You’ve got to get me out,” Kasheef said with pleading eyes.
“They have a witness. This entire case relies solely on her testimony. I’ve seen the tape from the club that night. Your face isn’t recognizable which works in our favor. I will play on that fact as much as I possibly can. She’s the only person that can place you at the crime scene,” Carmen said. She hesitated before continuing. “I need to know everything Kasheef. Don’t try to hide anything from me. I’m a lawyer. If you want me to do my job effectively I have to know what went on that night. I have to know the complete truth, not just what you interpret it to be. Did you do it?”
Kasheef leaned across the table until he was only inches away from Carmen’s face. “I’ll tell you what I’m not gon’ do ... this time they’re trying to stick me with. Get me off.” His voice was low as he spoke but it did not stop the authority from being present in his words. Carmen understood perfectly. She knew men like Kasheef. At one time in her life she had been attracted to men just like him. He was a boss and he was used to being in charge. He never asked for anything from anybody. He demanded respect and instilled fear in the hearts of many. He was not the type of man that you could tell no and she understood this. She nodded, knowing that he would never admit his guilt. He didn’t trust her enough to incriminate himself and she could understand why. His life was on the line. Her gut told her that he was guilty, but her mind told her that it didn’t matter. She was going to do her job to the best of her ability. Whether Kasheef committed the murder or not was irrelevant. She would do all that it took to sway a jury into finding him innocent.
“Okay,” she said as she closed her briefcase and stood to leave. “You’re being arraigned later on this afternoon and we’ll enter a plea of not guilty. I’ll try to get the judge to set bail. See you in court.”
Alija watched from her car as Ahmad’s friends and family slowly scattered from his grave site. She didn’t know why she was there, but she felt compelled to go pay her respects to him. She had seen everything that had gone down the night he was murdered. She wanted to get out. She wanted to shed tears over his grave, but something kept her rooted in her car. She knew that she was not welcome. She knew the full story. She saw Ahmad try to rob Kasheef and then in the blink of an eye the situation turned in Kasheef’s favor and Ahmad was the one who ended up dead. The tears that tainted her cheeks were those of sadness, regret, and fear. Kasheef knew that she had witnessed his actions, yet he let her go. Now she was scared, running for her life because she was getting ready to testify and turn state’s evidence. She looked in the back at Nahla who was sound asleep in her car seat. She closed her eyes as she thought of all the things that her daughter would miss out on because of the tragedy that their lives had become. You can fix this, she told herself. All you have to do is testify against Kasheef. After the trial all of this will be over. You can just pack up and leave. She knew that she didn’t have much, but she was willing to go as far as a full tank of gas would take her just to get out of New York. Just as she pulled away from the curb, her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered.
“They really fucked our apartment up,” Mickey said.
“I know, tell me about it. Do you think it’s smart for you to be there? What if they come back?”
Mickey scoffed and replied, “They’re not looking for me. They want you and after all the attention they drew the first time they won’t be trying to come back here. I’ll be fine ...”
“Okay ...” Alija replied skeptically. “Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you that the state sent you some papers. I set ’em on your bed. Something about jury duty.”
“Yeah, okay ... good looking out. I’ma get myself thrown out of that
“They have a witness. This entire case relies solely on her testimony. I’ve seen the tape from the club that night. Your face isn’t recognizable which works in our favor. I will play on that fact as much as I possibly can. She’s the only person that can place you at the crime scene,” Carmen said. She hesitated before continuing. “I need to know everything Kasheef. Don’t try to hide anything from me. I’m a lawyer. If you want me to do my job effectively I have to know what went on that night. I have to know the complete truth, not just what you interpret it to be. Did you do it?”
Kasheef leaned across the table until he was only inches away from Carmen’s face. “I’ll tell you what I’m not gon’ do ... this time they’re trying to stick me with. Get me off.” His voice was low as he spoke but it did not stop the authority from being present in his words. Carmen understood perfectly. She knew men like Kasheef. At one time in her life she had been attracted to men just like him. He was a boss and he was used to being in charge. He never asked for anything from anybody. He demanded respect and instilled fear in the hearts of many. He was not the type of man that you could tell no and she understood this. She nodded, knowing that he would never admit his guilt. He didn’t trust her enough to incriminate himself and she could understand why. His life was on the line. Her gut told her that he was guilty, but her mind told her that it didn’t matter. She was going to do her job to the best of her ability. Whether Kasheef committed the murder or not was irrelevant. She would do all that it took to sway a jury into finding him innocent.
“Okay,” she said as she closed her briefcase and stood to leave. “You’re being arraigned later on this afternoon and we’ll enter a plea of not guilty. I’ll try to get the judge to set bail. See you in court.”
Alija watched from her car as Ahmad’s friends and family slowly scattered from his grave site. She didn’t know why she was there, but she felt compelled to go pay her respects to him. She had seen everything that had gone down the night he was murdered. She wanted to get out. She wanted to shed tears over his grave, but something kept her rooted in her car. She knew that she was not welcome. She knew the full story. She saw Ahmad try to rob Kasheef and then in the blink of an eye the situation turned in Kasheef’s favor and Ahmad was the one who ended up dead. The tears that tainted her cheeks were those of sadness, regret, and fear. Kasheef knew that she had witnessed his actions, yet he let her go. Now she was scared, running for her life because she was getting ready to testify and turn state’s evidence. She looked in the back at Nahla who was sound asleep in her car seat. She closed her eyes as she thought of all the things that her daughter would miss out on because of the tragedy that their lives had become. You can fix this, she told herself. All you have to do is testify against Kasheef. After the trial all of this will be over. You can just pack up and leave. She knew that she didn’t have much, but she was willing to go as far as a full tank of gas would take her just to get out of New York. Just as she pulled away from the curb, her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered.
“They really fucked our apartment up,” Mickey said.
“I know, tell me about it. Do you think it’s smart for you to be there? What if they come back?”
Mickey scoffed and replied, “They’re not looking for me. They want you and after all the attention they drew the first time they won’t be trying to come back here. I’ll be fine ...”
“Okay ...” Alija replied skeptically. “Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you that the state sent you some papers. I set ’em on your bed. Something about jury duty.”
“Yeah, okay ... good looking out. I’ma get myself thrown out of that
Similar Books
