A Night To Forget, Page 2

  By 6:00 PM, Janet was one of the first to make it to the phones. She dialed her mother first and prayed between calls that she would not hang up on her.

  “Hello?” Janet’s mother answered with a proper tone.

  “Mom, this is Janet,” she whispered.

  “Janet. Honey, I was worried sick about you. How did you end up in County Jail?” Margaret questioned.

  “Mom, I don’t have time to go in great details, but they believe I committed a murder. They think I killed my neighbor, Elliott,” Janet explained quickly. “I need you to come to my hearing tomorrow at 10:30pm. Can you do that mom, please?” Janet pleaded with her mother in a low voice so that other inmates did not hear her begging.

  “Murder? Margaret responded in shock.

  “Yes, baby I will be there but I will hold off telling your father before finding out the details myself,” she responded with concern.

  “Thanks mom, but I really have to go. There are other people waiting to use the phone,” Janet whispered into the receiver.

  “All right, I get it! I love you and I am glad you called for help,” Margaret responded.

  Janet hung up with a small smirk and a sense of inner peace by just hearing her mother’s voice. Of course, she was confused why her mother did not scold her on how she got there. She knew those questions were coming, but Margaret was the type of person to get all the facts first.

  Janet went back to her cell and laid in the bed looking at the metal frame of the bunk bed. She was trying to decide if she should call Olivia. I mean, she hasn’t heard from her “lawyer,” Tim since the night she was booked.

  Olivia betrayed me and I know it. Olivia knows she is up to no good. Janet kept going back and forth with herself about Olivia. “That is because she knew more than I did,” Janet thought. Think, Janet. Think…. You went to the bar for a couple of drinks. Olivia was supposed to be there due to work. However, I can’t remember if in fact she showed up that night or not. Janet’s drink of choice was Paul Masson, Jim Bean, and Jack Daniels; all the hard liquor. A couple of shots of those and she can't even remember her last name. She remembers seeing Elliot because he bought her a drink. That was the last time she saw Elliot alive. Janet barely remembers the walk home. She remembers it being a crisp spring night. Janet remembered trying to sober up a little bit during the cool breeze.

  The last thing she remembers was opening the front gate to get into the building. After that, everything was a blur. She does not remember going into Elliot's apartment or her apartment for that matter. His door was wide open, yet her door was locked and closed. Maybe she went in to use the restroom, given how much alcohol she had to drink. Did she pass out there? How could she have passed out through a murder? Maybe her drink was spiked?

  Janet then remembered the most important thing to this whole drunken mess. The maintenance men inserted cameras in the entranceway and hallways just last week. All she needed was to see those tapes and she would be home free if she did not murder Elliot. She knew she had to tell her mother to convince the front office to see those video tapes. The only person who knew about those tapes were people in the building and Janet never told Olivia that those were installed last week.

  Chapter 6

  Janet woke up to count at 6:30am for those that were going to court. Janet got very little rest that night. She was too busy replaying the night all of this happened repeatedly in her mind. Luckily, before count and transportation to the courthouse, Janet could make one phone call. Of course, the person she dialed was her mother, Margaret. Margaret noticed the first ring; she knew it only could be Janet this early in the morning. Margaret answered the call in the study because she still was not ready to tell Janet’s father.

  “You have a collect call from an inmate in Rikers Island. Press 1 to accept the call or 2 to ignore the call.” Margaret pressed option one as soon as possible.

  “Hey baby! Are you okay in there? Do you need anything from me?” Margaret asked as a concerned parent. I mean, she is her only child and only daughter at that.

  “Mom, I am fine, but I have been up thinking about how this could have all went down. I remembered that a week prior to this incident that maintenance put up security cameras everywhere in the building. What I need from you is to talk to management about having those tapes reviewed about 3 nights ago,” Janet said with a smirk on her face.

  “Have you heard from Olivia?” Margaret asked.

