Brooklyn's Song (16 page)

“I knew you were going to Florida and that Margret would be alone with Jules’s and Brook. I went to Margret and thought I could convince her to leave you. I told her about the night we spent together. She cried and told me that you had already confessed. She told me she had forgiven you and was going to work on saving your marriage. I told her I was in love with you and she slapped me.” Terry scoffed. “That’s when I pulled out my gun. At first I was going to shoot her and then I noticed the bottle of sleeping pills on the night stand. I told Margret if she didn’t take the pills, I would go down the hall and shoot Brook and Jules in the head. She begged me to let her send them to their aunt’s house. I agreed. She called the nanny and the nanny took the girls away.”

The governor let out a gut wrenching, “Oh no!” he cried, “You killed Margret, you…You killed Margret!”

Song felt tears well up in his eyes thinking about the pain that Brooklyn has endured, thinking that her mother committed suicide.              

“And to think that you were going to marry Lydia,” she screamed, “After all I’ve done for you. Yes, I paid Jerry to kill Lydia, but you got in the way.”

“Terry, how could you!” the governor shouted.

Song glanced at Mattice and Mattice looked down at the floor. Song knew Mattice always carried a weapon in his ankle holster, but they were on their knees. There was no way he could get to it in time. He had to try to distract Terry.

“Miss, Vega, Brooklyn said that you were like a mother to her and Jules. They love you,” Song said.

At the mention of Brooklyn’s name, Terry stopped pacing and stared at Song. “Those girls are my daughters. I was there for them. Tell Brooklyn and Jules, I’m sorry…So sorry. “

She knelt down and pressed the gun against the governor’s forehead.

“Miss Vega, please, you don’t want to hurt anyone else. Just let the governor go,” Song pleaded.    

She leaned down and tried to kiss the governor. “I love you Sage.”

Terry stood up and held the gun to her temple. Song jumped to his feet and crashed into her as the gun went off. The sound of the gun shot was deafening in the small room.

“Song, Song!” Mattice called, running to him.

Song rolled off of Terry, his face was ashen. Mattice’s eyes were filled with terror. There was a loud ringing in Song’s ears.

“Song,” Mattice yelled, “Are you okay!”

Song tried his best to listen but Mattice’s voice sounded muffled and distance as if he were underwater.

“Are you hit, Are you hit?” Mattice said.

Song didn’t respond. He looked dazed and felt moistness on the collar of his shirt; it was covered with blood.

Terry lie silent and still; blood seeping from her neck. Song got up and quickly removed his tie and pressed it to the side of Terry’s neck.

He felt the warm sticky blood flowing over his hands.

“Call 9-11!” Song screamed.

The governor rushed over and Mattice held him back.”‘Let me go!” he shouted.

The doors to the office crashed open and security guards with their weapons drawn stormed into the room. Mattice held his badge in the air. “NYPD!”

Song’s tie turned ruby red. “Where are the paramedics?” Where the fuck are they?”

Terry’s eyes were starting to cloud over. She coughed and bubbles of blood formed on her lips. He saw his late wife’s face, bloodied and battered, when he looked down at Terry. He was back at the scene of his wife’s accident; stroking her blood soaked hair, staring into her eyes that were now fixed on the indigo sky. He yelled, “Get up, Ji-Hye, get up! Please, Please, you can’t leave me, Ji-Hye, get up!”!”

‘”Song, she’s gone, Song, Song!’ Mattice wrapped his big arms around Song and lifted him off the floor. Terry’s eyes were wide open. The paramedics were performing CPR. A police officer had taken the distraught governor away. Mattice held on to Song, as they left the room.

Chapter 60

Brooklyn saw the flashing lights when she and Bella were jogging towards her loft. She felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach and knew something was wrong. She ran faster as she approached the entrance to her building. When she finally made it inside, a police officer was talking with her doorman Ernie. They turned at the sound of Bella’s leash rattling. Brooklyn felt her knees go weak and suddenly felt dizzy. The officer and Ernie quickly rushed over to her.

