Trickery & Envy (25 page)

M
inutes later and they were creeping out the back door and down the steps. Cassidy was told to stay very quiet which she obeyed, holding hands with her mother.

After inconspicuously exiting the back gate they began to walk at a rapid
pace away from the house down the alley. Cassidy looked as if she had questions for her mother as to why they were sneaking away from home, but remained quiet.

“You got to come out the house sooner or later,” Vernon said waving his hand down
ward at the building and he turned and walked away. When he turned the corner he quickly stopped. “All snaps,” he uttered. “She done snuck her ass out the back door,” and he walked fast over behind a tree. It was in the nick of time because Tracie, a nervous wreck, turned her head to look behind them.

“Where the hell
is she going?” Vernon uttered and moved his head some to look at them scurrying down the street. “I know this broad is not trying to set me up. Girl you must be a fool. You’re in this as much as I am.”

Vernon wait
ed for them to turn the corner before moving in the opposite direction.

“That’s where we’re going
,” Cassidy said and beamed as if they were playing a guessing game. “We’re going over to grandpa’s house.”

“Ye
s, we’re going to see grandpa,” Fran said briefly making eye contact with Tracie.

“What’s so secret about going to see grandpa,” Cassidy wanted to know and
she began to skip to keep up with the fast pace. She was now holding both Fran and Tracie’s hand.

Fran sa
id, “We want it to be a surprise. We don’t want grandpa to know we’re coming.”

“Okay,” Cassidy said content with the answer.

When they neared his house Cassidy asked, “Can I ring the bell,” and she broke from their hands and darted a few feet up the four steps to ring the bell.

Grandpa Herman look
ed out the peep-hole. “Will you look at my family,” he said with a smile and opened the door.

“Hey grandpa,
” Fran and Tracie said while Cassidy greeted him with the words, surprise grandpa!

Grandpa Herman was wearing gray tweed pants
that were being held up by suspenders and a red checkered shirt.

“Hey little pumpkin,” he said
jovial to see Cassidy and patting her atop her head. “You came to surprise your great grandpa. He sure is happy to see you. Y’all just come right on in.”

Cassidy took off to the dining room where a four foot bird cage stood
. She quickly wiggled her fingers at the two yellow parakeets and made funny faces at them.

Fran sa
id, “Grandpa, I know this is unexpected, but can you keep an eye on Cassidy for us. Tracie and I have some very important business to take care of” and the seriousness and urgency in Fran’s voice had him looking concerned at them.

“
Are you two okay? Nothing done happen has it?”

“We hope not grand
pa. There is just something we need to take care of and it’s not a good idea that Cassidy go with us.”

Grandpa Herman look
ed at Tracie who looked a bit troubled to him and hadn’t said anything since they entered, but hi. “You okay, baby,” he said to her.

Tracie managed a smile. “Ye
s, grandpa, we just need to take care of some business.”

Fran then sa
id, “Grandpa, I know this is going to sound out of the ordinary too, but we need to use your car if that’s okay.”

“
My car,” and a little confused he went over to the window and looked out at his ten-year-old maroon four-door Cadillac parked out front. His eyes then moved to the car in front and in back of his. “What done happened to your cars?”

“Grand
pa we’re going to tell you everything when we get back,” Fran said.

“You sure you two aren’t in any trouble, you know I’ll help you out of whatever
the situation.”

“Everything is fine
for now, but we are in sort of a hurry,” Fran said and glanced over at Tracie.

Grandpa Herman began walking toward the dining room for his keys.

“Well neither one of you has ever led me or your grandmother astray, may she rest in peace. It’s okay, you two can use it,” he said retrieving his keys from the table.

Tracie and Fran were
quiet for the first few minutes to the police station. Fran glanced over at Tracie who was still gloomy sitting in the passenger’s seat.

“Tracie
I’m here for you,” she said. “But I’m not going inside the police station with you.”

Tracie quickly look
ed over at her sister, shocked.

“What do you mean you’re not going in with me?
Why not, Fran? I don’t want to go in there by myself.”

“I understand, but I don’t want my name tied up in Vernon’s mess. You know that I’m an applicant to be part of the mayor’s
office. I don’t want your association with a criminal to raise any eyebrows. Something tells me he was a criminal long before you met him. I walk in there with you and the next thing you know my name will be all over the news and in the papers. I can’t jeopardize my future.”

Tracie nod
ded. “I just want you to know whatever happens that I appreciate you being by my side. I only ask one thing Fran that if I go to jail you take care of Cassidy,” and a couple tears fell from her eyes. “Don’t tell her where I am, make up something.”

“Oh Tracie
that’s without question,” Fran said trying to hold back tears.

Fran released one hand from the steering wheel and moved it over to hold her sister’s hand
for a second.

As they
approached the police station Fran moved further up the street to let her sister out.

“Now I know you’re
not going to like this either, but you’re going to have to walk back to the police station,” Fran said.

“Fran
!” Tracie said looking over at her.

“I will be
looking for you from my rearview mirror. Do you have your phone on you?”

Tracie nod
ded.

“Give it to me.”

“Give it to you. Why do I need to give you my phone? I may need to call you.”

