FREDDY PRINCE | CH. 4
This story is an original work by Shamar Phillips. No part of this chapter may be copied, reproduced, redistributed, or republished without written permission from the author.
Chapter Four
Coming up with a friendly approach for his charitable events was hard. Freddy didn’t want them to sound too repetitive or come off as too swaying. So, whenever he had a moment of free time, he got together with Mo to come up with something interesting.
“We should talk about the blatant racism coming from the first ladies of VA. If this was a community center for a bunch of white kids and white women, they would’ve approved it by now.”
“Yeah.” Freddy nodded. “I don’t wanna go that route though. Because even though this is a black community center, I still wanna be all-inclusive, you know? I don’t want people to look at me moving forward and feel like they can’t do business with me because I’m racist.”
“I feel you.”
Mo nodded her head and crossed racism off their list of approaches.
“We could do a presentation,” she shrugged. “Show the board, in numbers, how much having an outlet designed for black women and children will improve a lot of the challenges we face as a community.”
Freddy thought about the idea for a moment. He figured it could help. Then again, there were so many other affiliations using that same approach; it made him want something fresh. Something new. Something that would guarantee a green light from the people holding him back.
“That’s a good idea, Mo,” he said. “All of your ideas are good.”
“But not good enough?” she sarcastically asked.
“I didn’t say they weren’t good enough.” He chuckled. “We just need something that’s never been done. Look, I'll think about it some more and get back to you. We got a lil bit of time before we have to present again.”
Freddy knew how much Mo liked to be on top of things, and even though she was second in command, he let her call a lot of the shots. She knew the business; she knew how to be persuasive. Most importantly, she knew what women wanted and how to connect with people of all demographics. That was her specialty.
“Oh, shit.”
Freddy jumped up from his chair when he realized he’d lost track of time.
“That reporter from the other day is coming by in a minute,” he said. “I forgot she wanted to interview me.”
That wasn’t all he forgot. Freddy forgot how beautiful Kalani was. When he thought about how elegant she looked at the restaurant the night before, he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he prepared for their interview.
“What’s this interview about?” Mo asked. “She seems real intense.”
“Yeah,” he replied. “She may just be tired of all the killings and really wants to make a change. I’m hyped to see what her journalism skills look like. I might have to hire her to take your place.”
“Never happening,” Mo laughed. “You can get that out your head right now. My skills are A1, okay!?”
Kalani walked into his office building and was immediately blown away by the design. It was nothing like a mediocre journalist's office that was made up of tiny desks and had run-down cubicles present as soon as you walked in.
It was a spacious four-story building with high ceilings and expensive paintings on the walls. There were vending machines and different waiting areas for those waiting to connect for an interview. There was even a small food court at the rear of the building with a great selection of entrees, drinks, and desserts. She was highly impressed.
“Damn,” Kalani whispered. “I’d move back to VA if it meant I got to work here.”
After stopping at the receptionist's desk, Kalani got ready to take the elevator up to Freddy’s office. There was a strange feeling in her gut on the way there. Not a bad feeling, but a feeling that made her smile.
In her mind, she knew why. But she also didn’t know why, because Freddy was someone new to her. So, other than his charming nature, community service, and handsome appearance, she didn’t see a reason to smile when she thought of him.
“My Gawd! The body. The skin. The glow. You just walked right in here and stole the show, didn’t ya?”
Mo bumped into Kalani at the opening of the elevator and couldn’t go without complimenting her beauty. She was always the kind of girl to give compliments where they were due, and compliments for Kalani were very much due.
“You must be Kalani?” she asked.
“Yes,” Kalani laughed. “I’m here to see Fredrick Prince.”
“I know who you’re here to see,” Mo gave her a playful look. “Come on this way; I’ll take you to him.”
Kalani loved Mo’s energy right off the bat. She was spunky and straightforward, but still down-to-earth and sisterly. While she was researching Freddy and what he did for the women in Virginia, she also dug into the type of woman Mo was. She was his right hand. They'd known each other for a long time. So, when she stepped into their world that afternoon, Kalani already knew they were going to be a package deal.
“This is a nice workspace.”
Kalani complimented their building as she waited for the elevator to reach the top floor.
“Y’all must be making some real power moves.”
“We do a lil bit,” Mo said. “One of the best damn reporting agencies in the US.”
The quality of their work spoke for itself. It really showed how much with how luxurious their office building was. Kalani felt like she was being escorted to the president's office as she and Mo took the journey up.
“I’ve heard,” Kalani chuckled. “I’ve been following this firm for a while, and I must say, I’m impressed.”
Mo felt great about Kalani’s compliments, but she was more interested in why she was there to see Freddy. The Hijab that covered her head and only revealed her eyes heightened Mo’s curiosity even more. She didn’t ask questions, however. The Hijab told Mo that Kalani was a woman of privacy, and she respected that.
