"Popular Thug"

Chapter 7

(Three Months Later)

       Brittney stood in front of the window, of the courthouse, looking out into the street, wondering where had it all went wrong. She had been to her own house three months ago and spoken to her father, only remembering to admit she was wrong once, and thought how broken they still were. Even though every night they ate dinner together, talked, and laughed once and a while. But she promised him never, ever, to bring Druex in to his house and she was keeping that promise. But today they stood not ten feet apart, throwing glances at each other, wondering did it have to be this way.

       But today she felt like turning around saying this was too much too soon, that she couldn't -- no that she wouldn't stand here and watch it all fall apart. Not what she had spent all this time molding into something good, something true, something healthy.

       In the past couple of weeks all the 'popular thugs' in town had been arrested in someway or another. And all of their trial's were leading up to the murder charge that has Jarell Houston in jail now, the DA was trying to tie them all together with that one crime. She looked across the hall at Druex who was talking to his lawyer and wondered where this day would take everyone.

       She couldn't believe how it happened...she never thought police could just bust into someone's home and drag them away. She would have never guessed that a person, criminal or not, could be yanked from a dinner table with harsh words and loud voices. She would have never imagined that the Police didn't care. But that was only one of the things she found out.

       Her eyes landed on her father, he was looking quite happy and she couldn't help but growl under her breath as she watched him laugh and shake hands with some deputy. She felt nothing short of contempt for Joe Anderson in that moment, he was ruining it all, again he would destroy the one thing that kept her together.

       "You love him."

       She could almost hear the pain in Antoneo's voice as he stated the only obvious answer to the fear that held her heart prisoner. He once told her that it was his worst fear for her to love another. But now it was her worst fear to lose another she loved. Because if all her nightmares were true, not only would she lose Druex, she would lose her father too.

       "I love him." She thought aloud still looking out the window at the February snow that was turning the road white.

       "Who?" Druex asked coming up behind her, he tried to smile but nothing came, he wanted to hold her but his arms wouldn't stop shaking.

       Brittney looked at him surprised, she didn't think she said that out loud, "You."

       Druex didn't return the sentiment, he just pulled her into his arms sighing wistfully, wanting to walk away from all of this. But he knew he couldn't, his fate was sealed years before, the ironic thing was that she was part of his fate, too. He knew she couldn't go through this shit again, this was too deep, and he had no way of taking it all away from her, "I told you not to worry."

       Brittney wrapped her arms around him breathing in his cologne wishing -- no praying that it wouldn't be the last time, "How can I not worry Druex?"

       "Baby, everything is gonna be fine," He said sternly trying to smile but only receiving a disbelieving look from her, "I promise."

       "Druex don't make promises you can't keep." Brittney whispered pulling her arms away from his clutch, getting a look of pure sorrow from the man she now wanted for her own.

       "Sir, time is up." The Deputy who was talking to Joe said coming toward Druex. Time to face the beginning of the end.

       Joe looked toward his daughter and the man who stood in front of her, "Sean give them a minute."

       Brittney threw a look at her father before kissing Druex, slowly, lovingly, saying all the things that she could not speak. She pulled him close to her and felt the tears slip down her cheeks as he pulled her to him, he kissed her hair then looked into the eyes of a woman who would forever hold his heart. He went to kiss her again when Joe's voice thundered through their moment.

       "Minute's up." The deputy grabbed Druex by the arms and dragged him into the court room. Joe stood looking at his daughter, watching her wipe the tears away and replacing them with a face of a woman scorned.

       She walked past him, straightening her skirt, and only muttering under her breath, "See you in the court room dad."

      


       The prosecutor, the DA, stood in front of the bench looking at Druex, his very professional suit laying against his body like a second skin but his eyes confirmed the suits deceit, he wasn't charm at all he was really grim, he was now trying to Persuade the Jury to convict Druex on two different felonies, "Now, Mr. Fredricks that we have established your...shall we say relationship with these other men, we shall ask you the totally obvious question. Did you know about Mr. Jarell Houston having a bad friendship with the deceased, Debo Anthony Watkins?"

       Druex looked around the courtroom trying to remember that there were ways to get around snitching, then he caught her eye, and he saw the pain...the love...but he saw no regret. "Well, I wouldn't call what they had a friendship. I'd say everyone knew that they had bad blood."

       "Bad blood? So bad that one could commit murder?" The prosecutor, Mr. Evans asked turning toward the jury then suddenly turning back to Druex.