“Miss Peirce,” the officer solemnly said.

Brooklyn took one look at the officer’s face and stumbled backwards, he went to grab her arm and Bella began to bark and growl, placing herself between Brooklyn and the officer.

“Könnyedén” (at ease) Brooklyn demanded.

Bella sat down next to Brooklyn’s feet.

The officer nervously said,” I need you to come with me.”

“My father...Is my father okay?”

“Yes, the governor is fine; he requested your presence at home. He’ll explain everything when you get there.”

Confused and uncertain Brooklyn said, “Why? What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

“Please, Miss Peirce, the governor will explain everything to you….Please.”

“I’m just going to get out of my running clothes and give my dog some water; I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

She gave Bella the command to follow her and the two rode the elevator up to her apartment. When she got inside, she grabbed her phone off the counter and dialed her father’s number. When he didn’t answer, she dialed Terry’s number. Both calls went to voicemail. Brooklyn saw the florescent green light on her answering machine blinking and realized she had over forty messages. She pressed the play button and Jules voice came on the machine.

Jules’s was crying. “Brook, oh Brook, where are you? Are you watching the press conference?”

Brooklyn picked up the TV remote from the coffee table and turned the TV on MSNBC. Rachel Maddow said, “We’re going to play the NYPD press conference one more time. This is extraordinary.”

Lieutenant Phillips stood in front of a set of microphones; she was surrounded by Song, Mattice and a few police officers. Brooklyn sat on the edge of the coffee table and watched.

“Good evening. Today, Detective Kai and Detective Blake were in the process of questioning Theresa Vega, Governor Peirce’s top aide, regarding the death of Mr. Jerry Carsono. During the interview, Miss Vega pulled a weapon and held my two detectives hostage along with the governor.”

Brooklyn cupped her hand over her mouth, “Oh my God!” she muttered. She felt nauseous.

“Miss Vega confessed to killing Mr. Jerry Carsono and she also confessed to another crime, but due to the sensitive nature of that case, we’re going to wait before discussing it in further detail. My detectives tried to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution, but unfortunately Miss Vega took her own life. She died from a self- inflicted gunshot wound.

Brooklyn slid off the table onto the floor and began to cry. Bella ran to her side.

Reporters were all shouting questions at the same time.

“Lieutenant Phillips, was the governor injured?”

“No, Governor Peirce wasn’t injured,” she replied.

“Lieutenant Phillips, what was the motive behind Jerry’s killing?”

“No comment.”

“Lieutenant Phillips, was the governors daughter aware that Detective Kia was investigating her father while he was dating her?” Hunter Reed asked.

The reporters stopped shouting and stared at Lieutenant Phillips. It was as if they were holding their breath waiting for her to respond.

Lieutenant Phillips words came out precise and sharp, it was obvious she was caught off guard, but she quickly recovered. The rage in her was seething.

“Ms. Reed, I don’t delve into the love lives of my officers or detectives. Sensing Hunter would try to squeeze in a follow up question, Lieutenant Phillips pointed to another reporter and said, “Next question!”

Brooklyn dissolved into tears, sinking onto the floor. Her door was ajar and the police officer knocked and stood in the doorway.

Bella pinned her ears back, bared her teeth and began to bark. Brooklyn heard her father’s voice “Könnyedén (at ease).” He stepped from behind the officer and hurried over to Brooklyn scooping her up off the floor.

“Dad…Terry...Is it true?”

The governor wrapped Brooklyn in a tight embrace and she cried against his shoulder. The officer stepped outside and closed the door behind him, giving Brooklyn and the governor their privacy.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, softly, “I’m so sorry.” He held her and gently rocked back and forth.

He helped her up from the floor and to the sofa.

“Here, have a drink,” he said, handing Brooklyn a bottle of water.

Brooklyn took a sip and felt her stomach lurch. She quickly sat the bottle down on the table and put her head down.

The governor rubbed her back, trying to calm her.

“Take a deep breath, take a deep breath,” he whispered.

