Suzetta Perkins - Déjà Vu

“Sweetie, it was a compliment. You are so resilient. All the things you’ve been through, you don’t seem to let it stop you from moving forward with your life. You weather one storm after another and, as the title of Maya Angelou’s famous poem suggests, and still you rise.”

“I really want to get my life together, Edward. It seems that trouble seems to follow me like flies to a picnic. I don’t even ask for it, but when I look up, the dark cloud is swarming over me. I can’t seem to shake the dark side of my life. I’m trying, Edward. God knows I’m trying.”

“Sis, you are going to be fine. Hearing you say that you want to turn over a new leaf leaves me no alternative but to help you in every way I can.”

Angelica looked at Edward with so much love in her eyes. “Oh, Edward, that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time…well, almost.”

“What do you mean by almost?” Edward snickered.

“I did meet a nice man in New York. Edward, he truly cares about me. In fact, if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of New York.”

“You plan to go back to New York after the funeral?”

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I know it would be a death sentence to go back there now, with Santiago looking for me. He gives me the creeps. Sometimes I feel like he’s following me.”

“Well, big brother is here to protect you now. We’re going to get rid of the rental car tomorrow morning, and we’ll strike out for Fayetteville after that. Hamilton’s funeral is temporarily set for Saturday; however, I believe the family is waiting for you to get there to complete the arrangements.”

“How is that? I’ve been estranged from that family forever. They must know that Hamilton gave me his insurance policies and things to hold. Maybe we can get Jefferson to go over Hamilton’s investments.”

“Is that a good idea? My sources tell me that Margo and Jefferson are trying to work on their marriage, and your asking Jefferson to help with Hamilton’s finances might be misconstrued.”

“Remember, Edward, I’m no longer up to my old tricks. I want to take care of business and be left alone.”

“I’ll give Jefferson a call, and see if we can’t set something up. I’ll be with you.”

“Great. Now I’m tired. I had a long day. Today was like a page out of one of James Patterson’s mystery novels.”

“Glad you’re here, Sis. You’re in good hands.”

Brring, brring, brring. Angelica hesitated at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She had ignored several of Santiago’s calls, but maybe he would go away if she answered.

“Don’t answer that if it’s Santiago,” Edward cautioned. “He’s a smart guy. Your call could be traced, and he might have the resources to do it. I think we are going to have to get the police involved because, if we don’t, we may be letting ourselves in for a showdown that we’ll all regret.”

“You’re right,” Angelica said.

Brring, brring, brring, the phone began again. Angelica looked at the number closely and realized it was Ari.

“This is the gentleman I told you I met in New York,” Angelica said to Edward, her face lighting up. “Hello, Ari,” Angelica said with excitement in her voice.

“An…An…”

“Ari, are you all right?”

“San…San…tiago,” the voice at the other end said.

“What about Santiago, Ari? Where are you?” Angelica saw the concern in Edward’s eyes.

“Beat…me…up…left to die. Wanted to know where you were. Says I helped…you. He…he killed Donna.”

Angelica’s heart sank. “Oh my God. Where are you, Ari?”

“I don’t know. Left to die. San…ti…ago and his goons snatched me…in front of the apartment building. Don’t know if I’m going to make it.”

“Don’t talk like that, Ari. You’re going to make it. I’m going to call the police and Nick. Hang in there, Ari, if not for yourself, for me. I need you.”

“Beeeeeeee care…ful. Santiago is dangerous. He…he had a…gun.”

“Don’t worry about me; it’s you I’m worried about. We’re going to find you.”

There was a long silence. “Ari!” Angelica shouted. “Ari, can you hear me? Hang in there, baby.”

The cell phone shook violently in Angelica’s hand. “It has already started, Edward. I guess Santiago tried to find out from Ari where I was, and when he didn’t tell him, he beat him up. He’s out there somewhere hurt and by himself.” She closed the phone, and the line was dead.

“Give me the phone,” Edward said. “I’ll call the police and put things in motion. I need to call that Captain Petrowski in Fayetteville to let him know that we’re on our way there and Santiago may be coming that way, too. We need all the help we can get.”

“Great, Edward. In the meantime, I’m going to call Ari’s friend Nick to see if he can help find Ari. Maybe they can trace his location through my cell phone.”

“Sounds like we’re racing against time. Hopefully we can find Ari before it’s too late for him. We’re going to the police tonight, though. We have to stay a step ahead of Santiago and maybe set a trap he never saw coming. As soon as we talk to the police and all our calls are made, we are heading to Fayetteville. I’ll have someone pick the rental car up and turn it in. Let’s go.”

“I’m on it.”

Angelica called Nick and shared what she knew. She could hear the fear in his voice when she told him what Ari had said. Guilt consumed her because, if it weren’t for her, neither Ari nor Nick would have been involved in her mess. Angelica’s only hope was that Ari would be found before it was too late.

“I just got off the phone with the police and they want us to come to the station now, if we have any hopes of saving Ari,” Edward said.

“Let’s go,” Angelica said, grabbing her purse.

Edward raced to the police station, maneuvering around slow moving cars with reckless abandon. When they arrived, Angelica recounted the sordid story of her past and the details of Ari’s abduction and what led to it. She also shared her speculation about who may have murdered her ex-husband, Hamilton, and his cousin, Donna. If there was a tie-in, she didn’t know since she was merely making an assumption based on the thoughts of others.

Angelica gave the police Ari’s cell number and a description of what he looked like. The information was dispatched to the New York Police Department. They also offered to share the information about Santiago with the Fayetteville Police. Angelica was thanked for a job well done.

Glad to have that behind them, Edward and Angelica headed back to his house to grab their things. There was one other piece of equipment Edward needed before they headed to Fayetteville. While Angelica fiddled with her face in the bathroom, Edward reached into a hidden compartment in his dresser and withdrew a revolver. Quickly, he put it in his briefcase underneath a batch of papers and locked the case. Feeling better about things, he was ready to face what lay ahead.

Nothing had changed since Angelica left Fayetteville. She couldn’t say that about the turn of events in her life-Donna, Hamilton, and now Ari. It was as if she wore a neon sign that said “I’m bad news and if you get close to me something terrible will happen to you.”

She and Edward got a hotel room somewhere in the middle of town, Edward had suggested that they get double beds so that he could be close to Angelica in case Santiago should roll into town.

“You know Hamilton’s folks are waiting on you to finish the arrangements.”

Angelica walked around in circles with her arms folded across her chest. “Edward, I really don’t want to go. Those people hate me, and I think they blame me for Donna’s death because I was living with her.”