FREDDY PRINCE | CH. 14
Chapter Fourteen
Kalani checked everywhere for Mayor Montgomery, only to come up empty-handed. The last place she expected to find him was his office, but she didn’t rule it out completely. Not until she ran into Shonnie again.
“Is my dad around?”
“No.”
Shonnie slammed the book in front of her shut and rolled her eyes.
“And even if he was, I think you’d be the last person he would stop his day to talk to. But maybe I can help. What’s up?”
Kalani scoffed and folded her arms across her chest as she stared at Shonnie, wondering where she got her audacity. She thought about leaving and taking her search elsewhere, but then she thought it would be a good idea to put pressure on Shonnie as well.
Freddy warned her that Shonnie was no weak link, and Kalani knew from experience how conniving and vindictive her dad's fling could be. But when it came to investigating and drawing out confessions, Kalani had her fair share of experience.
“As a matter of fact, I think you can help me.”
She put on a fake smile and stepped closer to Shonnie’s desk with her notepad in hand. That was a scare tactic she learned from her mom when she first got into journalism.
“I was given information through an anonymous tip a few days ago. It was video footage from the night before my mother’s body was found.”
Shonnie’s eyes widened a bit. She no longer looked like she controlled the room and looked more like a helpless teen who was caught red-handed. Another tip Kalani learned from her mom was how to read a person’s body language. Even when their lips spoke lies, their bodies would always give them away.
“I watched the video over and over and over again. At first, it was hard to see a third person inside the car because my focus was on the trunk. But the more I watched it and took everything in, I saw that there was someone else there that night.”
Kalani’s eyes squinted at Shonnie like she knew all of her dirty secrets. She didn’t know for sure if there was another person in the car that night. Not until reading Shonnie’s body language.
“I know Mack was there,” she said. “My father. But what was so hard for me to understand was why and what they were getting rid of. I know my dad loved my mom. He had a fucked up way of showing it, but he would’ve never dumped her like that. Then, I started thinking about what he said in his office that day; how adamant he was about loving her, so I know it couldn’t have been him who killed her.”
Shonnie stood silent. Any other time, she had the right words to say for everything. But in the face of the one person who could bring down her entire operation, she had nothing but crickets.
“Do you know a woman by the name of Dahlia?” Kalani asked. “She was a good friend of my mom's. Mack’s sister.”
“No.”
Shonnie’s voice came out so low and weak that she had to repeat herself to sound in control again.
“No. I don’t know her. Why?”
“Well, she knows you.”
Kalani teased Shonnie with lies that were meant to lead her to the clues she needed to solve the crime.
“She knows a lot about all of you. Things I didn’t even know. Too bad someone went after her too. I’m willing to bet I know who that was. But why?”
Instead of continuing, Kalani stared Shonnie right in the eyes. She looked terrified, like everything she thought she’d get away with was crumbling right in front of her eyes. Even though Kalani had no factual evidence that could prove who actually killed her mother, she knew she was on the right track.
“I think it’s time for you to leave,” Shonnie said. “Whenever Mayor Montgomery returns, I’ll let him know you stopped by with an interesting story. Until then, I think I’m done here.”
“Yeah,” Kalani scoffed. “You’re right. You are done here.”
On her way out of the Mayor’s office, her phone rang. She thought it would be her father calling her back after the dozen times she called him, but the call was from a number she didn’t know.
“Hello, who’s this?”
The line was silent for a moment. Nothing but static and air could be heard in her ear.
“Hello?” Kalani asked again. “Is anyone there?”
“Yeah.”
A soft and broken voice finally spoke up.
“Um, it’s Skylar. Freddy’s niece.”
It surprised Kalani to hear from her and not Freddy. After the shooting the night before and Dahlia mysteriously coming up dead, Skylar’s phone call made her fear the worst.
“Is everything okay?” Kalani asked. “Is your uncle?”
“He’s fine,” Skylar quickly replied. “Well, he’s alive, if that’s what you mean.”
Kalani let out a sigh of relief. Though she and Freddy weren’t anything more than friends, she was relieved to know that he was still alive and well.
“We need help,” Skylar said. “We found out my mom was killed earlier, and I don’t know what to do. My uncle’s out of it right now, and I’m not sure if he’ll be able to think straight. Please, what should I do?”
Skylar looked back at Freddy, who was on the couch with a double shot in his hand. He hadn’t said a single word since they got back to his place. All he did was sit in silence and throw back the contents of a Don Chaidez bottle.
“Where are you?” Kalani asked. “I’ll come right away.”
Skylar looked at her uncle again. She was hesitant to give out the address to his place because she didn’t know who to trust, but something told her she could trust Kalani.
“I sent you my location. Please hurry.”
Kalani’s heart raced as she thought about her next move. Her surroundings were clear for the time being, but she didn’t want to make the wrong move and lead whoever was hunting them straight to Freddy’s place. She had to be smart.