  “Nope. She told me she would get me the best lawyer and then disappear. I have not even heard from the lawyer she suggested after the day I was arrested,” Janet snapped.

  “Some friend, and isn’t she a lawyer? She should be able to assist you,” Margaret questioned.

  “She did not pass the bar, so she couldn’t represent me; however, she could give me advice. She actually is an ex-detective now; I am not sure what happened,” Janet explained.

  “Well… Okay, I will get our family lawyer to jump right in. We could probably have those tapes before your first court appearance. Whatever the bail is, we will make sure to put it up and have you out by this afternoon. One last thing Janet; I still haven’t told your father about what is going on. I will keep it secret if possible, but we are going to need him at some point, especially with the surveillance,” Margaret stated in a concerned voice.

  “It’s okay, mom. I know that you’ll do what you can, but to show that I am innocent I will need dad’s expert opinion,” Janet chuckled.

  “Mom, you remember that private investigator you used a while back?” Janet asked, anxious.

  “Yes, I think I remember him. His name is Jack,” Margaret responded. Margret could hear the excitement in her voice.

  “Well, reach out to him because the building put surveillance cameras up around the building just two weeks ago,” Janet said with confidence.

  “I am just going to play devil's advocate for one second, Janet, so do not get upset,” Margaret requested.

  “Sure, please make it quick,” Janet said sounding annoyed.

  “What if the tapes show that you in fact did murder Elliot?” Margaret questioned.

  There was a deep silence on the receiver of the phone. Janet did not think about that part only because she was sure she could never kill anyone. Even through lost thoughts of drunken nights she knew that she could never take another man’s life. I mean, she was 5’2 and 110 pounds soaking wet. Elliot had to be 6’2’’ weighing 230 max. There is no way that she could have gotten him up five flights of stairs alone drunk.

  Janet finally responded, “I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there, right? The main goal is finding out who killed Elliot and if they would show up on those tapes,” Janet snapped.

  “Ma, please just reach out to the P.I. for me and let me know how that goes before tomorrow’s arraignment. Also, did you get another lawyer? It looks as if the “lawyer” Olivia provided is a no call, no show.”

  Margaret took in a deep breath, “Well, you know if I reach out and get lawyers involved I am going to have to tell your father about what is going on,” Margaret said with concern in her tone.

  “I have not heard a thing from Olivia or the representation she provided. So, with I am being left out to dry for a crime I have no idea if I did or not,” Janet exhaled.

  “That is odd because you two seem to have such a trustworthy, real friendship,” Margaret said with her head held low.

  Janet paused; she was not sure if she even cared to hear anything from Olivia or her excuses. However, curiosity always got the best of her though. She was more curious about who played the lawyer’s part and how she even knew Elliot’s name. She never told Olivia his name. That was clue number one. How did Olivia know that it was Elliot who lived across the hall?

  Janet knew for a couple of years. She knew that Olivia used to be a detective in her heyday, but due to cases that went too far she took a leave of absence. Olivia never really got too personal in her life issues. However, Janet did notice that Olivia always seemed
to place herself in confined places around situations that were filled with drama.

  Janet finally answered her mother's questions after deep thought and a replay of Olivia’s actions.

  “Yes, ma, call and find out how everything is looking on her end with my case,” Janet said with a harsh exhale.

  “Ma, I have to go. I will see you and the lawyer at arraignment,” she said and disconnected the call right before Margaret could say her goodbyes.

  Janet was scared but felt as if the surveillance cameras would tell their own story. They could prove that she had nothing to do with Elliot’s murder. Then on the other had she thought about how eager Olivia was to have a lawyer present. I mean, given the circumstances it made sense, but it was just all too well put together for such an intense situation.

  Another thought that crossed her mind was that Olivia was very odd; she had more questions than usual.

