I knocked on Reed's front door trying to calm myself down before someone came to open it. After the incident with BJ, there were several different versions of what exactly happened that night at that gas station.
It didn't help that the news was eating another story up about an officer shooting a young black boy. I can't even describe how I feel, but I knew that I needed answers.
"Hey, Brandon." Reed's wife, Alicia, said as she slowly opened the door. The beautiful, mocha-toned woman held a frown on her face. In every instance that we were in each other's presence, she was as bubbly as could be. Today, Alicia's eyes appeared tired and disconnected, but she followed up with small smile.
"Hey," I said, before clearing up my throat. "Jared here?"
She sighed and nodded as she moved aside to let me in their home. "He's in the kitchen," she told me before closing the door and proceeding to go back up the stairs.
Her attitude toward me reeked with so much tension that I didn't even want to have this conversation with her husband.
Walking into the kitchen, I saw Reed at the kitchen table with a beer in his hand while looking down at his phone. "Yo?" I said.
Jared looked up and sighed at the sight of me in his home. "What?"
"We need to talk," I calmly spoke, still standing on the other end of the kitchen to avoid me getting physical with him.
"Now you wanna talk? I hit you up first to let you know my side and you let me hanging, but it's whatever. Be like everybody and believe the bullshit...I don't give a fuck at this point."
"A kid is still fighting for his life. A kid who helped I raise at one point. What else is there to it?"
Jared rose up from his chair. "Man, I got a wife and kids of my own so the last thing I would ever try to do is take a innocent child's life, but I won't dare apologize for making sure that I make it home to my family at the end of the night."
My brows arched in confusion. "What you talking about?"
"Everything ain't what it seem. Hell, check the tapes for yourself since apparently nobody wanna release that shit and get the truth. I gotta be the bad guy because it fits the fucking narrative. Meanwhile, my wife and kids are the ones getting the threats and hate when they go out. This shit ain't it, Brandon."
I was taken aback by his words, but I needed to clarification about what he was talking about. "Jared, you still not telling me shit bro."
"I'm done talking about this shit. Just go watch the tapes because I'm sure that they already have them at the station."
I simply nodded and proceeded to leave. I was leaving with more questions than answers, but it was clear that Jared wasn't going to tell actually me shit. That made me question what was on the tapes from that damn corner store.
When I got to my car, I decided that I would have to do my own investigating. I was getting too many mixed signals, but I needed factual information. Either way, I already knew that I wasn't going to like whatever I found on the tape and that was clear.
Walking into the station, I was greeted with silence. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with folks asking me about why I'm here while on vacation.
"Yo, Denny. I need you to do me a solid," I said as I approached the evidence locker with a $20 bill in hand.
He quickly shook his head as he looked up from his computer. "Can't do it bro. Chief been on my ass about giving info about cases y'all are not working. Shit is illegal." I gave him a blank face.
"C'mon man. Let us not forget that I got you this job and you've done worse if I remember correctly."
"Brandon, you killing me."
I smacked my teeth. "How bout I just look at what I need while I'm here? I won't leave with it."
I tried to compromise with him because at this point, I wasn't leaving without answers. Denny sighed deeply and buzzed me in.
"Preciate you."
Denny rose from his chair and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. What you need to look at?"
"Reed's case."
"They actually just got some footage and brought it in last night." My brows furrowed at the fact that it took almost a week to start progressively investigating.
When Denny came back from the lockers, he had a disk in his hand. "Here ya go. Just use my computer. I don't want no parts, so I'll be at the vending machine."
I took the CD and walked over to his laptop to put it in the drive. I took a deep breath before pressing play.
From the beginning to the end of the video, I stood in shock. I felt like my eyes were deceiving me, but it was real.
BJ wasn't a little boy anymore. He had changed. His actions were intentional. Him and his friend did, in fact, go in the corner store with guns in hand. They proceeded to try to get money from the cashier's register.
By the time Reed had gotten in the store, BJ's friend had ran out of the store leaving him alone. Instead of dropping the gun like he was asked by Reed, he fired his gun. I had to turn off video before it got to Reed firing back.
"Yo, you good?" Denny asked, snapping me out of it.
I shook my head furiously still trying process everything. "Yeah, I'm straight," I said as I took out the disk and handed it back to Denny.
"Thanks again man," I told him as I started to leave the evidence locker.
"No problem."
Walking back through the station, my thoughts were scattered. I was trying to grasp how the little boy that I once help raise had gotten involved in this type of activity at 12. It didn't add up and I wasn't going to let the issue go. Not just yet.
"Wallace!"
I turned around when hearing my name to see the Cap't Frazier behind me. I stopped walking and let him catch up with me.
"Yes sir?"
"I wasn't expecting to see you around here until the new year came in. Everything ok?"
"It could be better," I shrugged.
He nodded in understanding. " I hear ya. Luckily, I have good news to share for you," he said. I stood there quietly waiting on him to finish his thought. "In the last 4 years, you've had a 85% closed case success rate. That's unheard of and it got some attention from the Feds. You know where I'm going this..."
My brows arched. "Not quite."
"The Department of Justice are a recruiting spree and they're interested in you."
I cracked a smile. "Wow, which branch?"
"FBI. They have a few openings on their BAU profiling team, so don't take it lightly," Cap't said as he gave me the card that was given to him.
I looked down at the card and just nodded. This caught me off guard completely. "Virginia, huh?"
"If you want the opportunity, then yes. Quantico, Virginia is where it's at as of now. Maybe you can migrate to D.C. Afterward or something."
I took all of what he said in and nodded. "Thanks, Captain. I'll look into it."
"Please do. As much as I would hate to lose you on my team, your expertise could some great things on a larger scale. This is a once in a lifetime thing, Brandon."
He was right about that, but the timing wasn't the best. The move wouldn't be ideal, but it's the FBI...who turns down the FBI?
Only a fool.
Vote, comment, and whatever else ;)
I know it's been awhile but ya girl gotta stack these coins lol.
Sooo, how do we feel about knowing the truth about the BJ situation?
Will BJ even live to tell why was he robbing the store?
How about this new job opportunity...are we here for it?
What would Bam possibly moving to Quantico mean for his new budding relationship with Lauren?