“You have a visitor.”
Mo sang a sweet tune, expecting to see Freddy when the elevator doors opened. Kalani didn’t expect the entire top floor to be his personal office. She thought she would step onto another floor full of employees who were ready to sit down and interview a potential candidate for a story. Instead, the top floor was a reserved penthouse suite fit for a King.
“Come in, make yourself comfortable.”
Mo directed Kalani to choose a seat in the waiting area of the penthouse, while she wandered off to find Freddy.
Even the waiting area of his space was divine. There was a large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, magazines neatly placed on each coffee table, and each chair was so plush you could fall asleep waiting for your chance to speak with the owner.
When Mo finally returned to the front of the suite with Freddy in tow, Kalani swiftly stood up to greet him.
“Ms. Salah,” he reached his hand out for hers. “Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon,” she smiled. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
“No problem. Let’s go over to my desk so we can get started.”
He held his hand out to lead the way.
“Mo,” he nudged his head toward her, “thanks. I’ll take it from here.”
Kalani gracefully walked in the direction he pointed her in and was flattered by the view of the city resting before her eyes. She felt like the only time she ever saw the beauty of Virginia was the day she left it in her rearview mirror.
“So, what’s up?” he asked as he took a seat behind his desk. “What brought you all the way back to VA? And before you ask, yes,” he nodded and chuckled. “I had to do a little digging on you before you came. Nothing personal, I just like to know who I’m talking to.”
“I understand,” Kalani replied with a smile. “Well, I’m not sure if you know this already, but the woman who was killed in the mayor's office, Naomi Salah, was my mother. I’m here to find out what happened to her and why. My father, Mayor Corbin Montgomery, doesn’t seem to care much about what’s been happening here at all. He only cares about winning his next election and the money that comes with it.”
“Mayor Montgomery’s your father?”
Freddy sounded like he didn’t believe her.
“Yeah,” she frowned a little. “Do random people always come here claiming to be the mayor’s daughter?”
“Not exactly,” he chuckled. “I’m sorry, I just didn’t think a man like that had children. No offense.”
No offense was taken because Kalani felt the same way about her father. He was a crooked man who only cared about himself. There were times she thought she might’ve been wrong about him and should probably give him a chance to prove himself. But every time she did, he always proved her right.
“I think he did it,” she said.
Her assumption hit Freddy’s chest and made him lose his breath.
“Sorry to spring it on you that way.”
She spoke as he coughed up the air caught in his windpipe.
“I can feel it. I know he had something to do with my mother's murder and I’m sure hers isn’t the first or the only.”
Though Freddy could hardly breathe well enough to think straight, he knew more about the mayor’s wicked behavior than Kalani, or anyone else, knew. A few years prior, Freddy witnessed the Mayor and his right-hand man removing something large from the trunk of a limousine.
It was a late and misty night, so he wasn’t sure exactly what the large item was. But when the news aired the next morning and said there was a body found not too far from where they were, he always wondered if Montgomery had anything to do with it.
The morning after the news aired, Freddy got paid a visit by the mayor and some beefy white man who looked like he would kill anyone Montgomery pointed his finger at. That’s when Freddy’s suspicions about the murder peaked. Apparently, an unknown person followed them that night and took pictures of what they did.
Freddy’s car was spotted in one of the photos, and that led the mayor and his mule straight to his office. He didn’t know the body that was found would be Naomi’s until after he’d already signed an NDA with the mayor.
“What makes you think your father had something to do with your mother’s death?” he asked, pouring himself a glass of water. “Are you sure you aren’t just being biased because you two have your differences? Accusing someone like the mayor of murder comes with a lot of negative publicity.”
“I don't care about the backlash,” Kalani said, crossing one leg over the other. “I’m here to find out what happened to my mom and put whoever’s behind it where they belong. And from the information I’ve gathered over the years, you knew my mom pretty well. Who do you think did this to her?”
He thought back to all the interactions he had with Naomi. She was a sweet woman. Very loving and caring to the community. She and his mom had gotten so close over their years of doing charity work together; he saw her like a distant aunt in his life. So, it really hurt his heart when he learned it was her body that was found that night. But by then, he was already in too deep to speak out.
“I don’t know.”
He got up from his chair and walked over to the window.
“There’s so much fucked up shit going on out here, it’s hard to say who did what. Shit, it seems like every other day there’s another body being found.”
He couldn’t bear to face Kalani after finding out Naomi was her mother. He was sick to his stomach. Guilt and shame flooded his system every time he thought about the money he accepted from Montgomery.
He didn’t know for a fact that it was Naomi’s body that was pulled from the trunk that night, but as the years faded and he investigated further, it only made more sense that it was.
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