I was slightly nervous as I entered the United States Penitentiary, Pollock federal prison in Grant Parrish, Louisiana. Raevon Wilkes, or Raheem Saadiq, had reached out to me to let me know he was safe. As the only survivor from the group of men from Kappa Sigma Phi that attacked Tommy and wreaked havoc on my life years before, Raevon bore the weight of having to make amends for what he and his fraternity brothers did. I'd forgiven him for his role in it all but I realized that for him to truly make amends, he needed to be in a place where he actually could make a difference while still being a prisoner for the rest of his life.
"You had me moved to minimum-security, didn't you?" he asked with a smile. "Thank you, my brother. I am grateful and forever in your debt."
"I was going to do this over the phone," I told him, "but since I was heading back from Texas anyway, I figured I'd stop by here and actually speak to you in person while you were working on your assigned work detail."
"I'm glad you did. How have you been?"
"I've been great. I've been busy with work but I finally came into some free time. I just attended a weekend-long family reunion with my husband and his family. While I had a great time, I did get a chance to reflect on life and just how precious it is. Rae...I mean, Raheem, I forgive you for what you did. I admit, I didn't believe there was a shot at redemption for you or any of the others but now that it's just you, I have faith that you can make amends for all the wrong you've done. I don't know what it will look like but I have faith in it. I have faith in you."
Tears fell from his eyes and he wiped them as he told me, "You have no idea what that means to me."
"So, what do you do in here?"
"I put together a weekly newsletter for all the minimum-security prisoners about upcoming events, our meal schedules and other things. As you can see, I have to do it by typewriter."
"I see. I've never seen a see-through typewriter before."
"Yeah, they won't let me have a standard one because they're afraid I might hide a weapon or some other kind of contraband inside it. This thing gets the job done though."
"Are you liking the transition from maximum-security to minimum?"
"Yes, I like it a lot. They actually have a room for those of us who are Muslim to pray and celebrate our traditions."
"What made you turn to the Nation of Islam?"
"The community I became a part of isn't homophobic, if that's what you're thinking."
"I'm not here to judge you, Raheem."
"I turned to them because they saw me. They saw the real me through whatever barrier I'd put up. Cameron, I had some serious personal issues that fueled my past homophobia. I was...I was molested almost daily from about age six to age fourteen by an older male relative. I had this view of gays that wasn't based on reality and was only based on what I'd experienced. I've made my peace with what happened to me and I now view homosexuality as a natural and healthy bond between two people of the same sex. I know the Nation isn't quite the right platform to be a part of if I'm open to that type of inclusivity, but as I've said, the community here at this prison doesn't practice homophobia. We practice love of everyone."
"Well, that's good to hear. I'm sorry you had to suffer as a child but it's refreshing to know that you no longer use it as an excuse to hate gays. I do wish more people would enlighten themselves the way you have." I looked at my watch and told him, "I should get going."
He stood up and said, "Thanks again for everything." He then extended his hand for me to shake.
I stared into his eyes for a moment and then shook his hand while telling him, "Stay on the right path, man."
After leaving the prison, I drove to the airport where Byron was waiting on me. We made our scheduled flight from Louisiana to D.C. During the flight, I sensed Byron wanted to talk to me about my visit to the prison but didn't want to talk about it the wrong way. He always tried to avoid having any arguments with me and while I always thought it was sweet, it did irritate me. Couples argue and that's just a fact of life.
"Byron, I know you want to talk about it," I said, finally breaking the silence between us. "What's on your mind, baby?"
"I just don't understand why you want to help him?"
"He's served a number of years in one of the roughest maximum-security penitentiaries in Louisiana. He's not committing violence anymore and has shown remorse for his actions. I know he tried to kill me and he took part in attacking Tommy, but he didn't kill Tommy. Karen killed Tommy. And after hearing what he'd been through..."
"What has he been through?"
"He was molested as a child, Byron. No, it doesn't excuse his participation in hurting Tommy but it does explain why some of the men joined the network in the first place. There are a lot of broken black men in this country."
"I agree but being broken gives no man the right to take another man's life. I understand people deal with trauma in different ways but taking innocent lives because one man molested you is wrong, no matter how you slice it."
