The Man In Forest Hills Read online

  He takes a knee and looks for the box underneath his bed. He grabs the box and pulls it out. He looks inside and notices right away, that the revolver and the bullets have been misplaced. He knows exactly how he placed them in the box, and now they look off. Kent now knows that unfortunately someone is on to him, but he just isn’t sure who it could be.

  Okay. Looks like someone is following me or is on to me.

  The next morning Kent wakes up in bed and turns to his left to grab the picture. He looks at it closely, and starts to run his fingers over his wife. He grabs the picture and looks at his closely.

  I hope you understand Amy. I’m doing this for the both of you.

  He sits up in his bed and puts the picture back on the side of the bed. After he has got ready for the day, he heads out the back door and straight to his private shed. He opens the door and walks to the back. He opens the lock to a big wooden box and lifts the top up. Inside of this box is an arsenal of weapons: an AK-47, shotgun, several handguns, bulletproof vest and a couple of long knives.

  He takes out the shotgun, handguns and the bulletproof vest and sets them on a wooden table next to him. He spends quite some time cleaning out his weapons. He sits on a stool as he empties all the clips in order to polish the barrels of all the handguns. He empties the clips and polishes the barrels of all the handguns. He becomes startled when he hears a noise right behind him. He quickly grabs a clip and loads a handgun.

  He turns around and points the gun. Mary stops in her tracks.

  “Fuck Mary, you scared the shit out of me. What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me like that? What are you doing here?”

  Mary’s body locks up as she stares down the barrel of the gun.

  “I’m sorry Tom. I rang the doorbell, but you didn’t answer. I saw your car in the driveway, so I came around back. I saw the door to the shed open, so I assumed you were here.”

  He removes the clip from the gun before gently placing it down on the table. He carefully places it down on the table.

  “Mary, you can’t sneak up on me like that. I could have shot you.”

  “I know. I’m sorry,” she says. “I just came by to check up on you.”

  She turns her attention to everything else on the table. She sees multiple guns, a bulletproof vest, and quickly she realizes what Tom is up to. She knows he is about to go do something that he shouldn’t, kill.

  “What’s all this for Tom? Why do you have all these weapons? A bulletproof vest? Handguns? What is going on?”

  Tom gets up and stands right in front of her.

  “You must leave. You gotta go. None of this is your business.”

  He grabs tries to grab Mary by the arm so he can escort her out of the shed, but she speaks up without any hesitation.

  “No! No! I’m not leaving Tom. You don’t have to do this.”

  Tears start to run down her face. He still has his hand locked around her arm, as he continues to try and force her out of the shed.

  “You have to leave. You can’t be here.”

  “No Tom. I can’t let you do this. You can’t come into my life the way you did, and expect me not to care about you.”

  Tears still run down her face as she continues to express her concerns to him.

  “That’s not fair. I thought we had a mutual respect for one another, I thought we had a connection. This isn’t right.”

  He aggressively grabs her arm one more time pulling her toward the door.

  “You have to go. I don’t need you getting caught up in any of this.”

  She doesn’t fight him this time, but when she gets the door, she stops and slowly turns around.

  “You need to change your mind Tom. I’m going to pray for you. This can’t be goodbye.”

  She walks out of the shed leaving Tom in the doorway. She never turns back around. He watches her walk away with an uneasy feeling creeping through his body. He feels lost and sad by her exit, but he knows he would feel worse if she got caught up in this mess. They shared a special connection that gave Tom a small light of hope, but still not enough for him to change his plans. He sits back down on the stool and gets back to cleaning his guns. There is nothing that will stop Tom, not Mary, not his partner, no one will stop him from seeking revenge.

  Later in the afternoon things are going as planned around the precinct. Maddox walks through the halls with a cup of coffee. He feels a hand on his shoulder, so he turns around. He sees Harper and his face turns sour.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  “We need to talk,” he says.

  Maddox takes a sip of his coffee.

  “Harper, get out of my face. Unlike some people around here, I’m about to do some fucking police work.”

  He storms out of the door and heads outside. Harper watches him as he walks out. He has a terrifying look on his face.

  “This is gonna be bad,” he says. “Fucking idiot.”

  Harper walks back to his desk and sits down. Capt. Leonard walks right up behind him and startles him.

  “Harper.”

  Harper jumps a little, but looks up at the captain.

  “Hey Cap.”

  “Don’t Hey Cap me,” he shouts. “I need a progress report on everything.”

  Harper knows he can give the Captain the information he needs, but he just can’t muster up the courage to tell him. Kent is not only his partner, but also his best friend. They have been together since day one and have always had each other’s backs along the way. Harper has to speak to Kent first, to let him know that he knows and for them to figure out a different solution. All of these thoughts continue to run through his head as Captain Leonard stands at his desk waiting for a response.

  “I have nothing Cap but I’m getting closer.”

  Captain Leonard is clearly irritated at his answer.

  “Well that’s not what I needed,” he utters. “Maybe this is just too much for you right now. Maybe I need to put someone else on the case.”

  Harper looks up at him as he explains the situation.

  “I’ll let you know by tomorrow Harper.”

