Authors: Renee Daniel Flagler
Chapter 51
Blue
Blue hit the send button before she could talk herself out of it. At some point, she would regret it, but right now, it felt so right. She kept
thinking Scott Cooper had looked familiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint why.
After Mia had lashed out at her, Blue had returned home and went through Mia’s sex DVDs. Initially, her intent was to send a few clips to Jay just so he could know exactly what he was dealing with. It was when she recognized Scott in one of the tapes that it all came together. His pasty backside was hiked in the air with his face disappeared between Mia’s legs. Blue saw his face full and clear when he spun Mia around to enter her from behind. What shocked her most was when Mia strapped up and entered Scott from behind.
Blue’s phone rang, and she picked it up immediately. It was the call she’d been waiting for.
“Blue! What the hell is this?” Jay snapped into the phone.
“That’s your baby’s mama!” she said and chuckled.
“Where did you get this?” he asked after a long pause.
“Oh, you didn’t know she keeps a video log of her escapades? Look at you. You’re a star.” She threw her head back and laughed.
“This isn’t funny, Blue. Did you show this to your lawyer?”
He asked. She detected the alarm in his voice.
“Now that’s the question of the decade, isn’t it?” She snickered. “Oh, and guess what? I’ve got more. I wanted to make sure you got this before I sent the other one. Trust me, you won’t believe your eyes.” Blue laughed again. “Oh, and by the way, how did you find that attorney of yours? He’s good,” she said, elongating the last word.
“Where did this video come from?” he asked again.
“Don’t worry about that. Just get ready for the next clip. Hang up so I can send it to you now.”
After disconnecting the call, Blue emailed the video of Scott and Mia to Jay. She waited for almost an hour, but never got a call back. She didn’t need to hear from Jay to know he got the message.
Blue poured a glass of Merlot to help wash down the lump of guilt rising in her throat. As much as she despised Mia, she wasn’t built for revenge. Instead of washing down the guilt, the wine brought other emotions to the surface. Now Blue was buzzed, and all the emotions were mixed together like a knot of yarn. But, she still had one more thing to do.
***
Blue looked up at the sign on the real estate office to make sure the name matched the one given to her by the attorney. Once inside, she admired the pictures of lavish homes that adorned the walls throughout the reception area. A polished young woman was seated behind the circular mahogany reception desk. She wore a neatly sculpted bun nestled at the base of her head. Perfectly placed make-up made her look like the poster child for businesswoman of the year. She acknowledged Blue with a polite smile and nod. The moment Blue turned her eyes away from the last picture, the receptionist was at her side with a warm smile.
“How may I help you today, ma’am?”
Blue was impressed by her cool professionalism.
“I’d like to speak to an agent about a property.”
“Sure. Are you looking to sell or purchase?”
“It’s for a property you currently have listed.” Blue gave the woman the address.
“Oh, yes. Carol Mathews is handling that property. I’ll get Ms. Mathews on the line for you,” she said.
Blue found herself watching the woman’s taut long legs as she walked back to the other side of the desk. She listened as the receptionist summoned the agent through the sophisticated phone system.
“Ms. Mathews is in, and she’ll be right down. In the meantime, would you like some coffee, tea, or water?”
“I’ll take some water. Thank you,” Blue said and sat on the sleek white couch to wait.
She was happy to catch Carol in the office and hoped the meeting would be worth the quick one-day trip to Atlanta.
The woman promptly returned with a bottle of sparkling water and a mug adorned with the company’s logo and website.
“The mug is yours to keep, ma’am. Ms. Mathews shouldn’t be long.”
Blue smiled again. She was thoroughly impressed with the service she’d received thus far. Blue made mental notes about aspects of the chic décor that she’d like to emulate in her own home. The clean lines of the contemporary furniture and the simple muted palate made the place feel like a page out of a swank decorating magazine.
Within minutes, Ms. Mathews was standing before her. She was another well put-together woman, smartly dressed in brown slacks, a pink tapered button-down shirt, and stylish multicolored pumps that matched impeccably. Her brunette locks framed her face in an orderly bob. Even though her make-up was minimal, it didn’t stop her deep-set green eyes from sparkling. She reminded Blue of a modish woman from the ultra-conservative banking industry.
“Good morning. I’m Carol Mathews,” the woman said, extending her hand, delivering a firm but boney handshake.
“Good morning. My name is Blue Holiday.”
Confusion etched the lines of Carol’s face for a moment, but her cool professional demeanor remained intact.
“I’m sorry. Did you say your name was Blue Holiday?”
“Yes,” Blue said and smiled, taking note of Carol’s suspicion.
“That’s funny. That’s also the name of the owner of the home you inquired about. Could this be a coincidence?” Carol asked with a knowing look on her face.
“I’m afraid not. That’s why I’m here to speak with you today,” Blue said.
Realization flashed in Carol’s eyes.
“Please follow me,” Carol said, opening the door for Blue. “Marietta,” she called to the receptionist, “please hold all my calls.”
