Dirtiest Revenge (29 page)

He lifted her head out the water. When Kendra didn’t answer, Wiz became even more irate, calling her every name in the book.

Kendra kept calm the whole time which annoyed the hell out of Wiz. The room had turned cold, just like the water in the tub. Kendra fought her way out the tub, grabbing a hold of Wiz’s neck. She scratched him with her nails. Once Kendra was able to escape Wiz’s grasp, she ran out the bathroom, but he was right behind her. Kendra sprinted for the door like she was Jackie Joyner-Kersee going for gold in ‘88 Olympics. He was just about to grab her, but Kendra was quick. She grabbed a lamp off of a table and smashed it on Wiz’s head.

“
Fuck!” Wiz yelled, holding his face. This gave Kendra enough time to run inside the second bedroom where she kept the majority of her clothing. She pushed the dresser in front of the door. She knew it wouldn’t hold, but it would buy her some time. She slipped on some shorts and threw on a shirt. Then, she grabbed her .357 Magnum from behind the dresser. Once she cocked it, Wiz burst through the door.

“
I told you, nigga. Your mama’s gonna be wearing that black dress early.”

With that, Kendra squeezed the trigger. She shot Wiz five times. The fatal shot was the one that penetrated his heart. Kendra slumped down on the ground with the gun in her hands. Tears rushed down her face. Within minutes, neighbors were banging on the door, trying to get in the house, but Kendra just sat there, unable to move.

About five minutes later, a maintenance man opened the door. As he walked through the apartment, he called out, “Sir? Ma’am? Hello?”

He walked around until he saw Wiz lying between the doorway. He rushed to his body and checked for a pulse, but it was too late. Not far from where Wiz’s body laid sat a distraught Kendra. She was lying in a fetal position, rocking back and forth with the gun between her legs.

“
Ma’am, are you alright?” the maintenance man asked.

Kendra didn’t say anything. She just stared off into space and continued rocking.

The maintenance guy ran outside and yelled for someone to call for help. Moments later, the ghetto bird was on the prowl as police arrived, followed by the paramedics. Detectives asked neighbors about what had happened. One woman stepped forward and said, “I was walking my dog when I first heard the arguing. Then, about five minutes later, I heard boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. They were very quick.”

The officer thanked her for her time. In the house, crime scene investigators went to work on the details of what happened as one detective tried talking to Kendra. Kendra relived the very moment eighteen years ago when her father had killed his best friend. She cried even more when she thought about all the time she would get if the judge found her guilty. The detectives cuffed Kendra and hauled her off to the Culver City Police Department. There, they asked Kendra a gang of questions.

“
Okay, Ms. LaSalle. You say that you didn’t know that your fiancé Donavon Davis was also known as Gabriel Sutton or Wiz, and you say you were engaged to him. Well, that’s funny. Who’s ever heard of a woman getting engaged to a person she doesn’t know?”

The detective laughed in her face. Kendra was disgusted. She wanted to vomit, but she kept her composure and answered every question that came her way.

“
No, sir. I didn’t know that Mr. Davis was Mr. Sutton. Look. What does that have to do with me being abused?” Kendra asked.

“
So, you’re one of those smart, fancy talking gals, thinking since their boyfriend is a street thug with money that you can talk to us any kind of way, don’t cha, gal?” the officer asked.

Kendra became irritated and was ready to curse the detective until she remembered Wiz’s dead body.
Okay. Stick to the story, Kendra. Don’t let them see you sweat,
she told herself. Just when she was about to answer, an FBI agent entered the office and said, “Ms. LaSalle will not be answering anymore of your questions, we’ll be taking over the investigation from here.”

The detective smirked as he walked out the office. Kendra was somewhat relieved that he was gone, but now it seemed as if she faced a bigger problem. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong but protect herself.

“
Ms. LaSalle, my name is Agent Reinger, and I’ve been watching the Sutton family for quite a while now. We know about the murder of his cousin that your ex-boyfriend Trenton Moore and his accomplice committed. We know all about that. We knew when they fled the country and when Wiz returned to the states. What I need to know is who shot and killed Mr. Marquise Williams and left Trenton Moore brain dead?” Agent Reinger placed the two pictures in front of Kendra, so she could get a good view.

Kendra dropped to her knees, crying and dry heaving. All this was new to her. She stayed on the floor until Agent Reinger and his partner picked her up.

“
We don’t care about Mr. Sutton being dead. Hell! We wanted him dead or alive, so you just made it a little bit easier for us. I can see from the bruises on your face and body that he was very abusive. Since you were his fiancé, I’m sure you know where he kept the drugs and his connects?”

Kendra shook her head and said, “No, sir. I don’t know anything. I swear.”

Kendra held her head down in her arms and sighed heavily. She thought she would be answering questions about Wiz’s murder, but, instead, they wanted to get a hold of Wiz’s empire.

“
Since this is a self-defense case, we’re going to dismiss the murder charges that are against you, but …”

Kendra raised her head and sat up straight, so she could listen closely. She knew if she was able to walk away from this that they would try to hold her on something else.

“
But, what?” she asked sternly.

“
We’re going have to hold you on a weapons charge. And that can run you five to ten,” Agent Reinger said.

He, then, took Kendra down to the holding cell where she was booked and her pictures were taken. She waited in the holding cell with at least seven other women. She didn’t care to be buddy-buddy with any of them. She kept a mean mug until a bus took her to Lynwood Station. She was left in a holding cell for a week without being able to make a call. Finally, the officer opened the cell and yelled, “Ladies’ court!” He startled everyone in the cell.

