Memory Lane

Chapter 4. The Bargain

Desiree

I woke up the next morning to find that Opie still hadn't returned. If I knew him like I thought I did, then bets are that he was going around making amends. Lyla told me that she had to go to work this morning, to my surprise she was a pornstar; something I honestly didn't see coming. Based on how little we spoke last night and what little I gathered, her relationship with Opie was on the rocks. He never told her much about the club and she felt like he didn't really love her. She felt like she was trapped in the shadow of his former wife Donna, and that Donna's ghost drove a wedge between her and Opie. Among other things like what she did for work.

I decided not to comment on anything, because it really wasn't my place; I also had bigger things to worry about today. I had to stop Opie from going back to prison, which also simultaneously helped the other guys. My plan was to give any information about my time with Samuel to Patterson. I had written down names and conversations that I remembered. I didn't know if any of it would really help me, but I had to make an effort.

I grabbed my notebook and headed out the door. I had to leave one of the doors unlocked to ensure I could get back into the house. I was going to get picked up at the end of the street to ensure that no one saw me with Patterson. I didn't know how the neighbors were, but I didn't want them poking around.

The black car was parked at the end of the street, just like I told Patterson to do. I looked around before I slipped into the vehicle to ensure that no one would see me. "Good morning Desiree how are you feeling this morning?" she asked as the car started to drive away.

"I'm fine thank you," I took a shaky breath and fiddled with the notebook in my hands. I could feel her eyes on me and I did my best to look away. I didn't speak to her until we were safely inside of her office, where I knew no one could hear us.

"You told me you had some information for me, anything you'd like to share?" she brought out her blank notebook and sat in anticipation.

I hesitated, "you have to promise me something first."

"And what is that you'd like in return?"

"The Sons of Anarchy crew can't go to prison."

She looked down and a smile came on her face, "Desiree the men whom you are bargaining for are being accused of the murder of Veronica Pope. Unless you have information that can refute that, then that is not a promise I can make."

"What if they're being set up? How do you know these witnesses aren't being threatened or paid off?"

"Again, Desiree do you have any information that can prove those claims?"

I ran my hand through my hair in frustration and felt an overwhelming need to cry. But I couldn't cry, there was no time for that. Right now, I needed to find something to give her that could be valuable.

"Unless you have something that can prove their innocence or something that sheds light on something bigger..."

"Who is Veronica Pope?" I asked flipping through the pages of my notebook. Patterson looked over at Eli who was fishing through some photos. He placed a picture of Veronica in front of me and my eyes went wide. "That's her? Are you sure?" I was in complete and utter disbelief. I knew this woman; she was always hanging around with Samuel's business partner. I had even spoken to her a few times, but I never knew her affiliation.

"Yes, do you know her?"

"Yes, she was always hanging around Samuel's business partner. She used to talk to me while they made drug deals."

Patterson began to write in her notebook, "what kind of drugs?"

"Cocaine, for the most part."

Patterson wrote in her notebook ferociously, writing down anything I could give her. "What about this man?" she threw another picture down for me, "do you know him?"

"That's the guy who was Samuel's business partner," I recognized him immediately, "I don't know his name."

"That is a picture of Laroy Wayne, he was the leader of the One-Niners before he was found dead only a few days ago. There were witnesses who saw Jackson Teller and Filip Telford kill him."

I scanned the picture of Laroy and memories of him flooded back. He was always so calculated and calm. He generated a lot of fear in Samuel and he demanded respect. "Is there anything else you can remember Desiree?"

"Um," I flipped through the pages of my notebook, "Samuel used to get in trouble with orders a lot. He was sloppy and was always getting barked at. One day this man came to the house looking for him, Samuel was taken away for a couple of days and then came back to the house all bloody and bruised."

"Do you remember who this man was?"

"Um he was bald, tall, always wore a suit..." I tried to remember his name, "Marks! Samuel called him Marks!"

Patterson scribbled down more words in her notepad as she snapped her fingers at Eli. He then dropped a picture of Marks in front of me and I recognized him instantly. I mean who could forget someone so cunning, with eyes that were so soulless. "Samuel called him Pope's errand boy."

"Were you kidnapped by the Niners?"

"I don't think so, I think they were just in business with them. Samuel worked for some guy named Mickey, I never met him but I always heard about him."

"Mickey? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, he sounded so much more like a myth than a man. From what little I heard; Pope was supplying Mickey with the drugs. While Mickey was supplying him with Fentanyl. They made it in a factory somewhere in Oakland. I've never been but Samuel had a big mouth, he couldn't hold water."

Patterson looked up at me after she was done jotting some words down. "Do you have anyone who can back up these claims? I mean this is nice and all, but I'm going to need something more solid. Is there anything you have?"

I thought long and hard about what I was going to say. I had lived such a strange life for so many years, who could I call in a case such as this? No one would put their lives at risk in order to help the Sons. Unless...

"Laura Jennings!"

Patterson looked at me confused, "isn't that the name you went under for years?"

"Yes, but what happened to her?"

"Apparently, she fell off the face of the Earth. No one has seen or heard from her for the same amount of time you've been gone." Roosevelt pulled up a picture on his computer. I'd never seen this woman before, but upon reading up on her I noticed that she was married to Samuel.

"Samuel had her things; IDs, clothes, documents, everything she owned. If anyone knows what happened to her, it would be him. If you threaten him with that charge, he'll sing like a canary. Samuel is a lot of things, but he will always be a coward. He's going to do anything to avoid doing time."

Patterson shared a look with Eli before she finally agreed. "Put out an arrest warrant for Samuel Jennings," she instructed Eli, he nodded his head and then left us in the room. Patterson looked at me for a moment, studying my face, "why are you doing this? What hold do the Sons of Anarchy crew have on you?"

"I know this may seem strange having me here, but they're all I really have left when it comes to family. When you disappear for as long as I have people get sick, people die, and the friends you had have already moved on. I don't have a lot of people left, so I'm trying to hold on to who's here."

Patterson looked at me sympathetically, "in my line of work, I have seen a lot of women suffer at the hands of this life. Do you really want that for yourself? You can start fresh and leave this place before something awful happens to you."

I nodded my head and handed her the pages from my notebook. I said nothing more than that because I knew someone like her wouldn't understand. Once you're in this life, it never completely leaves you. It burns a hole in your heart and leaves an imprint.

"Desiree?" Patterson called out to me before I had a chance to walk out the door, "if what you say is true, you may have just put away the most dangerous men in California. And luckily for you, the finger won't be pointed at the Sons."