her but nothing seemed to help. Sadness was written all over her face. He understood how she was feeling. Brianna wept on Jayden's shoulder.
“I can't do this again. Jay, I'm tired.”
“You won't have to, I promise,” Jayden said and followed up his words with a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Prince sat next to his mother with an attitude. He felt bad about the deaths of that lady and her kids but that tragedy did not belong on his shoulders. Dwayne was a bitch-ass nigga who'd committed suicide as far as Prince was concerned.
“By the time Monica noticed that we were being followed, it was too late. That nigga sped up and started blasting. My brother, my girl, his girl, and my baby sister were in the car. I did what had to be done,” Prince said without emotion.
“Were you expecting trouble? I mean, why have a gun in the car?”
“Detective Iverson, man, I'd rather the police catch me with it than for some nigga on the street to catch me without it,” Prince replied matter-of-factly.
“It's odd to me that you'd have a gun in the car having just been released from the hospital,” Detective Iverson responded. He kept his voice at a monotone level. The last thing he wanted was for the interviews to sound like interrogation.
“I used to stay strapped. You know the saying, its better the police catch you with it than for a nigga on the streets to catch me without it? That's a street law I always held strong to,” Prince stated honestly. His mother gave him a disapproving look. She demanded her children speak according to the occasion.
Prince had long ago grown tired of the police hanging around. He was itching to get back in the game but their constant presence made his drug delivery too risky. Anyway, he was not responsible for the outcome of that drive-by. His statement was over. Without permission, Prince stood up and left the room. He'd deal with his mother's anger later; as for now, the police could kiss his ass.
The detectives made no qualms about Prince ending his interview. They did have compassion for them all but they had a job to do.
Minutes later, Jayden entered the family room looking upset. He'd left Brianna in his room lying across his bed. The only time she seemed to get any rest was when he held her. Jayden didn't appreciate having to leave his girl alone. His physical appearance and attitude made the detectives think Prince had returned.
“Prince, we get that you want this matter closed but—” Detective Selma was interrupted.
“I'm not Prince,” Jayden spat.
Shy felt her son's irritation. She rubbed his back in attempt to calm him down. Jayden was never one to run the streets. He'd never pulled a trigger in his life. His focus had always been school, sports, and video games.
Jayden's interview lasted fifteen minutes. Instead of being asked the same questions as his last interview, Jayden narrated everything he remembered. They were wasting time that he did not have. He had to get back to Brianna. “I'll send Monica in.” Jayden left the room but not before being excused.
“Hold off on that for a minute, I need to discuss something with your mother,” said Detective Iverson. Having mistaken Jayden for Prince gave him an idea. If Shy agreed to it, the McGee family would be free to move on from this tragedy.
 
 
The twins stood in a midsized room with four other teenagers of their same height and build. They all wore simple white T-shirts, dark jeans, and sported Caesar haircuts. A number hung around the necks of everyone in the brightly lit room. An officer stood on the far wall staring at Prince and Jayden. He was trying to figure out who was who. Soon, the five witnesses to what happened that unfortunate day would do the same.
Shy had agreed to the police line on one condition. Their lawyer had to be present. Detective Iverson was certain this issue would result in the case being closed. Shy waited outside the room with Monica by her side. Brianna was still emotionally fragile so Shy asked her to babysit Princess instead of dealing with this process. Brianna was relieved she didn't have to be there.
Tommy Jackson Jr. served as the twins' legal counsel. He was pleased with the lineup. All of the boys resembled one another. The twins were mirror images of each other. He was certain things would go in the McGee family's favor.
Prosecutor Marianne Boyce wanted the case in a courtroom. It was an election year and prosecuting this high profile case would help her become a judge for sure. Detective Iverson knew Mrs. Boyce was out for blood. She didn't care if the defendant was guilty. Detective Iverson felt the McGee family had already been through a lifetime of sorrow; he was determined to close the case.
“All of the witnesses are ready. Let's start,” Detective Selma announced.
The first witness was a senior citizen of Hispanic descent who'd been walking his dog at the time of the car chase.
“Okay, Mr. Sanchez, look at the boys and see if you recognize who was shooting the gun. Take your time.” Detective Iverson coaxed him along.
After intense concentration, Mr. Sanchez was unable to say with certainty who had returned fire.
“No, sorry, son. I can't point him out. They all look alike. Two even look like twins. Why are you doing this anyway? They were only protecting themselves. That young man in the other car was the aggressor,” Mr. Sanchez said to everyone in the room.
“I suspect the remaining four will have the identical result.” Mr. Jackson smiled.
“Let's just get through this, shall we?” Mrs. Boyce snidely said.
Witness number two had been driving down in the opposite direction of the two cars. She feared one of the speeding vehicles would crash right into her car. Bianca James was so sure she'd be killed, she confessed her sins and prayed for a quick death.
“I can't say for sure but it could've been numbers two and five. There's no way I'll be able to tell those twins apart but they were both in the second car,” Ms. James said with little emotion.

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