  Captain Leonard walks away from Harper’s desk. Harper leans back in his chair as he watches him walk away and takes a deep breath, sort of like a sigh of relief that he didn’t dig anymore. He stares into nowhere and just sits there.

  As the day goes by, things at the precinct have gone quiet, not giving the detectives much to work on. Most have made their way out of the office and home, besides Harper and Maddox. Maddox walks past Harper’s desk and heads towards Captain Leonard’s office. He peeks his head through the door, and gives a wave to signal his exit for the day. Once he shuts the door, he turns towards Harper, but doesn’t say bye, just stares at him for a couple of seconds with a disgusted look.

  Once outside, Maddox makes his way to his car and starts his journey home after a long day. He pulls up to his house and into the garage.

  Home sweet home.

  He opens up his door to get out of the car, but he reaches back to grab his firearm from the passenger seat. As he steps out of the car, a hand meets him over his face with a saturated cloth. He’s defenseless; he can’t see who is behind him or stop from breathing in whatever chemical is on the cloth. He starts to fall to the ground unable to hold himself up anymore. Unfortunately, he catches a glimpse of a man standing over him, but he can’t make out his face. Seconds later, Maddox is completely knocked out. The second he lets his guard down is the second Maddox is in deep trouble.

  Unknown to him, Maddox has been tied up and thrown into the truck of a car. His body bounces around in the back of the car as it takes several turns throughout the city. The car eventually comes to a stop and Kent gets out of the driver’s seat. He slams the door shut, and makes his way to the back of the car. He clicks the remote to pop the trunk open.

  Kent looks at Maddox, still unconscious and tied up, with no chance of escaping him. He takes a large bottle of water and
throws it at Maddox’s face. It brings him back to consciousness, but with the inability to move, he starts to panic. Kent shines a bright light into his eyes not allowing him to see. He finally turns off the flashlight, and allows Maddox the ability to see. It looks like Maddox eyes might bust out of his head once he realizes Kent in front of him. Kent puts his hand in the trunk and rips the duct tape off his mouth with force. Maddox yells out in agony.

  “Fuck! Kent! What the fuck are you doing? Why am I tied up like this?”

  Kent puts the flashlight down and drags Maddox out of the trunk.

  “Shut your damn mouth and get on your feet.”

  Maddox can barely stand. He tries to get up, but can’t get up off his knees.

  In a calmer manner, Maddox says, “Kent. What is this all about?”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll see,” he says. “Now get on your fucking feet and walk.”

  Maddox stumbles a couple of times, but eventually makes it onto his feet. With his hands still tied, his jeans filthy and barely any energy, Maddox starts to walk. Kent follows closely behind, and every couple of steps he gives Maddox a little shove to keep the pace. It’s very dark outside, so Maddox can’t see that far in front of him.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just walk until I tell you to stop. Don’t talk, just walk,” he says.

  They both navigate throughout the woods for some time, while Kent flicks the flashlight on and off a couple of times to check his mental markers.

  “Stop here,” he insists.

  Maddox slows up and looks around.

  “Why are we stopping here?”

  “So, you have no idea where you are huh?” he asks.

  “No. Actually I don’t.”

  Kent takes out his pistol. It’s the same exact revolver he used to kill Craven and Marven. He holds it by his side.

  “Maddox don’t fucking play stupid. You know exactly where you are.”

  Maddox looks confused.

  “I’m serious Tom. I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about.”

  Kent has started to pace back and forth mumbling to himself, not sure whether to believe him or not. He walks up to him and looks him dead in his eyes. He raises his pistol and strikes Maddox over the head with the butt of it. He looks him in the eye then hits him over his head with the butt of the gun.

  “You piece of shit. I can’t believe you can sit here and lie straight to my face after what you guys did to my family.”

  With blood gushing from his nose and his eyes watering, he looks at Kent with a surprised look. Kent looks right back at him to familiar with that look. He knows there’s a small chance that Maddox is telling the truth. It doesn’t sit well with him. Kent has lost his focus.

  “No, No, No. You’re lying. You’re full of shit.”

  Maddox looks at him pace back and forth and then turn his back towards him. He makes an effort to get back on his feet to make a run for it, but Kent turns back around within his first stride away. He pulls the trigger and hits him in the leg. Maddox screams out in pain.

  “Shit! You fucking shot me Kent. What the fuck man!”

  “I told you not to fucking move. You see what the fuck happens when you don’t listen.”

  Kent walks up to him and drags him back to the spot he was supposed to be in.

  “Look at me you piece of shit. Are you telling me the truth?”

  Grabbing his leg Maddox starts to breath very heavy.

  “Kent I swear it wasn’t me. I know we were all in tied in with Chambers, but after he was busted, he knew you would dig deep and expose him.”

  Kent gets down on one knee to get right in Maddox’s face to read him.

  “Why would Chambers worry about me exposing him, when we caught him red handed? That doesn’t make any sense, he was already going away for a long time.”

  Maddox gives him a look that solidifies Kent’s hunch that he knows the truth.

  “It’s not Chambers I’m talking about.”

  Maddox looks at Kent, who at this point is unable to hold back his eagerness.