Kendra was the first one to her feet. She was ready to get out of the cold cell. All the women lined up to be escorted to the bus. They made it to CCB where each of them waited for their names to be called. Kendra made a collect call to her sister while she waited to be seen by the magistrate. The operator connected the call, saying, “This is the Los Angeles County Jail with a collect call from ‘Kendra’. If you would like to accept charges, please press five now, if you—”

The operator was cut off by Nia pressing the button to accept the call.

“
What the fuck? Jail, nigga? I thought you had married that nigga and was not sticking to the plan?” Nia asked, confused.

Kendra had to remind her sister that the calls were being recorded.

“
Nia, Wiz is dead, but, before you say another word, they got me on a gun charge. The feds came talking to me about Trent being brain dead and Marquise being dead,” Kendra explained.

“
Well, fuck them. We ain’t worried about them niggas no way. So, look, I’ll be at the bail bondsman trying to bail you out. Hopefully, they will let you go by the end of court today.

Kendra hung up the phone feeling a little more relieved that her sister wouldn’t let her stay in jail. Kendra rubbed her hands on her pants, trying to knock the sweat out. Anyone could tell she was nervous. She talked to a few of the girls. They helped her to ease her mind by telling jokes. One girl got real serious and said, “Fuck that! It’s best to fight your case in the streets with a real lawyer instead of using a public pretender that has tons of other cases and don’t give a damn.”
Kendra understood and thanked the women for their information.

“
Shit! Does it take this long to see the damn judge?” Kendra asked, becoming antsy. She wanted to know what the judge was going to do with her, being that this was her first time behind bars and she had no criminal background.

“
You might as well get comfortable, honey. Some of us don’t make it to see the judge,” another said, sensing Kendra’s aggravation.

*****

Nicole had been up all night counting money. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had gone back to Trent’s spot. This time, she took all the money and the dope. She had tried to count the money by hand, but she soon learned that it was too tiring. After she’d counted five g’s, Nicole went to a pawn shop and bought a money counter machine and a scale. When she got back to the room, she had a visitor. It was the same visitor from the hospital. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail. Her earrings still sparkled, and the perfume that lit up the room contained notes of jasmine and lavender. The stranger said to Nicole, “I hope you’re not trying to run. If so, I will find you and kill you myself.” She never took her eyes off of Nicole.

“
Look. I’m not afraid of dying. Shit! I been beating death my whole life. The child I was carrying was stomped out of me. I’m tired. Besides, I don’t have anywhere to run.” The two women were now standing face-to-face.

“
After you finish counting this money, start counting the money in the safe over there. I’ll be back,” the woman said.

Then, she left the room. Nicole couldn’t wait for all this to be over. Then, she wouldn’t have to live in seclusion anymore. She wanted to come out from hiding.

Nicole tested out the money counter to see if it worked. Once she was satisfied with its performance, she inserted hundreds, fifties, and twenties to be counted. By the time the sun rose, Nicole had counted over ten million dollars. She was so excited. She gathered all the money and arranged it nicely in the safe. Then, she waited. While she waited, she watched movie after movie and ordered room service. She stuffed her face until she passed out.

*****

Unfortunately, Kendra never made it to see the judge. All hopes of her getting out soon faded, and fear took over her. Kendra had been transferred to Lynwood Station for women. Kendra wanted to cry, but she sucked it up. She didn’t want to show any kind of weakness.

“
Nia, I need you to hurry please,” Kendra whispered to herself. Kendra tried calling her sister collect again, but her call was never accepted. Feeling alone, Kendra didn’t know what to do. Just when she was about to give up. Her name was called. After filing some paper work, Kendra was now released on a hundred thousand dollar bond.

“
Thank you so much,” Kendra told the officer. It had been incarcerated for a week and a day, and she already felt like a brand new woman. Kendra couldn’t stop smiling. She went to get her property from the inmate property release only to find that her belongings were over in Culver City.

After flagging down a cab, she let the cab driver know where she was headed. She didn’t mention that she didn’t have any money on her because she was afraid of being put out. Once they made it to the Culver City Police Station, Kendra asked the cab driver to wait for her.

“
I need money! I need money!” the cab driver said.

Kendra didn’t want him to drive away, so she leaned in the car and showed him her breasts. That turned him on instantly. With a smile, he said, “Okay! I wait!”

Kendra sighed. Then, she turned and went inside the Culver City Station. It looked like the line was long, but she learned that that line was only for visitors. Kendra filled out the paperwork and waited for her property. When she received it, Kendra looked inside her purse and grabbed her cell phone. She noticed that she had had a dozen missed calls and text messages. She, then, went to an ATM machine on the corner and withdrew two hundred dollars. She made it back to the cab and paid the fair. She gave him a extra twenty and asked him to take her back to Wiz’s place. Kendra used her key to enter the house. An eerie feeling permeated the house, and it caused Kendra to vomit. She ran into the bathroom in the master suite and released everything that was in her stomach. Kendra’s heart was beating rapidly, and her face was drenched in sweat. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face. Then, she found a hand towel and used it to dry her face off.

Kendra rested her hands on the sink and took a few deep breathes. After getting her second wind, she collected her thoughts. Then, she walked back into the room. Kendra dialed her sister’s number. Nia picked up on the first ring.

“
Glad you’re out, baby girl. Where you at?” Nia asked.

Kendra had a lot of things to say, but she decided to waited until she saw her. Kendra noticed that the safe was gone along with a few other items. She looked around for her sanitary bag where she stashed the thirty g’s at. She tore up the whole room looking for that bag. Then, she remembered putting it under the bathroom sink. Just as she thought, the bag was still there with money. It was untouched. Kendra dumped the money out the bag. Then, she packed as many things as she could fit into her suitcases. She was glad that she hadn’t completely unpacked her boxes yet.

After putting the money in envelopes, she tucked the envelopes into her purse. Next, Kendra grabbed her bags and took them downstairs. She didn’t have a reason to go back inside the condo. There were just too many bad memories.