"We need more mental healthcare in this damn country. That's one of my biggest takeaways from all of this. Why couldn't those fucking COWO people advocate for that instead of trying to brainwash people into accepting queer individuals using propaganda?"
"Because their ultimate goal is to have power just like Michele Whitlock and the men who were running Eradication." He placed his hand on top of mine and asked, "It's still bothering you that Francine Headley is on the run, doesn't it?"
"Byron, I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't worried about it. Headley and her minions will do anything to push their agenda forward. She was going to have me killed to keep Tommy on a string. His death saved my life. And no, I'm not feeling survivor's guilt right now. I want to stop that bitch just as bad as I want to stop Michele Whitlock and Quincy Atwood."
"Do you still believe Evan is holding back on what he knows about COWO?"
"I do but the only way I can get him to talk is by offering him an actual deal and I might have burned that bridge already."
"What do you mean?"
"Three months ago, when we set up that sting to find out who the mole at the FBI was, I told Evan I'd help him out with his trial if he helped with the sting. I told him he had my word."
"And then you betrayed him?"
"He stabbed me in that abandoned factory, Byron."
"Look, I'm not judging you, baby. However, sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils. If you really want to get intel on COWO, offer him something real and see if he'll tell you something important about the organization. I know you're pissed that he stabbed you; hell, I wanna beat his ass myself, but you can't let your anger sabotage all the hard work you've put into this case. Baby, we just spent the weekend with my family and it was a great time. Look at this past weekend as a fresh restart."
"You know, I really hate it when you make sense like that." I laughed and kissed him before telling him, "I'll pay Evan a visit in Atlanta tomorrow but he better not bullshit me."
After our four-hour flight home, I booked a flight to Atlanta for the next day and then went to bed with Byron. I had a dream that night about Marlon and it was strange and upsetting at the same time. He looked exactly like he did the last time I saw him before we were both held hostage in Kappa Sigma Phi's compound. He was facing me but he was just out of my arm's reach. The closer I seemed to get to him, the more he seemed to drift away from me. And then he pointed to something behind me. I continued my attempts to touch him as he began to jump up and down and point to whatever was behind me. Finally, I turned around to see there was nothing behind me but a brick wall. I turned back towards Marlon to see that he was gone and I was facing another brick wall. I was surrounded by brick walls and they began closing in. Just as it seemed I was about to be crushed to death; I woke up in a cold sweat.
I checked my watch for the time as I waited for correctional officers to bring in Evan. When they brought him into the interrogation room, I sat up in my seat and told him, "Have a seat."
"Fuck you," he snapped at me. "I helped you catch the mole in your fucking department and you..."
"I'm here to make an official offer for you." I pulled out my sound recorder and turned it on before repeating, "Have a seat." He stared at me as he slowly sat down across from me at the table. I took a deep breath before beginning, "I am here on the behalf of the federal government and I am willing to offer you, Evan Murphy, reduced charges and help with a more lenient sentence if you give me pertinent information about Changing Our World Order."
"Wait, don't you need to know more about Quincy Atwood and Michele Whitlock?"
"No, the Northern District of Georgia's U.S. Attorney is working on the prosecution of that case. I need information on COWO; and significantly, the whereabouts of Francine Headley."
His face froze and he was silent for a while before revealing, "I don't know much."
"What are you talking about? You bragged about being a double agent, knowing things about both the plan for Eradication and COWO."
"I was bullshitting to keep favor with Michele and Quincy. The truth is, I've only held a few conversations with Francine Headley and I was in the middle of working my way up in COWO. With me being a journalist, I was important to her because I would've been the person writing about the bodies of dead gay men turning up in Atlanta. She had plans for me beyond that but I never got that far. I'm sorry but I have no idea where she is or what else she's planning."
As frustrated as I was by what he'd just told me, I kept my calm and asked him, "Evan, why did you get involved with Eradication? You're a young gay black man, no different than Kemari Whitlock except for economic status."
He smiled as he stared into my eyes and answered, "Seeing that look in your eyes fuels me. I love making people like you squirm."