Blue followed Carol past the reception area into a bustling office with soft green walls framed in beige molding, with desks in the center and small pod-like offices along the sides. Despite the dismal market, the place seemed busy.
“Maria, please pull the Holiday-Mack file and bring it into my office. Thank you,” Carol said to the young woman seated at a desk outside of her office. “Please, have a seat, Ms. Holiday.”
By the time, Blue took a seat,
Maria was handing Carol the files. She thanked her assistant and slid the glass door to her office closed.
With a creased forehead, Carol reviewed the documents in the files and then looked at Blue.
“Do you have any identification, Ms. Holiday?”
“Plenty,” Blue said, and pulled out her license, passport, social security card, and several major credit cards.”
“I see,” Carol acknowledged, and compared Blue’s documents with what she had in the file. “Have you reported this to the authorities?”
“Not yet. I wanted to speak with you first.”
“No problem. Well, the first thing we do is report these situations to the authorities,” Carol informed her.
Blue nodded her confirmation. “I’ll take care of that as soon as I leave here.”
“Great. In the meantime, I’ll remove the listing. It’s a great home, but the market has been slow. In a different environment, this house wouldn’t have lasted a month.” Carol fell quiet, then sighed before handing all of Blue’s identification back to her. “Once you have spoken to the police, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation,” Blue said and stood to shake Carol’s hand.
Blue smiled, but Carol’s face remained poised and professional. Blue could tell by the look in her eyes that she was troubled.
“Good day to you, Ms. Holiday.”
“Good day to you, as well, Ms. Mathews.”
As Blue walked out of Carol’s office, she wondered what the outcome would be. Maybe she should have dealt with Mia and Jay directly. She paused for a moment, contemplating. Shaking off her reservation, Blue nodded her goodbye to the receptionist on her way out. She needed to shake the guilt.
Blue dialed Vic on his cell phone. When he answered, she simply said, “It’s done.”
Chapter
52
Mia
Mia turned her nose up at the other women inside the jail cell. She couldn’t believe she was actually sharing a cramped, damp-smelling space with them. Mia rolled her eyes and scanned the dull gray walls, trying to avoid eye contact with the others. One woman reminded her of a football player, with her baggy sweats, oversized white t-shirt, combat boots, and cornrows masking all signs of femininity. Mia wanted to walk over and punch her square in the eye for staring at her so greedily. Instead, she kept cutting her eyes at the woman, who laughed every time.
A loudmouth woman, who wore a matted wig, smelled like fish, and was dressed in too-tight clothing, kept declaring her innocence through the bars. Two “home girls” laughed and spoke openly about the beating they gave some lady, which had landed them in jail. Most of the women kept to themselves, trying to avoid eye contact and conversation. Between the bold lesbian and the petite woman hovering in the corner crying like a baby, Mia felt like she was going to pull her hair out. The merging odors had started to make her nauseous, making the experience worse. She’d been breathing through her mouth since she entered the cell. Her hands covered her stomach the entire time, as if she could shield the baby from the repulsive elements.
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her feet were killing her, but she refused to sit on the dirty bench and give them a rest. She’d have to tolerate the environment until Scott showed up and got her out.
She felt severely overdressed with her leggings, knee-high, cat-heeled boots, and studded maternity tunic.
“You have the right to remain silent…” Mia heard the detective with the cheap suit say as she replayed the arrest in her mind. Never in a million years did she consider the fact that her actions would have led to her actually serving time.
Mia bit her bottom lip and blinked several times before facing the back wall of the cell. She couldn’t dare show any weakness in the presence of these women. She wasn’t like them. They belonged in prison, not her. She wondered what Jay was experiencing in his cell and hoped Scott didn’t take too long getting them out.
“Ms. Reynolds!” one of the officers yelled in a booming voice. Mia raised her hand to acknowledge him. “Come with me, please.” His keys clanked loudly as he opened the cell door.
“My man didn’t come yet? I need to get out of here. I told you it wasn’t me,” said the fishy woman with the bad wig.
The officer completely ignored her as he cuffed Mia and led her down the hall to a small room. Scott stood to his feet when she entered. Pity painted his face, and a lump grew
in her throat. She willed to remain whole, but she had never been so happy to see Scott in her life. She fought the urge to run over and hug his neck tight. As Mia breathed a sigh of relief, the officer pulled out a chair for her on the opposite side of the table and stepped back.
She could no longer hold back the tears.
“Scott!” Mia wiped the streaming tears against her shoulder. “You have to get me the hell out of here.”
Scott caressed Mia’s shoulders. “I’m working on it.”
“What are they saying?” Mia asked, wiping more tears on her shoulder.
Scott took a deep breath. “You’re being charged with identity theft, which with a conviction carries a sentence of one to seven years in prison…”
“One to seven years! I can’t do time!” Mia yelled, slamming both hands down on the metal table. Officers looked in her direction, bracing for conflict.
Scott reached across the table and gently touched her shoulder. “Let me finish.”
Mia sniffed, nodded her head, and slumped in her chair.
“The second charge is conspiracy to commit fraud, which offers a similar penalty plus restitution. However, since Jay conspired with you, we can try to get that reduced.