       Druex was careful not to look nervous, or fearful, he saw Mr. Evans as a lion, or a vampire, they could sense fear, "Maybe, everybody knows about Debo putting Jarell in the hospital last year, but that was the last time they spoke."

       "Are you sure Mr. Fredricks?" Mr. Evans asked eyeing him suspiciously, from the training he had had all his life he could feel that Mr. Evans had something in store for him.

       "Pretty much." Druex answered looking back at Brittney, who was staring daggers into the back of her father's head.

       "Where were you the night of July 16, 1998?" Mr. Evans asked looking around the courtroom expectantly.

       Shortly after he asked he heard a soft, recognizable cry come from across the room, "No, oh lord no!"

       Druex lifted his eyes from the floor, then moved them from Joe to Brittney then to Mr. Evans, "I was at my house."

       "Wouldn't it be more correct to say former home?" Mr. Evans said looking at Druex with his eyebrows raised.

       "Yes, my former home," Druex whispered almost in a ghostly voice, "but what does that night have to do with all this?"

       "My dear Mr. Fredricks, it has everything to do with it, do you deny that two men were murdered that night in your home? While you, yourself, was in the front room speaking to one of the victim's sister?" Mr. Evans replied his voice changing to annoyingly charming to low and sinister, but that didn't faze Druex, what fazed him was the look on Brittney's face.

        "I don't deny any of it, in fact I found them..." He replied squeezing his eyes shut trying to fight the memory.

       "Well, I see it's not an easy subject. But did you know that Debo Watkins was the PD's prime suspect in the murder of Cornell Anderson and, Debo's own brother, Derek Watkins?" Mr. Evans asked as a spew of gasps rang out through the courtroom.

       Druex's eyes flew to Brittney who's eyes were widen and staring at her father, she couldn't believe he'd kept that from her, and Druex couldn't believe his ears. "No...I didn't know."

       "Now, do you think that maybe, just maybe, your friend Mr. Houston could have found out that Mr. Watkins was the cause of death for your old friend Cornell Anderson? And maybe, just maybe, he could have been angry enough to kill him?" Mr. Evans asked with such certainty that Druex had never experienced before, from a lawyer or anyone.

       "No. Jarell didn't have access to that kind of information." Druex replied running a hand over his face, he could see where this was going, it all came back to him.

       "I see," Mr.Evans replied looking at the jury for a moment before turning back to Druex, "but you did Mr. Fredricks. Now didn't you? In this little organization you are second in command, now are you not? You are -- so to say -- the 'brains' of the operation?"

        Druex looked at his boys then at Brittney and said nothing, it was almost the end, he could feel the ground beneath him tremble, "I don't understand sir."

       "Ah! But you do Mr. Fredricks, you do. You had access to everything in the city, from this very building I say, you are a smart man. And you could use your brain for whatever it was you wished. There is no crime against that but what you did was supply the soldiers with the information they needed. Now didn't you?" Mr. Evens now seemingly accused Druex as he slid across the floor with little effort.

       Druex looked at his friends, then to his lawyer, then to Brittney, he knew he could fight it no longer, "I will admit that I was -- am Second in Command, Mr. Evans.  But I will NOT admit to the lie that I supplied Jarell...or anybody else...with knowledge that would help them kill anyone...enemy or not."

       "Ah, alas the wall has been broken," Mr. Evans snarled happily, "so admittedly you are Second in Command! So that means at your young age you have to be smart, with quick a wit, and resourceful eh? And, as we can all see, that you are all that and probably more. But that's what gives you away."

       "I'm not catching you here." Druex replied squeezing his fists tightly, Mr. Evans was getting to him slowly but surely.

       "See Mr. Fredricks, even a smart boy -- excuse me -- man like you should realize that sending someone off to do your dirty work is better than a life in prison. Someone as smart you could work out the perfect plan to revenge the murder of a friend. But revenge doesn't look to pleasing to you, without a reward now does it? But when you are in love it looks like a popsicle to a 6 year-old." Mr. Evans grinned looking over at his shoulder to the Police Chief who was now glaring at him, not knowing that his daughter was going to be thrown into this.

       "This has nothing to do with my love...life...Mr. Evans." Druex replied trying to keep the anger from exploding everywhere, he didn't dare look at her, if he did he knew he would explode.

       Mr. Evans did a striking resemblance to something that sounded like a tortured laugh, "Ah, again you have miscalculated the power of irony and coincidence! Because of your newly gained love affair with Cornell Anderson's sister, revenge is now a motive, some men would do anything for a woman they love."