"It makes no sense. Don't you understand that they were going to kill you, too?"
"No, they weren't. I'm different than you. I actually recognize that being gay is an abomination and that people who are a part of the LGBTQ community are undeserving of rights. I am gay but I refuse to act on it. And that's the key to it all, Special Agent Rowell. Eradication isn't for all of us. It's for those who participate in sodomy like you and your husband."
I smiled back at him as I told him, "I had a friend in college named Derrick who sort of thought like you. He thought he'd be spared by these people. They killed him. They killed him right in front of me. I realize you've been brainwashed by their propaganda in the same way people who follow COWO have been brainwashed. Nothing I say will penetrate your way of thought. However, Evan, I am going to rescind my offer to help you because doing so will actually help keep you alive in prison."
"What?"
"I'm saving your life."
"But you said..."
"You don't have any information to give me and that in of itself nullifies my offer." I turned off my recorder and stood up before telling him, "Good luck with everything."
"You're going to need me to testify against Michele or Quincy or whoever else."
"No, I won't. Evan, you're a brick wall. All of you are brick walls to me. I refuse to let any of you close me in." I headed to the door and called out, "Officer, we're done in here."
The corrections officer opened the door to let me out and to take Evan back to his cell. It was in that moment that I noticed an infinity symbol tattooed on the anterior side of his left wrist. I remembered seeing that same tattoo on the left wrist of Francine Headley. That was my first time actually paying attention to Evan's wrist with him wearing a jacket or anything else covering it up. Not wanting to distract from the other reason why I'd returned to Atlanta, I left the facility and headed to the hospital where Karen was being held. When I arrived and saw that her room in the psych ward was empty, I hurried to the information desk to see where she'd been moved to. They told me Dr. Neil Nathan had her moved. Wasting no time, I headed to Dr. Nathan's office.
"I had Karen Jeffries moved to a more secure facility for mental health," he informed me while sitting at his desk.
"Why?" I asked. "Dr. Nathan, why didn't you inform me?"
"You didn't give me time to reach out to you. I had her moved last night after an incident."
"What incident?"
"A male nurse who doesn't work at the hospital was caught trying to insert a syringe into her arm to push an unknown substance. Security caught him in the act and he escaped their efforts to capture him. Agents from the FBI Atlanta field office collected evidence on the scene last night. I was in the middle of following up with them when you just barged in here. I was going to contact you this afternoon to brief you on it all."
"They tried to kill Karen?"
"It appears so. We don't know what was in the syringe since the man escaped with it in his hand." His phone ran and he told me, "That's them."
"Put it on speakerphone."
He answered the call on speakerphone and said, "Agent Collins, I have Special Agent Cameron Rowell here with me. What new details do you have on the attempt to harm Agent Jeffries?"
"The hospital surveillance cameras caught clear footage of the suspect. We were able to ID him as twenty-four-year-old Cody Grimes. We have a mugshot of him."
"Does he live in Atlanta?"
"Yes, we have an address for him already. Do you want to write it down in case you can get to him before we can?"
"Send it along with his photo to my phone."
"Be careful, Special Agent Rowell," Dr. Nathan said to me.
I smiled at him as I asked, "Aren't I always?"
I hurried out of his office and exited the building as quickly as I could. I received the location and mugshot of Cody Grimes. He'd been arrested a year earlier for assault and battery but the charges were later dropped when he was able to prove he'd acted in self-defense. Two men tried to attack him because they'd seen him kissing another man on the MARTA train. Reading his information led me to the realization that Cody obviously wasn't sent by Michele Whitlock or Quincy Atwood to kill Karen. He was sent by COWO.
It wasn't long before I was entering his apartment building near the Edgewood Retail District. I drew my pistol as I took the stairwell up to the sixth floor where his apartment was. When I arrived at apartment 619, I knocked on the door and called out, "FBI! Open the door, Cody!"
He didn't answer the door so I stepped back and kicked it as hard as I could, cracking most of the wood paneling surrounding the door. I kicked it again and the door gave way. Immediately, I entered the apartment and saw him tossing a duffle bag out of his window; presumably to the sidewalk below. I aimed my pistol at him and when I cocked it, he froze but didn't turn around.