  “Who? Who the fuck are you talking about?”

  Out of nowhere the sound of a gunshot goes off. Kent falls to the ground. He grabs his stomach and sees that he’s been shot. He screams loud.

  “Ah Shit! I’m hit!”

  Maddox and Kent start to look around in search of where this shot came from, and more importantly by who. They can hear the sound of footsteps walking closer to them, but still can’t see the person. A shadow form the flashlight shows a resemblance of a man. Kent’s pain level has sky rocketed, but he is still searching for the face behind the trigger. He gets closer. With blood leaking from his stomach Kent finally looks up with a look of shock on his face.

  The man walks up to him and grabs Kent’s revolver. Kent finally makes out the face and is in utter shock. He then grabs the flashlight and holds it close to his body.

  Kent is disgusted.

  “You son of a bitch! You fucking coward! Fucking traitor!”

  The man who Kent talks so reckless to, turns out to be is someone who he had never thought would do something like this.

  “Harper! You piece of shit. How could you do this to me? To my family?”

  Harper looks at him and doesn’t show an ounce of regret.

  “You were getting too close Kent. Once you found out about Maddox, Craven and Marven, I knew one of them would rat me out, and I just couldn’t have that.”

  It’s all starting to come together in Kent’s mind. He barely can talk, but he manages to speak because he has a couple of questions to ask Harper.

  “So you mean to tell me you were in ties with Chambers also? This whole time?”

  “Yep. Right under your nose too,” he says. “So much for being this great detective, you couldn’t even see your partner was tied in with the biggest drug dealer in the city. What a fucking idiot,” he says with a smirk.

  Kent has never felt this type of betrayal in his entire life. He feels stupid for not picking up on Harper and not realizing how he was being played.

  “So you were the one Chambers was talking about when he said he had someone in the precinct. It was you this whole fucking time.”

  He says, “It was me.”

  BETRAYAL

  Both detectives and police officers sit outside of a mega mansion. Detective Kent gets out his vehicle with a piece of paper in his hand.

  “Darren, we finally got this motherfucker.”

  Detective Harper follows right behind him as he walks up the steps to the house. Kent walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. The doorbell makes a loud buzz. A maid comes to the door.

  “Hello. How can I help you?”

  “I’m looking for Mr. Chambers.”

  Neither Kent or Harper wait for an invitation into the house. They push their way through the door and past the maid. A couple of police officers wait at the door as back up, as the maid tries to stop the detectives.

  “Sir, sir. You can’t just run in the house like that. Mr. Chambers is not here.”

  They all stop in the foyer.

  “We know he’s here ma’am,” he points out. “We can either search the house with this warrant we have or we can wait for you to go and get him.”

  The maid begins to stutter, while trying to think of the right thing to say, that won’t get her in trouble with the police, but more importantly her boss. Out of nowhere a deep voice is heard from the top of the steps.

  “Detectives. What can I help you with?”

  They all look up and see Chambers at the top of the steps. Kent turns his way and walks right to the bottom of the steps.

  “Cecil Chambers, you’re under arrest for money laundering, murder and racketeering, among many other charges.”

  Two policemen walk into the house and wait with Kent at the bottom of the stairs for Mr. Chambers. Chambers slowly walks down with a smile on his face.

  �
�Wow. You guys must think you actually have something on me.”

  He laughs at Kent.

  “We have a lot on you my friend. Enough to wipe that smile off your face.”

  Chambers finally makes it down to the bottom of the steps where the two officers turn him around and place the handcuffs on him. Kent reads him his rights as the officers escort him out. Chambers locks eyes with Harper as he makes his way out of his house. There is no way that this should have ever happened since Harper is on his payroll to avoid this exact scenario. Kent should have been kept at a good enough distance to never be able to arrest him.

  Harper knows he has messed up, so he quickly looks away to not blow his cover. They walk Chambers outside into a police squad car. They sit him in the back seat. Kent walks up to Harper and shakes his hand.

  “We did it buddy. It’s been a grind, but we finally got this motherfucker.”

  As they continue to speak, Chambers remains in the back on the car with his eyes locked on Harper. Ironically, Harper can feel his glare even though his back is to Chambers and knows he is in deep shit, unless he can figure out a way to get Chambers off.

  Several minutes later they pull up to the precinct greeted by multiple news cameras outside, all wanting to capture Chambers in handcuffs. As soon as the pull him out of the back seat, the camera flashes start to go off, making it difficult for Chambers to see. He tucks his head down low to avoid the bright lights as the police officers escort him into the building. News reporters bombard Kent and Chambers as they get to the front door with a series of questions.

  Harper lurks behind not too sure what to do with himself. Maddox, Craven and Marven walk over to him and he stands and watches Kent. The other officers watch Kent take Chambers into the precinct. Maddox puts his hand on Harper’s shoulder.

  “We gotta talk buddy.”

  They all walk into the precinct after all the news cameras have made their way from the front doors. They find a small office to go inside to talk in private.

  “Look Harper, you gotta fix this shit. You know that if Chambers does down, we all do down, and I can’t have that shit.”