He rushed inside the bathroom and ran cold water over a washcloth, hurried out and placed it on Brooklyn’s forehead. She leaned back and rested her head on the pillow.

“Why would Terry do this? I just don’t understand.”

The governor wiped tears away and said, “Brooklyn, no matter what Terry did, I know she really loved you and Jules. There’s so much you don’t know. There was so much I didn’t know before tonight. Even when I tell you what happened, it will still be hard to understand. There was a side to her we didn’t know. It all started many years ago when your mother was battling chronic depression. She always tried to hide it from you and your sister. Eventually, it took its toll. In a moment of weakness I betrayed her. It was my one and only indiscretion and Terry was the other woman. Out of guilt, I confessed to your mother and we were in the process of working things out. The day your mother died, Terry went to see her. Terry threatened to kill you and Jules, if your mother didn’t take the sleeping pills.”

Brooklyn quickly sat up and ran to the bathroom and vomited. Her body convulsed as she dry heaved. Her father ran to her with a washcloth in hand. He helped her to her feet. She rinsed her mouth and splashed her face with cold water.

‘”I heard mom crying that day, I was outside her bedroom door and heard her crying. I didn’t know, I just didn’t know Terry made her…” Brooklyn cried. “Dad, I was so angry with Mom for leaving us, thinking she didn’t love us enough to stay here.”

The governor placed his hands on both sides of her cheeks as she sobbed. “Brook, listen,” he said, trying to break through her grief, “Your mother loved you with everything…Everything she had. You and Jules were her life. In the end…” His voice broke as he went on. ”She loved you so much; she gave her life trying to protect you.”

“I’m so sorry, I’m so very sorry,“ the governor whispered.

He sat on the sofa holding Brooklyn until she told him she just wanted to be alone and that she would call him later. Before leaving, the governor phoned Jules’s and said he was flying out to spend the weekend with her. Brooklyn assured him that she would be perfectly fine. She knew what she told him couldn’t be further from the truth. She had learned to live with the loss of her mother, but coming close to losing her father had opened up the flood gates of emotions. Now learning the truth behind her mother’s suicide ripped her heart apart and pierced her soul.

Chapter 61

Song and Mattice were to be interviewed separately regarding Terry’s death. Now, Song sat alone in Lieutenant Phillips office. She sat behind her desk staring at him. She opened a drawer and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. She lit one up and blew a plume of smoke in the air. She looked at the cigarette and the ash starting to form on the tip.

“I’ve been trying for two years to kick this habit. I’ve tried everything imaginable, yet it’s days like these that remind me why I need them.” She sighed. “Detective Kai, I understand this has been a tough day for you too.” She let out a dry laugh and said, “I have an extra cigarette, if you want one.” Song remained silent. “It’s never easy losing a suspect, regardless of how guilty they may or may not have been; they’re still human beings. After a search of Miss Vega’s home, we found her journal.

In it she talked about hiring Jerry to kill Miss Carmen and trying to throw the police off her tracks by having Jerry use a gun belonging to one of the governor’s most outspoken critics. We also have text messages between Miss Vega and Jerry. We now know that she was running a pay to play scheme where she offered cushy positions in exchange for money. There’s no evidence that indicates the governor was aware of any of this.

We found heroin and LSD in her car. We believe that she is responsible for giving Jerry the lethal dose that killed him. You and detective Blake did good investigative work on this case. That said, I’m not happy to hear that you were dating Miss Peirce while investigating her father…Without my knowledge, I might add. I’m going to assign you to desk duty until Internal Affairs has reviewed your case. Now go home and get some rest.”

Song shifted in his chair, his hands were folded in his lap. He blankly stared toward the tiles on the floor for a moment and then stood. “Thanks Lieu.”

He had his hand on the door knob when Lieutenant Phillips said, “If you love Miss Peirce, and I suspect you do, Go to her and beg her forgiveness. Tell her you’ll work your ass off trying to keep her happy. Detective Kai, don’t think I haven’t noticed the changes in you since you’ve been seeing her.”

Song silently nodded his head and smiled.