Billionaire's Retreat (8 page)

Chapter
21

Lucinda informed David, “We have been i
n
vited to Amanda’s wedding.”

“Who’s Amanda?”

“She
’
s Sarah’s sister that lives in San Fra
n
cisco.”

“Okay, I remember her very well.”

“Her fiancé Damien Richardson is a cert
i
fied public accountant.”

“The wedding is going to be held in Los A
n
geles at an upscale retreat. I hope you can take time off from work so we can attend.”

“Lucinda, I think you should go alone.”

“Why, David? Why should I go alone? Why can’t my husband attend with me?”

The people at her wedding proba
bly will be on a different social
economic level
.
You will fit in nice. Just go without me.

“You should not feel that way.”

“Since you are going to be a lawyer, you would be acceptable to them.”

“David that has to be the most asinine thing I have ever heard.”

“I don’t expect you to understand Lucinda.”

The Clyde Jeffreys’
attempted murder court case in Dallas started the same week that L
u
cinda left to attend the wedding in Los Ang
e
les. The prosecution called to the stand a ba
l
listics expert that showed the striations on the bullet retrieved from the victim matched the markings in the chamber of the gun confisca
t
ed from Brisband’s home. Brisband would la
t
er contend that he must have inadvertently left his house open allowing someone to enter. Since
he hadn’t bothered to fix a broken
lock on his gun display
,
he bel
ie
ved someone
took the weapon,
attempted the murder
,
and then returned the gun.

During the same week of the court case, an attempt was made on the life of Jeffreys’
wife, Millicent. She was driving home late one night after stopping at a traffic light when her car suddenly was rear ended. She looked in the rearview mirror noticing the perpetrator wearing a mask that drooped down upon his shoulders. He backed up his car and then rammed her car again. The light changed to green
,
she sped away being followed closely by the assailant. After pulling to the side of her car, he used his vehicle to force her onto the soft shoulder of the road. Millicent lost control of her vehicle as she approached a bridge. She ran off the road, careened down a canal e
m
bankment before hitting a tree which stopped the car short of the water, as smoke emanated from its hood. The guy pulled his car to the side of the road. Seconds later, a police officer turned on his lights as he came upon the scene. The offender peeled away after firing a shot at the officer exiting his vehicle. The officer called for backup in apprehending the aggre
s
sor
.
After hearing a
cry for help
, he
rushed to rescue Millicent.
He
managed to pull her from the car moments prior to the car becoming e
n
gulfed in flames.
The officer then
summoned paramedics to the scene. While he was waiting, an
officer spotted the reported vehicle and was in hot pursuit. He radios ahead allowing a
n
other officer to deploy stop sticks in the road. The assailant swerved his car to avoid hitting one of them. It became airborne before spira
l
ing out of control sideways. After it flipped, it came to rest upside down. The guy was taken into custody after being treated at a local ho
s
pital.

T
he Judge
upon
getting news of the incident
pu
t a temporary halt
on the court proceedings. The thwarted plan had been orchestrated to prove Brisband
’s
innocence. Ginger Ivey
an
extremely light skin African American woman
about 6 feet 3 inches tall, wearing a halter top, and a matching metallic black mini skirt, met with a man to carry out the ordeal. She was the woman at Brisband’s house on the day of his arrest. The deal went down in a secluded spot within a local cemetery. She had exited her vehicle and had been waiting. Nearly an hour went by, after glancing at her watch, she concluded that he probably would not show. A
moment later, a noise could be heard in the darkness of the night. Ginger aimed her semi automatic weapon as she swiftly turned around. A male voice screamed out, “Don’t shoot lady! Don’t shoot!” She fired a warning shot. He threw his hands up in the air. “I said don’t shoot. I am Beaumont. I am here to meet with you. She outlined the plan to scare Mill
i
cent and provided him with $25,000.00 cash. He was promised another $25,000.00 upon
job completion.

At the wedding in Los Angeles, Vincent n
o
ticed Lucinda sitting in the main meeting hall of the re-treat looking a little down.

“May I join you?”

“What are you doing here Vincent?”

“I was invited. Where’s your husband?”

“He is back in Dallas. I couldn’t convince him to come.”

“Maybe I can fill in for him this weekend. I mean we do have a history.” Lucinda looked at him without saying a word, seconds later, she let loose blushing uncontrollably.
             

The wedding march processional co
m
menced. Sergeant Giltry walked
his daughter
down the isle as her mother Serena
watched their every step. At the alter Amanda and her groom
Damien
Richardson
exchanged vows expressing their love in unrehearsed words. The ceremony was breathtaking. The occasion was sealed with an impassioned kiss.

Amanda called her sister aside in the grand ballroom at the reception stating, “I believe you are guilty.”

Sarah res
ponded
angrily, “You believe I am guilty of …?”

“I believe you were involved with the mu
r
der of Jared.”

“
A
s I told you before I am innocent. I could have never done anything to hurt my hu
s
band.”