Instead of heading straight there, she went back to her hotel just in case anyone followed her. After changing her clothes and taking a quick scan of the area, she took the back exit of the hotel that led into a field.
“Shit,” she winced at the thorns that got caught in the legs of her jeans. “I can’t remember the last time I went on a hike.”
When she made it to the road, she called for an Uber. Luckily, there was one already leaving the hotel, so her wait for a ride wasn’t too long.
There was no one following her ride, but she still got out a few stops early just in case. She took every precaution she knew to take in order to keep danger away from Freddy and Skylar. That was all she worried about.
“Skylar, it’s Kalani.”
She made sure to call out to Skylar while she knocked. When the large oak doors opened to let her in, Skylar fell into her arms, finally able to breathe.
“My mom.”
She cried so hard she could barely catch her breath. Kalani had no idea what to do or what to say to comfort her. The only thing she felt would give Skylar any aid was to hug her and let her cry it out.
It took a moment, but they finally made their way into the living room. Freddy was passed out on the couch with the bottle of alcohol at his feet, while Kalani did the best she could to comfort his niece. She could only imagine how he felt. Lost. Alone. Scared. It was all the things she felt when she lost her mom.
“How long has he been like this?”
Skylar sniffled and took her face away from Kalani’s chest just long enough to get a look at her uncle.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “He started drinking when we made it back.”
“Did something happen today?”
“I don’t know.” Skylar shook her head. “He picked me up from school today because my mom wasn’t answering either of us. He sounded weird when he told me to wait for him in the office. It was like he already knew something bad was happening. When we got in the car, he told me about his deal with the devil.”
Skylar and Kalani locked eyes. They both knew what she was referring to when she said 'Deal with the devil'. It was the one thing they knew he would regret for a long time.
“Hey, Skylar.”
Kalani sat her down on the couch and took a seat next to her.
“I know this is a little off-topic, but do you know where your mom kept your grandmother's diary by chance? I think I might know who’s behind this. If I can see that diary and see if Elm talked about anything relating to my research, we might be able to put an end to this for good.”
“Yeah.” Skylar looked guilty. “I actually took that this morning. My mom told me not to touch it because there was some important shit in there. I guess this is my karma for not listening.”
Skylar lowered her head, thinking about all the times she disobeyed her mom. She wasn’t a bad kid, but taking that diary made her feel like she was.
“Hey,” Kalani lifted her chin. “Don’t say that. This isn’t your fault. None of this is your fault. You hear me?”
Freddy groaned and broke their concentration. When Skylar got up to retrieve the diary, Kalani walked over to check on him. He was out cold. Dried tears stained his cheeks, and he clutched a small family photo in his hand while he slept. Him. Elm. Fantasia. Skylar.
“Here it is.”
Skylar handed over a perfectly bound leather diary with Elm’s signature on the front.
“I haven’t read any of it yet. I was scared too.”
Kalani carefully took the diary as if it were a prized possession or some kind of sacred jewel. It looked important enough. The first few pages she skimmed through told her there would be a lot to uncover inside, and with Freddy passed out on the couch and Skylar trying to wrap her mind around life, Kalani had nothing but time on her hands.
Seemingly, hours had passed since she read the first page. The contents of Elm’s personal life started to heat up when Kalani discovered she was seeing someone. Whoever the man was, Elm talked about him like he was a God.
She never said his name, though. Something Kalani thought was odd. There were several descriptions of him and what kind of life he lived, but his name remained a mystery.
“Who is this guy?”
Kalani flipped back to where Elm’s relationship with the man started and dug deeper.
He works for a very important man here in Virginia. A man a lot of people are afraid to challenge. But not me. He’s part of the reason why I’m so fearless. He protects me.
Kalani reread the words, hoping they would paint a picture of the man Elm was in love with. Although she was in the middle of an investigation, she couldn’t help but feel inspired by the love Elm had for him. Whoever he was.
I wonder how my children would feel knowing I’m in love with a white man. I have far more secrets than that, now that they’re older. But I think that might be the one they cling to the most.
“White man?” Kalani whispered to herself, trying to piece together the clues. “What white man?”
She skipped a few pages further and continued to read.
Who would have thought my rehab center would have made as much progress as it has? I thought Montgomery would cause problems and shut me down by now. I’m surprised he hasn't come around with his collection plate already. My love must be holding him off.
As far as Kalani knew, her father listened to no one. She knew from personal experience that unless you had a large chunk of cash or knew something that could put him in prison, nothing could stop him from crossing you. Nothing.
My children are adults now. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I wonder how long I'll have to wait before their father is finally ready to step from the shadows and come back into their lives.
I feel ashamed for hiding our love from them; he is their father. I keep hanging on to his promises to make an appearance more and more, but it seems like it will never happen.
“Elm was secretly dating her kid's dad?” Kalani asked herself. “Where was he all this time?”
She quickly flipped the pages and read some more. By the time she found out who Freddy and Fantasia’s father was and where he’d been all their lives, she found out a hell of a lot more than what she bargained for.
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