  Janet just knew that something didn't seem right the whole time with Elliot, and the way the police showed up just did not add up to an accidental murder that one walked into. At arraignment, she saw her mother and to her surprise her father. After scanning the gallery one last time, she noticed a woman with a head scarf and dark glasses sitting all the way in the back of the gallery. She knew it was Olivia when she saw her. They had not spoken since the police hauled her off in handcuffs. Why would she show up if we haven’t even spoken? Why would she show up if I haven’t heard from the lawyer she was so eager to give me? These questions would go unanswered until Olivia was brave enough to come see Janet behind bars. Janet’s mind still raced with questions like what could she gain from being here? She knew as much as I did about what happened that evening, so it is not like she would be a great witness.

  Once in front of the judge with her lawyer provided by mommy and daddy, he requested a bond of $150,000.00 and Janet would need to turn over her passport. The prosecution agreed, as this was Janet’s first ever offense and the family was wealthy. Janet felt a chill go down her spine. She knew that if daddy was there and he had to put in money that this was going to be a long night.

  Chapter 7

  Once on the outside, Janet felt she could breathe again. She knew what she needed to do and that was find out what Olivia knew. She had so many questions, like why was she at her arraignment? Why hadn’t she reached out to her or her parents after the arrest? So many unanswered questions with very little time to get the answers. Janet set up a shop out of her local Starbucks. She needed to backtrack her moves and learn more about Olivia and her lawyer friend, Tim. She started with Olivia and her old precinct in Manhattan. It was not easy entering Olivia’s jacket. However, Olivia did have a couple of cases for using extra force and some cases with no resolutions. There was a file that was password protected. Janet knew this had to be the reason Olivia was on leave from the force. Janet would need to have to call in a couple of favors to get that file open. Janet just had this feeling that the file needed to be open because it contained the real reason Olivia was no longer a detective. Getting the file open was just as important as the surveillance camera.

  Janet went to college with a now Chief of Police who worked out of the Brooklyn Homicide precinct. She knew she had to reach out and find out if there was anything he could help her find out more information about Olivia.

  “Hey Vince, long time no hear! It’s Janet,” she said, with a slight excitement in her voice.

  “Janet!” he said with hesitation.

  “So, I guess you heard about all that has been going on with me?” Janet said with a little stress in her voice.

  “Of course, Janet. It’s everywhere, and it's a hot topic at the time given who your father is,” Vince replied.

  “So, what brings you to call my line?” Vince went straight to it.

  “We go way back, so I will do what I can for you, but I cannot promise anything as the Chief of Police,” Vince stated.

  “Look, this will be quick, and you won’t have to hear from me again or at least not on these terms,” Janet giggled.

  “Just tell me what you know about Olivia?” Janet questioned.

  “Olivia who? What precinct?” Vince inquired.

  “Olivia Vander love. She’s out of Manhattan. I believe she deals with gang unit,” Janet said and waited impatiently for a response.

  “Vander love, Vander love, Vander love,” he said to himself three times.

  “Ahh, I know a little bit about Olivia. What info can I share…? She is a hot head recently. She got into a little trouble with her partner looking the other way with cases, and on desk duty, I believe,” Vince responded.

  “Honestly, that is so tight with secrets. It would take a lot of digging and would probably cause some suspicion from other departments,” Vince responded with a low tone.

  “I’ll never ask you to do anything to jeopardize you or your job, but if you can keep an ear open, and let me know if you can find out anything,” Janet pleaded.

  “I cannot promise I will find out anything, but you have my word that if I do come across anything regarding Olivia or her partner lawyer, Tim, you will be the first to know,” Vince assured her.

  Janet hung up the phone with frustration. She knew something was in that file. She just did not know what exactly. She started with googling lawyer Tim. She knew he would be the easiest to find because of his credentials. Tim worked out of the Lower East Side. He was one of those Jewish lawyers who cared more about getting their payments on time versus your cases. He had a couple of lawsuits against his license but nothing major. Janet’s goal was to find out how Olivia and Tim's relationship equaled one. As she continued to read more about Tim, she found that he represented some Latin Kings. Now, here is where the connection was made; the officer arresting gang members was Olivia. This information was starting to point her in the right direction. “Now why would Olivia be the arresting officer but refer Tim as a defense attorney?” Janet thought to herself.

