JoVonna was about to lose her mind going over newspapers again, questioning people, interrogating Margot and even speaking with the police chief to see if anyone might have any clues. She threw a stack of newspaper articles on the floor and pinned her hair up. The paper she was reading had become a blur and still, she continued to stare at it. Determination nurtured a new inner strength in her and she had sworn to herself and said more than once to Margot that she would not stop until she found out who it was that had so drastically changed her life.
She refreshed her drink and began to make plans as to how she would continue to monitor Marcus' joint venture. When it was finalized, she would pay whatever was necessary to gain a controlling interest. She snapped her notebook closed and tried to sleep while mentally scrolling through her agenda for the next morning.
JoVonna spent Friday morning at her office in Waltham Towers. The minutes ticked away slowly on the Wittnauer watch she wore and she wished that she had made the appointment with her newly established informant for earlier in the day. She wanted to go and get that information now! Instead, she had two very lengthy meetings scheduled. She was no longer as uncomfortable with the probing eyes and assuming looks that had resulted from Marcus' press conference. She told the board members to go to hell in the first few minutes of the 9:00 a.m. meeting and was now back in the saddle and ready to ride right on to the next meeting that was about to convene in her conference room. That was on the outside, anyway. On the inside, the liquor she had for breakfast had worked its way through her system. Her nerves were starting to frazzle because it seemed to her that time was standing still. Her mind told her that it would never be six o'clock and she would never know who was responsible for drugging and impregnating her.
She nibbled at the catered lunch and went back to her office. JoVonna looked at the picture of her parents on her desk and wished again that they could be there; that all of the horrendous things that had happened were just some sort of nightmare that she was trapped in. She left for the evening, drove home and waited for Margot. When Margot walked through the door, both women were immediately angry. JoVonna was angry because Margot had taken so long and Margot was angry because JoVonna couldn't even wait until she put the baby down before she started in with what had to be done.
"Your baby had a doctor's appointment today. Didn't you know that?" Margot glared at her boss.
JoVonna mumbled something about her calendar being at the office and went to her bedroom. Every time she looked at that child now, it reminded her that a segment of her life had been blocked out. The fact that there were so many missing pieces from that time angered her again as she dressed for her six o'clock appointment. She seldom wore slacks; her legs were one of her assets and she knew it. This evening though, she opted for a simple dark pantsuit with flat black leather shoes and basic jewelry. The bank had been vacant for a long time now, and she turned up her nose at the thought of how dusty it would be. She pulled both of the cases full of money from underneath her bed and checked them once again. One last drink, and she would be on her way. She walked back down the steep path to her Mercedes. Looking to her right, she could see the steeple of the church that her neighbors had built and was once again reminded of her ongoing battle. She recalled a spirited conversation she had with Marcus when he suggested one time that she just build another home someplace else on the land she owned. She was angry then, and she was angry now, just thinking about his stupid suggestion. She would work on her new plans for getting rid of her neighbors at the bottom of the hill in more detail later. Right now, she was about to find out who the father of her child was, why she had been drugged and who was behind all of it.
As she was driving, JoVonna thought about what she would do in retaliation to the person or persons who had brought so much turmoil into her life and her home. She would not involve the police. They had been useless in their investigation when she called them after Marcus' little setup proved that he was not the father of her child and that someone else had been responsible for the debacle on the night of the banquet. She could still recall the officer's words:
Ms. Rossier, there is simply nothing here. There are no footprints, no fingerprints, no broken glass, no sign of forced entry into your safe that would account for the large sum of money and confidential documents you are reporting missing, no evidence nothing. Of course we'll let you know the moment we get a lead on this, but it happened so long ago. It must have rained ten or fifteen times since then. She remembered him standing there, shaking his head and comparing his notes to those of one of the other officers. He put the notebook in his pocket and returned to one of three squad cars that drove through the wrought iron security gate and exited her property.
She dismissed the thought and drove on, her body rigid with anticipation. She would handle this herself. JoVonna made the last turn off the main road and followed a path formed with smooth white pebbles. She pulled up and stopped abruptly. There was one other car parked on the side of the boarded up building. The color, make and model were a blur to her as she focused her undivided attention on pulling out the cases of money to go and buy the information she wanted. It was dark inside, and a cool dampness loomed inside the building. JoVonna was forced to stop just inside to allow herself to adjust to the blackness and the horrible stench. She struck the matches she found in her purse. She made her way past the tellers cages that were laced with cobwebs and on around past the large vault door that looked as if it were about to fall off its hinges. The darkness irritated her. Finally she came to an area where two very large windows had been boarded up. A single stream of daylight shined through the crack and provided all the light she needed to see the man across the room sitting in a chair with his back to her. A coal oil lamp sat on the floor beside him. JoVonna quickly became indignant about the fact that this man, her informant, must have known she was standing there, yet he kept his back to her.
Look, whoever you are, I am paying for this time, and I dont intend to wait another minute!
She walked around to the front of the chair. When she saw his face, she breathed in but could not make herself exhale. JoVonna recognized Henry Talbert as a City Council member, but only by looking at his eyes. What used to be his mouth and the entire lower half of his face had been blown away with what must have been a large caliber gun. The fingers on his right hand had been cut off and jagged pieces of skin barely covered the stubs. Pinned to his chest was a note written in bold letters that read "No News Today." She read the note and felt faint. There was a salty taste in her mouth. JoVonna's hands still clutched the two bags of money that now felt weightless because of her adrenaline. She stared at the disfigured face, still unable to turn away. She was afraid and wanted to cry, but no sound would come. Screams exploded in her head, but still, none were audible. When she could make her feet move, she quickly followed the streaks of daylight back out of the bank and threw the bags in her car. Before she could get into the car, she became violently ill. When her stomach was empty, she took a flask of liquor from her glove compartment and rinsed her mouth out and spat. Then she drained the remainder of the contents while she drove home. Her thoughts were a series of questions....Who killed Henry? .Why?...How did they know what he was going to tell her?.....Was it over now?...Did they think she already knew something? And, most importantly, what did they, whoever they were, intend to do about it?
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