       The judge spoke loudly and clearly, glaring at Mr. Evans, "Enough with the conversation Evans,  get to the point!"

       "Getting there sir, just let him answer, I can see he has a statement." Mr. Evans said, his eyes gleaming in the prospect that he hit an ore with alot of oil.
      
       "True, I would do anything for her -- except for that Mr. Evans. You have your facts almost correct, yes I love Miss Anderson but my relationship with her and Debo's death don't coincide." Druex replied with somewhat of a smirk on his face. With that attitude you'll never drag me into the first degree charge, he thought.

       Mr. Evans, for the very first time, looked rather worried, "Debo Watkins was killed approximately on October 14, 2001, at 4 PM. Now are you sure your facts are straight?"

       "Yes, I am because at that point I still hadn't seen or spoken to Miss Anderson, because I was out of town and hadn't been in town for months, I wouldn't meet up with Miss Anderson until November 12." Druex replied rather smugly looking dead at Brittney who was smiling triumphantly.

        "Is there anyway to prove this Fredricks?" Mr. Evans asked raising his eyebrows.

       "First you can ask Chief Anderson, then, since you searched my home, I should have a bill from a restaurant I took her too November 13, and I went to get the key from my landlord on November 12 and she always keep records of when keys are dropped off and picked up...her buildings have cameras. I'm surprised you missed that fact Evans." He replied confidently, he now had no fear of the first degree charge, now had to watch out for that third-degree and the affiliation with organized crime charge. He had dealt with Evans before all he had to do was think with a clear mind, everyone knew that he only presented the Jury with what he wanted.

       "So am I," The Judge said rather annoyed that the Lawyer had left out important facts such as those before openly accusing the man in his court, "this court will take a five minute recess before I find Mr. Evans in contempt, thereafter he will come and finish his questioning. And by then I hope you will have it right. Court is adjourned."

       

       Brittney walked out into the hall not knowing whether to cry or scream for happiness, Druex had outsmarted that bastard of a lawyer. She smiled in spite of the memories that had been brought up along the way.

       "He's doing a good job with the vulture I must say." Joe said as he stood beside Brittney looking right out the door.

       "Well, vultures seem to be everywhere nowadays." She replied and clenched her teeth together, trying to keep her temper together.

       "I'm sorry he thought it fit to bring you into this." Joe replied looking out the window, still.

        "Some people will do anything for a victory." She hissed defensively at her father.

       "I did vouch for him when Evans' team asked about your meeting date." Joe whispered looking at her now, noticing how she looked more like her mother than ever before, today, on the day she was standing behind the man she loved. Just as her mother, Grace, had done years before.

       "You think that makes up for everything else?" Brittney asked facing him but kissed him on the instead, "Thanks though."

       Joe said nothing as his little girl turned and walked back into the stuffy court room, just as her mother had done years before. Never giving up that piece of hope and then, just then, he began to feel guilty for the grief his obsession caused.



       Mr. Evans stepped to the bench and looked at Druex then at the Judge, "I have only two more questions for this defendant sir."

       The judged nodded his head and then looked at Druex, "Go on."

       "You say revenge isn't much to you huh? But what about your friends? Do you know them well enough to say that revenge isn't -- or wasn't on their minds?" Mr. Evans asked taking a drink of water before turning to Druex again.

       Druex looked at his boys for a minute before looking back at the vulture that hovered over him, they were his family and he was never going to betray them like that, "Because they're my family, we all think alike, and we all believe the same thing. There have been several times when we could've went for revenge but we didn't. There is no excuse for killing an innocent person, for revenge or otherwise."      

       "Are you speaking about September 16, 2000, when one of your own we gunned down by the Police? Accidentally I may add." Mr. Evans shot back evenly, he didn't notice Druex's strain on the word innocent, he didn't but Brittney, Joe, and his friends did.

       "Yes, I am." Druex replied looking at Brittney for comfort.
      
       Mr. Evans looked back at the Judge with a defeated sigh, "You know what sir, I'm done with this defendant."

       Druex stepped off the bench only to be meet with the cold eyes of Joe Anderson, who only whispered his only word of comfort to him, "Good Luck son." Somehow Joe could see Cornell somewhere in Druex, only problem is that Druex was in love with Cornell's sister.
........
That had you holding techs when you really didn't know what it was but you did it out of love shit