“Oh my God! Scott, what can you do?”
“We can enter a plea and aim for getting you off without jail time. You’ll probably end up with probation and you
will more than likely have to pay some kind of restitution.”
“What’s restitution? Will this work? How long will this take? Will I have to stay in here the whole time?” The questions flowed from Mia like water.
Scott tilted his head. “Restitution is a fine. And yes, it can work.”
“I don’t know what to expect,” she said, interrupting him before he could answer the rest of her questions. “I just know I can’t go to jail! Not with a baby on the way.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll work it out. But, I must warn you that you will not get off scot-free. You’ll most likely end up having to pay the fine and maybe even do a few years of probation, and you won’t be allowed to leave the state.”
“I’ll be fine as long as I don’t have to serve any time. What about Jay?”
“I haven’t spoken to him yet, but he’s being charged with aiding and abetting you with your conspiracy charge. I’m sure I can get him off on probation, and since he’s an athlete, they’ll probably throw some community service at him or something like that. At least that’s what I’m shooting for. Let’s just pray we don’t end up with a judge who wants to make an example of him.”
Mia shook her head. She wanted to see and speak to Jay so badly. Guilt was sucking the lifeblood out of her like a leech. This wasn’t how she'd wanted things to turn out. Her eyes narrowed instinctively at the thought of Blue. Even though this whole thing had been Mia’s idea, she was furious at Blue for reporting her. She
never saw this coming, because she didn’t think Blue had it in her to take it to this level.
“Trust me, Mia.”
They both fell silent for a moment.
“Well, I have to go now and see about Jay. I’ll see you in court tomorrow. You should be able to go home after the arraignment.”
“You mean to tell me I have to spend the night in this nasty circus?” Mia said, twisting her lips as if she smelled something bad.
“In central booking, unfortunately.”
“Ugh! I can’t believe this! How much do they want for bail?” Mia asked, wondering how much this would cut into her stash.
“I’m requesting that the two of you be released on your own recognizance.”
Mia closed her eyes, trying to prepare herself for her return to the cell. Scott nodded towards the officer, indicating the meeting was over. Mia only hoped that she’d get through the night without contracting a disease or having to fight.
***
Mia struggled to keep it together as she entered the courtroom for their arraignment. She knew the puffiness of her eyes would reveal the fact that she had silently cried through most of the night. Sleep was not an option. Not among those women in her cell.
Mia’s heart dropped when she laid her eyes on Jay. He looked downtrodden and scruffy, and like her, still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. She pressed her lips together and swallowed. Scott came and sat between her and Jay. Across the room she spotted Blue and her lawyer, Victor. Blue never looked in her direction. When the judge knocked his gavel, Mia jumped. Her nerves were frayed. Mia swallowed again as nervousness churned in her belly.
Judge Samuels summoned the attention of the entire courtroom when he banged his gavel again. This time he did it harder than the first. He nodded at the D.A. who began recounting the charges that Scott discussed with Mia yesterday evening. He requested the maximum punishment allowed for each count, which was up to seven years for Mia and up to one year for Jay, along with twenty five thousand dollars in bail for both.
“Your Honor, my clients have no prior charges. We’re asking that the charges for Mr. Mack be reduced from the Class D felony to a misdemeanor. We are willing to enter a plea and commit to probation and community service. My clients pose no risk, and we request they be released on their own recognizance.”
The D.A. cleared his throat before speaking. “Your Honor, Mr. Mack has a record of erratic behavior, which is one of the reasons he was recently let go from his professional basketball team. He has demonstrated violent behavior in the past, and I’m afraid he may pose some risk to my client as they are in the midst of a contentious divorce proceeding.”
Judge Samuels looked down and shuffled the papers in front of him. He then lifted his eyes over the steel rim of his glasses and gazed at Mia and Jay. “I will release Ms. Reynolds on her own recognizance. However, I'm setting bail for Mr.
Mack at twenty-five thousand dollars. I want to see them back here in four weeks.” He peered at Jay. “You, sir, be sure to keep your nose clean during that time.” The judge slammed his gavel, sealing his directive, and the court began shuffling again.
Victor straightened his papers and placed them into his briefcase before making a swift exit with Blue, who walked straight-backed at his side. She still didn’t turn to acknowledge Mia or Jay on her way out.
“Can you cover bail?” Scott asked Jay.
Jay sat back in his chair and cast his gaze on the ceiling. Moments passed before he responded. “Yeah, it's in the house,” he said and paused. “In a bag at the back of the garage… inside of a storage bin.”
“All cash!” Mia asked.
Jay looked at Mia for a moment. “Yes, all cash.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m just trying to get you out of here. I’ll be back. Can I go now?” she asked Scott.
“We have a little paperwork to handle and then you’ll be free to go. But, remember, you are not allowed to leave the state.”
“I’m just happy to be free!” Mia said.
She couldn’t wait to finally get out of the courtroom, get home, and take a shower. She’d focus on being mad and making Blue pay for ratting on her later.