“Also, I believe you are connected to the bribery of Councilman Johnny Davis.”

“Amanda this is your special day. This should be a joyous day for you. Try thinking happy thoughts.”

Several hours passed,
t
he newlyweds
boar
d
ed a flight
to
their
reserved
beachside
hone
y
moon
accom
m
odation
in Cancun,
Mexico.

The morning after the wedding, Lucinda awoke to a lonely hotel room.

She phoned her lawyer friend. “Wake up Vincent.”

He said, “Who is this?”

She giggled and laughed into the phone.

Vincent repeated himself. “Who is this?”

“It’s Lucinda.”

“I didn’t expect to be awakened by an a
n
gel.”

“I know. If you are not careful, your flattery m
ight
get you everything… ”

“
Oh.
I
concur
.
How about joining me for breakfast? There is a nice little restaurant down the way. I could use a nice cup of ca
p
puccino.”

“Me too, I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

When he arrived at the restaurant, he parked next to her car
.
S
he gently smiled as he exited his vehicle. After being seated in the re
s
taurant,
Lucinda
mentioned needing help with
her classes.
H
e agreed to take her under his t
u
telage. 

Chapter
22

At the start of a new week, David went to pick up Lucinda from the airport. He arrived at the concourse where she awaited. After parking his car, David rushed over greeting her with a kiss.

“I know you are happy to be back.”

“Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

“Why wouldn’t you? Let me take your bags.” On the way home, she fell asleep. The ride went quickly. 

“Wake up Lucinda, we are home.”

She opened her eyes glancing at David with a look of guilt. Sleepily exiting the vehicle she stumbled into the house.

As he brought in the luggage, he noticed L
u
cinda emerging from the kitchen.

“I put on a pot of coffee. The trip was long and boring.” 

“So tell me about the wedding.”

“What is there to tell?  Two people who have known each other for a long time decided to make their relationship legal.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I forgot you did not know. The two of them ha
d
been living in sin for the last three years.
Her mother according to Sarah had been pre
s
suring Amanda to get married for the longest. She finally convinced Mr.
Damien
Richardson
to ask for her hand to appease her family members.”

“You talk as if what they did was wrong.”

“What they did was fine. They were happy before they were married and they still are.”

Soon Lucinda dropped off to sleep again. A
f
ter awhile David went to the kitchen and fixed two cups of coffee. He returned to the living room calling out to Lucinda, “Here’s your co
f
fee.” She awakened. “I prepared it exactly the way you like.”

“Thank you dear, I came across a young woman while I was out in L.A. and we went to a little coffee shop that was not for from our hotel. We talked and shared information about our personal dreams and aspirations. Believe it or not the coffee was superb.”

“If we are ever in Los Angeles, you’re going to have to take me there. When I get through with this cup of java, you may have to help me unwind.

After Lucinda finished her coffee, she said, “I’m going to bed. I have set up long enough.”

When David finally adjoined to th
eir
be
d
room, he noticed
Lucinda
coming out of the bathroom.
They made love until they reached a volcanic
simultaneous
climax
.
For the time being,
David
did not think
about
th
eir
marital problems
,
which stemmed
from their financial woes.

Chapter 23

Brisband’s attempted murder case resumed. Ben Thomas was called to the witness stand. Judge Maxwell Tiller asked if he recognized anyone in attendance as the alleged perpetr
a
tor. He looked in the direction of Brisband, “Yes. Your Honor, he’s right there.”

“Will you kindly point him out to the jury?”

Ben pointed to Brisband.

  Prosecuting Attorney Melvin Grande asked him to reveal where he remembered seeing Brisband.

“On the night the victim was shot, I saw him emerge from an alleyway as I was leaving work. He was wearing a long mask that drooped over his shoulders.”

Attorney Grande said, “Your Honor may I approach the bench.” After receiving permi
s
sion, he presented a mask fitting the descri
p
tion of the one mentioned by Ben. His request to have it entered as evidence was honored by Judge Tiller.

Ben continued with his testimony, “The a
c
cused didn’t appear to notice me standing across the street as he removed his mask. However, he seemed to have caught a glimpse
of me as he walked over to a dark blue BMW that he used to leave the scene.”

The prosecuting attorney asked Ben to give a more detailed description of the suspect.”

“I remember him as an elderly white man of medium height with a short hai
rstyle, a well shaped mustache that wore
black pants
,
and a long sleeved light colored shirt.”

Grande showed the jurors a picture of a blue BMW that was registered to Brisband
, which matched
the one depicted by the wi
t
ness. Defense Attorney Thad Jenkins tried to object to them seeing the photo citing it could not be proven as the same vehicle. However, the judge ruled to allow it since the defense had a chance to disqualify the photo prior to it being admitted for evidence.