“That’s
exactly why. Tracie you can call me paranoid, but when you get in the system nothing is off limits. I don’t want anyone tracing calls to me trying to get Vernon. So, give it here,” and Fran wiggled her fingers for the cell phone. Tracie gave her the phone. “One more thing,” Fran said. “I’m going to sit out here no longer than a half-hour. After that if you’re still inside, I’m going to head back to grandpa and explain to him what’s going on.”

“I’m scared, Fran. I just feel they are going to keep me
because I’m involved.”

Fran didn’t respond though she had the same s
inking feeling it could happen.
How do you walk into a police station and admit that you were part of a home invasion and they let you walk away
.

Tracie reached for the handle to open the door.

“Wait Tracie,” Fran said and Tracie moved back into her seat. Fran held out her hand for Tracie’s. She then lowered her head and said a prayer.

“God, I ask you to please walk ahead of
my baby sister who is lost at the moment. She has stumbled into bad company. I ask you Lord to rid her of this burden and to give her strength, for only you Lord can see her through trials, in Jesus name, Amen.”

“Amen,” Tracie said
softly and exited the car while Fran wiped away a few tears from her eyes.

Tracie walk
ed with great sadness down the street to the police station.

“God, I know I don’t talk to you often
, but please see me through this. God whatever happens...please...please...take care of Cassidy.”

Trac
ie entered the station and the jitters quickly set in. With her small purse hanging from her shoulders she paused and gave a second thought to turning herself in.
I can’t do this. I don’t want to be in jail
and her sister’s words came to mind. It’s the right thing to do Tracie. “Okay, okay,” Tracie uttered and slowly inhaled then exhaled. She saw an officer speaking with a gentleman a little ways from her and headed his way.

A
male officer was watching Tracie from behind the counter. He had seen her come in through a mirror in the ceiling.

“Madison,”
the officer called out to a female officer near him. “I’m waiting for a call from district 8, pick up for me if it rings,” and he left from behind the counter in Tracie’s direction.

S
everal officers began exiting a room close to where Tracie was standing. She took a deep breath and then stopped one of them.

“I need to talk to someone,”
she said, looking at the officer’s name badge.

The
officer that had come from behind the counter saw the contact and he turned to head back behind the counter.

“Give me a few minutes,
Bradford,” the officer said to another, and then looked at Tracie. “I’m Officer Grayson, follow me,” and he led the way to the room he along with the other officers just exited. “Have a seat,” he said to Tracie and then walked around the table and took a seat across from her.

Tracie
sat and shortly after her attention was drawn to a large white board on the wall in front of her. She looked as if she was trying to make sense of the names and arrows pointed in several directions.

“
What’s your name?” Officer Grayson asked.

“
Tracie Allen.”

“
How can I help you, Ms. Allen?”

Tracie
looked off to her side.

“I was with my boyfriend when he
let his friends rob his sister house.”

“What is
your boyfriend’s name?”

“Vernon Fowler
, Jr.”

“Vernon Fowler,
Jr.,” the officer repeated. He then looked off to his side thinking. “Excuse me,” he then said and rose from the chair and left the room. Shortly after, he returned with a tape recorder. “Everything said here will be recorded. Do you object to it?”

“No.”

Officer Grayson hit the play button. “You may proceed,” he said.

“
Vernon’s sister, Ms. Fowler, I used to work for her as a stylist in her salon. I was still mad about her firing me, so I went along with his plan.”

“Did your boss know that you were dating her brother?”

“No.”

“How did you find out that they were related?”

“Vernon needed some money and went to work with me one day. He didn’t come in the shop; he stood across the street and waited for me. He had ran into one of his friends and stopped to talk.” Tracie wiped at her eyes again. “When I left the salon to give him some money he was gone. The next time I saw him I asked what happened to him. That’s when he told me he saw his sister come out of the salon. He said he started putting two and two together and remembered his sister wanted to open a salon. He said he left and called the shop posing as a hair product company and asked for the owners name to send out samples. That’s when he found out she was the owner.”

“Why didn’t you tell your boss you knew her brother?”

“Vernon told me not to. He said they didn’t get along well because she didn’t want to share the money their father left with him and that he planned to get his portion. He said if she knew we were together that she may find a reason to get rid of me because she didn’t want Vernon around her salon.”

“Is that why she fired you
...she found out that you two were dating?”

“No
, I was calling off and coming in late. Most of the times it was because of Vernon.”

Officer Grayson crossed his arms. “How long have you be
en dating Mr. Fowler?”

“About six months.”

“I want to go back to his sister being robbed. Whose idea was that?”

“It was Vernon’s idea. I didn’t know he was going to rob her. He said he was going
there to ask for some money. Vernon said that the costumes were so she’d open the door. Officer, no one was supposed to get hurt.” Tears began to fall from Tracie’s eyes. “I didn’t know he was going to hit his sister the way he did,” and Tracie poured tears into her hand.

“So you witnessed him assault his sister?”
Officer Grayson said.

Tracie nod
ded affirmative.

“Speak into the recorder.”

“Yes. He hit her in the face with his fist and she fell to the floor. Do you know if she’s okay?”

Officer
Grayson moved his head from side to side. “The jury is still out on that. Even so, I was one of the officers on the scene. She was being raped as I entered the house.”

Tracie quickly cover
ed her mouth with both hands. “Who raped her? God I feel awful.”