  Janet researched more about Olivia and Tim. What she found was a pattern that lawyer Tim and Olivia shared. They helped only the same gang members out. The only part of the puzzle was why. The why Janet felt was in that locked folder. When Janet checked the time, it was 9 pm. She had been at Starbucks since 5 pm. Time flew by and she had not even noticed. Either way, it was time to go. She would find out all she could at this moment. She had not eaten, and it was time to stop building an ass print in the leather sofa at Starbucks.

  ************************

  Janet grabbed a bite to eat just to have something in her stomach and went straight home. She knew she was not going to be able to sleep. One reason was that she had not been in the apartment since her arrest. The next reason is that she still had more to find out about Olivia and Tim. Something just didn’t sit right with her and on top of that she knew there was no way she could have murdered her neighbor.

  As she reached her front door, she could feel the chills go down her body. Just the thought of entering her apartment brought a sense of fear. Even though the murder happened across the hall, it still felt very odd and evil. Once in the apartment, she stood in the doorway to look around. Nothing changed; everything was still in its place, unmoved. She closed the door and clicked on the light switch to the left of her. The light brought a certain sense of clarity to the apartment, as if to let her know she would not be back in that hell hole she just left. The problem was that she had to prove it because as it stands she was very guilty. Janet decided to shower first before getting back to her laptop. While headed to the bathroom she saw dried blood on the wood floor. It stopped her in her tracks, bringing a flashback to waking up on the bathroom floor next door. She ran to the cleaning closet and grabbed what she needed and rushed back to clean up the evidence. She scrubbed like her life depended on it. After five minutes and a very thorough cleaning, she put the cleaning stuff back and hopped in the shower. She showered until the water went cold. She was paranoid the blood was still on her skin even though she has had countless showers and it has be
en days since the incident. Towel wrapped around her, she ran to her laptop and opened it up. She had an email from Vince.

  May not be much but I hope it can help, the subject read.

  She opened the attachment to find pictures of Olivia and Tim; they were a couple. Confirms why all their cases tied together, she thought. Explains why she was so persistent on Tim representing her. She placed herself in every aspect of this case in the beginning only, but why? That was the question Janet had very little time to prove.

  *Ring, Ring*

  Bringing her out of deep thought the phone rings again. Across the caller, ID reads Mom. Janet answered trying to clear her voice at the same time.

  “Hey Baby,” Margaret started.

  “Hey, Ma!” Janet responded, trying to gather herself together.

  “Why do you sound like that honey? Are you feeling sleepy?” Margaret questioned.

  “No, not at all. Just in deep thought, but I am up, ma,” Janet insisted.

  “Hey, ma, did you get those cameras or speak to the private investigator?” Janet asked eagerly.

  “I have heard from them just checking base, but they are still investigating for us. So, the investigator does not have anything for us yet,” Margaret explained.

  Janet listened, but she knew that a better private investigator would have something. You don’t pay these people not to have any form of status updates or information, especially for what they were paying.

  “That is interesting. I would think they would have something by now, mom,” Janet questioned.

  “They probably are just real thorough,” Margaret attempted to explain.

  “You said the name of the private investigation place is B.L. Investigation?” Janet questioned.

  “Yes, but baby, mommy will take care of it. You just focus on getting back on track. I am sure what you went through was very traumatic, and I just want you to be okay,” Margaret explained.

  “Mom, I am a big girl. I appreciate your help, and I will be okay, but I need to be in charge of this. This is my life, and I cannot go down for something I did not do,” Janet snapped.

  “How about I call again in the morning? They should have some status update by then,” Margaret tried to reason.