The night of the shooting, a break-
in o
c
curred at a dwelling in Brisband’s neighbo
r
hood. The defense argued the same burglar may have taken the weapon from Brisband’s house and later returned it to frame him. The prosecution objected stating the circumstantial evidence should not be permissible. The
y
co
n
ten
ded
Brisband only stated he had left his house open so he could use an intrusion as an alibi. The judge agreed with the prosecution
and asked the jurors to disregard the alleg
a
tion.”

The defense now blamed the shooting of Clyde Jeffreys on Beaumont McAllister. He was the guy that had been arrested after ru
n
ning Clyde’s wife off the road causing her to wreck her vehicle. Clyde Jeffreys testified “Brisband wanted me to kill Jared Jones, a r
e
tired Dallas firefighter. According to him Ja
r
ed had falsely accused Brisband of having an affair with his wife Sarah Giltry. Jared threa
t
ened to provide information that could impl
i
cate Brisband in illicit business dealings. I r
e
fused to carry out the murder and told the a
u
thorities of his plot.
Jared later turned up missing.
Over six months passed, w
ord
leaked out to Brisband that I was the confidential i
n
formant which sparked
his
pending bribery case. I believe those
are the
two reason
s
why Brisband wanted
to
snuff
me
out
.
”

Beaumont McAllister turned prosecution witness by pleading guilty at his own arraig
n
ment and agreeing for a plea deal for a lesser sentence by implicating Brisband and his c
o
conspirator in the vehicular scare tactic acc
i
dent. “I was wearing the mask at the time
, which
Brisband wore when he tried to kill her
husband, Clyde. During the incident, I had caused Millicent to crash her car. She was to file a police report leaving open the possibility of the attempted murderer still being on the loose. However, I never planned for an officer to show up on the scene culminating in my a
r
rest after a high speed chase.” Beaumont went on to explain how Brisband’s partner in crime had paid him to carry out the act and that she was to make him a final payment once the job was completed.

Belle Hightower was also called to the stand. She was the young lady that had made the 911 call on the day of the attempt on Clyde’s life. Her description of the man she had seen arg
u
ing with Clyde in the club was identical to that given by Ben Thomas
of the suspect.
             

The matter of the neighbors break in was revisited. The judge felt it was now relevant based on testimony. The defense now blamed the shooting of Clyde Jeffreys on Beaumont McAllister who had testified for the prosec
u
tion. They
said
he had broken into Brisband neighbor’s house by mistake. After realizing his mistake, he went to Brisband’s house where he obtained the weapon that was used in the attempt on Clyde’s life.
Further, they
said
Beaumont acted alone in the traffic inc
i
dent
, which
threatened Clyde’s wife Millicent.

Judge Tiller granted a request permitting jurors to view a signed description by Ben Thomas corroborating his testimony of the guy that emerged through the alleyway from where the crime took place. It mentioned he was wearing a mask that hung down past his shoulders. Permission was given for the pros
e
cution to have Beaumont and Brisband to try on the mask. It barely rested on Beaumont’s shoulders; however, it fitted Brisband in the manner described by Ben Thomas. 
             

That afternoon
,
the defense and prosecution rested their cases. The jury deliberated for an hour before they returned a verdict that found Brisband guilty as charged. 

His
criminal wo
es, however, would extend past the verdict that had been rendered.
The morning newspaper reported that a drug tra
f
ficking ring
, in addition
to
a
separate
oper
a
tion
,
which
smuggled illegal immigrants to work in
a
U.S. sweatshop
,
was shut down in the wee hours of the night b
y Federal law
e
n
forcement agents
. The Federal Investigation
,
which
prompted the action
,
concluded
Harry
Brisband
played a key role
in the
illicit unde
r
takings.

Brisband’s construction company was turned over to his
oldest son Thomas
to ope
r
ate
going forth as result of his father’s convi
c
tion
.

The word of Harry Brisband being found guilty of attempted murder traveled throug
h
out the local community.

Sarah
phoned
Johnny, “Hi Johnny. I got your text message stating you have an urgent message.” 

“Yeah Sarah, the bad news is that Brisband
has been
found guilty of attempted murder. He is looking at serving
time
in prison.
”

“
Are you serious?”

“Brisband had wronged someone named Clyde Jeffreys. It was brought out doing the court case that Brisband wanted him to kill Jared
.
Clyde refused to kill Jared
and also
months later
provided details to the author
i
ties to implicate Brisband in
our
upcoming bribery case.”

“I must have misunderstood you.”

“No. You heard correctly.”

“It was brought out during the trial that Brisband attempted to put out a contract on your husband.”

“We both know that’s a lie. Brisband would never have hired anyone to kill Jared.
”

“
You should checkout the local newspaper headline today.
”

“Why?”

It states that
Brisband has been
linked
to drug trafficking
,
in addition,
to
the smuggling of illegal immigrants into the country.”

It all seems so unbelievable. I’m hoping
no one
can show
during our upcoming Bribery case
that
I brought
you and Brisband
toget
h
er
.
”

“
I
hope not too.
We should not even be openly discussing this
matter
.”

“You are right.
”