"You can't shoot me in my back," he finally said after a few seconds of silence between us.
"Put your hands up, you're under arrest," I told him. When we both heard the sounds of police sirens getting closer, I informed him, "Either you let me place cuffs on you or I beat the shit out of you and another officer will put cuffs on you. I really don't want to do the paperwork for all of that so save me the time and save yourself from a beat down, man."
"Okay, okay."
He put his hands up and I put my gun away and pulled out my cuffs. As I was approaching him to place him under arrest, he dove out of the window and tried to land on an awning down on the first floor but missed. His head burst open and blood splattered all over the sidewalk and nearby street just as local officers and agents from the FBI Atlanta field office were arriving.
"What in the hell happened?" Agent Collins asked me the moment I exited the building.
"I guess he thought he had wings, sir," I said while shaking my head. I pointed to the awning and explained, "He tried to hit that to soften his fall but missed. He pretended like he was surrendering so that I would lower my service weapon. When I tried to place cuffs on him, he dove out of the opened window."
We waited for the medical examiner to arrive and when he did, he turned Cody's body over. When I saw the infinity tattoo on the anterior side of his wrist, my theory was confirmed. COWO had sent Cody to kill Karen. The fact that he was able to handle himself with two homophobes the night he was arrested and cause great bodily injury to them led me to believe he was a trained killer for the organization. A further search of his apartment proved that theory beyond any doubt.
"I've found a vial of magnesium sulfate and a syringe in Grimes's apartment," I said into my recorder while still searching the apartment with other agents and officers. "Upon a quick Google search, I learned that injecting someone with an excessive amount of magnesium sulfate causes severe muscle weakness, low blood pressure, and an irregular heartbeat. I believe if Grimes would have injected Karen Jeffries with the substance, it would have allowed him to suffocate her easily and quietly."
I ended my recording because I noticed a slip of paper being weighted down by a lamp on Cody's nightstand. I pulled the slip of paper out from under the lamp and saw it had a phone number written on it. Instead of calling the number with my own phone, I went back downstairs and out of the building and luckily caught the medical examiner before he could leave with Cody's body. I took Cody's iPhone out of an evidence bag and used his index fingerprint to unlock it. He'd called the number several times already that day because it was in his call log. Without wasting any time, I called the number and was shocked by who answered.
"Cody, have you made it to the airport yet?" asked Francine Headley's voice on the other end. "Cody?"
"To be continued, Francine," I said to her in a serious tone. "To be continued."
"You've killed him, haven't you?"
"He killed himself by jumping out of a window and misunderstanding the laws of gravity. Make this easier on yourself, Ms. Headley. Where are you?"
"This is a burner phone and a fake number. You'll never find me, Special Agent Rowell. And you won't be able to stop us. Just like those murderous homophobes you're now protecting, we're everywhere. My backup plan is already in place and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it."
"You're not helping anything or anyone with this. Killing the people connected to Eradication makes them martyrs, Francine. Can't you see that? You're only fueling the fire."
"Save that bullshit for someone who cares! Goddamn it, I want revenge! And you should, too. After what those people did to Tommy..."
"You put Tommy in their crosshairs, you bitch! And I'll never forget it. I'll never forgive you."
"Well, your way of doing things just isn't going to cut it. The justice system isn't fair and it's one of the reasons why COWO exists. We never get justice for bigoted murderers like Quincy Atwood and Michele Whitlock killing our people. They'll walk because of their connections and what would that mean for you and your mission? My God, it was your FBI department that got other gay men killed!"
"The justice system has its problems but that gives you no right to kill people who you deem unimportant to your mission. It also gives you no right to be a vigilante. Give up, Francine. I can make a deal with you and your co-conspirators if you surrender."
"And what if I don't?"
I was silent for a moment before warning her, "That's a question best posed for yourself."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise. I will find you and all of those armed guards you have with you won't be enough. My marksmanship is unmatched."
She laughed a little and then cleared her throat before saying, "I'll be waiting."
The call ended and I took a deep breath before saying to myself, "Game on."